Association between low fasting glucose of the living donor and risk of graft loss in the recipient after liver transplantation.

Several donor-specific factors influence the functional recovery and long-term outcomes of liver grafts. This study investigated the association between donor fasting glucose (DFG) and recipient outcomes after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in 950 cases at a single center. Patients were divided into two groups: low-DFG (< 85 mg/dL, n = 120) and control (≥ 85 mg/dL, n = 830).

Learning Curve of Autologous Arteriovenous Fistula Formation for Junior Vascular Surgeons.

Purpose: Autologous arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are considered the gold standard for hemodialysis access, with outcomes largely dependent on the surgeon's experience. Nevertheless, few studies have been conducted on the learning curve of junior vascular surgeons in AVF creation. This study aims to address this by examining the development of surgical skills among junior vascular surgeons.

Benefits of statin therapy within a year after kidney transplantation.

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality after kidney transplantation (KT). Although statins reduce cardiovascular risk and have renal benefits in the general population, their effects on KT recipients are not well-established. We studied the effects of early statin use (within 1-year post-transplantation) on long-term outcomes in 714 KT recipients from the Korean cohort study for outcome in patients with KT.

High Number of Plasma Exchanges Increases the Risk of Bacterial Infection in ABO-incompatible Living Donor Liver Transplantation.

Background: Bacterial infections are major complications that cause significant mortality and morbidity in living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). The risk of bacterial infection has not been studied in ABO-incompatible (ABOi) recipients with a desensitization protocol in relation to the number of plasma exchanges (PEs). Therefore, we aimed to analyze the risk of bacterial infection in ABOi LDLT recipients with a high number of PEs compared with recipients with a low number of PEs.

One-way donor-to-recipient human leukocyte antigen mismatch and graft-versus-host disease in liver transplantation: an observational study of a single-center experience in Korea.

Background: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a rare, but potentially fatal complication of liver transplantation. One-way human leukocyte antigens (HLA) mismatch has emerged as a risk factor for GVHD. However, the risk of mortality associated with HLA-one-way mismatch (OWMM) remains uncertain.

Cumulative exposure to tacrolimus during early period after liver transplantation does not affect the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The clinical effects of tacrolimus (TAC) exposure on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after liver transplantation (LT) remain unclear. In this retrospective single centric study, 512 patients who underwent LT for HCC were divided into four groups according to cumulative exposure to tacrolimus (CET) during 3 months after LT: conventional (n = 218), aggressive minimization (n = 32), minimization (n = 161), and high exposure (n = 101). Impact of CET on HCC recurrence and death were analyzed.

Clinical relevance of the living kidney donor profile index in Korean kidney transplant recipients.

Background: The Living Kidney Donor Profile Index (LKDPI) was developed in the United States to predict graft outcomes based on donor characteristics. However, there are significant differences in donor demographics, access to transplantation, proportion of ABO incompatibility, and posttransplant mortality in Asian countries compared with the United States.

Methods: We evaluated the clinical relevance of the LKDPI score in a Korean kidney transplant cohort by analyzing 1860 patients who underwent kidney transplantation between 2000 and 2019.

Unusual grafts for living-donor liver transplantation.

Purpose: Unusual grafts, including extended left liver plus caudate lobe, right anterior section, and right posterior section grafts, are alternatives to left and right lobe grafts for living-donor liver transplantation. This study aimed to investigate unusual grafts from the perspectives of recipients and donors.

Methods: From 2016 to 2021, 497 patients received living-donor liver transplantation at Severance Hospital.

Effect of statins on the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation: An illusion revealed by exposure density sampling.

Background: Statins have been reported to reduce overall death and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence in liver transplantation (LT) recipients. However, previous retrospective studies have significant flaws in immortal time bias.

Methods: Using data from 658 patients who received LT for HCC, we matched 140 statin users with statin nonusers in a 1:2 ratio at the time of the first statin administration after LT using the exposure density sampling (EDS).

Risk Factors for Cytomegalovirus Infection and Its Impact on Survival after Living Donor Liver Transplantation in South Korea: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common pathogen, causes infectious complications and affects long-term survival after transplantation. Studies examining living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) are limited. This study analyzed the risk factors for CMV infection and its impact on the survival of LDLT patients.

Risk factors for late-onset Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in liver transplant recipients.

Objectives: The risk factors for late-onset Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) after liver transplantation (LT) have not been well studied. We aimed to analyze the clinical features preceding PCP in LT recipients that would guide individualized prophylaxis.

Methods: Among 742 patients who underwent LT and routine PCP prophylaxis from January 2009 through December 2019 at Severance Hospital, 27 patients developed PCP.

Successful Recovery After Veno-Arterio-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Immediately Before Liver Transplantation in Multi-Organ Failure Including Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Case Report.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has emerged as an alternative treatment to conventional ventilation maneuvers in the nontransplantation literature to support acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, the role of ECMO in transplant is unclear, and few case reports have described using ECMO pretransplant. We discuss the successful use of veno-arteriovenous ECMO as a bridge therapy to deceased donor liver transplant (LT) in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Incidence, mortality, and risk factors associated with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia within 30 days after liver transplantation.

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia (CRAB-B) is a fatal infectious complication of liver transplantation (LT). This study investigated the incidence, effects, and risk factors associated with CRAB-B during the early post-LT period. Among 1051 eligible LT recipients, 29 patients experienced CRAB-B within 30 days of LT with a cumulative incidence of 2.

Successful treatment of renal malakoplakia via the reduction of immunosuppression and antimicrobial therapy after kidney transplantation: a case report.

Malakoplakia is a rare, granulomatous disease that usually affects immunocompromised individuals and is generally associated with poor graft and patient survival. We present a case of renal malakoplakia after kidney transplantation (KT). A 33-year-old female patient with chronic kidney disease underwent living-donor KT at Severance Hospital.

Clinical Value of Lymph Node Ratio Integration with the 8 Edition of the UICC TNM Classification and 2015 ATA Risk Stratification Systems for Recurrence Prediction in Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Recently, the 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) risk stratification and the 8 edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control (AJCC/UICC) TNM staging system were released. This study was conducted to assess the clinical value of the lymph node ratio (LNR) as a predictor of recurrence when integrated with these newly released stratification systems, and to compare the predictive accuracy of the modified systems with that of the newly released systems. The optimal LNR threshold value for predicting papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) recurrence was 0.

Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies a Novel Hedgehog-Interacting Protein G516R Mutation in Locally Advanced Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Locally advanced thyroid cancer exhibits aggressive clinical features requiring extensive neck dissection. Therefore, it is important to identify changes in the tumor biology before local progression. Here, whole exome sequencing (WES) using tissues from locally advanced papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) presented a large number of single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in the metastatic lymph node (MLN), but not in normal tissues and primary tumors.

Does finasteride have a preventive effect on chronic bacterial prostatitis? Pilot study using an animal model.

Aim: To evaluate the preventive effect of finasteride on chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP), Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control, ciprofloxacin, finasteride, and ciprofloxacin/finasteride.

Methods: All drug pretreatments were conducted for 4 weeks, and then experimental CBP was induced by instillation of a bacterial suspension (Escherichia coli Z17 O2:K1;H-).

Results: After 4 weeks, results of microbiological cultures of prostate and urine samples as well as histological findings of the prostate in each group were analyzed.