Major Hepatectomy Induces Phenotypic Changes in Circulating Dendritic Cells and Monocytes

Introduction  Patients undergoing major hepatectomy are at increased risk for post-operative morbidity and mortality, and changes in the phenotype of effector cells may predispose these patients to infectious sequelae. Methods  To better understand post-hepatectomy immune responses, peripheral blood from 15 hepatectomy patients was drawn immediately before and after liver resection and on post-operative days 1, 3, and 5. Circulating monocytes and dendritic cells were analyzed by flow cytometry for quantity, phenotype, activation status, human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR) expression, and toll-like receptor-2 and -4 expression. Results  Major hepatectomy increased the numbers of activated CD16^bright blood monocytes and the percentage of activated dendritic cells, although monocyte HLA-DR expression was reduced. These results may represent both dysfunctional antigen presentation and pending anergy, as well as cellular priming of immune effector cells. Better understanding of the alterations in innate immunity induced by hepatectomy may identify strategies to reduce infectious outcomes.     

The Various Applications of 3D Printing in Cardiovascular Diseases

Purpose of Review

To highlight the various applications of 3D printing in cardiovascular disease and discuss its limitations and future direction.

Recent Findings

Use of handheld 3D printed models of cardiovascular structures has emerged as a facile modality in procedural and surgical planning as well as education and communication.

Summary

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a novel imaging modality which involves creating patient-specific models of cardiovascular structures. As percutaneous and surgical therapies evolve, spatial recognition of complex cardiovascular anatomic relationships by cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons is imperative. Handheld 3D printed models of cardiovascular structures provide a facile and intuitive road map for procedural and surgical planning, complementing conventional imaging modalities. Moreover, 3D printed models are efficacious educational and communication tools. This review highlights the various applications of 3D printing in cardiovascular diseases and discusses its limitations and future directions.

     

Cytogenetic and histologic correlations in malignant lymphoma

Although a number of studies have indicated correlations between histologic subtypes of tumors and certain nonrandom chromosome changes, cytogenetic studies of lymphoma are in an early stage compared to those of leukemia. No comprehensive analysis of available data has so far been attempted in the literature either. Here we present an analysis of chromosome changes and their correlation with subtypes of lymphoma studied by conventional histology and cell surface markers, as observed in two sets of data: a group of 65 karyotypically abnormal tumors sequentially ascertained and studied by us during the period January 1, 1984 to April 30, 1985, and a larger data set derived by combining our data with those from two published series from the University of Minnesota that are comparable to our data. These combined data, which comprise the largest data set on the cytogenetics of lymphomas assembled so far, enabled a comprehensive analysis of correlation between chromosome change and tumor histology and the patterns of chromosome instability in these tumors. We found several significant associations, some previously described and others now recognized, between nonrandom chromosome gains, breaks, translocations, and deletions and histologic subtypes of tumors that characterize lymphomas. The data indicate that finding of chromosome breaks at certain sites (eg, 8q24, 14q32, 18q21) is of diagnostic value in dealing with cases of unusual lymphoma. Furthermore, nonrandom chromosome breakage exhibited three distinct patterns that reflected three levels of etiologically relevant genetic change.