Effect of smoking on the risk of gastrointestinal cancer after cholecystectomy: A national population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND The role of smoking in the incidence of colorectal cancer(CRC)or gastric cancer(GC)in populations undergoing cholecystectomy has not been investigated.AIM To evaluate the effect of smoking on CRC or GC development in cholecystectomy patients.METHODS A total of 174874 patients who underwent cholecystectomy between January 1,2010 and December 31,2017 were identified using the Korean National Health Insurance Service claims database.These patients were matched 1:1 with mem-bers of a healthy population according to age and sex.CRC or GC risk after cholecystectomy and the association between smoking and CRC or GC risk in cholecystectomy patients were evaluated using adjusted hazard ratios(HRs)and 95%CIs.RESULTS The risks of CRC(adjusted HR:1.15;95%CI:1.06-1.25;P=0.0013)and GC(adjusted HR:1.11;95%CI:1.01-1.22;P=0.0027)were significantly higher in cholecystectomy patients.In the population who underwent cholecystectomy,both CRC and GC risk were higher in those who had smoked compared to those who had never smoked.For both cancers,the risk tended to increase in the order of non-smokers,ex-smokers,and current smokers.In addition,a positive correlation was observed between the amount of smoking and the risks of both CRC and GC.CONCLUSION Careful follow-up and screening should be performed,focusing on the increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer in the cholecystectomy group,particularly considering the individual smoking habits.

Clinical advantages of single port laparoscopic hepatectomy

AIM To evaluate the clinical advantages of single-port laparoscopic hepatectomy(SPLH) compare to multiport laparoscopic hepatectomy(MPLH).METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 246 patients who underwent laparoscopic liver resection between January 2008 and December 2015 at our hospital. We divided the surgical technique into two groups; SPLH and MPLH. We performed laparoscopic liver resection for both benign and malignant disease. Major hepatectomy such as right and left hepatectomy was also done with sufficient disease-free margin. The operative time, the volume of blood loss, transfusion rate, and the conversion rate to MPLH or open surgery was evaluated. The post-operative parameters included the meal start date after operation, the number of postoperative days spent in the hospital, and surgical complications was also evaluated.RESULTS Of the 246 patients, 155 patients underwent SPLH and 91 patients underwent MPLH. Conversion rate was 22.6% in SPLH and 19.8% in MPLH(P = 0.358). We performed major hepatectomy, which was defined as resection of more than 2 sections, in 13.5% of patients in the SPLH group and in 13.3% of patients in the MPLH group(P = 0.962). Mean operative timewas 136.9 ± 89.2 min in the SPLH group and 231.2 ± 149.7 min in the MPLH group(P < 0.001). The amount of blood loss was 385.1 ± 409.3 m L in the SPLH group and 559.9 ± 624.9 m L in the MPLH group(P = 0.016). The safety resection margin did not show a significant difference(0.84 ± 0.84 cm in SPLH vs 1.04 ± 1.22 cm in MPLH, P = 0.704). Enteral feeding was started earlier in the SPLH group(1.06 ± 0.27 d after operation) than in the MPLH group(1.63 ± 1.27 d)(P < 0.001). The mean hospital stay after operation was non-significantly shorter in the SPLH group than in the MPLH group(7.82 ± 2.79 d vs 7.97 ± 3.69 d, P = 0.744). The complication rate was not significantly different(P = 0.397) and there was no major perioperative complication or mortality case in both groups. CONCLUSION Single-port laparoscopic liver surgery seems to be a feasible approach for various kinds of liver diseases.

Evaluation of prognostic factors on recurrence after curative resections for hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To select appropriate patients before surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially those with advanced tumors.

Inflammatory markers as selection criteria of hepatocellular carcinoma in living-donor liver transplantation

AIM: To investigate that inflammatory markers can predict accurately the prognosis of hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC) patients in living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT).

Clinical outcome in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after living-donor liver transplantation

AIM: To investigate risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) and efficacy of various criteria. METHODS: From October 2000 to November 2011, 233 adult patients underwent LDLT for HCC at our institution. After excluding nine postoperative mortality cases, we analyzed retrospectively 224 patients. To identify risk factors for recurrence, we evaluated recurrence, disease-free survival (DFS) rate, survival rate, and various other factors which are based on the characteristics of both the patient and tumor. Additionally, we developed our own criteria based on our data. Next, we compared our selection criteria with various tumor-grading scales, such as the Milan criteria, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) criteria, TNM stage, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage and Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) scoring system. The median follow up was 68 (6-139) mo.RESULTS: In 224 patients who received LDLT for HCC, 37 (16.5%) experienced tumor recurrence during the follow-up period. The 5-year DFS and overall survival rates after LDLT in all patients with HCC were 80.9% and 76.4%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, the tumor diameter {5 cm; P < 0.001; exponentiation of the B coefficient [Exp(B)], 11.89; 95%CI: 3.784-37.368} and alpha fetoprotein level [AFP, 100 ng/mL; P = 0.021; Exp(B), 2.892; 95%CI: 1.172-7.132] had significant influences on HCC recurrence after LDLT. Therefore, these two factors were included in our criteria. Based on these data, we set our selection criteria as a tumor diameter ≤ 5 cm and AFP ≤ 100 ng/mL. Within our new criteria (140/214, 65.4%), the 5-year DFS and overall survival rates were 88.6% and 81.8%, respectively. Our criteria (P = 0.001), Milan criteria (P = 0.009), and UCSF criteria (P = 0.001) showed a significant difference in DFS rate. And our criteria (P = 0.006) and UCSF criteria (P = 0.009) showed a significant difference in overall survival rate. But Milan criteria did not show significant difference in overall survival rate (P = 0.137). Among stages 0, A, B and C of BCLC, stage C had a significantly higher recurrence rate (P = 0.001), lower DFS (P = 0.001), and overall survival rate (P = 0.005) compared with the other stages. Using the CLIP scoring system, the group with a score of 4 to 5 showed a high recurrence rate (P = 0.023) and lower DFS (P = 0.011); however, the overall survival rate did not differ from that of the lower scoring group. The TNM system showed a trend of increased recurrence rate, decreased DFS, or survival rate according to T stage, albeit without statistical significance. CONCLUSION: LDLT is considered the preferred therapeutic option in patients with an AFP level less than 100 ng/mL and a tumor diameter of less than 5 cm.

Flexible highly-effective energy harvester via crystallographic and computational control of nanointerfacial morphotropic piezoelectric thin film

Controlling the properties of piezoelectric thin films is a key aspect for designing highly efficient flexible electromechanical devices. In this stud）~ the crystallographic phenomena of PbZr1-xTixO3 （PZT） thin films caused by distinguished interfacial effects are deeply investigated by overlooking views, including not only an experimental demonstration but also ab initio modeling. The polymorphic phase balance and crystallinity, as well as the crystal orientation of PZT thin films at the morphotropic phase boundary （MPB）, can be stably modulated using interfacial crystal structures. Here, interactions with MgO stabilize the PZT crystallographic system well and induce the texturing influences, while the PZT film remains quasi-stable on a conventional A1203 wafer. On the basis of this fundamental understanding, a high-output flexible energy harvester is developed using the controlled-PZT system, which shows significantly higher performance than the unmodified PZT generator. The voltage, current, and power densities are improved by 556%, 503%, and 822%, respectively, in comparison with the previous flexional single-crystalline piezoelectric device. Finally, the improved flexible generator is applied to harvest tiny vibrational energy from a real traffic system, and it is used to operate a commercial electronic unit. These results clearly indicate that atomic-scale designs can produce significant impacts on macroscopic applications.

The beneficial impacts of splanchnic vasoactive agents on hepatic functional recovery in massive hepatectomy porcine model

Background:Excessive portal pressure after massive hepatectomy can cause hepatic sinusoidal injury and have deleterious impacts on hepatic functional recovery,contributing to developing post-hepatectomy liver failure.This study aimed to assess the effects of splanchnic vasoactive agents on hepatic functional recovery and regeneration while clarifying the underlying mechanism,using a 70%hepatectomy porcine model.Methods:Eighteen pigs undergoing 70%hepatectomy were involved in this study and divided into three groups:control(n=6),terlipressin(n=6),and octreotide(n=6).Terlipressin(0.5 mg)and octreotide(0.2 mg)were administered 3 times a day for each group with the first dose starting just before surgery until the 7th postoperative day,at which time the surviving pigs were sacrificed.During the period,portal pressure,liver weight,biochemical analysis,histological injury score,and molecular markers were evaluated and compared between groups.Results:The 7-day survival rates in the octreotide,terlipressin,and control groups were 100%,83.3%,and 66.7%,respectively.The portal pressures decreased in both terlipressin and octreotide groups than the control group at 30 minutes,1 hour and 6 hours after hepatectomy.The amount of regeneration measured by liver weight to body weight ratio at the time of sacrifice in the terlipressin group was smaller than that in the control group(117%vs.129%,P=0.03).Serum aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and total bilirubin levels at 1 and 6 hours after hepatectomy and prothrombin time/international normalized ratio(PT/INR)at 6 hours after hepatectomy were significantly improved in the terlipressin and octreotide groups compared to the control group.Serum endothelin-1(ET-1)was significantly lower in the terlipressin group than that in the control group 6 hours after hepatectomy(P<0.01).The histological injury score in the control group was significantly higher than that in the terlipressin group on the 7th postoperative day(P<0.01).Conclusions:Splanchnic vasoactive agents,such as terlipressin and octreotide,could effectively decrease portal pressure and attenuate liver injury after massive hepatectomy.