Risk factors associated with diabetes after liver transplant.

Objective: Post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a common metabolic complication after liver transplant that negatively affects a recipient's survival and graft function. This study aims to identify risk factors associated with diabetes after liver transplant. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted from September to November 2019. Data collection was performed by chart review, and patients were divided into 3 groups: patients without diabetes mellitus (DM), patients with pre-transplant diabetes mellitus, and patients with PTDM. Results: Two hundred and forty-seven patients' medical charts were screened, and 207 patients were included: 107 without DM, 42 with pre-transplant DM, and 58 with PTDM. The leading cause for liver transplant was hepatitis C, followed by hepatocellular carcinoma secondary to alcohol. There was a higher exposure to tacrolimus in patients without DM (P = 0.02) and to ciclosporin in patients with pre-transplant DM, compared to others (P = 0.005). Microscopic interface inflammatory activity was more severe in patients without DM as well as those with PTDM (P = 0.032). There was a higher prevalence of steatosis in recipients with pre-transplant DM than there was in others (P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression identified the following independent risk factors for DM: cirrhosis due to alcohol, hepatitis C, and triglycerides. For PTDM, these independent risk factors were cirrhosis due to alcohol, hepatitis C, and prednisone exposure. Conclusion: Alcoholic cirrhosis is a risk factor for PTDM in liver recipients. Liver transplant recipients with a pre-transplant history of cirrhosis due to alcohol, hepatitis C, and prednisone exposure deserve more caution during PTDM screening.

Running circular suture technique for reduction mammaplasty and mastopexy.

BACKGROUND: Many reports have described various technical aspects of reduction mammaplasty and mastopexy procedures. The authors present their technique, which combines a number of techniques already described in the literature regarding repositioning of the nipple-areola complex, reduction of the diameter of the base of the breast, and long-term retention of mammary cone projection. This study evaluated the results for patients of various ages and phenotypes in terms of scar dimensions, breast positioning, and patient satisfaction in the short, medium, and long terms. METHODS: Mammaplasty was performed using the inverted T technique. The preoperative skin markings differed from those described in the literature in that they did not use the future position of the nipple-areola complex as the main reference point. A running circular suture was used to fix the breast to the pectoralis major fascia and to reduce the diameter of the base of the breast, resulting in a reduced horizontal scar in the inframammary fold. The skin-marking technique allowed for better postoperative breast symmetry regardless of preoperative variations in shape and volume. RESULTS: The outcomes were considered satisfactory in the majority of cases by both the patient (p = 0.78) and the physician (p = 0.58). Adequate fullness of the upper pole was maintained in 94.7 % of the breasts. CONCLUSIONS: The described technique results in a reduced diameter of the base of the breast, repair of ptosis, repositioning of the nipple-areola complex, and long-term upper pole fullness. Complications can occur with any technique, but it is important to choose a technique with good quality outcomes overall. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

A new method for the experimental induction of secundary biliary cirrhosis in wistar rats

The aim of this study was to describe a method for the induction of experimental secondary biliary fibrosis (SBF). Forty-seven Wistar rats were submitted to hepatic duct obstruction (OB group) for thirty days without ligature, section or cannulization causing interruption of biliary flow. This technique was carried out by simple traction of the bile duct passing it through the xiphoid appendix. Nine rats were submitted to a sham operation for bile duct stricture and seven rats comprised the control group. Blood samples were collected for the measurement of total bilirubin (TB), alkaline phosphatase (AP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Liver fragments were removed for morphological study. Thirty days after surgery TB, AP, ALT and AST levels were significantly increased in the hepatic duct ligation group compared to the sham operated group and the presence of SBF in the OB group was confirmed by morphological study of the liver. There was technical failure in 31.92% cases. The survival was 100% at fifteen days and 82.97% at the end of the experiment. We concluded that this simple surgical technique may be used to study the consequence of bile duct obstruction which could be a reversible process depending on the obstruction time. This technique can be carried out from cholestasis to fibrosis.

O objetivo desse experimento foi o desenvolvimento de um modelo de obstrução do ducto biliar, através de procedimento cirúrgico sem ligadura ou secção do mesmo, que permitisse a evolução para cirrose e mantivesse a via biliar extra-hepática facilmente acessível a eventuais manuseios. Foram utilizados 48 ratos Wistar, distribuídos em três grupos: 32 animais foram submetidos à obstrução do ducto hepático comum (grupo OB), 9 foram submetidos à operação simulada (grupo OS) e 7 foram adotados como controle para análise histológica (grupo OC). No desenvolvimento da técnica, o ducto hepático foi isolado logo após sua emergência justa-pancreática, deixando-se 1 cm de ducto livre, reparado com fio de polipropileno. Em seguida procedeu-se à exposição do apêndice xifóide e, através de marcador de orelha de rato, foi feito um pequeno orifício circular. Passou-se, por este, o fio de polipropileno e tracionou-se até o ducto biliar formar uma alça acima do orificio do apendice xifóide. Deste modo um cateter de silicone foi colocado sob esta alça. O ducto biliar permaneceu, portanto, tracionado e exposto entre a musculatura e a pele. O fechamento da parede muscular e da pele foi feito com sutura contínua. A avaliação histopatológica do fígado destes animais e os efeitos bioquímicos séricos foram realizados após 30 dias da obstrução. Nos ratos do grupo OB ocorreu aumento significativo nas dosagens séricas da bilirrubina, das aminotransferases (ALT e AST), da fosfatase alcalina, da gamaglutamiltransferase e redução significativa da albumina sérica quando comparados aos valores das dosagens dos ratos do grupo OS. A análise histológica demonstrou a formação de nódulos regenerativos em 68,7% dos casos do grupo OB, com presença de fibrose portal (de grau leve e moderado) em 96,8% dos animais, acompanhada pela formação de septos fibrosos (de grau moderado e intenso) em 87,4 %. Houve ainda intensa proliferação de ductos biliares em 81,2%, e moderada em 18,7% dos casos. Conseguiu-se desta maneira, o desenvolvimento de um modelo experimental alternativo que provoca a interrupção do fluxo bíleo-duodenal, semelhante à oclusão das vias biliares, sem necessidade de ligadura, canulação ou secção do ducto biliar. A obstrução biliar provocada pela tração do ducto biliar oferece excelentes condições de pesquisa desde o momento da interrupção do fluxo biliar até o desenvolvimento de colestase, acompanhada pela distorção da arquitetura hepática, caracterizada por fibrose portal com formação de septos e transformação nodular multi-focal.