How useful is the machine perfusion in liver transplantation? An answer from a national survey.

Machine perfusion (MP) has been shown worldwide to offer many advantages in liver transplantation, but it still has some gray areas. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the donor risk factors of grafts, perfused with any MP, that might predict an ineffective MP setting and those would trigger post-transplant early allograft dysfunction (EAD). Data from donors of all MP-perfused grafts at six liver transplant centers have been analyzed, whether implanted or discarded after perfusion. The first endpoint was the negative events after perfusion (NegE), which is the number of grafts discarded plus those that were implanted but lost after the transplant. A risk factor analysis for NegE was performed and marginal grafts for MP were identified. Finally, the risk of EAD was analyzed, considering only implanted grafts. From 2015 to September 2019, 158 grafts were perfused with MP: 151 grafts were implanted and 7 were discarded after the MP phase because they did not reach viability criteria. Of 151, 15 grafts were lost after transplant, so the NegE group consisted of 22 donors. In univariate analysis, the donor risk index >1.7, the presence of hypertension in the medical history, static cold ischemia time, and the moderate or severe macrovesicular steatosis were the significant factors for NegE. Multivariate analysis confirmed that macrosteatosis >30% was an independent risk factor for NegE (odd ratio 5.643, p = 0.023, 95% confidence interval, 1.27-24.98). Of 151 transplanted patients, 34% experienced EAD and had worse 1- and 3-year-survival, compared with those who did not face EAD (NoEAD), 96% and 96% for EAD vs. 89% and 71% for NoEAD, respectively (p = 0.03). None of the donor/graft characteristics was associated with EAD even if the graft was moderately steatotic or fibrotic or from an aged donor. For the first time, this study shows that macrovesicular steatosis >30% might be a warning factor involved in the risk of graft loss or a cause of graft discard after the MP treatment. On the other hand, the MP seems to be useful in reducing the donor and graft weight in the development of EAD.

AEgIS at ELENA: outlook for physics with a pulsed cold antihydrogen beam.

The efficient production of cold antihydrogen atoms in particle traps at CERN's Antiproton Decelerator has opened up the possibility of performing direct measurements of the Earth's gravitational acceleration on purely antimatter bodies. The goal of the AEgIS collaboration is to measure the value of g for antimatter using a pulsed source of cold antihydrogen and a Moiré deflectometer/Talbot-Lau interferometer. The same antihydrogen beam is also very well suited to measuring precisely the ground-state hyperfine splitting of the anti-atom. The antihydrogen formation mechanism chosen by AEgIS is resonant charge exchange between cold antiprotons and Rydberg positronium. A series of technical developments regarding positrons and positronium (Ps formation in a dedicated room-temperature target, spectroscopy of the n=1-3 and n=3-15 transitions in Ps, Ps formation in a target at 10 K inside the 1 T magnetic field of the experiment) as well as antiprotons (high-efficiency trapping of [Formula: see text], radial compression to sub-millimetre radii of mixed [Formula: see text] plasmas in 1 T field, high-efficiency transfer of [Formula: see text] to the antihydrogen production trap using an in-flight launch and recapture procedure) were successfully implemented. Two further critical steps that are germane mainly to charge exchange formation of antihydrogen-cooling of antiprotons and formation of a beam of antihydrogen-are being addressed in parallel. The coming of ELENA will allow, in the very near future, the number of trappable antiprotons to be increased by more than a factor of 50. For the antihydrogen production scheme chosen by AEgIS, this will be reflected in a corresponding increase of produced antihydrogen atoms, leading to a significant reduction of measurement times and providing a path towards high-precision measurements.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Antiproton physics in the ELENA era'.

Mortality related to primary bariatric surgery in England.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery is an accepted treatment option for severe obesity. Previous analysis of the independently collected Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data for outcomes after bariatric surgery demonstrated a 30-day postoperative mortality rate of 0·3 per cent in the English National Health Service (NHS). However, there have been no published mortality data for bariatric procedures performed since 2008. This study aimed to assess mortality related to bariatric surgery in England from 2009. METHODS: HES data were used to identify all patients who had primary bariatric surgery from 2009 to 2016. Clinical codes were used selectively to identify all primary bariatric procedures but exclude revision or conversion procedures and operations for malignant or other benign disease. The primary outcome measures were HES in-hospital and Office for National Statistics (ONS) 30-day mortality after discharge. RESULTS: A total of 41 241 primary bariatric procedures were carried out in the NHS between 2009 and 2016, with 29 in-hospital deaths (0·07 per cent). The 30-day mortality rate after discharge was 0·08 per cent (32 of 41 241). Both the in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates after discharge demonstrated a downward trend over the study period. CONCLUSION: Overall in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates remain very low after primary bariatric surgery. An increased uptake of bariatric surgery within the English NHS has been safe.

Intra-Operative Contrast Cholangiography in Living Donor Liver Transplantation: The ISMETT Experience.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the clinical impact of donor biliary anatomy discrepancies (DBAD) achieved by comparing pre-operative evaluation obtained with magnetic resonance (MR)/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) imaging, with intra-operative cholangiography (IOC) on the living related liver donor (LDLT) and recipient. METHODS: This single-center, retrospective study included 97 consecutive adult-to-adult (A2A) LDLT performed in our hospital in the last 12 years. Donor sex and age, living donors with biliary and/or vascular anomalies, recipient age, sex, primary etiology, re-transplantation, Model of End-Stage Liver Disease score, co-morbidities, arterial and biliary recipient complications assessed on the basis of clinical follow-up were collected and analyzed for significance through the use of a multivariate linear regression model. RESULTS: Biliary complications in the donor (DBC) were detected in 8 (8.2%) cases. Biliary complications in the recipients (RBC) were detected in 38 (39%) cases. DBADs were found in 32 (33%) cases and resulted strictly related to RBC (P = .05). CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for co-variables, results of the linear regression analysis confirmed that DBAD is an independent predictor of RBC, but it is not significantly associated with vascular complications or patient survival. We showed that RBCs after LDLT were influenced by DBAD.

Evolution of surgical technique in conventional open hepatectomy for living liver donation over a 12-year period in a single center.

We report details of the experience from the largest Italian program with hepatic living donation, focusing particularly on the use of intraoperative ultrasound in liver transplantation and living donation. During a 12-year period we changed our surgical technique in the conventional open procedures thanks to the experience gained into the laparoscopic setting. Intraoperative ultrasound has been implemented during these delicate procedures for ensuring a fast and safer detection of the accessory veins and final severing of the vascular stumps during liver transection.

Recipient-donor age matching in liver transplantation: a single-center experience.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether donor age was a predictor of outcomes in liver transplantation, representing an independent risk factor as well as its impact related to recipient age-matching. METHODS: We analyzed prospectively collected data from 221 adult liver transplantations performed from January 2006 to September 2009. RESULTS: Compared with recipients who received grafts from donors <60 years old, transplantation from older donors was associated with significantly higher rates of graft rejection (9.5% vs 3.5%; P = .05) and worse graft survival (P = .021). When comparing recipient and graft survivals according to age matching, we observed significantly worse values for age-mismatched (P values .029 and .037, respectively) versus age-matched patients. After adjusting for covariates in a multivariate model, age mismatch was an independent risk factor for patient death (hazard ratio [HR] 2.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-4.17; P = .027) and graft loss (HR 3.86, 95% CI 1.02-15.47; P = .046). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest to that optimized donor allocation takes into account both donor and recipient ages maximize survival of liver-transplanted patients.

Two brothers with renal and hepatic polycystic disease treated with combined liver and kidney transplantation: a case report.

We report two brothers with renal and hepatic polycystic disease who developed end-stage renal failure, requiring hemodialysis, and organomegaly syndrome related to the gigantic size of the liver and both kidneys. Although there was no liver failure, combined liver and kidney transplantation was performed owing to worsening of the clinical condition. In both cases, successful transplantation was accomplished with intra-abdominal engraftment of the liver and kidneys through the same abdominal incision.

Measurement of XeI and XeII velocity in the near exit plane of a low-power Hall effect thruster by light induced fluorescence spectroscopy.

Near exit plane non-resonant light induced fluorescence spectroscopy is performed in a Hall effect low-power Xenon thruster at discharge voltage of 250 V and anode flow rate of 0.7 mg/s. Measurements of the axial and radial velocity components are performed, exciting the 6s(2)[3/2]2(o)→6p(2)[3/2]2 transition at 823.16 nm in XeI and the 5d[4]7/2→6p[3]5/2(o) transition at 834.724 nm in XeII. No significant deviation from the thermal velocity is observed for XeI. Two most probable ion velocities are registered at a given position with respect to the thruster axis, which are mainly attributed to different areas of creation of ions inside the acceleration channel. The spatial resolution of the set-up is limited by the laser beam size (radius of the order of 0.5 mm) and the fluorescence collection optics, which have a view spot diameter of 8 mm.

Marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells restore biochemical markers of acute liver injury in experimental model.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells were investigated as prompters of liver regeneration in an experimental model of acute hepatic injury. A model was created in Wistar rats through intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells collected from the long bones of 10 Wistar rats were intravenously infused 24 hours after induction of acute liver failure in 16 rats, group A. In group B, the control group, 16 rats received a peritoneal injection of CCl4, and an intravenous infusion of normal saline solution. All rats were sacrificed at 2, 3, 4, and 7 days post-CCl4 injection to examined biochemical markers and pathological appearances. The platelet counts were higher in group A versus group B on post-CCl4 infusion days 2 (P = .02) and 3 (P = .001), as were the transaminase trends in glutamic oxaloacetic (P = .002), and glutamic-pyruvic transaminases (P < .0001). Pathological examination showed a greater grade of hepatocellular necrosis with neutrophilic infiltration in group B (P = .02). In conclusion, infusion of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell resulted in a less aggressive picture of hepatic damage.

Development of a standardized model for liver failure in pigs: anatomopathophysiologic findings after extended liver resection.

Eighteen pigs weighing a mean 19 ± 4 kg, were divided into group 1 (n = 2), that underwent resection of the left lateral lobe, group 2 (n = 2), resection of the left median and right median lobes; and group 3 (n = 18), resection of the left lateral, left median, right median, and right lateral lobes. All animals were followed for 5 days. Liver failure (n = 8) leading to animal death within 3 days after surgery was observed in 65% of group 3, whereas no group 1 or 2 animal experienced liver insufficiency. Multivariate analysis revealed that the extent of liver resection expressed as a percentage of total body weight <2.3%, international normalized ratio > 1.6 as postoperative day 2, serum bilirubin > 4.2 on postoperative day 2, and serum lactates > 9 mmol/L after resection were independent predictors of liver failure (P < .05). The number of resected liver lobes was not a good predictor of liver failure in swine, whereas the extent of resection expressed as a percentage of total body weight was an independent predictor of early liver failure. A resected liver-to-body weight ratio >2.3% was associated with a 65% probability of developing liver insufficiency. This parameter may be useful when developing a model of liver failure after extended liver resection in swine.

Laparoscopic approach for an intra-abdominal kidney allograft nephrectomy after pediatric transplantation: a case report.

We report a case of minimally invasive nephrectomy of a kidney transplanted into the abdominal cavity in a child. A 15-year-old girl underwent transplantation with a cadaveric donor kidney due to congenital pyelonephritis, vesicoureteral reflux, and secondary bladder atrophy. The transplant was complicated by hyperacute rejection, cytomegalovirus infection, and anastomotic stenosis of the Bricker neobladder. After recurrent urinary tract infections, the patient was reintroduced to hemodialysis in 2010. After pneumo-peritoneum, we placed 2 10-mm trocars in the hypochondrium and left side and 2 5-mm in the left iliac fossa and right upper quadrant. The transplanted kidney was skeletonized, the artery and vein were cut to the end-to-side anastomoses to the juxta-renal aorta and cava using an automatic 35-mm, stapler, and the ureter was dissected and closed with clips. Via a Pfannestiel minilaparotomy we extracted the allograft. The patient was discharged on the third postoperative day. After 4 months of follow-up, she is alive an on dialysis. Laparoscopic nephrectomy of a kidney transplanted into the abdominal cavity is feasible and safe in centers with skilled minimally invasive techniques.

The Charlson comorbidity index as a predictor of outcomes in liver transplantation: single-center experience.

Several comorbidity indices, such as the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score and the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, have been used to optimize available organ resources and adjust priorities in diagnosis and allocation of grafts for patients who are candidates for liver transplantation. There have also been various attempts to create instruments to accurately predict outcomes after liver transplantation, but none has proved to be truly applicable, with the exception of the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). We retrospectively reviewed data of 221 liver recipients, including living-related liver transplantation and multiple organ transplantation performed between January 2006 and September 2009. Survival analysis revealed a significant association of the CCI with decreased posttransplantation patient survival (P = .003). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier plots and log-rank test showed a significant association between graft survival and the score (P = .039). Our data suggest that the CCI is a simple tool for the evaluation of comorbidity and that increased preoperative patient comorbidity increases the risk of graft loss and patient death after liver transplantation. The CCI should be considered an important tool for improving patient care because of its potential applications for patient management.

Weekend hospitalization and additional risk of death: an analysis of inpatient data.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether weekend admissions to hospital and/or already being an inpatient on weekend days were associated with any additional mortality risk. DESIGN: Retrospective observational survivorship study. We analysed all admissions to the English National Health Service (NHS) during the financial year 2009/10, following up all patients for 30 days after admission and accounting for risk of death associated with diagnosis, co-morbidities, admission history, age, sex, ethnicity, deprivation, seasonality, day of admission and hospital trust, including day of death as a time dependent covariate. The principal analysis was based on time to in-hospital death. PARTICIPANTS: National Health Service Hospitals in England. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: 30 day mortality (in or out of hospital). RESULTS: There were 14,217,640 admissions included in the principal analysis, with 187,337 in-hospital deaths reported within 30 days of admission. Admission on weekend days was associated with a considerable increase in risk of subsequent death compared with admission on weekdays, hazard ratio for Sunday versus Wednesday 1.16 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.18; P < .0001), and for Saturday versus Wednesday 1.11 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.13; P < .0001). Hospital stays on weekend days were associated with a lower risk of death than midweek days, hazard ratio for being in hospital on Sunday versus Wednesday 0.92 (95% CI 0.91 to 0.94; P < .0001), and for Saturday versus Wednesday 0.95 (95% CI 0.93 to 0.96; P < .0001). Similar findings were observed on a smaller US data set. CONCLUSIONS: Admission at the weekend is associated with increased risk of subsequent death within 30 days of admission. The likelihood of death actually occurring is less on a weekend day than on a mid-week day.

Differences between South Asians and White Europeans in five year outcome following percutaneous coronary intervention.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare rates of target lesion revascularisation (TLR) and total mortality between South Asians (SAs) and White Europeans (WEs) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: We followed a cohort of 293 SAs and 865 WEs patients admitted for elective or urgent PCI to de novo lesions. For each patient, baseline cardiovascular risk factors and angiographic data were obtained. Patients had long-term follow-up for all-cause mortality and TLR. RESULTS: Patients were followed up over a median period of 54 months (inter-quartile range: 47-65). SAs were younger (62 ± 12 years vs. 66 ± 11 years; p < 0.0001), with a higher prevalence of diabetes, greater social deprivation [Carstairs score: 10.2 (IQR 6.5-12.1) vs. 3.3 (IQR 0.9-6.5); p < 0.0001] and presented more acutely (urgent PCI procedure). During the follow-up period, a total of 119 deaths and 111 TLR [94 repeat PCI and 17 coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)] occurred. There was no significant difference in the rate of long-term all-cause mortality between SA and WE [31 (10.6%) vs. 107 (12.4%); OR: 0.84 (0.55-1.28); p = 0.47]. However, SA ethnicity was an independent predictor of long-term TLR, after adjusting for baseline clinical and procedural characteristics [54 (18.4%) vs. 57 (6.6%); OR: 2.83 (1.87-4.29); p < 0.0001]. CONCLUSIONS: South Asian patients were more likely to require re-admission to treat clinical restenosis of the index lesion. There was no significant long-term difference in all-cause mortality between SA and WE patients.

Unusual presentation of left hepatic vein in deceased donor: case report.

An anomaly of the left hepatic vein was discovered in a deceased donor for whole liver transplantation. This vein was attached by a thin bridge of tissue to the suprahepatic inferior vena cava cuff, which received the right and middle hepatic vein in a common trunk. The left hepatic vein and the common trunk drained together into the right atrium. The thin bridge of tissue connecting the 2 independent vessels was severed, and ex situ reduction of the left lateral segments was using a harmonic scalpel. Although a graft with reduced size is not ideal, ex situ reduction should be considered a valuable option when viability of the left lateral segments is uncertain in the donor or at the back table.

Self-Expandable Metal Stent for Closure of a Large Leak after Total Gastrectomy.

In recent years, self-expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) have emerged as a promising treatment alternative for the bridging and sealing of esophageal perforations and extensive anastomotic leaks after esophageal resection or total gastrectomy. A 56-year-old woman underwent a total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y end-to-side esophagojejunostomy for a gastric signet ring cell carcinoma. Ten days later, esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a 2 cm fistula in the distal end of the Roux limb of the anastomosis. This was confirmed by gastrografin esophagography. The patient was started on total parenteral nutrition. Having deemed clipping treatment for this fistula unfeasible, we decided to insert a partially silicone-coated SEMS (Evolution Controlled Release Esophageal Stent System, Cook Medical, Winston-Salem, N.C., USA). The stent was removed after ten days. Gastrografin esophagography showed no further contrast extravasation, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed closure of the fistula. No clinical complications were observed, and the patient was able to start normal per os nutrition. In conclusion, the treatment of symptomatic leaks in patients who have undergone esophagojejunostomy is challenging, and leakage from the jejunal stump can be a potentially serious complication. In the treatment of leakage after total gastrectomy, plastic stents (which are either too light or exercise too little radial force) and totally covered metallic stents may not adhere sufficiently to the esophagojeujunal walls and, as a result, migrate beyond the anastomosis. The promising results of this report suggest that early stenting, using a partially silicone-coated SEMS, is a feasible alternative to surgical treatment in this category of patients.

Progression of hepatocellular carcinoma before liver transplantation: dropout or liver transplantation?

BACKGROUND: Tumor progression before liver transplantation (OLT) is the main cause of dropout from the waiting list (WL) of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to show a correlation between adopted dropout criteria and dropout/intention-to-treat survival rates of WL HCC patients. METHODS: The study period was 2000 to 2007. The dropout criteria were macroscopic vascular invasion, metastases, or a poorly differentiated tumor. Adult patients with benign chronic liver disease enlisted for primary OLT in the same period represented the control group. RESULTS: Dropout probability of study (n = 128) versus control group (n = 377) subjects was similar: namely, 12% at 1 year in both groups (P = NS). Intention-to-treat survival curve of the HCC group overlapped that of the benign group (5-year survival rates were 73% and 71%, respectively; P = NS). At the time of listing, 103 study group patients were within the Milan criteria (MC): among these patients, 29 (28%) showed tumor progression beyond MC before OLT. Simulating the dropout of these 29 patients at the time of diagnosis of tumor progression, we compared the dropout probability of the 103 patients within MC with that of the control group. As a result, the 1- and 2-year dropout rates became 37% and 53%, respectively, in the study group, which were significantly higher than those in the controls (P < .01). CONCLUSION: HCC patients on the WL showed a significantly greater dropout rate than subjects with benign cirrhosis when too restrictive radiologic dropout criteria were used. The adoption of criteria more related to biological aggressiveness of a tumor decreased the dropout risk for HCC patients without impairing their intention-to-treat survival rates.