Segmental Liver Transplantation from Non-Heart Beating Donors—An Early Experience with Implications for the Future

We report our experience of pediatric liver transplantation with partial grafts from non-heart beating donors (NHBD). Controlled donors less than 40 years of age with a warm ischemia time (WI) of less than 30 min were considered for pediatric recipients. Death was declared 5 min after asystole. A super-rapid recovery technique with aortic and portal perfusion was utilized. Mean donor age was 29 years and WI 14.6 min (range 11–18). Seven children, mean age 4.9 years (0.7–11), median weight 20 kg (8.4–53) received NHBD segmental liver grafts. Diagnoses included seronegative hepatitis, neonatal sclerosing cholangitis, familial intrahepatic cholestasis, hepatoblastoma, primary hyperoxaluria and factor VII deficiency (n = 2).The grafts included four reduced and one split left lateral segments, one left lobe and one right auxiliary graft. Mean cold ischemia was 7.3 h (6.2–8.8). Complications included one pleural effusion and one biliary collection drained percutaneously. At 20 months (10–36) follow-up all children are alive and well with functioning grafts.
Donation after cardiac death is a significant source of liver grafts for adults and children with careful donor selection and short cold ischemic times.     

To market! To market! A new dawn for community care?

The public sector in Britain has been subjected to over a decade of major reform aimed at breaking up public service monopolies, at containing costs while at the same time opening services up to greater consumer choice. Health and social services have not been exempt from this revolution in the organization and management of public sector services. The long-standing policy of care in the community is being subjected to market principles and the introduction of a ‘contract culture’ very similar to the NHS reforms introduced in 1991. This paper reviews the origins of these developments in the doctrines of ‘new public management’, a movement which has proved attractive to policy-makers in many countries. Local authority social services departments have been identified as the lead agency for the development of a mixed economy of care following a review of community care policy by the government's health adviser, Sir Roy Griffiths, and a subsequent white paper. This paper examines the limited empirical evidence available on how managers and providers are meeting the challenge bestowed upon them, and concludes that most authorities are moving ahead cautiously if at all. Only a handful of authorities studied have embraced the reforms with any degree of enthusiasm. The paper concludes with an assessment of the reforms from two perspectives: a pessimistic one and an optimistic one. There are many worrying features of the reforms, not least among these being a lack of clarity over their intended purpose. Tensions and contradictions are plentiful, which places in jeopardy the certainty of the reforms in becoming user led rather than provider driven. A more optimistic scenario is that the changes are leading to a loosening up of services and practices which have often suffered from sclerotic tendencies, paternalism and sometimes complacency. If the reform process is skilfully handled and not rushed and if the ends are clearly established and communicated then users and carers could prove to be the principal beneficiaries.     

Effect of prolonged physical exercise on the fibrinolytic system

Summary The effect of a test marathon race on plasma fibrinolytic activity (FA) was studied in 16 endurance athletes before, immediately after, 3 h, and 31 h after the run. Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity increased about 31-fold immediately after the run. Similar increases were found in t-PA antigen concentration. Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) was not detectable immediately after the race and was significantly decreased 3 h (P < 0.05) and 31 h (P < 0.01) later. B_15–42 peptide increased by 0.63 pmol · ml^–1 (P<0.001),d-dimer by 68.3 ng · ml^–1 (P< 0.05). Euglobulin lysis time (ELT) was reduced from 109 to 18 min (P<0.001). The increased t-PA activity and t-PA antigen concentration disappeared in the course of the first 3 h after exertion. ELT also reached its pre-exercise levels at this time. Thirty-one hours after the race ELT and t-PA antigen levels were slightly but significantly reduced (P<0.05), whereas B_15–42 peptide remained increased (P<0.05). t-PA activity was unchanged compared with pre-exercise values. It seems that the exercise-induced FA is mainly caused by the marked increase of t-PA antigen and t-PA activity.     

WNT10B variants in split hand/foot malformation: Report of three novel families and review of the literature

Split‐hand/foot malformation (SHFM) is a genetically heterogeneous congenital limb malformation typically limited to a defect of the central rays of the autopod, presenting as a median cleft of hands and feet. It can be associated with long bone deficiency or included in more complex syndromes. Among the numerous genetic causes, WNT10B homozygous variants have been recently identified in consanguineous families, but remain still rarely described (SHFM6; MIM225300). We report on three novel SHFM families harboring WNT10B variants and review the literature, allowing us to highlight some clinical findings. The feet are more severely affected than the hands and there is a frequent asymmetry without obvious side‐bias. Syndactyly of third–fourth fingers was a frequent finding (62%). Polydactyly, which was classically described in SHFM6, was only present in 27% of patients. No genotype–phenotype correlation is delineated but heterozygous individuals might have mild features of SHFM, suggesting a dose‐effect of the WNT10B loss‐of‐function.     

Autosomal recessive acrorenal syndrome

We describe two sibs with tetraectrodactyly and oligomeganephronic renal hypoplasia. The parents were unaffected. This syndrome of apparently autosomal recessive origin appears to be the first Mendelian form of the acrorenal developmental field defect identified so far. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Full-left-full-right split liver transplantation for adult recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Full-left-full-right split liver transplantation (FSLT) for adult recipients, may increase the availability of liver grafts, reduce waitlist time, and benefit recipients with below-average body weight. However, FSLT may lead to impaired graft and patient survival. This study aims to assess outcomes after FSLT. Five databases were searched to identify studies concerning FSLT. Incidences of complications, graft- and patient survival were assessed. Discrete data were pooled with random-effect models. Graft and patient survival after FSLT were compared with whole liver transplantation (WLT) according to the inverse variance method. Vascular complications were reported in 25/273 patients after FSLT (Pooled proportion: 6.9%, 95%CI: 3.1–10.7%, I²: 36%). Biliary complications were reported in 84/308 patients after FSLT (Pooled proportion: 25.6%, 95%CI: 19–32%, I²: 44%). Pooled proportions of graft and patient survival after 3 years follow-up were 72.8% (95%CI: 67.2–78.5, n = 231) and 77.3% (95%CI: 66.7–85.8, n = 331), respectively. Compared with WLT, FSLT was associated with increased graft loss (pooled HR: 2.12, 95%CI: 1.24–3.61, P = 0.006, n = 189) and patient mortality (pooled HR: 1.81, 95%CI: 1.17–2.81, P = 0.008, n = 289). FSLT was associated with high incidences of vascular and biliary complications. Nevertheless, long-term patient and graft survival appear acceptable and justify transplant benefit in selected patients.     

完全右半肝-左半肝劈离式肝移植的临床应用:附四例报告

目的探讨完全右半肝-左半肝劈离式肝移植在成人-成人或成人-大体重儿童中的临床应用。方法回顾2019年1月至12月间首都医科大学附属北京友谊医院完成的4例完全右半肝-左半肝劈离式肝移植的供受者临床资料,分析劈离式肝移植的手术方式、冷缺血时间、手术时间、术中输血量,观察患者术后并发症及相关预后。结果4例完全右半肝-左半肝劈离式肝移植的受者包括3例成人和1例大体重儿童(45 kg),年龄范围14~48岁,体重范围45~61 kg,终末期肝病模型评分分别为21、12、41和30分。移植物质量与受者体质量比为0.85%~1.35%。冷缺血时间457~650 min,手术时长460~575 min。4例患者移植术后早期肝功能恢复顺利,均未出现小肝综合征。随访至术后6个月,其中1例出现胆道吻合口漏,经内镜逆行胰胆管造影术治疗后治愈;1例出现胆道狭窄,经皮肝穿刺胆道引流术治疗后反复胆道感染;1例术后6个月死于肺部感染。结论在严格病例选择的情况下,可以开展完全右半肝-左半肝劈离式肝移植。     

三维测量技术在骨性Ⅲ类错颌双颌术后复发研究中的应用

目的探讨三维测量方法应用于骨性Ⅲ类错颌畸形患者正颌术后颌骨稳定性研究的可行性,分析术后颌骨的复发情况及其影响因素。方法以2019年7至12月于南京大学医学院附属口腔医院口腔颌面外科行双颌手术的骨性Ⅲ类错颌畸形患者为研究对象,患者均行上颌Le Fort Ⅰ型截骨术+双侧下颌矢状劈开术。收集患者术前1周(T0)、术后3 d(T1)、术后6~12个月(T2)螺旋CT数据,使用3D Slicer建模并导入Geomagic Qualify拟合配准、测量上、下颌骨各标志点三维移动距离。对T1、T2期各标志点坐标值行配对t检验或Wilcoxon符号秩和检验,并对有明显复发的标志点之间行Pearson相关性分析,P < 0.05为差异有统计学意义。结果共纳入15例患者,其中男5例,女10例,年龄18~25岁,平均21.3岁。T1与T2期各标志点水平向坐标值比较,仅在右下颌角点差异有统计学意义,T1期为(-50.47±4.44) mm,T2期为(-50.06±4.66) mm(t=2.948,P=0.011)。T1与T2期各标志点前后向坐标值比较,上颌骨上牙槽座点、左、右梨状孔点、左、右骨折线中点差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),复发率分别为37.7 %(1.36/3.61)、35.7%(1.15/3.22)、25.4%(0.84/3.31)、26.9%(0.84/3.12)、14.0%(0.41/2.92);下颌骨下牙槽座点、颏前点、颏顶点、颏下点、左、右下颌角点差异有统计学意义(P<0.01),复发率分别为36.9%(1.75/4.74)、53.9%(2.45/4.55)、55.5%(2.72/4.90)、61.7%(2.90/4.70)、85.3%(2.20/2.58)、93.4%(2.40/2.57);复发距离与移动距离均显著相关(r值为0.572~0.736,P < 0.05)。T1、T2期垂直向各标志点坐标值比较,上颌骨垂直向差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);下颌骨下牙槽座点、颏前点、颏顶点、颏下点差异有统计学意义(P<0.01),T2期较T1期发生明显的逆时针旋转。结论三维测量方法可准确反映骨性Ⅲ类错颌畸形患者双颌术后颌骨的三维变化,术后上、下颌骨在水平向均无明显复发,在前后向均存在复发,与手术距离显著相关,在垂直向仅下颌骨存在旋转移位。