Prognostic factors and long-term outcomes of hilar cholangiocarcinoma:A single-institution experience in China

AIM: To evaluate the prognostic factors of hilar cholangiocarcinoma in a large series of patients in a single institution.METHODS: Eight hundred and fourteen patients with a diagnosis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma that were evaluated and treated between 1990 and 2014, of which 381 patients underwent curative surgery, were included in this study. Potential factors associated with overall survival(OS) and disease-free survival(DFS) were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses.RESULTS: Curative surgery provided the best long-term survival with a median OS of 26.3 mo. The median DFS was 18.1 mo. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with tumor size > 3 cm [hazard ratio(HR) = 1.482, 95%CI: 1.127-1.949; P = 0.005], positive nodal disease(HR = 1.701, 95%CI: 1.346-2.149; P < 0.001), poor differentiation(HR = 2.535, 95%CI: 1.839-3.493; P < 0.001), vascular invasion(HR = 1.542, 95%CI: 1.082-2.197; P = 0.017), and positive margins(HR = 1.798, 95%CI: 1.314-2.461; P < 0.001) had poor OS outcome. The independent factors for DFS were positive nodal disease(HR = 3.383, 95%CI: 2.633-4.348; P < 0.001), poor differentiation(HR = 2.774, 95%CI: 2.012-3.823; P < 0.001), vascular invasion(HR = 2.136, 95%CI: 1.658-3.236; P < 0.001), and positive margins(HR = 1.835, 95%CI: 1.256-2.679; P < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that caudate lobectomy [odds ratio(OR) = 9.771, 95%CI: 4.672-20.433; P < 0.001], tumor diameter(OR = 3.772, 95%CI: 1.914-7.434; P < 0.001), surgical procedures(OR = 10.236, 95%CI: 4.738-22.116; P < 0.001), American Joint Committee On Cancer T stage(OR = 2.010, 95%CI: 1.043-3.870; P = 0.037), and vascular invasion(OR = 2.278, 95%CI: 0.997-5.207; P = 0.051) were independently associated with tumorfree margin, and surgical procedures could indirectly affect survival outcome by influencing the tumor resection margin. CONCLUSION: Tumor margin, tumor differentiation, vascular invasion, and lymph node status were independent factors for OS and DFS. Surgical procedures can indirectly affect survival outcome by influencing the tumor resection margin.

Tribological properties and thermal-stress analysis of C/C-SiC composites during braking

The tribological properties and thermal-stress behaviors of C/C-SiC composites during braking were investigated aiming to simulate braking tests of high-speed trains. The temperature and structural fields of C/C-SiC composites during braking were fully coupled and simulated with ANSYS software. The results of tribological tests indicated that the C/C-SiC composites showed excellent static friction coefficient (0.68) and dynamic friction coefficient (average value of 0.36). The highest temperature on friction surface was 445℃. The simulated temperature field showed that the highest temperature which appeared on the friction surface during braking was about 463℃. Analysis regarding thermal-stress field showed that the highest thermal-stress on friction surface was 11.5 MPa. The temperature and thermal-stress distributions on friction surface during braking showed the same tendency.

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis mimicking gallbladder carcinoma:An analysis of 42 cases

AIM: To review and evaluate the diagnostic dilemma of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis(XGC) clinically.METHODS: From July 2008 to June 2014, a total of 142 cases of pathologically diagnosed XGC were reviewed at our hospital, among which 42 were misdiagnosed as gallbladder carcinoma(GBC) based on preoperative radiographs and/or intra-operative findings. The clinical characteristics, preoperative imaging, intra-operative findings, frozen section(FS) analysis and surgical procedure data of these patients were collected and analyzed.RESULTS: The most common clinical syndrome in these 42 patients was chronic cholecystitis, followed by acute cholecystitis. Seven(17%) cases presented with mild jaundice without choledocholithiasis. Thirtyfive(83%) cases presented with heterogeneous enhancement within thickened gallbladder walls on imaging, and 29(69%) cases presented with abnormal enhancement in hepatic parenchyma neighboring the gallbladder, which indicated hepatic infiltration. Intra-operatively, adhesions to adjacent organs were observed in 40(95.2%) cases, including the duodenum, colon and stomach. Thirty cases underwent FS analysis and the remainder did not. The accuracy rate of FS was 93%, and that of surgeon's macroscopic diagnosis was 50%. Six cases were misidentified as GBC by surgeon's macroscopic examination and underwent aggressive surgical treatment. No statistical difference was encountered in the incidence of postoperative complications between total cholecystectomy and subtotal cholecystectomy groups(21% vs 20%, P > 0.05).CONCLUSION: Neither clinical manifestations and laboratory tests nor radiological methods provide apractical and effective standard in the differential diagnosis between XGC and GBC.

Extended lymphadenectomy in hilar cholangiocarcinoma: What it will bring?

Lymph node dissection is always a hot issue in radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma(HCCA).There are still controversies regarding whether some lymph nodes should be dissected,of which the para-aortic lymph nodes are the most controversial.This review synthesized findings in the literature using the PubMed database of articles in the English language published between 1990 and 2019 on the effectiveness of extended lymphadenectomy including paraaortic lymph nodes dissection in radical resection of HCCA.Hepatobiliary surgeons have basically achieved a consensus that enough lymph nodes should be obtained to accurately stage HCCA.Only a very small number of studies have focused on the effectiveness of extended lymphadenectomy including para-aortic nodes dissection on HCCA.They reported that extended lymphadenectomy can bring some survival benefits for patients with potential para-aortic lymph node metastasis and more lymph nodes can be obtained to make the patient's tumor staging more accurate without increasing the related complications.Extended lymphadenectomy should not be adopted for HCCA patients with intraoperatively confirmed distant lymph node metastases.For these patients,radical resection combined with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy seems to be a better choice.A prospective,multicenter,randomized,controlled clinical study of regional lymphotomy and extended lymphadenectomy in HCCA should be conducted to guide clinical practice.A standardized extended lymphadenectomy may help to more accurately stage HCCA.Future studies are required to further assess whether extended lymphadenectomy can improve long-term survival in negative celiac,superior mesenteric,and para-aortic lymph node diseases.

Effects of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor on proliferative cholangitis in hepatolithiasis

BACKGROUND： There is currently no effective medication to prevent stone recurrence after choledochoscopic lithotomy or to treat proliferative cholangitis（PC）, which is the pathologic basis of hepatolithiasis. This study aimed to investigate whether gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor（EGFR） inhibitor, inhibited cholangio hyperplasia and lithogenesis in PC.METHODS： After cholangioscopic lithotomy, indwelling catheters were placed in the diseased bile duct lumens in 94 patients with hepatolithiasis. Subsequently, 49 of the 94 patients were treated with 250 mg gefitinib solution via a catheter twice a week, and they were subjected to choledochoscopic biopsy at 6 and 12 weeks. The rest 45 hepatolithiasis patients without gefitinib treatment served as controls.RESULTS： The expressions of EGFR, PCNA and procollagen I were significantly reduced in the patients treated with gefitinib in 12 weeks compared with those in the control group. Patients in the gefitinib group had a much lower degree of hyperplasia of the biliary epithelium, submucosal glands and collagen fibers compared with those in the control group. Gefitinib treatment significantly decreased mucin 3 expression and β-glucuronidase activity.CONCLUSION： Postoperative gefitinib treatment could significantly inhibit PC-mediated hyperplasia and lithogenesis, which might provide a novel strategy for the prevention of biliary restenosis and stone recurrence in patients with hepatolithiasis.

Healing time of incision infection after hepatobiliary surgery treated by needle-free incision suture closure

AIM: To compare the effectiveness of needle-free incision suture closure with butterfly tape and traditional secondary suturing techniques in treating incision infection. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-three patients with incision infection following hepatobiliary surgery at a tertiary hospital were randomly divided into three groups: 90 patients were closed by needle-free incision suture closure, which gradually closed the incision wound when drainage from incision infection was visibly decreased and healthy granulation tissues had grown; 79 patients were closed by butterfly bandage; another 54 patients were closed by traditional secondary suturing technique. Healing time of incision infection was calculated from the beginning of dressing change to the healing of the incision. RESULTS: Healing time in the needle-free incision suture closure group (24.2 +/- 7.2 d) was significantly shorter than that in the butterfly bandage group (33.3 +/- 11.2 d) and the traditional secondary suturing group (36.2 +/- 15.3 d) (P < 0.05). Healing time in the butterfly bandage group appeared to be slightly shorter than that in the secondary suture group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Needle-free incision suture closure could gradually close the infection wound at the same time of drainage and dressing change, thereby shortening the healing time. (C) 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.

Sequential embolization of the branches of the bile duct and portal vein to the targeted hepatic lobe in rats

BACKGROUND: The high recurrence rate of hepatolithiasis and the high operative risk of right posterior, caudate or multiple lobe hepatectomy are the unsettled problems in hepatobiliary surgery. The present study was to investigate the efficacy of chemical hepatectomy performed via applying sequential embolization of the branches of the bile duct and portal vein to the targeted hepatic lobe. METHODS: The bile duct and portal vein branches of the median hepatic lobe of rats were treated with: 1) bile duct embolization followed by portal vein ligation(BDE+PVL) and 2) portal vein ligation followed by bile duct embolization(PVL+BDE). The efficacy of chemical hepatectomy in BDE+PVL and PVL+BDE groups was compared with that of sole BDE by histology and Western blotting analysis of collagen I expression. RESULTS: After six weeks of the chemical hepatectomy, rats in the BDE group showed hepatocyte damages, fibrosis and 'selfcut' only in the periphery of the embolized lobe. In contrast, rats in the PVL+BDE and BDE+PVL groups exhibited complete necrosis of hepatocytes and replacement with proliferative ductules and collagen fibers, leading to complete fibrosis and 'self-cut' phenomenon in the whole targeted lobe. Collagen I expression in the PVL+BDE group was slightly higher than that in the BDE+PVL group; however, no statistically significant difference was noted. CONCLUSION: The sequential embolization of the bile duct and portal vein branches to the targeted hepatic lobe may bea feasible and effective approach to acheive the ideal effect of chemical hepatectomy in a short period of time.

Histological examination of frozen sections for patients with acute cholecystitis during cholecystectomy

BACKGROUND： Unexpected gallbladder cancer may present with acute cholecystitis-like manifestat/ons. Some authors rec- ommended that frozen section analysis should be performed during laparoscopic cholecystectomy for all cases of acute cholecystitis. Others advocate selective use of frozen section analysis based on gross examination of the specimen by the surgeon. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether surgeons could effectively identify suspected gallbladder with macroscopic examination alone. If not, is routine frozen sec- tion analysis worth advocating？

Effectiveness of additional resection of the invasive cancer-positive proximal bile duct margin in cases of hilar cholangiocarcinoma

Background: The survival benefits of additional resection of the positive proximal ductal margin (PM) in hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) remains controversial. This retrospective study investigated the effectiveness of additional resection of the invasive cancer PM under different levels of preoperative carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). Methods: Patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCCA from 2000 to 2017 were analyzed. Surgical variables, resection margin status, length of the PM (LPM), prognostic factors, and survival were evaluated. Results: A total of 228 patients were enrolled: 175 PM(?) without additional resection patients (group A), 21 PM(?) after additional resection (group B), 16 PM(+) without additional resection (group C), and 16 PM(+) after additional resection (group D). The median survival of group B (20.99 months) was similar to that of group A (23.00 months;P=0.16), and both were significantly better than those of group C (11.60 months) and D (9.50 months), especially when preoperative CA19-9>150 U/mL (P<0.05). The survival of patients with an LPM >10 mm was significantly better compared with those with an LPM ≤10 mm, especially when preoperative CA19-9 was >150 U/mL (P<0.05). Only in the LPM >10 mm group, the survival of group B was comparable with that of group A (P>0.05). Conclusions: HCCA patients could get a survival benefit from a negative PM resulting from additional resection. Survival could be comparable with that of negative PM without additional resection among HCCA patients. An LPM >10 mm is possibly more associated with better survival compared with whether additional resection of the positive PM is performed under different levels of preoperative CA19-9.

Is combined extra-hepatic bile-duct resection justified for advanced gallbladder carcinoma?

Background:Whether the extra-hepatic bile duct(EHBD)should be routinely resected for gallbladder carcinoma(GBC)remains controversial.The current study aimed to determine the clinical impact of combined EHBD resection during curative surgery for advanced GBC.Methods:In total,213 patients who underwent curative surgery for T2,T3 or T4 GBC were enrolled.The clinicopathological features were compared between the patients treated with EHBD resection and those without EHBD resection.Meanwhile,univariable and multivariable Cox-proportional hazards regression models were used to identify risk factors for overall survival(OS).Results:Among the 213 patients identified,87(40.8%)underwent combined EHBD resection.Compared with patients without EHBD resection,patients with EHBD resection suffered more post-operative complications(33.3%vs.21.4%,P=0.046).However,the median OS of the EHBD resection group was longer than that of the non-EHBD resection group(25 vs.11 months,P=0.008).Subgroup analyses were also performed according to tumor(T)category and lymph-node metastasis.The median OS was significantly longer in the EHBD resection group than in the non-EHBD resection group for patients with T3 lesion(15 vs.7 months,P=0.002),T4 lesion(11 vs.6 months,P=0.021)or lymph-node metastasis(12 vs.7 months,P<0.001).No survival benefit of EHBD resection was observed in GBC patients with T2 lesion or without lymph-node metastasis.T category,lymph-node metastasis,margin status,pre-operative CA19-9 level and EHBD resection were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS of patients with advanced GBC(all P values<0.05).Conclusions EHBD resection can independently affect the OS in advanced GBC.For GBC patients with T3 lesion,T4 lesion and lymph-node metastasis,combined EHBD resection is justified and may improve OS.

A novel method to detect bacterial resistance to disinfectants

In clinical practice,the important hygienic prevention of bacterial pathogen spread is disinfection of potentially contaminated area.Benzalkonium bromide and chlorhexidine acetate are commonly used disinfectants with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial effect.It is vital to inhibit the spread of pathogen in hospital.However,a large number of pathogens with the decreased antiseptic susceptibility have been isolated from clinical samples which showed an increased minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC)against those antiseptics.These resistant pathogens are the major causes for nosocomial crossinfections in hospital.The present study demonstrated the utility of Oxford plate assay system in determining the potential disinfectant resistance of bacteria.The microbiological assay is based on the inhibitory effect of tested disinfectants upon the strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.Statistical analysis of the bioassay results indicated the linear correlation(r=-0.87-0.99,P<0.01)between the diameter of growth inhibition zone and the log dosage of the tested disinfectants.Moreover,comparison of inhibitory efficacy of benzalkonium bromide upon 29 S.aureus strains isolated from clinical samples by both Oxford plate method and broth dilution method showed that the diameter of growth inhibition zone has significantly negative correlation with the minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC)(r=-0.574,P<0.001).These results suggest that the Oxford plate is a simple and time-saving method in detecting potential clinical disinfectant resistance and its usefulness for routine surveillance of pathogenic resistance to disinfectants warrants further investigation.