The role of extra-hepatic bile duct resection in the surgical management of gallbladder carcinoma. A first meta-analysis

ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the clinicopathological and prognostic value of extra-hepatic bile duct resection (EHBDR) in the surgical management of patients with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC), especially in non-jaundiced patients.MethodsPubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched up to March 1^st 2021 for comparative studies between bile duct resected and non-resected groups. RevMan5.3 and Stata 13.0 software were used for the statistical analyses.ResultsEHBDR did not correlate with a better overall survival (OS) (P = 0.17) or disease-free survival (P = 0.27). No survival benefit was also observed in patients with T2N1 (P = 0.4), T3N0 (P = 0.14) disease and node-positive patients (P = 0.75), rather, EHBDR was even harmful for patients with T2N0 (P = 0.01) and node-negative disease (P = 0.02). Significantly higher incidences of recurrent disease (P = 0.0007), postoperative complications (P < 0.00001) and positive margins (P = 0.02) were detected in the bile duct-resected group. The duration of postoperative hospital stay between the two groups was comparable (P = 0.58). Selection bias was also detected in our analysis that a significantly higher proportion of advanced lesions with T3-4 or III-IV disease was observed in the bile duct-resected group (P < 0.00001). EHBDR only contributed to a greater lymph yield (P = 0.01).ConclusionEHBDR has no survival advantage for patients with GBC, especially for those with non-jaundiced disease. Considering the unfairness of comparing OS between jaundiced patients receiving EHBDR with non-jaundiced patients without EHBDR, we could only conclude that routine EHBDR in non-jaundiced patients is not recommended and future well-designed studies with more specific subgroup analyses are required for further validation.     

Minimally Invasive Treatments for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

PurposeTo review and to compare indirectly the outcomes of minimally invasive therapies for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia.Materials and MethodsA literature search via Medline and Cochrane Central databases was completed for randomized control studies published between January 2000 to April 2020 for the following therapies: Rezum, Urolift, Aquablation, and prostatic artery embolization (PAE). Data on the following variables were included: International prostate symptom score (IPSS), maximum urinary flow rate, quality of life, and postvoid residual (PVR). Standard mean differences between treatments were compared through a meta-analysis using transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) to assess differences in treatment effect.ResultsThere was no significant difference in outcomes between therapies for IPSS at the 3, 6, and 12-month follow ups. Although outcomes for Rezum were only available out to 3 months, there were no consistently significant differences in outcomes when comparing Aquablation versus PAE versus Rezum. TURP PVR was significantly better than Urolift at 3, 6, and 12 months. No significant differences in minor or major adverse events were noted.ConclusionAlthough significant differences in outcomes were limited, Aquablation and PAE were the most durable at 12 months. PAE has been well studied on multiple randomized control trials with minimal adverse events while Aquablation has limited high quality data and has been associated with bleeding-related complications.     

Hepatotoxicity of cantharidin is associated with the altered bile acid metabolism

Cantharidin (CTD) is an effective antitumor agent. However, it exhibits significant hepatotoxicity, the mechanism of which remains unclear. In this study, biochemical and histopathological analyses complemented with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS)-based targeted metabolomic analysis of bile acids (BAs) were employed to investigate CTD-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Sixteen male and female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: control and CTD (1.0 mg/kg) groups. Serum and liver samples were collected after 28 days of intervention. Biochemical, histopathological, and BA metabolomic analyses were performed for all samples. Further, the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity were identified via multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses. In addition, metabolite–gene–enzyme network and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were used to identify the signaling pathways related to CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. The results revealed significantly increased levels of biochemical indices (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bile acid). Histopathological analysis revealed that the hepatocytes were damaged. Further, 20 endogenous BAs were quantitated via UHPLC-MS/MS, and multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses of BAs revealed that hyocholic acid, cholic acid, and chenodeoxycholic acid were the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. Meanwhile, primary and secondary BA biosynthesis and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism were found to be associated with the mechanism by which CTD induced hepatotoxicity in rats. This study provides useful insights for research on the mechanism of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity.     

血清Hcy、IGFBP-1联合预测多囊卵巢综合征患者孕早期自然流产的价值

目的探讨血清同型半胱氨酸(Hcy)、胰岛素样生长因子结合蛋白-1(IGFBP-1)联合检测对多囊卵巢综合征患者孕早期自然流产的预测价值。方法选取2018年3月—2020年5月行促排卵治疗并成功临床妊娠的多囊卵巢综合征165例,检测血清Hcy、IGFBP-1水平。根据孕早期自然流产发生情况分为孕早期自然流产组与未自然流产组,比较两组妊娠前一次促排卵后血清Hcy、IGFBP-1水平;多囊卵巢综合征患者孕早期自然流产的危险因素采用多因素Logistic回归分析,并采用受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线分析血清Hcy、IGFBP-1水平单项及联合检测对多囊卵巢综合征患者孕早期自然流产的预测价值。结果患者妊娠前一次促排卵后血清Hcy水平低于入院时,血清IGFBP-1水平高于入院时(P<0.01);自然流产组妊娠前一次促排卵后血清Hcy水平高于未自然流产组,血清IGFBP-1水平低于未自然流产组(P<0.01)。孕早期自然流产的发生率为28.48%。年龄≥35岁、多囊卵巢综合征分型、空腹胰岛素水平偏高、空腹血糖水平偏高、血清睾酮水平偏高、血清叶酸水平偏低、妊娠前一次促排卵后血清Hcy水平偏高及血清IGFBP-1水平偏低均是多囊卵巢综合征患者孕早期自然流产的危险因素(P<0.01)。妊娠前一次促排卵后血清Hcy水平联合血清IGFBP-1水平预测多囊卵巢综合征患者孕早期自然流产的敏感度、ROC曲线下面积均高于单独预测(P<0.01)。结论多囊卵巢综合征孕早期自然流产患者血清Hcy水平偏高,IGFBP-1水平偏低,二者均与多囊卵巢综合征患者孕早期自然流产密切相关,并对多囊卵巢综合征患者孕早期自然流产的发生具有较好的预测价值,联合检测时的预测效能更高。     

复发性流产患者易栓症指标筛检的意义

目的探讨易栓症相关指标与不明原因复发性流产(URSA)的相关性,为URSA患者的病因排查和治疗提供参考。方法选取2016年11月—2018年3月上海交通大学医学院附属国际和平妇幼保健院104例流产次数≥2次的URSA患者作为URSA组,以45例健康经产妇作为对照组,检测所有研究对象血浆狼疮抗凝物(LA)阳性率、抗心磷脂抗体(ACA)阳性率、蛋白C(PC)活性、蛋白S(PS)活性、抗凝血酶(AT)活性、凝血因子Ⅻ(FⅫ)活性和D-二聚体(DD)水平。结果URSA组LA阳性率、PC活性、PS活性、AT活性、FⅫ活性、DD水平与对照组比较差异均有显著统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论LA阳性、PS缺陷、FⅫ缺陷和DD增高与URSA密切相关。LA、PS、FⅫ、DD是URSA患者体内高凝状态较好的筛查指标,联合检测AT、PC,对预测URSA血栓形成有临床指导意义。     

Primary aldosteronism due to bilateral micronodular hyperplasia and concomitant subclinical Cushing’s syndrome: A case report

BACKGROUNDAdrenal incidentaloma (AI) has been frequently encountered in the clinical setting. It has been shown that primary aldosteronism (PA) or subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (SCS) are the representative causative diseases of AI. However, the coexistence of PA and SCS has been reportedly observed. Recently, we encountered a case of AI, in which PA and SCS coexisted, confirmed by histopathological examinations after a laparoscopic adrenalectomy. We believe that there were some clinical implications in the diagnosis of the present case.CASE SUMMARYA 58-year-old man presented with lower right abdominal pain with a blood pressure of 170/100 mmHg. A subsequent computed tomography scan revealed right ureterolithiasis, which was the cause of right abdominal pain, and right AI measuring 22 mm × 25 mm. After the disappearance of right abdominal pain, subsequent endocrinological examinations were performed. Aldosterone-related evaluations, including adrenal venous sampling, revealed the presence of bilateral PA. In addition, several cortisol-related evaluations showed the presence of SCS on the right adrenal adenoma. A laparoscopic right adrenalectomy was then performed. The histopathological examination of the resected right adrenal revealed the presence of a cortisol-producing adenoma, while CYP11B2 immunoreactivity was absent in this adenoma. However, in the adjacent non-neoplastic adrenal, multiple CYP11B2-positive adrenocortical micronodules were detected, showing the presence of aldosterone-producing adrenocortical micronodules. CONCLUSIONCareful clinical and pathological examination should be performed when a patient harboring AI presents with concomitant SCS and PA.