Production, characterization and environmental remediation application of emerging phosphorus-rich biochar/hydrochar: a comprehensive review.

Owing to the high carbon and phosphorus contents, large specific surface area and slow P release capacity of P-rich biochar/hydrochar (CHAR), its application in aquatic (or soil) environments and positive effects on heavy metal (HM) adsorption (or immobilization) have drawn global attention. To provide an overall picture of P-rich CHAR, this review includes a systematic analysis of the current knowledge on the preparation methods, characterization techniques, influencing factors and environmental applications of P-rich CHAR reported in the last ten years. The key findings and recommendations from this review are as follows: (1) there is still a knowledge gap concerning the regulatory mechanism of the key active components of P-rich CHAR at the molecular level.

Liver transplantation following two conversions in a patient with huge hepatocellular carcinoma and portal vein invasion: A case report.

Background: Surgical resection and liver transplantation (LT) are the most effective curative options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, few patients with huge HCC (> 10 cm in diameter), especially those with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT), can receive these treatments. Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) can be used as a conversion therapy for them because it has the dual benefit of shrinking tumors and increasing residual hepatic volume.

Role of gut/liver metabolites and gut microbiota in liver fibrosis caused by cholestasis.

Aim Of The Study: Cholestasis induces severe liver injury and subsequent liver fibrosis. However, a comprehensive understanding of the relationships between liver fibrosis and cholestasis-induced changes in metabolites in the gut and fibrotic liver tissue and in the gut microbiota is insufficient.

Methods: Common bile duct ligation (BDL) was employed to establish a cholestatic liver fibrosis model in mice for 26 days.

Seasonal variations and sources of atmospheric EPFRs in a megacity in severe cold region: Implications for the influence of strong coal and biomass combustion.

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) can pose exposure risks by inducing the generation of reactive oxygen species. As a new class of pollutants, EPFRs have been frequently detected in atmospheric particulate matters. In this study, the seasonal variations and sources of EPFRs in a severe cold region in Northeastern China were comprehensively investigated, especially for the high pollution events.

Management of anastomotic biliary stricture through utilizing percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy.

Aim: Occurrence of anastomotic biliary stricture (AS) remains an essential issue following hepatobiliary surgeries, and percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) has great therapeutic significance in handling refractory AS for patients with altered gastrointestinal anatomy after cholangio-jejunostomy. This present study aimed to investigate feasibility of PTCS procedures in AS patients for therapeutic indications.

Materials And Methods: This study was a single-center, retrospective cohort study with a total number of 124 consecutive patients who received therapeutic PTCS due to AS.

IL-33/ST2 Signaling and its Correlation with Macrophage Heterogeneity and Clinicopathologic Features in Human Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.

Background: IL-33/ST2 signaling plays crucial roles in the development and progression of various human malignancies. However, its significance in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) still remains unclear.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the expression of IL-33/ST2 signaling and its correlations with macrophage heterogeneity and ICC patients' clinicopathologic features.

Associations of fatty acids with the risk of biliary tract calculus and inflammation: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: The presence of gallstones in both the gallbladder and bile ducts is referred to as cholelithiasis. The prevalence of cholecystolithiasis and bile duct stones differs. Observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) studies have elucidated the significant contributing role of numerous fatty acids (FAs) in the development of cholelithiasis.

Exosomes derived from TGF-β1-pretreated mesenchymal stem cells alleviate biliary ischemia-reperfusion injury through Jagged1/Notch1/SOX9 pathway.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of exosomes (EXO) derived from TGF-β1-pretreated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on biliary ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) and further reveal the possible mechanisms.

Methods: Bone marrow-derived MSCs were treated with exogenous TGF-β1, Jagged1/Notch1/SOX9 pathway inhibitor LY450139, or their combination. Then, EXO were isolated from the culture supernatants and further characterized.

Efficiency of percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy in the treatment of biliary complications after liver transplantation.

Background: Percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) has provided an alternative therapeutic option for handling refractory biliary complications in liver transplanted recipients. This study aimed to evaluate short-term PTCS efficiency in the management of biliary complications following liver transplantation.

Methods: Clinical data of 25 patients who received therapeutic PTCS due to biliary complications after liver transplantation were retrospectively analyzed.

Successful treatment of stage IIIB intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma using neoadjuvant therapy with the PD-1 inhibitor camrelizumab: A case report.

Background: The prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) with lymph node metastasis is poor. The feasibility of surgery is not certain, which is a contraindication according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. The role of immunotherapy as a neoadjuvant therapy for ICC is not clear.

Achievement of complete response to nivolumab in a patient with advanced sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report.

Background: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (SHC) is a rare subtype of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a high recurrence rate after surgery. In addition to limited effective treatment for the advanced stage of SHC, the prognosis of patients with this malignancy is worse than that of patients with conventional HCC.

Case Summary: We present the case of a 54-year-old man with SHC who underwent radical segmental hepatectomy, which relapsed 4 mo after surgery due to lymphatic metastasis in the porta hepatis.

Preoperative identification of microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma by XGBoost and deep learning.

Purpose: Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a valuable predictor of survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. This study developed predictive models using eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and deep learning based on CT images to predict MVI preoperatively.

Methods: In total, 405 patients were included.

Efficacy of Hepatic Resection vs. Radiofrequency Ablation for Patients With Very-Early-Stage or Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Population-Based Study With Stratification by Age and Tumor Size.

Because of the poor health conditions of elderly patients (age >65) with very-early-stage and early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), primary treatment via hepatic resection (HR), or radiofrequency ablation (RFA) must be considered. However, few studies have examined this issue. A retrospective cohort was obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2004 to 2015.

Aging aggravates hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice by impairing mitophagy with the involvement of the EIF2α-parkin pathway.

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury fundamentally influences the performance of aged liver grafts. The significance of mitophagy in the age dependence of sensitivity to I/R injury remains poorly understood. Here, we show that aging aggravated hepatic I/R injury with decreased mitophagy in mice.

Preoperative Alfa-Fetoprotein and Fibrinogen Predict Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Liver Transplantation Regardless of the Milan Criteria: Model Development with External Validation.

Background/aims: Patient selection is critically important in improving the outcomes of liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma. The aim of the current study was to identify biochemical measures that could affect patient prognosis after liver transplantation.

Methods: A total of 119 patients receiving liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma were used to construct a model for predicting recurrence.

Biomass-Based Carbon Nanofibers Prepared by Electrospinning for Supercapacitor.

Biomass-based carbon nanofibers were prepared by double-nozzle electrospinning the aqueous solution of acid treated the waste medicine Aconitum sinomontanum Nakai extraction and poly-acrylonitrile followed by thermal treatment in an inert atmosphere. The structural, constituent and surface properties of biomass-based carbon nanofibers were investigated by means of spectroscopic, microscopy, energy spectrometer and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) techniques. The results showed that the biomass-based carbon nanofibers had abundant pore structure and large specific surface area.

Surgical resection versus liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma within the Hangzhou criteria: a preoperative nomogram-guided treatment strategy.

Background: With the expansion of surgical criteria, the comparative efficacy between surgical resection (SR) and liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma is inconclusive. This study aimed to develop a prognostic nomogram for predicting recurrence-free survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients after resection and explored the possibility of using nomogram as treatment algorithm reference.

Methods: From 2003 to 2012, 310 hepatocellular carcinoma patients within Hangzhou criteria undergoing resection or liver transplantation were included.

The impact of chemotherapy-associated hemoglobin on prognosis of colorectal cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy.

Background And Objective: The association of chemotherapy-associated hemoglobin and survival of colorectal cancer (CRC) receiving adjuvant chemotherapy is uncertain. We sought to explore the prognostic value of chemotherapy-associated hemoglobin in CRC receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and the best cut point affecting prognosis.

Methods: Three hundred and twenty stage II and III CRC patients receiving adjuvant FOLFOX chemotherapy from March 2003 to March 2012 were enrolled.

Negative Association Between MR-Spectroscopic Glutamate Markers and Gray Matter Volume After Alcohol Withdrawal in the Hippocampus: A Translational Study in Humans and Rats.

Background: Both chronic alcohol consumption and alcohol withdrawal lead to neural tissue damage which partly recovers during abstinence. This study investigated withdrawal-associated changes in glutamatergic compounds, markers of neuronal integrity, and gray matter volumes during acute alcohol withdrawal in the hippocampus, a key region in development and maintenance of alcohol dependence in humans and rats.

Methods: Alcohol-dependent patients (N = 39) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MR spectroscopy (MRS) measurements within 24 hours after the last drink and after 2 weeks of abstinence.

Therapeutic potentials of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells for ischemic-type biliary lesions following liver transplantation.

Background Aims: Ischemic-type biliary lesions are severe, graft-threatening complications after orthotopic liver transplantation, and a novel and efficient therapeutic strategy is urgently needed. Due to the immunosuppressive and regenerative properties, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) could be an interesting candidate.

Methods: We initiated safety and efficacy of human umbilical cord-derived MSC (UC-MSC) transfusions for patients with ischemic-type biliary lesions after liver transplantation.

ACC GABA levels are associated with functional activation and connectivity in the fronto-striatal network during interference inhibition in patients with borderline personality disorder.

Impulsivity often develops from disturbed inhibitory control, a function mainly regulated by γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the fronto-striatal system. In this study, we combined MRS GABA measurements and fMRI to investigate neurochemical and neurofunctional correlates of interference inhibition, further emphasizing the direct relationship between those two systems, as well as their relations to impulsivity in patients with BPD. In addition to BOLD activation, task-dependent functional connectivity was assessed by a generalized psychophysiological interactions approach.

Survival analysis of sirolimus-based immunosuppression in liver transplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: To investigate the effect of a sirolimus-based immunosuppressive protocol on tumor recurrence and survival after liver transplantation (LT) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 142 HCC patients who underwent LT in our hospital from January 2006 to January 2012. The patients were divided into the sirolimus (SRL) group (62 cases) and non-sirolimus (control) group (80 cases).

Pretransplant Elevated Plasma Fibrinogen Level is a Novel Prognostic Predictor for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence and Patient Survival Following Liver Transplantation.

Background: Elevated plasma fibrinogen is associated with tumour progression and poor outcomes in several cancers. The present study investigated the prognostic value of preoperative fibrinogen in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after liver transplantation (LT).

Material And Methods: We analyzed the preoperative plasma fibrinogen levels of 41 patients who underwent LT for HCC.