Cardiopulmonary arrest in liver transplantation surgery: Perioperative beta-blockade implication in the cirrhotic patient.

Liver transplantation (LT) has an incidence of intraoperative cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) of around 5%. Patients who experience CPA during this procedure have a reduced survival rate of approximately 50%. Most CPAs occur during the neohepatic phase due to reperfusion syndrome, but this is not always the underlying cause, and a broad differential diagnosis must be performed.

Dynamics of Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Markers During Normothermic Liver Machine Perfusion.

Background: A comprehensive mechanistic assessment of normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) is an essential step toward identifying biomarkers to assess liver viability. Although some studies have evaluated the effect of NMP on inflammation markers, there are other key pathological mechanisms involved in ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) that have not yet been evaluated.

Methods: Eight human donor livers preserved by NMP were included to analyze IRI during preservation.

Demographic Trends in Liver Transplant Survivors After 3 Decades of Program Implementation: The Impact of Cohort and Period Effects on Life Expectancy.

Background: Demographic analyses may reveal current patterns of change in the outcomes of rapidly developing medical procedures because they incorporate the period perspective.

Methods: We analyzed the changes in size, age structure, and hospitalizations in the population of liver transplantation (LT) survivors in our center during the last 30 y (n = 1114 patients) and generated projections, including life expectancy (LE), considering cohort and period effects. Life tables were used to project the complete LE (overall 1990-2020 experience), the cohort LE (according to the decade of surgery: 1990-2000, 2000-2010, and 2010-2020), and the period LE (current 2015-2020 experience).

The link between high factor VIII to protein C ratio values and poor liver function after major hepatectomy.

Our goal was to assess the coagulation profile in the immediate postoperative time after major liver surgery and its association with the liver function. Our hypothesis is that a decreased synthesis of the coagulation factor levels reflects an impaired liver synthesis following hepatic resection and will be associated with poor outcomes. This is a prospective, observational study recruiting consecutive patients scheduled for major liver resection in a tertiary hospital.

An Individualized Low-Pneumoperitoneum-Pressure Strategy May Prevent a Reduction in Liver Perfusion during Colorectal Laparoscopic Surgery.

High intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) during laparoscopic surgery is associated with reduced splanchnic blood flow. It is uncertain whether a low IAP prevents this reduction. We assessed the effect of an individualized low-pneumoperitoneum-pressure strategy on liver perfusion.

Usefulness of Indocyanine Green Plasma Disappearance Rate in Liver Donors and Recipients: A Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Determination of indocyanine green (ICG) plasma disappearance rate (PDR) is a simple, inexpensive, and noninvasive tool to assess liver perfusion, absorption, and elimination. Its application in the liver transplant process has not been widely incorporated in clinical practice. This study aims to assess the usefulness of ICG PDR in the donor selection setting and in the early post-transplant phase and to analyze its variation between these 2 time points.

Liver transplant with controlled donors after circulatory death with normothermic regional perfusion and brain dead donors: A multicenter cohort study of transfusion, one-year graft survival and mortality.

Background: Controlled donation after circulatory death (cDCD) has expanded the donor pool for liver transplantation (LT). However, transfusion requirements and perioperative outcomes should be elucidated. The aim of this multicenter study was to assess red blood cell (RBC) transfusions, one-year graft and patient survival after LT after cDCD with normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) compared with donors after brain death (DBD).

Baseline haemoglobin and thromboelastometry are predictive of red blood cell requirements and one-year mortality in liver transplantation.

Background: To determine the predictive capacity of baseline haemoglobin and maxim clot firmness (MCF) EXTEM thromboelastometry for intraoperative red blood cell (RBC) requirements and its influence on mortality.

Methods: 591 adult liver transplant (LT) recipients from ten Spanish centres were reviewed. The main outcomes were the percentage of patients who received RBC and massive transfusion (≥ 6 RBC units), RBC units transfused, and mortality.

Genomic Correlates of DNA Damage in Breast Cancer Subtypes.

Among the described druggable vulnerabilities, acting on the DNA repair mechanism has gained momentum, with the approval of PARP inhibitors in several indications, including breast cancer. However, beyond the mere presence of mutations, the identification of additional biomarkers that would help to select tumors with an extreme dependence on DNA repair machinery would help to stratify therapeutic decisions. Gene set enrichment analyses (GSEA) using public datasets evaluating expression values between normal breast tissue and breast cancer identified a set of upregulated genes.

Mechanisms underlying photosynthetic acclimation to high temperature are different between Vitis vinifera cv. Syrah and Grenache.

Photosynthesis acclimation to high temperature differs among and within species. Grapevine intra-specific variation in photosynthetic acclimation to elevated temperature has been scarcely assessed. Our objectives were to (i) evaluate the mechanisms underlying long-term acclimation of photosynthesis to elevated temperature in grapevine, and (ii) determine whether these responses are similar among two varieties.

Non-structural carbohydrates and sugar export in grapevine leaves exposed to different light regimes.

Light is a main environmental factor that determines leaf microclimate within the vine, as well as its photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism. This study aimed to examine the relationships between photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, and the expression of related genes in leaves of grapevine grown under different radiation regimes. During the 2014/2015 growing season, an experiment was conducted on a Malbec vineyard (Vitis vinifera L.

Evaluation of Plasma Disappearance Rate Indocyanine Green Clearance as a Predictor of Liver Graft Rejection in Donor Brain Death.

Introduction: There currently exist no quantitative methods to assess graft viability before the donor procurement procedure. In Europe, around 20% of liver grafts evaluated "in situ" by an experienced surgeon are discarded. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of the plasma disappearance rate indocyanine green (PDR-ICG) clearance in predicting liver graft rejection to avoid this 20% of futile surgeries.

Identification of a stemness-related gene panel associated with BET inhibition in triple negative breast cancer.

Purpose: Triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are enriched in cells bearing stem-like features, i.e., cancer stem cells (CSCs), which underlie cancer progression.

Pharmacological screening and transcriptomic functional analyses identify a synergistic interaction between dasatinib and olaparib in triple-negative breast cancer.

Identification of druggable vulnerabilities is a main objective in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), where no curative therapies exist. Gene set enrichment analyses (GSEA) and a pharmacological evaluation using a library of compounds were used to select potential druggable combinations. MTT and studies with semi-solid media were performed to explore the activity of the combinations.

Intraoperative Troponin Elevation in Liver Transplantation Is Independently Associated With Mortality: A Prospective Observational Study.

Intraoperative factors implicated in postoperative mortality after liver transplantation (LT) are poorly understood. Because LT is a particularly demanding procedure, we hypothesized that intraoperative myocardial injury may be frequent and independently associated with early postoperative outcomes. We aimed to determine the association between intraoperative high-sensitivity troponin (hsTn) elevation during LT and 30-day postoperative mortality.

A Transcriptomic Immunologic Signature Predicts Favorable Outcome in Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Treated Triple Negative Breast Tumors.

Limited therapeutic options exist for the treatment of patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is currently the standard of care treatment in the early stages of the disease, although reliable biomarkers of response have been scarcely described. In our study we explored whether immunologic signatures associated with inflamed tumors or hot tumors could predict the outcome to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

A functional-structural plant model that simulates whole- canopy gas exchange of grapevine plants (Vitis vinifera L.) under different training systems.

Background And Aims: Scaling from single-leaf to whole-canopy photosynthesis faces several complexities related to variations in light interception and leaf properties. To evaluate the impact of canopy strucuture on gas exchange, we developed a functional-structural plant model to upscale leaf processes to the whole canopy based on leaf N content. The model integrates different models that calculate intercepted radiation, leaf traits and gas exchange for each leaf in the canopy.

Expression of MHC class I, HLA-A and HLA-B identifies immune-activated breast tumors with favorable outcome.

Antigen recognition by MHC class I molecules is a key step for the initiation of the immune response. We hypothesized that expression of these molecules could be a marker of immune-activated breast cancers. Data from KM Plotter were extracted to develop an exploratory cohort.

Clinical Utility of a Risk-Adapted Protocol for the Evaluation of Coronary Artery Disease in Liver Transplant Recipients.

The prevalence and management of coronary artery disease (CAD) in liver transplantation (LT) candidates are not well characterized. The aims of this study were to evaluate the impact on clinical outcomes of a specifically designed protocol for the management of asymptomatic CAD in LT candidates and to investigate noninvasive risk profiles for obstructive and nonobstructive CAD for 202 LT candidates. Those with high baseline cardiovascular risk (CVR; defined by the presence of classic CVR factors and/or decreased ejection fraction) received coronary angiography and significant arterial stenosis and were treated with percutaneous stents.

Central Role of Cell Cycle Regulation in the Antitumoral Action of Ocoxin.

Nutritional supplements which include natural antitumoral compounds could represent safe and efficient additives for cancer patients. One such nutritional supplement, Ocoxin Oral solution (OOS), is a composite formulation that contains several antioxidants and exhibits antitumoral properties in several in vitro and in vivo tumor conditions. Here, we performed a functional genomic analysis to uncover the mechanism of the antitumoral action of OOS.

Genetic mutational status of genes regulating epigenetics: Role of the histone methyltransferase KMT2D in triple negative breast tumors.

Purpose: Epigenetic regulating proteins like histone methyltransferases produce variations in several functions, some of them associated with the generation of oncogenic processes. Mutations of genes involved in these functions have been recently associated with cancer, and strategies to modulate their activity are currently in clinical development.

Methods: By using data extracted from the METABRIC study, we searched for mutated genes linked with detrimental outcome in invasive breast carcinoma (n = 772).

Mapping Bromodomains in breast cancer and association with clinical outcome.

A specific family of proteins that participate in epigenetic regulation is the bromodomain (BRD) family of proteins. In this work, we aimed to explore the expression of the BRD family at a transcriptomic level in breast cancer, and its association with patient survival. mRNA level data from normal breast and tumor tissues were extracted from public datasets.

TRAIL receptor activation overcomes resistance to trastuzumab in HER2 positive breast cancer cells.

The appearance of resistance to the anti-HER2 targeted drug trastuzumab constitutes, nowadays, an important challenge in the oncology clinic. To fight such resistance, we searched for potential vulnerabilities in cells resistant to that drug. To that end, we used cell lines primary resistant to trastuzumab, as well as cells made secondarily resistant to the drug upon continuous exposure.

Donor Risk Index Has an Impact in Intraoperative Measure of Hepatic Artery Flow and in Clearance of Indocyanine Green: An Observational Cohort Study.

Background: The increase in indications for liver transplantation has led to acceptance of donors with expanded criteria. The donor risk index (DRI) was validated with the aim of being a predictive model of graft survival based on donor characteristics. Intraoperative arterial hepatic flow and indocyanine green clearance (plasma clearance rate of indocyanine green [ICG-PDR]) are easily measurable variables in the intraoperative period that may be influenced by graft quality.