Lack of association between hepatitis B virus pre‐S mutations and recurrence after surgical resection in hepatocellular carcinoma

Pre‐S mutation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is known to be a risk factor for hepatocarcinogenesis. A previous study suggested that pre‐S mutation(s) may associate with increased recurrence after surgical resection. In the present study, 64 patients with HBV‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were categorized into two groups according to the presence or absence of pre‐S mutation(s). The clinicopathological variables of the two groups were analyzed to assess the relationship between pre‐S mutations and postoperative recurrence. Nineteen patients (29.7%) had pre‐S mutations;13 had a pre‐S deletion, three had a pre‐S2 start codon mutation, two patients had both a pre‐S deletion, and a pre‐S2 start codon mutation, and one patient had a pre‐S2 insertion. The two groups did not differ in terms of baseline clinicopathological parameters. Cirrhosis and satellite lesion(s) were predictive factors for postoperative recurrence and poor overall survival. Recurrence‐free survival (P = 0.320) and overall survival (P = 0.238) did not differ significantly when pre‐S mutations were present. In conclusion, this study did not find evidence supporting the notion that pre‐S mutation(s) are associated with postoperative recurrence after surgical resection. J. Med. Virol. 85:589–596, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Optimal Anticoagulation during Off Pump Coronary Artery Bypass in Patients Recently Exposed to Clopidogrel

Purpose

The aim of this study was to find an optimal range of activated clotting time (ACT) during off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB) yielding ischemic protection without the risk of hemorrhagic complications in patients with recent exposure to dual antiplatelet therapy.

Materials and Methods

Three hundred and five patients who received aspirin and clopidogrel within 7 days of isolated multi-vessel OPCAB were retrospectively studied. Combined hemorrhagic and ischemic outcome was defined as the occurrence of 1 of the following: significant perioperative bleeding (>30% of estimated blood volume), transfusion of packed red blood cell (pRBC) ≥2 U, or myocardial infarction (MI). This was compared in relation to the tertile distribution of the time-weighted average ACT-212-291 sec (first tertile), 292-334 sec (second tertile), 335-485 sec (third tertile).

Results

The amount of perioperative blood loss was 937±313 mL, 1014±340 mL, and 1076±383 mL, respectively (p=0.022). Significantly more patients in the third tertile developed MI (4%, 4%, and 12%, respectively, p=0.034). The incidence of significant perioperative blood loss and transfusion of pRBC ≥2 U were lower in the first tertile than those of other tertiles without statistical significance. In the multivariate analysis, the first tertile was associated with a 52% risk reduction of combined hemorrhagic and ischemic outcomes (95% confidence interval: 0.25-0.92, p=0.027).

Conclusion

A lower degree of anticoagulation with a reduced initial heparin loading dose should be carefully considered for patients undergoing OPCAB who have recently been exposed to clopidogrel.     

T Cell-Epstein-Barr Virus–Associated Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) Occurs in Non-Asians and Is Associated with a T Cell Activation State that Is Comparable to Primary HLH

Journal of Clinical Immunology - T cell-Epstein-Barr virus–associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (T cell-EBV-HLH) is prevalent in East Asia and has poor prognosis. Understanding of...     

Assessment of Image Quality for Selective Intracoronary Contrast-Injected CT Angiography in a Hybrid Angio-CT System: A Feasibility Study in Swine

PurposeTo compare image quality in selective intracoronary contrast-injected computed tomography angiography (Selective-CTA) with that in conventional intravenous contrast-injected CTA (IV-CTA).Materials and MethodsSix pigs (35 to 40 kg) underwent both IV-CTA using an intravenous injection (60 mL) and Selective-CTA using an intracoronary injection (20 mL) through a guide-wire during/after percutaneous coronary intervention. Images of the common coronary artery were acquired. Scans were performed using a combined machine comprising an invasive coronary angiography suite and a 320-channel multi-slice CT scanner. Quantitative image quality parameters of CT attenuation, image noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), mean lumen diameter (MLD), and mean lumen area (MLA) were measured and compared. Qualitative analysis was performed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), which was calculated for analysis of interobserver agreement.ResultsQuantitative image quality, determined by assessing the uniformity of CT attenuation (399.06 vs. 330.21, p<0.001), image noise (24.93 vs. 18.43, p<0.001), SNR (16.43 vs. 18.52, p=0.005), and CNR (11.56 vs. 13.46, p=0.002), differed significantly between IV-CTA and Selective-CTA. MLD and MLA showed no significant difference overall (2.38 vs. 2.44, p=0.068, 4.72 vs. 4.95, p=0.078). The density of contrast agent was significantly lower for selective-CTA (13.13 mg/mL) than for IV-CTA (400 mg/mL). Agreement between observers was acceptable (ICC=0.79±0.08).ConclusionOur feasibility study in swine showed that compared to IV-CTA, Selective-CTA provides better image quality and requires less iodine contrast medium.     

Diagnostic values of F-18 FDG PET or PET/CT,CT, and US for Preoperative Lymph Node Staging in Thyroid Cancer: A Network Meta-Analysis

ObjectiveThis study compared the diagnostic performance of three different imaging modalities for preoperative lymph node (LN) staging in thyroid cancer patients, using a network meta-analysis (NMA).MethodsPubMed and Embase were searched to identify studies evaluating the performance of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET or PET/CT), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasonography (US) for preoperative LN staging in thyroid cancer patients. The NMA included both patient- and lesion-based analyses. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) values was used to decide on the most effective diagnostic method.ResultsA total of 3,571 patients from 19 direct comparison studies using three different imaging modalities for preoperative LN staging in thyroid cancer patients were included. US showed the highest SUCRA values for positive predictive values (PPV), negative predictive values (NPV), and accuracy in detection of all cervical LN metastasis. F-18 FDG PET or PET/CT and US showed the highest SUCRA values for PPV and sensitivity, respectively, for central LN, and the highest SUCRA value of specificity and sensitivity, respectively, for lateral LN.ConclusionThe results from this NMA indicate that F-18 FDG PET or PET/CT, CT, and US have complementary diagnostic roles for preoperative staging in thyroid cancer patients.Advances in knowledgeUsing NMA, we comprehensively compared the different diagnostic values and limitations of F-18 FDG PET or PET/CT, CT, and US for the preoperative LN staging in thyroid cancer patients.     

Impact of an Education Program for Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease on Treatment Discontinuation and Compliance in Korea

Background and PurposeReportedly 30–50% of patients being treated for chronic illnesses do not adhere to their medication regimen. We assessed the impact of a nurse-led education program for caregivers of Korean de novo Alzheimer''s disease patients who had newly been prescribed donepezil.MethodsThis multicenter study analyzed 93 participants in a caregiver education group and 92 participants in a caregiver no-education group. At every visit up to the end of the study (1 year), caregivers in the education group were given educational brochures regarding Alzheimer''s disease and the efficacy and adverse events of donepezil treatment. The primary endpoint was the discontinuation rate of donepezil treatment during the 1-year observation period. The secondary endpoints included the effect of education on compliance with donepezil treatment assessed at each visit using a clinician rating scale (CRS) and visual analog scale (VAS), and changes from baseline in cognitive assessment tests.ResultsThe donepezil discontinuation rates at 1 year were 5.38% (5/93) and 6.52% (6/92) in the caregiver education and no-education groups, respectively (p=0.742). No significant between-group differences in donepezil compliance rates on the CRS and VAS were observed, but significant changes were observed in some cognitive tests from baseline to the end of the study.ConclusionsCaregiver education had no significant effect on treatment discontinuation, but this may have been due to the low severity of cognitive impairment among the included population at baseline. In addition, the low discontinuation rates meant that no significant difference in treatment compliance was observed.     

Expression of Semaphorin 3A and Neuropilin 1 in Asthma

Neuropilin 1 (NP1) is a part of essential receptor complexes mediating both semaphorin3A (SEMA3A) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) which is one of important mediators involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. Therefore, it is possible that SEMA3A plays a role in the pathogenesis of asthma through attenuation of VEGF-mediated effects. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate expression levels of SEMA3A and NP1 using induced sputum of asthmatics and a murine model of asthma. Firstly, SEMA3A and NP1 expressions in induced sputum of asthmatics and SEMA3A and NP1 expression on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells and lung homogenates of asthmatic mice were determined. Then we evaluated the immunolocalization of VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR1), VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2), and NP1 expressions on asthmatic mice lung tissue and their subcellular distributions using fibroblast and BEAS2B cell lines. Sputum SEMA3A and NP1 expressions were significantly higher in asthmatics than controls. Similarly, SEMA3A and NP1 expressions on BAL cells and lung homogenates were significantly elevated in asthmatic mice compared to control mice. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that VEGFR1, VEGFR2, and NP1 expressions were also uniformly increased in asthmatic mice. Our observations suggest that SEMA3A and NP1 may play important roles in the pathogenesis of asthma.     

Toward a disposable low-cost LOC device: heterogeneous polymer micro valve and pump fabricated by UV/ozone-assisted thermal fusion bonding

Herein, a heterogeneous polymer micro valve and pump with a polypropylene (PP) membrane was developed in a low-cost manner via UV/ozone-assisted thermal fusion bonding. The proposed fabrication technique allowed for a geometrically selective bonding; consequently, the membrane was prevented from bonding with the valve seat of the diaphragm micro-valve, without patterning a protection layer or introducing an additional structure. The developed device withstands 480 kPa of static pressure and up to 350 kPa of a vibration pressure, providing sufficient bonding strength for microfluidic actuations. The fabricated micro valve and pump are fully characterized and compared with a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membrane glass device, showing comparable valving and pumping performance. As a result, the robust PP membrane micro valve and pump are simply implemented in a facile manner, and demonstrated excellent performance, which is highly desirable for mass production of disposable lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices.

Herein, a heterogeneous polymer micro valve and pump with a polypropylene (PP) membrane was developed in a low-cost manner via UV/ozone-assisted thermal fusion bonding.