Report of abnormal tail regeneration of Eremias yarkandensis (Sauria: Lacertidae) and its locomotor performance.

Caudal autotomy is a phenomenon observed in many reptile taxa, and tail loss is a pivotal functional trait for reptiles, with potentially negative implications for organism fitness due to its influence on locomotion. Some lizard species can regenerate a lost tail, which sometimes can lead to the development of more than one tail (i.e., abnormal tail regeneration) in the process. However, little is currently known about the impact of abnormal tail regeneration on locomotor performance. In this study, we document abnormal tail regeneration in Eremias yarkandensis, a reptile species native to northwestern China. Additionally, we investigated the sprint speed and endurance performance of these lizards. This study provides the first report on abnormal tail regeneration and its locomotor performance on a Chinese reptile. We suggest that the abnormal regeneration of tails may contribute to the accumulation of food reserves in the species. In light of our findings, we propose that herpetologists continue to share their sporadic observations and assess the locomotor performance of species experiencing abnormal tail regeneration, further expanding our understanding of this intriguing phenomenon.

Chemical Composition, Antibacterial Activity and Mechanism of Action of Fermentation Products from Aspergillus Niger xj.

Six compounds were isolated and purified from the crude acetone extract of Aspergillus niger xj. Characterization of all compounds was done by NMR and MS. On the basis of chemical and spectral analysis structure, six compounds were elucidated as metazachlor (1), nonacosane (2), palmitic acid (3), 5,5'-oxybis(5-methylene-2-furaldehyde) (4), dimethyl 5-nitroisophthalate (5) and cholesta-3,5-dien-7-one (6), respectively, and compounds 1, 4, 5 and 6 were isolated for the first time from A. niger. To evaluate the antibacterial activity of compounds 1-6 against three plant pathogenic bacteria (Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-37, Erwinia carotovora EC-1 and Ralstonia solanacearum RS-2), and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by broth microdilution method in 96-well microtiter plates. Results of the evaluation of the antibacterial activity showed that T-37 strain was more susceptible to metazachlor with the lowest MIC of 31.25 µg/mL. The antibacterial activity of metazachlor has rarely been reported, thus the antibacterial mechanism of metazachlor against T-37 strain were investigated. The permeability of cell membrane demonstrated that cells membranes were broken by metazachlor, which caused leakage of ions in cells. SDS-PAGE of T-37 proteins indicated that metazachlor could damage bacterial cells through the destruction of cellular proteins. Scanning electron microscopy results showed obvious morphological and ultrastructural changes in the T-37 cells, further confirming the cell membrane damages caused by metazachlor. Overall, our findings demonstrated that the ability of metazachlor to suppress the growth of T-37 pathogenic bacteria makes it potential biocontrol agents.

Pemigatinib in previously treated Chinese patients with locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma carrying FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements: A phase II study.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the antitumor activity and safety of pemigatinib in previously treated Chinese patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) fusions or rearrangements. BACKGROUND: Pemigatinib provided clinical benefits for previously treated patients with cholangiocarcinoma carrying FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements and was approved for this indication in multiple countries. METHODS: In this ongoing, multicenter, single-arm, phase II study, adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma carrying centrally confirmed FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements who had progressed on ≥1 systemic therapy received 13.5 mg oral pemigatinib once daily (3-week cycle; 2 weeks on, 1 week off) until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or consent withdrawal. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) assessed by an independent radiology review committee. RESULTS: As of January 29, 2021, 31 patients were enrolled. The median follow-up was 5.1 months (range, 1.5-9.3). Among 30 patients with FGFR2 fusions or rearrangements evaluated for efficacy, 15 patients achieved partial response (ORR, 50.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 31.3-68.7); 15 achieved stable disease, contributing to a disease control rate of 100% (95% CI, 88.4-100). The median time to response was 1.4 months (95% CI, 1.3-1.4), the median duration of response was not reached, and the median progression-free survival was 6.3 months (95% CI, 4.9-not estimable [NE]). Eight (25.8%) of 31 patients had ≥grade 3 treatment-emergent adverse events. Hyperphosphatemia, hypophosphatasemia, nail toxicities, and ocular disorders were mostly

Identification of Biomarkers for Predicting Allograft Rejection following Kidney Transplantation Based on the Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis.

Kidney transplantation is the promising treatment of choice for chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease and can effectively improve the quality of life and survival rates of patients. However, the allograft rejection following kidney transplantation has a negative impact on transplant success. Therefore, the present study is aimed at screening novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of allograft rejection following kidney transplantation for improving long-term transplant outcome. In the study, a total of 8 modules and 3065 genes were identified by WGCNA based on the GSE46474 and GSE15296 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Moreover, the results of Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis showed that these genes were mainly involved in the immune-related biological processes and pathways. Thus, 317 immune-related genes were selected for further analysis. Finally, 5 genes (including CD200R1, VAV2, FASLG, SH2D1B, and RAP2B) were identified as the candidate biomarkers based on the ROC and difference analysis. Furthermore, we also found that in the 5 biomarkers an interaction might exist among each other in the protein and transcription level. Taken together, our study identified CD200R1, VAV2, FASLG, SH2D1B, and RAP2B as the candidate diagnostic biomarkers, which might contribute to the prevention and treatment of allograft rejection following kidney transplantation.

Exosomes Derived from Hydroquinone-transformed Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells Inhibited Recipient Cell Apoptosis by transferring miR-221 / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#Although benzene is a confirmed environmental carcinogen, the mechanism of its carcinogenicity remains largely unclear. The suggested oncogene, miR-221, is elevated and plays important roles in various tumors, but its role in benzene-induced carcinogenesis remains unknown.@*Methods@#In the present study, we constructed hydroquinone (HQ, a representative metabolite of benzene with biological activity)-transformed malignant cell line (16HBE-t) and analyzed the level of miR-221 in it with qRT-PCR. Exosomes from 16HBE-t cells incubated with or without an miR-221 inhibitor were isolated by ultracentrifugation, characterized by transmission electron microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscope, and then transfected into 16HBE cells. The effects of exosomal miR-221 on apoptosis induced by HQ in recipient cells were determined using flow cytometry.@*Results@#The amount of miR-221 in 16HBE-t was significantly increased compared with controls. When recipient cells ingested exosomes derived from 16HBE-t, miR-221 was increased, and apoptosis induced by HQ was inhibited. Blocking miR-221 in 16HBE-t using an inhibitor did not significantly alter miR-221 or apoptosis in recipient cells.@*Conclusion@#Exosomal miR-221 secreted by 16HBE-t inhibits apoptosis induced by HQ in normal recipient cells.

Text mining of the media coverage of major public health emergencies: a case study of COVID-19 / 上海预防医学

Objective Based on the text analysis of COVID-19 media report, text mining was used to probe the trend of major public health emergencies and response of the government and social subjects in China. Methods Using the topic model method, we focused on the quantity of news report, topic content, development trend, and emotional tendency, to present the characteristics of media report on China's public health emergency, and the response mechanism of the Chinese government and the whole society. Results The media report and news commentary of COVID-19 showed a consistent trend with the epidemic progress. The governmental response was the main target of media report, while social power, medical progress and other categories also attracted some attention. The development trend of different topics was characterized by continual or periodic variation due to their different attributes. Conclusion The topic model method comprehensively demonstrates the development and response process of the COVID-19 epidemic. The model may provide a new perspective to improve the national public emergency management system.

Prolonged warm ischemia aggravates hepatic mitochondria damage and apoptosis in DCD liver by regulating Ca2+/CaM/CaMKII signaling pathway.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of warm ischemia duration on hepatocyte mitochondrial damage after liver transplantation, and confirm the role of CaMKIIγ in this process. Rat donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver transplantation model was established by exposing donor liver to 0 (W0 group), 15 (W15 group), and 30 (W30 group) min warm ischemia. Some rats in W15 group were transfected with CaMKIIγ and CaMKIIγ-shRNA lentivirus. On day 1, 3, and 7 post-transplantation, a series of experiments, including HE staining, TEM observation, ALT and AST measurement, flow cytometry analysis, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting were performed to evaluate the extent of hepatic and mitochondria damage. Within 7 days post-transplantation, prolonged ischemia led to an obvious deterioration of hepatic and mitochondria damage, presenting with a marked increase of apoptotic hepatocytes, ALT and AST levels, cells with low MMP, and AIF and Cyt C expression. CaMKIIγ overexpression caused the significant ultrastructural damage of hepatic cells, increase of cells with low MMP, enhancement of AIF and Cyt C expression, and augmented Ca2+/CaM/CaMKIIγ, while blocking CaMKIIγ showed an opposite result. In conclusion, ischemia duration is proportional to the extent of hepatic mitochondria damage, and CaMKIIγ plays a negative regulatory role in this process by regulating the Ca2+/CaM/CaMKII signaling pathway.

Halomonas and Pathway Engineering for Bioplastics Production.

Traditional microbial chassis, including Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Ralstonia eutropha, and Pseudomonas putida, are grown under neutral pH and mild osmotic pressure for production of chemicals and materials. They tend to be contaminated easily by many microorganisms. To address this issue, next-generation industrial biotechnology employing halophilic Halomonas spp. has been developed for production of bioplastics polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and other chemicals. Halomonas spp. that can be grown contamination free under open and unsterile condition at alkali pH and high NaCl have been engineered to produce several PHA polymers in elongated or enlarged cells. New pathways can also be constructed both in plasmids and on chromosomes for Halomonas spp. Synthetic biology approaches and parts have been developed for Halomonas spp., allowing better control of their growth and product formation as well as morphology adjustment. Halomonas spp. and their synthetic biology will play an increasingly important role for industrial production of large volume chemicals.

Choroidal thickness in Chinese patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy / 中华眼底病杂志

Objective To observe the peripapillary choroidal thicknesses (pCT) and subfoveal choroidal thicknesses (SFCT) of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Methods Forty-four Chinese patients with unilateral NAION were recruited and compared with 60 eyes of 60 normal age and refractive-error matched control subjects. pCT and SFCT were measured by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. Choroidal thicknesses of eyes with NAION and unaffected fellow eyes were compared with normal controls. Choroidal thicknesses of NAION eyes with or without optic disc edema were also compared. The correlation between choroidal thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and the mean deviation (MD) of Humphrey static perimetry in NAION eyes were analyzed. Results The pCT at the nasal, nasal inferior and temporal inferior quadrants in NAION eyes with optic disc edema were significantly thicker than that of normal subjects (t=3.152, 3.166, 2.808; P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the choroidal thicknesses between the unaffected fellow eyes of NAION patients and normal eyes of healthy controls; or between the NAION eyes with resolved optic disc edema and normal eyes (P>0.05). No significant correlation between choroidal thickness (r=-0.220, -0.140, 0.110), SFCT (r=0.096, -0.148, -0.131) and logMAR BCVA, perimetry MD and RNFL was found in eyes affected by NAION (P>0.05). Conclusions The peripapillary choroidal thicknesses increase in some quadrants in NAION eyes with optic disc edema. However, the choroidal thickness of NAION eyes is the same in age and refractive error-matched normal subjects.

Choroidal thickness in Chinese patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy / 中华眼底病杂志

Objective To observe the peripapillary choroidal thicknesses (pCT) and subfoveal choroidal thicknesses (SFCT) of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Methods Forty-four Chinese patients with unilateral NAION were recruited and compared with 60 eyes of 60 normal age and refractive-error matched control subjects. pCT and SFCT were measured by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. Choroidal thicknesses of eyes with NAION and unaffected fellow eyes were compared with normal controls. Choroidal thicknesses of NAION eyes with or without optic disc edema were also compared. The correlation between choroidal thickness and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and the mean deviation (MD) of Humphrey static perimetry in NAION eyes were analyzed. Results The pCT at the nasal, nasal inferior and temporal inferior quadrants in NAION eyes with optic disc edema were significantly thicker than that of normal subjects (t=3.152, 3.166, 2.808; P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the choroidal thicknesses between the unaffected fellow eyes of NAION patients and normal eyes of healthy controls; or between the NAION eyes with resolved optic disc edema and normal eyes (P>0.05). No significant correlation between choroidal thickness (r=-0.220, -0.140, 0.110), SFCT (r=0.096, -0.148, -0.131) and logMAR BCVA, perimetry MD and RNFL was found in eyes affected by NAION (P>0.05). Conclusions The peripapillary choroidal thicknesses increase in some quadrants in NAION eyes with optic disc edema. However, the choroidal thickness of NAION eyes is the same in age and refractive error-matched normal subjects.

Reversibility of retinal pigment epithelium detachment parallel to acute intraocular pressure rise.

PURPOSE: To report on a reversibility of a retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) detachment in association with marked short-term changes in intraocular pressure (IOP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three patients underwent a dark room provocative test for the diagnosis of angle-closure glaucoma. A spectral-domain optical coherent tomography of the macula was additionally performed. RESULTS: On the macula optical coherent tomography images, all 3 patients showed an RPE detachment with decreased or completely disappeared after an IOP rise by 5 to 25 mm Hg, and which recurred after normalization of IOP. CONCLUSION: Slight detachments of the RPE may depend on acute IOP changes.

In vitro and in vivo characteristics of hepatic oval cells modified with human hepatocyte growth factor.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a multifunctional growth factor that controls cell scattering. It has been suggested that it regulates the proliferation of hepatic oval cells (HOCs). Using a HOC line that stably expresses the human HGF gene (hHGF), we investigated the in vitro proliferation and differentiation characteristics of hHGF-modified HOCs and explored their potential capacity for intrahepatic transplantation. A modified 2-acetylaminofluorene and partial hepatectomy (2-AAF/PH) model was established to activate the proliferation of oval cells in the rat liver. HOCs were transfected with the pBLAST2-hHGF plasmid and hHGF-carrying HOCs were selected based on blasticidin resistance. The level of hHGF secretion was determined via ELISA. Cell proliferation was determined using the MTT assay. Differentiation was induced by growth factor withdrawal. A two-cuff technique was used for orthotopic liver transplantation, and HOCs or hHGF-modified HOCs were transplanted into the recipients. The levels of biochemical indicators of liver function were measured after transplantation. An HOC line stably expressing hHGF was established. The transfected line showed greater hHGF secretion than normal HOCs. The hHGF gene promoted the proliferation capability of HOCs by reducing the peak time in vitro. The hHGF-modified HOCs differentiated into hepatocytes and bile duct epithelial cells upon growth factor withdrawal in vitro. In addition, hHGF-modified HOC transplantation significantly prolonged the median survival time (MST) and improved the liver function of recipients compared to HOC transplant recipients and nontransplanted controls. Our results indicate that hHGF-modified HOCs may have valuable properties for therapeutic liver regeneration after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Factors related to HIV-associated lipodystrophy among patients on antiretroviral therapy / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To describe the distribution and related risk factors of lipodystrophy (LD) among AIDS patients treated with antiretroviral drugs.Methods A cross-sectional study was performed on 261 AIDS patients treated with antiretroviral drugs.All the subjects were followed in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of two counties in northern Anhui province from May 25 to 30,2012.Data related to demography,physical examination,history of antiretroviral treatment,HIV plasma viral load,and CD4 +T cell count were collected.Clinical examination was based on an assessment of changes in face,legs,arms,buttocks (peripheral sites),back,chest,neck or abdomen or change in waist size (central sites) as quoted by the clinicians.Results LD was observed in 147 (56.3％) patients.The differences of age,gender,quality of sleep,weight and time of treatment between LD and non-lipodystrophy (NLD) groups were statistically significant (P＜0.05).Results from the Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of women suffering from LD was 1.894 times ofthd males (95％CI:1.075-3.338).The risk of those with LD showed an 1.448-fold increase regarding the time of treatment for each additional year (95％CI:1.267-1.654).Patients with poor quality of sleep were prone to LD with 11.901 times more than those with good quality of sleep (95％CI:2.701-52.441).Conclusion LD was commonly observed in AIDS patients who were under antiretroviral therapy.Gender,tine of treatment and the quality of sleep appeared the main factors related to the results of observation.

Human hepatocyte growth factor (hHGF)-modified hepatic oval cells improve liver transplant survival.

Despite progress in the field of immunosuppression, acute rejection is still a common postoperative complication following liver transplantation. This study aims to investigate the capacity of the human hepatocyte growth factor (hHGF) in modifying hepatic oval cells (HOCs) administered simultaneously with orthotopic liver transplantation as a means of improving graft survival. HOCs were activated and isolated using a modified 2-acetylaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy (2-AAF/PH) model in male Lewis rats. A HOC line stably expressing the HGF gene was established following stable transfection of the pBLAST2-hHGF plasmid. Our results demonstrated that hHGF-modified HOCs could efficiently differentiate into hepatocytes and bile duct epithelial cells in vitro. Administration of HOCs at the time of liver transplantation induced a wider distribution of SRY-positive donor cells in liver tissues. Administration of hHGF-HOC at the time of transplantation remarkably prolonged the median survival time and improved liver function for recipients compared to these parameters in the other treatment groups (P<0.05). Moreover, hHGF-HOC administration at the time of liver transplantation significantly suppressed elevation of interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels while increasing the production of IL-10 and TGF-ß1 (P<0.05). HOC or hHGF-HOC administration promoted cell proliferation, reduced cell apoptosis, and decreased liver allograft rejection rates. Furthermore, hHGF-modified HOCs more efficiently reduced acute allograft rejection (P<0.05 versus HOC transplantation only). Our results indicate that the combination of hHGF-modified HOCs with liver transplantation decreased host anti-graft immune responses resulting in a reduction of allograft rejection rates and prolonging graft survival in recipient rats. This suggests that HOC-based cell transplantation therapies can be developed as a means of treating severe liver injuries.

Mechanism of immune hyporesponsiveness induced by recipient- derived immature dendritic cells in liver transplantation rat.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of immune hyporesponsiveness induced by donor-antigen- unloaded recipient-derived immature dendritic cell (imDC) of liver grafts in rats. METHODS: Forty Sprague-Dawley rats (donor) and forty male Wistar rats (recipient) were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, cyclosporine A (CsA), mature DC (mDC), and imDC groups respectively, with 10 donor rats and 10 recipient rats in each group. Recipient rats in CsA group were treated with 10 mg•kg⁻¹â€¢d⁻¹ CsA starting day 2 after the transplantation. Recipients in the mDC or imDC groups were given Wistar rat derived mDCs (1 × 106/rat) or imDCs (1 × 106/rat) via dorsal vein of the penis respectively 1 day before the transplantation. In each group, 5 recipients were kept for determination of survival time and the other 5 rats were executed at day 10 after transplantation. Blood samples were collected for the measurement of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBIL), interleukin 2 (IL-2), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), IL-4, and IL-10 levels. Liver tissue was harvested for HE staining and acute rejection evaluation. Expression levels of Fas-L/Fas in the grafts were detected by immunohistochemical staining; and Western blot was used to detect the expression level of Scurfin. RESULTS: The survival time of CsA and imDC groups was significantly longer than that of control and mDC groups (all P < 0.05). The levels of serum ALT and TBIL in the control group (2072.20 ± 217.93 IU/L and 147.42 ± 22.02 µmol/L) and mDC group (2117.00 ± 285.13 IU/L and 141.58 ± 20.82 µmol/L) were significantly higher than those in the CsA group (59.68 ± 13.48 IU/L and 15.40 ± 2.13 µmol/L) or imDC group (50.80 ± 9.63 IU/L and 14.44 ± 3.49 µmol/L) (all P < 0.05). In the CsA and imDC groups, the levels of IL-2 (22.52 ± 3.75 pg/mL and 22.12 ± 3.90 pg/mL) and IFN-γ (309.20 ± 25.19 pg/mL and 321.00 ± 21.64 pg/mL) were significantly lower, but the levels of IL-4 (297.60 ± 25.07 pg/mL and 277.00 ± 22.47 pg/mL) and IL-10 (1226.00 ± 140.49 pg/mL and 1423.00 ± 106.39 pg/mL) were higher than those of the control (IL-2: 147.78 ± 12.80 pg/mL, IFN-γ: 1758.60 ± 106.22 pg/mL, IL-4: 17.40 ± 4.77 pg/mL, IL-10: 81.00 ± 9.47 pg/mL) and mDC groups (IL-2: 142.34 ± 9.29 pg/mL, IFN-γ: 1835.00 ± 82.63 pg/mL, IL-4: 15.60 ± 3.96 pg/mL, IL-10: 68.80 ± 11.23 pg/mL) (all P < 0.01). The expression level of Scurfin protein on CD4+ CD25+ T cells of the imDC group (1.34 ± 0.29) was significantly higher than that in the control (0.72 ± 0.13), CsA (0.37 ± 0.11), and mDC groups (0.78 ± 0.17) (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Donor-antigen-unloaded recipient-derived imDC is an effective treatment in inducing immune hyporesponsiveness through induction of T cell apoptosis, shift in Thl/Th2 balance, and proliferation of regulatory T cell.

Anti-infectious activity of intravitreal injectable voriconazole microspheres on experimental rabbit fungal endophthalmitis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus.

The therapeutic effect of sustained intravitreal injectable voriconazole microspheres (VCZ-MS) on experimental endophthalmitis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus was investigated. VCZ-MS were prepared and evaluated. Vitrectomy was performed on rabbits after intravitreal inoculation of susceptible A. fumigatus. The animals were randomly divided into five groups, including control (no treatment after vitrectomy), vitrectomy plus voriconazole intravitreal injection, and vitrectomy plus intravitreal injection of VCZ-MS containing 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mg of voriconazole. The therapeutic effect was assessed at different time intervals. Voriconazole concentrations were monitored in the vitreous injected with VCZ-MS containing 1.0 mg of voriconazole. The results showed that endophthalmitis occurred in all eyes of the control group and rapidly developed into panophthalmitis. The inflammation in the voriconazole and VCZ-MS groups was mild, and in the groups treated with VCZ-MS containing 1.0 or 1.5 mg voriconazole, the inflammation was controlled, the vitreous was clear in all eyes, and there was no recurrence of endophthalmitis. Histopathological examination showed normal structures in the cured eyes, while most uncured eyes were atrophied. Therefore, it can be concluded that an intravitreal injection of VCZ-MS in addition to vitrectomy is an effective treatment for A. fumigatus-induced endophthalmitis in rabbits.

Research advances in induced pluripotent stem cells / 中国医学科学院学报

Differentiated somatic cells can be directly reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in vitro. Similarly to embryonic stem (ES) cells, iPS cells have pluripotency to differentiate into all cell types and capability to self-renew themselves indefinitely. Without immune rejection and ethical issues, patient-specific iPS cells promise to be an ideal tool for regenerative medicine, drug screening, and toxicity testing.

[A causal analysis of intra-abdominal hemorrhage after reduced-size liver transplantation in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the cause of abdominal hemorrhage after reduce-size liver transplantation in rats. METHODS: Healthy female SD rats were used as the donors and male SD rats as the recipients (weighing 260-280 g), with the recipients weighing 10 g more than that of the donors. The donor operation was performed by the same surgeon under direct vision, and the liver graft size reduction procedure was completed in the donor operation. The recipient operation was performed by two surgeons under direct vision. RESULTS: A total of 270 SD rats received reduce-size liver transplantation successfully, and 44 of the rats died from intra-abdominal hemorrhage. The abdominal hemorrhages, listed in the order of incidences, included anastomotic hemorrhage of the inferior vena cava of the superior liver (28 cases), subcapsular hemorrhage of the liver (9 cases), ligation hemorrhage of the left outboard lobe, the nipple lobe and the triangle lobe of the liver (9 , 7 and 7 cases, respectively), hemorrhage of the right suprarenal vein and lumbar veins (5 cases), hemorrhage of the mechanical injury (4 cases), cuff hemorrhage of the portal vein and inferior vein cava of the inferior liver (both 4 cases). Eight rats had anastomotic hemorrhage of the inferior vena cava of the superior liver and ligation hemorrhage of the left outboard lobe, 5 had hemorrhage of the two ligation points of the reduce-size liver; for management of the hemorrhage, 10 rats received suture or/and ligature, and 6 had washing and hot water bath. CONCLUSION: The most common cause of hemorrhage after reduce-size liver transplantation in rats is the anastomotic hemorrhage of the inferior vena cava of the superior liver, and this finding may provide clues for improving the success rate of reduced size liver transplantation in rats.