We compute the cross section for leptoproduction of the real photon off the nucleon, which is sensitive to the deeply virtual Compton scattering amplitude with power accuracy. Our considerations go ...beyond the leading twist and involve the complete analysis in the twist-three approximation. We discuss consequences of the target and lepton beam polarizations for accessing the generalized parton distributions from experimental measurements of the azimuthal angular dependence of the final state photon or nucleon. We introduce several sets of asymmetries, defined as Fourier moments with respect to the azimuthal angle, which allow for a clear separation of the twist-two and -three sectors. Relying on a simple ansatz for the generalized parton distributions, we give quantitative estimates for azimuthal and spin asymmetries, discuss the uncertainties of these predictions brought in by radiative corrections, and compare them with experimental data as well as other theoretical expectations. Furthermore, we derive a general parametrization of the DVCS amplitudes in the region of small Bjorken variable.
Over the past two decades, the age of liver transplantation (LT) recipients has been increasing. We reviewed our experience with LT for patients aged ≥70 years (range: 70–78 years) and investigated ...the feasibility of performing LT, especially living donor LT (LDLT), for older patients. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 25 patients (15 LDLT recipients, 10 deceased donor LT recipients) aged ≥70 years who underwent LT from January 2000 to April 2016. Their perioperative morbidity rate was 28.0%, and the in‐hospital mortality rate was 16.0%; these results were comparable to those of matched patients in their 60s (n = 73; morbidity, p = 0.726; mortality, p = 0.816). For patients in their 70s, the 1‐ and 5‐year patient survival rates were 84.0% and 69.8%, and the 1‐ and 5‐year graft survival rates were 83.5% and 75.1%, respectively. Comparisons of patient and graft survival rates between matched patients in their 60s and 70s showed no statistically significant differences (patient survival, p = 0.372; graft survival, p = 0.183). Our experience suggests that patients aged ≥70 years should not be excluded from LT, or even LDLT, based solely on age and implies that careful selection of recipients and donors as well as meticulous surgical technique are necessary for successful results.
Patients aged 70 years or older should not be excluded from undergoing liver transplant or even living donor liver transplant based solely on chronological age.
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•Healthy liver is characterized by low oxidative stress phenotype, robust metabolism and limited matrix turnover.•PHHs from healthy donors exhibit a stress phenotype, upregulate ...matrix turnover and downregulate metabolic function.•Ex vivo metabolic profile of PHHs may limit their capacity to serve as in vitro metabolism and toxicology models.
The study of the liver microenvironment and hepatocyte’s response to this environment in the setting of healthy liver, cirrhotic liver or cultured primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) addresses key questions for the development of novel liver therapies and predicts relevance of ex vivo PHHs models in liver biology. This study compared quantitative gene and protein expression of the inflammatory profile, oxidative stress response, angiogenesis and homing mechanisms in the biopsies of healthy and cirrhotic human livers and isolated PHHs. These profiles were correlated with the metabolic health of liver and PHHs defined by albumin production. The analysis demonstrated that cirrhotic liver and PHHs exhibited a distinct upregulation of the pro-inflammatory, oxidative stress and homing mechanism markers when compared to normal liver. The upregulation of the oxidative stress markers in PHHs inversely correlated with the albumin production. PHHs had diverse secretion of matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors, reflective of the cellular response to non-physiological culture conditions. The current study suggests that ex vivo PHHs manifest adaptive behavior by upregulating stress mechanisms (similar to the cirrhotic liver), downregulating normal metabolic function and upregulating matrix turnover. The ex vivo profile of PHHs may limit their therapeutic functionality and metabolic capacity to serve as in vitro metabolism and toxicology models.
Infection rate among intravenous drug users (IDU) is higher than the general public, and is the major cause of morbidity and hospitalization in the IDU population. Epidemiologic studies provide data ...on increased prevalence of opportunistic bacterial infections such as TB and pneumonia, and viral infections such as HIV-1 and hepatitis in the IDU population. An important component in the intravenous drug abuse population and in patients receiving medically indicated chronic opioid treatment is opioid withdrawal. Data on bacterial virulence in the context of opioid withdrawal suggest that mice undergoing withdrawal had shortened survival and increased bacterial load in response to
Salmonella
infection. As the body of evidence in support of opioid dependency and its immunosuppressive effects is growing, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms by which opioids exert these effects and identify the populations at risk that would benefit the most from the interventions to counteract opioid immunosuppressive effects. Thus, it is important to refine the existing animal model to closely match human conditions and to cross-validate these findings through carefully controlled human studies. Better understanding of the mechanisms will facilitate the search for new therapeutic modalities to counteract adverse effects including increased infection rates. This review will summarize the effects of morphine on innate and adaptive immunity, identify the role of the mu opioid receptor in these functions and the signal transduction activated in the process. The role of opioid withdrawal in immunosuppression and the clinical relevance of these findings will also be discussed.
ABO‐incompatible (ABOi) dual‐graft (DG) adult living donor liver transplantation (ALDLT) is not commonly performed due to its inherently intricate surgical technique and immunological complexity. ...Therefore, data are lacking on the short‐ and long‐term clinical outcomes of ABOi DG ALDLT. We performed a retrospective study by reviewing the medical records of patients who underwent ABOi DG ALDLT between 2008 and 2014. Additionally, computed tomography volumetric analysis was conducted to assess the graft regeneration rate. The mean age of a total of 28 recipients was 50.2 ± 8.5 years, and the mean model for end‐stage liver disease score was 12.2 ± 4.6. The 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year patient survival rate was 96.4% during the mean follow‐up period of 57.0 ± 22.4 months. The 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year graft survival rate was 96.4%, 94.2%, and 92.0%, respectively, and no significant differences were observed between ABO‐compatible (ABOc) and ABOi grafts (P = .145). The biliary complication rate showed no significant difference (P = .195) between ABOc and ABOi grafts. Regeneration rates of ABOi grafts were not significantly different from those of ABOc grafts. DG ALDLT with ABOi and ABOc graft combination seems to be a feasible option for expanding the donor pool without additional donor risks.
Dual‐graft adult living donor liver transplantation with ABO‐incompatible grafts demonstrates an acceptable outcome in patient and graft survival, and proves to be safe in regards to biliary complications associated with the ABO incompatibility, which suggests its feasibility to expand the living liver donor pool without increasing donor risks.
Electron beam grayscale lithography and selective thermal polymer reflow were combined to realize replication master having a bio-inspired surface topography. It consists of an array of asymmetric ...denticles with two-directional gradients on different length-scales. Each denticle has a sharp pin of 2 mum height on one and a smooth taper on the other side. In contrast to funnel-like structures having only vertical sidewalls, master with a sidewall angle smoothly changing between 15degrees and 70degrees were prepared. Discrete patterns, predefined by electron beam lithography, were transformed by reflow into well-defined, continuous, final device structures. Starting from stepped structures with only a few levels, this new approach of tapering allowed a very smooth transition from steep, sub-500 nm regions with aspect ratios up to four towards very broad and shallow regions within the same structure. This enabled the origination of master structures to be used for replication as low-frictional, durable, bio-inspired surfaces by ceramic powder injection molding.
Although gastrointestinal cancers are frequently associated with chronic inflammation, the underlying molecular links have not been comprehensively deciphered. Using loss- and gain-of-function mice ...in a colitis-associated cancer model, we establish here a link comprising the gp130/Stat3 transcription factor signaling axis. Mutagen-induced tumor growth and multiplicity are reduced following intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-specific Stat3 ablation, while its hyperactivation promotes tumor incidence and growth. Conversely, IEC-specific Stat3 deficiency enhances susceptibility to chemically induced epithelial damage and subsequent mucosal inflammation, while excessive Stat3 activation confers resistance to colitis. Stat3 has the capacity to mediate IL-6- and IL-11-dependent IEC survival and to promote proliferation through G1 and G2/M cell-cycle progression as the common tumor cell-autonomous mechanism that bridges chronic inflammation to tumor promotion.
Abstract Background To date, no significant similarities in the anatomy of the hepatic vasculature have been observed between blood-related individuals. However, we have frequently encountered ...anatomic similarities between parents and their children; thus, we performed an analysis of the genetic traits in the anatomy of the liver. Methods The study cohort was 330 adult cases of living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT), in which the donor-recipient relationship was child to parent. The subjects underwent LDLT from January 2013 to December 2014. Preoperative dynamic computerized tomographic scans were used to classify the anatomy of the hepatic vasculature. Results Portal vein (PV) anatomy was classified as typical and 2 variant types. PV anatomy combinations in donor and recipient were typical in 232 subjects, variant in 16, and typical-variant in 82. The PV concordance rate was 75.2%, and the contingency coefficient was 0.130 ( P = .017). Hepatic artery (HA) anatomy was classified as typical and 4 variant types. HA anatomy combinations in donor and recipient were typical in 167 subjects, variant in 33, and typical-variant in 130. The HA concordance rate was 60.6%, and the contingency coefficient was 0.058 ( P = .294). The sizable inferior right hepatic vein in donor and recipient was present in 44 subjects, absent in 160, and discordant in 126; its concordance rate was 61.8% and contingency coefficient 0.133 ( P = .014). Conclusions There may be a shared but weak genetic trait between parents and children regarding the anatomy of the PV and inferior hepatic vein. This information may be helpful when LDLT is performed between 1st-degree relatives.
Abstract Background Current ex vivo quality assessment of donor kidneys is limited to vascular resistance measurements and histological analysis. New techniques for the assessment of organ quality ...before transplantation may further improve clinical outcomes while expanding the depleted deceased-donor pool. We propose the measurement of whole organ oxygen consumption rate (WOOCR) as a method to assess the quality of kidneys in real time before transplantation. Methods Five porcine kidneys were procured using a donation after cardiac death (DCD) model. The renal artery and renal vein were cannulated and the kidney connected to a custom-made hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) system equipped with an inline oxygenator and fiber-optic oxygen sensors. Kidneys were perfused at 8°C, and the perfusion parameters and partial oxygen pressures (pO2 ) were measured to calculate WOOCR. Results Without an inline oxygenator, the pO2 of the perfusion solution at the arterial inlet and venous outlet diminished to near 0 within minutes. However, once adequate oxygenation was provided, a significant pO2 difference was observed and used to calculate the WOOCR. The WOOCR was consistently measured from presumably healthy kidneys, and results suggest that it can be used to differentiate between healthy and purposely damaged organs. Conclusions Custom-made HMP systems equipped with an oxygenator and inline oxygen sensors can be applied for WOOCR measurements. We suggest that WOOCR is a promising approach for the real-time quality assessment of kidneys and other organs during preservation before transplantation.
The usability of ZEP520A as resist for thermally activated selective topography equilibration (TASTE) was investigated. It was found that (i) a high-contrast resist such as ZEP520A is well suitable ...for grayscale electron-beam lithography, (ii) a selective thermal reflow is possible with ZEP520A and (iii) reflow is governed by the same energy minimization principle as known from poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), another linear thermoplastic resist. The high contrast of ZEP520A does not play a role for the step-to-step sidewall angle as this is only governed by the design of the step. ZEP520A and similar positive tone resists on the market provide the same reflow-feature variety as PMMA including stable and unstable, concave and convex, arbitrary stepped and sloped features as well as combinations of all these features. The advantage of ZEP520A is a reduced writing time due to its high sensitivity. Finally, the transfer of the reflow process to structures being much smaller than typical TASTE structures so far was demonstrated.
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•ZEP520A is a grayscale electron beam lithography resist.•ZEP520A supports selective thermal reflow based on selective electron exposure.•Step-to-step sidewall angles do not depend on the resist-developer system.•The high sensitivity of ZEP520A is its most important benefit for grayscale patterning.
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