Assessing Outcomes of Patients Subject to Intensive Care to Facilitate Organ Donation: A Spanish Multicenter Prospective Study.

Intensive Care to facilitate Organ Donation (ICOD) consists of the initiation or continuation of intensive care measures in patients with a devastating brain injury (DBI) in whom curative treatment is deemed futile and death by neurological criteria (DNC) is foreseen, to incorporate organ donation into their end-of-life plans. In this study we evaluate the outcomes of patients subject to ICOD and identify radiological and clinical factors associated with progression to DNC. In this first prospective multicenter study we tested by multivariate regression the association of clinical and radiological severity features with progression to DNC.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma that die during the first year of liver transplantation have high blood sFasL concentrations.

Background: Fas ligand (FasL) is one ligand that activates extrinsic apoptosis pathway. High expression in lymphocytes of FasL have been found in patients with acute rejection of liver transplantation (LT). No high blood concentrations of soluble FasL (sFasL) have been found in patients with acute LT rejection; however, the samples size of those studies was small.

DNA and RNA oxidative damage in hepatocellular carcinoma patients and mortality during the first year of liver transplantation.

Background: Oxidative damage of DNA and RNA has been associated with mortality of patients with different diseases. However, there is no published data on the potential use of DNA and RNA oxidative damage to predict the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing liver transplantation (LT).

Aim: To determine whether patients with increased DNA and RNA oxidative damage prior to LT for HCC have a poor LT prognosis.

High serum caspase-3 levels in hepatocellular carcinoma prior to liver transplantation and high mortality risk during the first year after liver transplantation.

: Higher liver caspase-3 activity has been found in patients with different liver diseases. However, there is no published data about circulating caspase-3 levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent liver transplantation (LT). Therefore, our objective in this study was to determine whether an association between circulating caspase-3 levels in HCC patients prior to LT and one-year mortality after LT exists.

Low Serum Melatonin Levels Prior to Liver Transplantation in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma are Associated with Lower Survival after Liver Transplantation.

Melatonin administration has been associated with different benefits in animals and patients suffering from liver diseases. However, there is no published data about circulating melatonin levels in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent liver transplantation (LT). Thus, the objective of this observational and retrospective study was to determine whether patients with HCC with lower serum melatonin levels prior to LT have a higher risk of one-year mortality after LT.

Serum total antioxidant capacity prior to liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with 1-year liver transplantation survival.

Objective To determine whether there was an association between serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels prior to in liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 1-year LT mortality. Methods This observational retrospective single-centre study of patients with LT for HCC measured serum levels of TAC and malondialdehyde (as a biomarker of lipid peroxidation) before LT. The study endpoint was 1-year LT mortality.

Patients with high serum substance P levels previously to liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma have higher risk of one-year liver transplantation mortality.

Purpose: Substance P is a tachykinins family member with inflammatory effects. Higher circulating levels of substance P have been found in patients with liver diseases and in patients with higher severity of liver diseases. The objective of this study was to determine whether serum levels of substance P levels, prior to liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are associated with one-year LT mortality.

High serum soluble CD40L levels previously to liver transplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are associated with mortality at one year.

Purpose: CD40L and its soluble form (sCD40L) are proteins of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily (TNFSF) that exhibit prothrombotic and proinflammatory properties when binding to CD40, which is a cell surface receptor of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF). High circulating levels of sCD40L have been associated with poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is unknown whether there is an association between circulating sCD40L levels and survival in patients with HCC underwent to liver transplantation (LT), and this was the objective of that study.

Prognostic Value of Serum Caspase-Cleaved Cytokeratin-18 Levels before Liver Transplantation for One-Year Survival of Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Cytokeratin (CK)-18 is the major intermediate filament protein in the liver and during hepatocyte apoptosis is cleaved by the action of caspases; the resulting fragments are released into the blood as caspase-cleaved cytokeratin (CCCK)-18. Higher circulating levels of CCCK-18 have been found in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) than in healthy controls and than in cirrhotic patients. However, it is unknown whether serum CCCK-18 levels before liver transplantation (LT) in patients with HCC could be used as a prognostic biomarker of one-year survival, and this was the objective of our study with 135 patients.

Association between Pre-Transplant Serum Malondialdehyde Levels and Survival One Year after Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Previous studies have found higher levels of serum malondialdehyde (MDA) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients compared to healthy controls and higher MDA concentrations in tumoral tissue of HCC patients than in non-tumoral tissue. However, the association between pre-transplant serum levels of MDA and survival in HCC patients after liver transplantation (LT) has not been described, and the aim of the present study was to determine whether such an association exists. In this observational study we measured serum MDA levels in 127 patients before LT.

Serum soluble CD40 Ligand levels are associated with severity and mortality of brain trauma injury patients.

Background: Serum soluble CD40 Ligand (sCD40L) levels, which exhibit prothrombotic and proinflammatory properties, have not been studied in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Thus, the objective of this study was to determine whether serum sCD40L levels are associated with severity and mortality in patients with severe TBI.

Methods: This was a prospective, observational and multicenter study carried out in six Spanish Intensive Care Units.