Attitude and willingness on gamete donation among medical students:An experience from a state university in Sri Lanka

Objective:To assess the attitude and willingness of medical students of the Faculty of Medicine,University of Jaffna,regarding gamete donation.Methods:An institutional-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine,University of Jaffna,from September 2022 to May 2023 among undergraduate medical students who gave their voluntary participation.A self-administered questionnaire was used as a study instrument to collect data regarding their attitude and willingness toward gamete donation.Results:A total of 345 participants were recruited and their sociodemographic data revealed that 56.8%of the participants were female,62.3%aged between 26 and 30 years,and 92.2%were unmarried.Many of them received information regarding gamete donations during their clinical appointments.Over half(67.8%)of them showed a negative attitude towards gamete donation.Regarding willingness,only 39.7%of participants had a positive approach for being a gamete donor;among them,84.7%preferred anonymous donations.Religion and ethnicity had a significant influence on their attitudes and willingness.In addition,male was also found to be more willing to donate gametes.Conclusions:Most medical students have negative views about gamete donation.Imparting awareness and knowledge of assisted reproductive technology and gamete donation within medical students'sociocultural and ethical backgrounds might facilitate a change in attitude towards gamete donation amongst future medical practitioners.

Pros and cons of live kidney donation in prediabetics: A critical review and way forward

There is shortage of organs,including kidneys,worldwide.Along with deceased kidney transplantation,there is a significant rise in live kidney donation.The prevalence of prediabetes(PD),including impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance,is on the rise across the globe.Transplant teams frequently come across prediabetic kidney donors for evaluation.Prediabetics are at risk of diabetes,chronic kidney disease,cardiovascular events,stroke,neuropathy,retinopathy,dementia,depression and nonalcoholic liver disease along with increased risk of all-cause mortality.Unfortunately,most of the studies done in prediabetic kidney donors are retrospective in nature and have a short follow up period.There is lack of prospective long-term studies to know about the real risk of complications after donation.Furthermore,there are variations in recommendations from various guidelines across the globe for donations in prediabetics,leading to more confusion among clinicians.This increases the responsibility of transplant teams to take appropriate decisions in the best interest of both donors and recipients.This review focuses on pathophysiological changes of PD in kidneys,potential complications of PD,other risk factors for development of type 2 diabetes,a review of guidelines for kidney donation,the potential role of diabetes risk score and calculator in kidney donors and the way forward for the evaluation and selection of prediabetic kidney donors.

Public knowledge about and attitudes toward organ donation, and public barriers to donate in Jordan: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Organ donation is a critical issue that is receiving greater attention worldwide.In Jordan,the public’s knowledge about and attitudes toward organ donation play a significant role in the availability of organs for transplantation.AIM To assess the public knowledge about and attitudes toward organ donation in Jordan.METHODS A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 396 Jordanian citizens via an online self-reported questionnaire.RESULTS Overall,396 participants were recruited.Of the entire sample,93.9%of the participants had heard about and had sufficient knowledge about organ donation but they had limited knowledge about brain death.The most common source of information about organ donation was social media networks.Females were found to score significantly higher than males for attitude.Those who had thought about organ donation or registered their names to donate scored signi-ficantly higher in terms of attitudes to donation than their counterparts who had not.The most common reasons for limited organ donation practices in Jordan were a lack of awareness programs and insufficient knowledge in society.CONCLUSION Greater public understanding of organ donation appears to be associated with more positive attitudes toward organ donation.Most participants responded positively regarding their attitude toward organ donation as they believed that this action could give another person a chance to live.Moreover,most agreed that they would donate their organs after their death.Otherwise,the participants had limited general knowledge about brain death,and most had not registered their names to donate their organs.These findings indicate the need for public awareness campaigns and educational programs to encourage more people to become organ donors.

Risk scores for allograft failure: Are they still useful in liver recipients from donation after circulatory death?

BACKGROUND Liver grafts from donation after circulatory death(DCD)are associated with a higher risk of early graft dysfunction,determined by the warm ischemia and cold ischemia times.It is essential to have precise criteria to identify this complication in order to guide therapeutic strategies.AIM To validate different graft and recipient survival scores in patients undergoing liver transplantation(LT)with DCD grafts.METHODS A retrospective and observational unicentric study was conducted on 65 LT patients with grafts obtained from controlled DCD donors from November 2013 to November 2022.The United Kingdom(UK)risk score,early allograft dysfunction(EAD)Olthoff score,and model for early allograft function(MEAF)score were used to evaluate the risk of graft and recipient survival post-transplant.For survival analysis purposes,we used the Kaplan-Meier method,and the differences between subgroups were compared using the log-rank(Mantel-Cox)test.RESULTS Sixty-five patients were included in the study.The UK risk score did not demonstrate predictive capacity for recipient or graft survival.However,in donors aged over 70 years old(18.4%),it significantly predicted graft survival(P<0.05).According to Kaplan-Meier survival curves,graft survival rates at 6 months,2 years,and 5 years in the futility group dramatically decreased to 50%compared to the other groups(log-rank 8.806,P<0.05).The EAD Olthoff and MEAF scores did not demonstrate predictive capacity for recipient or graft survival.Based on Kaplan-Meier survival curves,patients with a MEAF score≥7 had a lower graft survival rate at 6 months,2 years,and 5 years compared to patients with a lower MEAF score(log-rank 4.667,P<0.05).CONCLUSION In our series,both UK DCD risk score and MEAF score showed predictive capability for graft survival.

Impact of Regular Blood Donation on Body Iron Stores at Saudi Blood Donors

Introduction: One of the most frequent observations in long-term blood donation is chronic iron deficiency, which can develop into anaemia. The majority of blood screening methods employed by blood banks do not incorporate iron-status markers, which may result in potential subclinical iron deficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of repeated blood donation on the levels of iron in the body and to guide blood donors in preventing the depletion of iron stores. Methods: Regular blood donors were categorised into distinct groups according to the number of donations they gave, and then the correlation between these groups and their bodies’ iron levels was examined. Different parameters were employed to identify iron deficiency and iron depletion in blood donors: serum ferritin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and serum iron. Results: The study included 300 individuals who regularly and willingly donated blood. There were no iron insufficiency cases among those donating blood for the first time (Group I). However, 15.5% of individuals who had donated once before (Group II) had ferritin levels of 15 - 30 μg/dl (ng/ml), indicating reduced iron stores. The rate increased to 18% (37 out of 206 individuals) among regular blood donors (Groups III, IV, and V). Iron deficiency (depletion) prevalence among regular blood donors in Groups III, IV, and V was 5.9% (12 out of 206) and 50.4% (100 out of 206). Donors who had donated blood most frequently had the lowest levels of haematological markers MCH, MCHC, and TIBC. Provide the p-values representing the differences between the means of MCV, MCH, iron, TIBC, and ferritin levels when comparing donor groups with the control group (Group I) based on the frequency of donations. Indicate statistically significant differences where the p-value is less than 0.0125. This significance level is adjusted based on the Bonferroni method, considering multiple independent tests. The result shows that the Iron parameter for the comparison between Group I and Group III and Group I and Group IV suggests a statistically significant difference in iron levels between these donor groups. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that a higher times of donations lads to a higher occurrence of depleted iron stores and subsequent erythropoiesis with iron deficiency by one donor from every three healthy donors. The iron and ferritin concentrations were within the normal range in group one (Control group) and reduced in the other four groups (G-2 to G-5). However, the level of haemoglobin remained within an acceptable range for blood donation. This outcome suggests that it may be necessary to reassess the criteria for accepting blood donors. The average serum ferritin levels were examined in all five groups (G-1 to G-5), both for males and females, and significant variations were seen among the groups under study. This study found that 35% of the individuals who regularly donate blood have iron-deficient anaemia (sideropenia). This suggests that it would be beneficial to test for serum ferritin at an earlier stage, ideally after three donations.

Normothermic regional perfusion mobile teams in controlled donation after circulatory death pathway: Evidence and peculiarities

To facilitate the implementation of controlled donation after circulatory death(cDCD)programs even in hospitals not equipped with a local Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation(ECMO)team(Spokes),some countries and Italian Regions have launched a local cDCD network with a ECMO mobile team who move from Hub hospitals to Spokes for normothermic regional perfusion(NRP)implantation in the setting of a cDCD pathway.While ECMO teams have been clearly defined by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization,regarding composition,responsibilities and training programs,no clear,widely accepted indications are to date available for NRP teams.Although existing NRP mobile networks were developed due to the urgent need to increase the number of cDCDs,there is now the necessity for transplantation medicine to identify the peculiarities and responsibility of a NRP team for all those centers launching a cDCD pathway.Thus,in the present manuscript we summarized the character-istics of an ECMO mobile team,highlighting similarities and differences with the NRP mobile team.We also assessed existing evidence on NRP teams with the goal of identifying the characteristic and essential features of an NRP mobile team for a cDCD program,especially for those centers who are starting the program.Differences were identified between the mobile ECMO team and NRP mobile team.The common essential feature for both mobile teams is high skills and experience to reduce complications and,in the case of cDCD,to reduce the total warm ischemic time.Dedicated training programs should be developed for the launch of de novo NRP teams.

Effectiveness of Comprehensive Nursing Management in Enhancing Blood Donation Outcomes and Donor Experience: A Comparative Study

Objective:To assess the management effect of comprehensive nursing management on blood donation services in blood stations.Methods:Sixty-four individuals who donated blood at a blood station between September 2021 and September 2023 were selected and randomly assigned into two groups of 32 each.The first group received comprehensive nursing management,while the second group received routine nursing management.Blood donation indexes and observational indexes such as adverse reactions were compared between the groups.Results:The total blood donation volume and qualified blood donation volume were higher in the first group than in the second group.The amount of discarded blood and the rate of blood discards were lower in the first group compared to the second group(P<0.05).Additionally,the adverse reaction rate in the first group was lower,the blood donation comfort scores were higher,the psychological state scores were lower,and the quality of care scores were higher than those in the second group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Comprehensive nursing management can improve the efficiency of blood donation,reduce the rate of blood discards,decrease the incidence of adverse reactions,alleviate negative psychological states of blood donors,and enhance both the comfort level of blood donation and the quality of care provided.

Kidney donation after cardiac death

There is continuing disparity between demand for and supply of kidneys for transplantation. This review describes the current state of kidney donation after cardiac death （DCD） and provides recommendations for a way forward. The conversion rate for potential DCD donors varies from 40%-80%. Compared to con-trolled DCD, uncontrolled DCD is more labour intensive, has a lower conversion rate and a higher discard rate. The super-rapid laparotomy technique involving direct aortic cannulation is preferred over in situ perfusion in controlled DCD donation and is associated with lower kidney discard rates, shorter warm ischaemia times and higher graft survival rates. DCD kidneys showed a 5.73-fold increase in the incidence of delayed graft function （DGF） and a higher primary non function rate compared to donation after brain death kidneys, but the long term graft function is equivalent between the two. The cold ischaemia time is a controllable factor that signifcantly infuences the outcome of allografts, for example, limiting it to 〈 12 h markedly reduces DGF. DCD kidneys from donors 〈 50 function like stan-dard criteria kidneys and should be viewed as such. As the majority of DCD kidneys are from controlled dona-tion, incorporation of uncontrolled donation will expand the donor pool. Efforts to maximise the supply of kid-neys from DCD include： implementing organ recovery from emergency department setting; improving family consent rate; utilising technological developments to optimise organs either prior to recovery from donors or during storage; improving organ allocation to ensure best utility; and improving viability testing to reduce primary non function.

Attitudes,awareness,and knowledge levels of the Turkish adult population toward organ donation:Study of a nationwide survey

BACKGROUND The most important factors affecting attitudes on organ donation are socioeconomic, educational, cultural, and religious factors in many countries.AIM To evaluate the attitudes, awareness, and knowledge levels of the Turkish adult population toward organ donation.METHODS This nationwide study surveyed 3000 adults(≥ 18 years) in Turkey. To ensure a representative sample, the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics-Ⅱ(modified for Turkey) was used. Turkey was divided into 26 regions based on social, economic, and geographic criteria as identified by the Turkish Statistical Institute. A stratified sampling method was used with an even distribution of adults across cities and towns based on population data. Data were collected by the PRP Research and Consultancy Company using computer-assisted personal interviews.RESULTS Out of 3000 individuals represented in the study population, 1465(48.8%) were male and 1535(51.2%) female. The results showed that most participants were under 45 years(59.0%) and married(72.1%), some had a bachelor’s degree or higher(21.9%), and very few(1.5%) had any direct experience with organ transplantation-whether in the family, or a family member on a transplantation waiting list. Most of the study population(88.3%) had not considered donating an organ, however, most(87.9%) said that they would accept an organ from a donor if they needed one. Among the individuals surveyed, 67% were willing to donate an organ to a close relative, while 26.8% would donate an organ to an unrelated person. Only 47.2% said they had adequate information about brain death, and 85.2% refused to consent to donating organs of family members declared brain dead. Only 33.9% thought they had adequate information about organ donation. The main source of information was the television. The two main reasons for refusing organ donation were that it was too soon to think about organ donation and the importance of retaining the integrity of the dead person’s body.CONCLUSION This study showed that Turkey’s adult population has inadequate knowledge about organ donation. The study advocates for public education programs to increase awareness among the general population about legislation related to organ donation.

Acceptance of living liver donation among medical students: A multicenter stratified study from Spain

AIM: To analyze the attitude of Spanish medical students toward living liver donation (LLD) and to establish which factors have an influence on this attitude.METHODS: Study type: A sociological, interdisciplinary, multicenter and observational study. Study population: Medical students enrolled in Spain (n = 34000) in the university academic year 2010-2011. Sample size: A sample of 9598 students stratified by geographical area and academic year. Instrument used to measure attitude: A validated questionnaire (PCID-DVH RIOS) was self-administered and completed anonymously. Data collection procedure: Randomly selected medical schools. The questionnaire was applied to each academic year at compulsory sessions. Statistical analysis: Student´s t test, χ2 test and logistic regression analysis.RESULTS: The completion rate was 95.7% (n = 9275). 89% (n = 8258) were in favor of related LLD, and 32% (n = 2937) supported unrelated LLD. The following variables were associated with having a more favorable attitude: (1) age (P = 0.008); (2) sex (P < 0.001); (3) academic year (P < 0.001); (4) geographical area (P = 0.013); (5) believing in the possibility of needing a transplant oneself in the future (P < 0.001); (6) attitude toward deceased donation (P < 0.001); (7) attitude toward living kidney donation (P < 0.001); (8) acceptance of a donated liver segment from a family member if one were needed (P < 0.001); (9) having discussed the subject with one’s family (P < 0.001) and friends (P < 0.001); (10) a partner’s opinion about the subject (P < 0.001); (11) carrying out activities of an altruistic nature; and (12) fear of the possible mutilation of the body after donation (P < 0.001).CONCLUSION: Spanish medical students have a favorable attitude toward LLD.

How Does Online Fundraising Platform Promote Public Donation in China？-An Empirical Analysis From Tencent Fundraising Platform

At present, the huge problem that China’s Non-profit Organizations are facing is the low efficiency of public fundraising. However, the newly appeared Online Fundraising Platform indicates some possibilities in overcoming the obstacle for public fundraising. Among which Tencent Online Fundraising Platform becomes the typical and the point cut of exploring Online Fundraising Platform Improving Efficiency Mechanism of public donation. Online Fundraising Platform is similar to the online United Way, relying on the advantages of the Internet and the united fundraising to build a ecosystem of public donation which has professional fundraising system, good charity atmosphere, excellent policy environment and crossover cooperation resources. And in which, many factors get improved in pubic donation influence factors system. For one thing, Charity atmosphere and policy environment can be shaped better. For another, the charities can transmit fundraising information in inexpensive and high-efficiency way, and must ensure the transparency of project and donation. Finally, it will be more convenient for donors to get charitable information, make donations and supervise the nonprofit organizations.

Development of Blood Donation Activities in Kyrgyzstan and General Implications for Blood Donation

Objectives: This article is aiming to give an essential informative principle about the development of blood donation activities in Kyrgyzstan. Background: The sequence of blood donation procedure steps before donation, during donation, and after donation was shown and discussed. Methods/Materials: Rhesus factor determination in donors was achieved by “COLICO” method which is based on the use of monoclonal antibodies solution. Results: According to the blood donation activity of donors in Osh, Kyrgyzstan for the 2018 year, it was found that gratuitous donors who donated blood in 6 months were 269, in 9 months were 366, and in 1 year were 499 people. Relative donors who donated blood in 6 months were 3480, in 9 months were 5100, and in 1 year were 6701 people. Active donors donated blood in 6 months were 12, in 9 months were 14 and in 1 year were 17 people. Conclusion: No agglutination was observed in any of the plates for the first blood group;agglutination was observed with anti-A monoclonal antibody solution for the second blood group;agglutination was observed with anti-B monoclonal antibody solution for the third blood group;agglutination was observed with both of anti-A and anti-B monoclonal antibody solutions for the fourth blood group.

Contribution to the Improvement of Transfusion Safety: Assessment of the Pre-Donation Hemoglobin Level at the Yamoussoukro Blood Transfusion Center in Cote d’Ivoire

Introduction: Despite the progress recorded at the level of transfusion safety in Côte d’Ivoire, much remains to be done, particularly at the level of the medical selection of blood donors. The objective of the study was to make an assessment of the pre-donation capillary hemoglobin dosage for the year 2020 of the fixed collection, of the Blood Transfusion Center of Yamoussoukro. Method: This is a retrospective study that took place at the Yamoussoukro Blood Transfusion Center. The data collection related to all old and new blood donors were deemed suitable for the fixed collection of the year 2020. The method chosen for the pre-donation control is that of the portable hemoglobinometer of the HémoCue® type, more precisely 201+. Results: Of the 1160 blood donors in the study, the pre-donation hemoglobin level was not measured in 787 (67.8%) subjects of either sex. Of the subjects who had a pre-donation hemoglobin level performed, 97 (26%) blood donors had a sub-standard hemoglobin level, including 15 females and 82 males. Conclusion: Pre-donation hemoglobin testing of blood donors is effective in Yamoussoukro. However, efforts must still be made to improve the quality of the blood collected and to protect blood donors.

Donor-derived infections among Chinese donation after cardiac death liver recipients

AIM To investigate blood cultures of deceased donors and report the confirmed transmission of bacterial infection from donors to liver recipients.METHODS We retrospectively studied the results of blood cultures among our donation after cardiac death(DCD) donors and calculated the donor-derived bacterial infection rates among liver recipients. Study participants underwent liver transplantation between January 1, 2010 and February 1, 2017. The study involved a total of 67 recipients of liver grafts from 67 DCD donors. We extracted the data of donors' and patients' characteristics, culture results and clinical outcomes, especially the post-transplant complications in liver recipients, from electronic medical records. We analyzed the characteristics of the donors and the corresponding liver recipients with emphasis put on donor-derived infections.RESULTS Head trauma was the most common origin of death among our 67 DCD donors(46.3%). Blood taken prior to the procurement operation was cultured for 53 of the donors, with 17 episodes of bloodstream infections developing from 13 donors. The predominant organism isolated from the blood of donors was Gram-positive bacteria(70.6%). Only three(4.5%) of 67 liver recipients developed confirmed donor-derived bacterial infections,with two isolates of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and one isolate of multidrug-resistant Enterobacter aerogenes. The liver recipients with donorderived infections showed relation to higher crude mortality and graft loss rates(33.3% each) within 3 mo post transplantation, as compared to those without donor-derived infections(9.4% and 4.7%, respectively). All three liver recipients received appropriate antimicrobial therapy.CONCLUSION Liver recipients have high occurrence of donor-derived infections. The liver recipients with donor-derived multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections can have good outcome if appropriate antimicrobial therapy is given.

An overview on ethical issues about sperm donation

Beyond the scientific progress in assisted reproductive technologies （ART）, it is necessary to discuss the ethical considerations behind these advances. Ethical issues concerning sperm donation have been considered and discussed by government and non-governmental agencies, the public, media and academic institutions in many countries. Recommendations and guidelines concerning sperm donation issues vary from country to country and between professional groups within countries. This paper attempts to present an overview of findings and reports from various agencies concerning the ethics of sperm donation. The following topics are considered： limiting the number of donor offspring; minimizing risk of infection and genetics from sperm donors; age requirements for sperm donors; and anonymity versus non-anonymity of sperm donors. The diversity of policies shows that each country has its unique set of guidelines tailored toward its own specific needs. Similarly, countries designing their own procedures and guidelines concerning reproductive medicine must tailor them toward their own needs and practical considerations. In China's Mainland, the anonymous policy for sperm donation should still be carried out, and the number of donor offspring should be revaluated. ART procedures must be conducted in a way that is respectful of those involved. Ethical principles must respect the interests and welfare of persons who will be born as well as the health and psychosocial welfare of all participants, including sperm donors.

Evaluation of the updated definition of early allograft dysfunction in donation after brain death and donation after cardiac death liver allografts

BACKGROUND:An updated definition of early allograft dysfunction(EAD) was recently validated in a multicenter study of 300 deceased donor liver transplant recipients.This analysis did not differentiate between donation after brain death(DBD) and donation after cardiac death(DCD) allograft recipients.METHODS:We reviewed our prospectively entered database for all DBD(n=377) and DCD(n=38) liver transplantations between January 1,2006 and October 30,2011.The incidence of EAD as well as its ability to predict graft failure and survival was compared between DBD and DCD groups.RESULTS:EAD was a valid predictor of both graft and patient survival at six months in DBD allograft recipients,but in DCD allograft recipients there was no significant difference in the rate of graft failure in those with EAD(11.5%) compared with those without EAD(16.7%)(P=0.664) or in the rate of death in recipients with EAD(3.8%) compared with those without EAD(8.3%)(P=0.565).The graft failure rate in the first 6 months in those with international normalized ratio ≥1.6 on day 7 who received a DCD allograft was 37.5% compared with 6.7% for those with international normalized ratio <1.6 on day 7(P=0.022).CONCLUSIONS:The recently validated definition of EAD is a valid predictor of patient and graft survival in recipients of DBD allografts.On initial assessment,it does not appear to be a useful predictor of patient and graft survival in recipients of DCD allografts,however a study with a larger sample size of DCD allografts is needed to confirm these findings.The high ALT/AST levels in most recipients of DCD livers as well as the predisposition to biliary complications and early cholestasis make these parameters as poor predictors of graft failure.An alternative definition of EAD that gives greater weight to the INR on day 7 may be more relevant in this population.

Sperm donation and its application in,China： a 7-year multicenter retrospective study

Sperm donation in China is different from that in other countries due to cultural, social and political factors. This research presents the current status of sperm donation in China's Mainland and highlights some problems. Between January 2003 and December 2009, 19 471 sperm donors were screened totally and 6467 donors （33.2%） were recruited. The primary reasons for non-recruitment were either inadequate semen parameters （55.0%） or positive results for sexually transmitted diseases （7.9%）. There were 327 （1.7%） qualified donors who withdrew from the program because of frustration related to failed semen parameters, participation merely for free medical tests or job transfer. A questionnaire investigating donor intention, as well as other concerns associated with sperm donation, was distributed to 516 potential donors. All potential donors indicated their primary motivation as altruism, while 90.9% mentioned monetary reward as a second motivating factor. Approximately 93.4% of donors expressed some apprehension about the risk of consanguineous mating and the protection of their identity. Over the past 7 years, 488 389 vials of donors＇ semen have been cryopreserved. In 36 438 artificial insemination with donor sperm （AID） cycles, the clinical pregnancy rate was 23.9% and the live birth rate was 16.6%, In 7148 in vitro fertilization cycles, the clinical pregnancy rate was 45.8% and the live birth rate was 35.2%. Human sperm banks have been strictly monitored to ensure that each sperm donor can only impregnate five women nationwide. There is still a large gap between the supply and demand for sperm donation which may be solved by updated guidelines.

Laparoscopic liver resection for living donation: Where do we stand?

In Western countries, living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) may represent a valuable alternative to deceased donor liver transplantation. Yet, after an initial peak of enthusiasm, reports of high rates of complications and of fatalities have led to a certain degree of reluctance towards this procedure especially in Western countries. As for living donor kidney transplantation, the laparoscopic approach could improve patient&#x02019;s tolerance in order to rehabilitate this strategy and reverse the current trend. In this setting however, initial concerns regarding patient&#x02019;s safety and graft integrity, need for acquiring surgical expertise in both laparoscopic liver surgery and living donor transplantation and lack of evidence supporting the benefits of laparoscopy have delayed the development of this approach. Similarly to what is performed in classical resectional liver surgery, initial experiences of laparoscopy have therefore begun with left lateral sectionectomy, which is performed for adult to child living donation. In this setting, the laparoscopic technique is now well standardized, is associated with decreased donor blood loss and hospital stays and provides graft of similar quality compared to the open approach. On the other hand laparoscopic major right or left hepatectomies for adult-adult LDLT currently lack standardization and various techniques such as the full laparoscopic approach, the hand assisted approach and the hybrid approach have been reported. Hence, even-though several reports highlight the feasibility of these procedures, the true benefits of laparoscopy over laparotomy remain to be fully assessed. This could be achieved through standardization of the procedures and creation of international registries especially in Eastern countries where LDLT keeps on flourishing.

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid and 4-phenyl butyric acid alleviate endoplasmic reticulum stress and improve prognosis of donation after cardiac death liver transplantation in rats

BACKGROUND： Inevitable warm ischemia time before organ procurement aggravates posttransplantation ischemia- reperfusion injury. Endoplasmic reticulum （ER） stress is involved in ischemia-reperfusion injury, but its role in donation after cardiac death （DCD） liver transplantation is not clear and the effect of ER stress inhibitors, tauroursodeoxycholic acid （TUDCA） and 4-phenyl butyric acid （PBA）, on the prognosis of recipient of DCD liver transplantation remains unclear. METHODS： Male Sprague-Dawley rats （8-10 weeks） were randomly divided into control group： liver grafts without warm ischemia were implanted; DCD group： warm ischemia time of the liver grafts was 60 minutes; TUDCA and PBA groups： based on the DCD group, donors were intraperitoneally injected with TUDCA or PBA 30 minutes before the organ procurements. Serum aminotransferase levels, oxidative stress activation and expression of ER stress signal molecules were evaluated. Pathological examinations were performed. The survivals of the recipients in each group were compared for 14 days.RESULTS： Compared with the control group, DCD rats had significantly higher levels of serum aminotransferase at 6 hours, 1 day and 3 days after operation （P〈0.01, 0.01 and 0.05, respectively） and oxidative indices （P〈0.01 for both malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxy deoxyguanosine）, more severe liver damage （P〈0.01） and up-regulated ER stress signal expressions （P〈0.01 for GRP78, phos-eIF2al, CHOP, ATF-4, ATF-6, PERK, XBP-1 and pro-caspase-12）. All recipients died within 3 days after liver transplantation. Administration of TUDCA or PBA significantly decreased aminotransferase levels （P〈0.05）, increased superoxide dismutase activities （P〈0.01）, alleviated liver damage （P〈0.01）, down-regulated ER stress signal expressions （P〈0.01） and improved postoperative survivals （P〈0.01）. CONCLUSIONS： ER stress was involved with DCD liver trans- plantation in rats. Preoperative intraperitoneally injection of TUDCA or PBA protected ER stress and improved prognosis.

China organ donation and transplantation update: the Hangzhou Resolution

The much-anticipated change in the practice of organ donation and transplantation in China is now underway and affirmed by an important Hangzhou Resolution promulgated at the 2013 China Transplant Congress.Support of the National Health and Family Planning Commission On October 29,2013,in a meeting of the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC)officials with Jie-Fu Huang,Head of National Organ Transplant Committee(OTC), Hai-Bo Wang,Director of China Organ Transplant Response System (COTRS)