Three recipients with portal vein thrombosis experienced insufficient blood flow to transplanted liver due to residual thrombus after thrombectomy during liver transplantation. Alternative measures posed significant risks or technical challenges. To promptly restore blood flow, intraoperative intervention was performed via round ligament of donor liver for managing residual portal vein thrombus. Balloon dilation and vascular stenting effectively relieved local stenosis. After intervention, portal vein flow rate and volume fulfilled the standards and function of transplanted liver recovered smoothly. Follow-ups revealed unobstructed stents and no new thrombus formation. This simple, safe and efficacious technique has not been previously reported in the literature.

Lipids have been found to modulate tumor biology, including proliferation, survival, and metastasis. With the new understanding of tumor immune escape that has developed in recent years, the influence of lipids on the cancer-immunity cycle has also been gradually discovered. First, regarding antigen presentation, cholesterol prevents tumor antigens from being identified by antigen presenting cells. Fatty acids reduce the expression of major histocompatibility complex class I and costimulatory factors in dendritic cells, impairing antigen presentation to T cells. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) reduce the accumulation of tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells. Regarding T-cell priming and activation, cholesterol destroys the structure of the T-cell receptor and reduces immunodetection. In contrast, cholesterol also promotes T-cell receptor clustering and relative signal transduction. PGE2 represses T-cell proliferation. Finally, regarding T-cell killing of cancer cells, PGE2 and cholesterol weaken granule-dependent cytotoxicity. Moreover, fatty acids, cholesterol, and PGE2 can improve the activity of immunosuppressive cells, increase the expression of immune checkpoints and promote the secretion of immunosuppressive cytokines. Given the regulatory role of lipids in the cancer-immunity cycle, drugs that modulate fatty acids, cholesterol and PGE2 have been envisioned as effective way in restoring antitumor immunity and synergizing with immunotherapy. These strategies have been studied in both preclinical and clinical studies.

Mevalonate metabolism plays an important role in regulating tumor growth and progression; however, its role in immune evasion and immune checkpoint modulation remains unclear. Here, we found that non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with higher plasma mevalonate response better to anti-PD-(L)1 therapy, as indicated by prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival. Plasma mevalonate levels were positively correlated with programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor tissues. In NSCLC cell lines and patient-derived cells, supplementation of mevalonate significantly up-regulated the expression of PD-L1, whereas deprivation of mevalonate reduced PD-L1 expression. Mevalonate increased CD274 mRNA level but did not affect CD274 transcription. Further, we confirmed that mevalonate improved CD274 mRNA stability. Mevalonate promoted the affinity of the AU-rich element-binding protein HuR to the 3'-UTR regions of CD274 mRNA and thereby stabilized CD274 mRNA. By in vivo study, we further confirmed that mevalonate addition enhanced the anti-tumor effect of anti-PD-L1, increased the infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells, and improved cytotoxic function of T cells. Collectively, our findings discovered plasma mevalonate levels positively correlated with the therapeutic efficacy of anti-PD-(L)1 antibody, and provided the evidence that mevalonate supplementation could be an immunosensitizer in NSCLC.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.04.002.].

Objective:To investigate the influence of different injection time of carbon nanoparticle tracer on the acquisition of lymph nodes in adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junc-tion (AEG) treated by neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) combined with surgical resection.Methods:The prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 120 AEG patients who were treated by nCRT combined with surgical resection in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from March 2020 to March 2021 were selected. Based on random number table, patients were allocated into two groups. Patients undergoing endoscopic injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer 24 hours before nCRT were allocated into the experiment group, and patients undergoing endoscopic injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer 24 hours before surgical resection were allocated into the control group. All patients received the same plan of nCRT combined with D 2 radical gastrectomy. Observation indicators: (1) grouping situations of the enrolled patients; (2) surgical and postoperative pathological situations; (3) postoperative complications and treatment. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the independent sample t test. Measurement date with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was analyzed using the chi-square test. Comparison of ordinal data was analyzed using the non-parameter rank sum test. Results:(1) Grouping situations of the enrolled patients. A total of 120 patients were selected for eligibility. There were 85 males and 35 females, aged (60±9)years. There were 60 patients in the experiment group and 60 patients in the control group, respectively. (2) Surgical and postoperative pathological situations. Patients in the two groups underwent D 2 radical gastrectomy successfully, with R 0 resection. The number of lymph nodes harvest, the number of lymph nodes stained, the number of metastatic lymph nodes stained, the number of micro lymph nodes, the number of inferior mediastinal lymph nodes, the number of inferior mediastinal lymph nodes stained, cases in postoperative pathological stage N0, stage N1, stage N2, stage N3a were 40.6±13.9,20.1±7.7, 1.0(0,3.0), 8.1±2.8, 3.7±1.3, 2.0(1.0,2.0), 18, 13, 23, 6 in patients of the experiment group, respectively. The above indicators were 30.4±8.3, 12.7±3.5, 0(0,1.0), 6.2±2.0, 2.4±1.2, 1.0(0,1.0), 23, 21, 15, 1 in patients of the control group, respectively. There were significant differences in the above indicators between the two groups ( t=-5.01, 6.85, Z=-3.78, t=-4.04, -5.57, Z=-5.48, -2.12, P<0.05). (3) Postoperative complications and treatment. There were 5 cases of the experiment group and 7 cases of the control group with postoperative complications, showing no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=0.37, P>0.05). The patients with postoperative complications were improved after symptomatic treatment. Conclusion:Compared with injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer 24 hours before surgical resection, injection of carbon nanoparticle tracer 24 hours before nCRT can improve the acquisition of lymph nodes in AEG treated by nCRT combined with surgical resection.

Objective:To evaluate the use of serosa muscular layers circumferential incision combined with mucosal layer cutting and closure by laparoscopic or robotic surgery for gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors at difficult sites of the stomach.Methods:From Jul 2019 to Apr 2021, 18 gastric mesenchymal tumor patients undergoing serosa muscular layers circumferential incision combined with mucosal layer cutting and closure by laparoscopic or robotic surgery at the Department of Surgery, the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University were retrospectively analyzed.Results:All 18 patients had successful surgery, including 7 cases of robotic surgery, 11 cases of laparoscopic surgery, and there was no conversion to open surgery. Tumors were at the gastric in cardia, 8 cases at the gastric body and lesser curvature in 4 cases, and at the gastric antrum in 6 cases, respectively. Eleven cases were of endogenous and 7 cases were of dumbbell type. The average operation time was (99±29) min, the intraoperative blood loss was (10±5) ml, the first time taking food per mouth was (2.0±1.0) d, and the postoperative hospital stay was (4.9 ± 1.2) d. Pathology showed gastrointestinal stromal tumor in 11 cases, leiomyoma in 5 cases and schwannoma in 2 cases. All were with negative margins. The average tumor diameter was (4.7±1.4) cm. The median follow-up time was 16.5 months, and there was no sign of tumor recurrence or metastasis.Conclusion:The serosa muscular layers circumferential incision combined with mucosal layer cutting and closure technique in laparoscopic or robotic surgery is a safe and feasible procedure for treating gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumor at difficult sites of the stomach.

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with Borrmann type Ⅳ gastric cancer. Methods A cohort retrospective analysis of 2386 patients with gastric cancer who underwent radical surgery was used to screen out Borrmann type Ⅳ patients, and analyze their clinical features and prognostic factors. Results Among 2386 patients with gastric cancer, 363 cases (15.21%) were Borrmann type Ⅳ. Compared with non-Borrmann type Ⅳ gastric cancer patients, Borrmann type Ⅳ patients had higher rates of simultaneous liver metastasis, metachronous liver metastasis, lymph node metastasis and vascular infiltration. Moreover, the age of onset tended to be younger and the pathological type tended to be poorly differentiated-undifferentiated (all P < 0.05). The 5-year OS of the entire group was 49.32% and the 5-year DFS was 44.61%. There were significant differences in 5-year OS and DFS between Borrmann type Ⅳ and non-Borrmann type Ⅳpatients (all P < 0.001). The subgroup analyses showed that there were statistically significant differences in 5-year OS and DFS of gastric cancer patients between Borrmann type Ⅳ and non-Borrmann type Ⅳ in pT2-pT4a and pN0-pN3a stages (all P < 0.005). Multivariate analysis showed that the poorly differentiated-undifferentiated tumor, the T4a-pT4b stage of tumor invasion depth, lymph node metastasis, the ⅢA-ⅢC pTNM stage of the tumor, postoperative liver metastasis and peritoneal metastasis were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of Borrmann type Ⅳ gastric cancer patients (all P < 0.05). Conclusion Borrmann type Ⅳ gastric cancer is prone to liver metastasis, lymph node metastasis, peritoneal metastasis and poor prognosis, and it's prognosis is affected by a variety of independent risk factors.

Objective:To explore the relationship between cancer nodules and clinicopathological characteristics of gastric cancer, and analyze its impact on survival prognosis of gastric cancer patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis of 2 386 patients with gastric cancer who underwent radical surgery from January 1, 2012 to January 1, 2015 in the Third Surgery Department of the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University was performed. The relationship between cancer nodules and clinicopathological characteristics of gastric cancer and its impact on survival prognosis of gastric cancer patients were analyzed.Results:Among the 2 386 patients, there were 459 cases (19.24%) with cancer nodules, and 1 927 cases (80.76%) without cancer nodules. Logistic multivariate analysis showed that pT staging ( P=0.036), pN staging ( P=0.024), pTNM staging ( P=0.032), Borrmann classification ( P=0.008), vascular tumor thrombus ( P=0.001) were independent risk factors for cancer nodules. The complete follow-up date of 2 273 cases (95.26%) of 2 386 patients with gastric cancer were obtained. A total of 1 259 patients relapsed and 1 152 died during the follow-up period. The 5-years overall survival (OS) rate was 49.32%, and the 5-years disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 44.61%. Among them, the 5-years OS rate and DFS rate of those with cancer nodules were 26.76% and 24.94%, while the 5-years OS rate and DFS rate of those without cancer nodules were 54.75% and 49.34%, respectively ( P<0.001). Patients with positive cancer nodules were divided into 3 groups according to the number of cancer nodules: 1 (115 cases), 2 to 3 (202 cases), and more than 4 (124 cases). The 5-years OS rates of 3 groups were 41.74%, 30.69% and 10.48%, respectively ( P<0.001). The 5-years DFS rates were 40.00%, 28.22% and 9.68%, respectively ( P<0.001). Cox multivariate analysis showed that histological type ( P=0.004), pT staging ( P=0.007), pN staging ( P=0.004), pTNM staging ( P=0.002), vascular tumor thrombus ( P=0.034), cancer nodules ( P=0.005) and the number of cancer nodules ( P=0.001) were independent risk factors for the prognosis of gastric cancer patients, and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy ( P=0.043) was a protective factor for the prognosis of gastric cancer patients. Conclusion:Cancer nodules are closely related to the tumor stage and prognosis of gastric cancer patients. The number of cancerous nodules is an independent risk factor for the prognosis of gastric cancer patients.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of pT2 gastric cancer staging pT2a and pT2b according to the depth of muscularis propria invasion in evaluating the prognosis of gastric cancer.Methods:According to the 8th edition of TNM staging system for gastric cancer proposed by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC), patients with gastric cancer who underwent radical surgery in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 1, 2008 to January 1, 2015 were selected and divided into pT2a and pT2b stage group according to the depth of tumor invasion. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared between the two groups.Results:The median follow-up time of 1 411 patients with postoperative pathological pT2 stage was 68.8 months, and 1 347 patients (95.46%) received complete follow-up data. The 5-year OS rate was 65.85%, and the 5-year DFS rate was 67.83 %. The 5-year OS rate and 5-year DFS rate of 709 pT2a patients were 72.50% and 73.91%, respectively. The 5-year OS rate and 5-year DFS rate of 638 pT2b patients were 58.46% and 61.13%, respectively, significantly different from those of the pT2a group ( P<0.001). Hierarchical analysis was performed according to N staging. The 5-year OS rates of pT2aN0M0 (274 cases), pT2aN1M0 (192 cases), pT2aN2M0 (147 cases), pT2aN3aM0 (59 cases) and pT2aN3bM0 (37 cases) were 83.58 %, 72.40 %, 68.71 %, 54.24 % and 35.12 %, respectively. The 5-year DFS rates were 84.67 %, 77.08 %, 67.35 %, 54.24 % and 35.14 %, respectively. In the pT2b group, the 5-year OS rates of pT2bN0M0 (209 cases), pT2bN1M0 (166 cases), pT2bN2M0 (127 cases), pT2bN3aM0 (78 cases) and pT2bN3bM0 (58 cases) were 76.08%, 62.05%, 56.69%, 37.18% and 17.24%, respectively, and the 5-year DFS rates were 80.86%, 69.28%, 54.33%, 35.90% and 15.52%, respectively. Under the same N stage, the OS rates of patients in the pT2a group were better than those in the pT2b group ( P values were 0.023, 0.034, 0.034, 0.043 and 0.018, respectively). When the N stage was N0 and N1, there was no significant difference in the 5-year DFS rate between the pT2a group and the pT2b group ( P values were 0.199 and 0.090, respectively). When the N stages were N2, N3a and N3b, the difference between the pT2a stage group and the pT2b stage group was statistically significant ( P values were 0.027, 0.022 and 0.025, respectively). Conclusions:In the 8th edition of AJCC/UICC gastric cancer staging system, pT2 stage can be divided into pT2a stage (invasion of superficial muscularis) and pT2b stage (invasion of deep muscularis) according to the infiltration depth of muscularis propria. There are significant differences in prognosis between the two groups. Combined with the number of lymph node metastasis, the prognosis of patients with pT2 gastric cancer can be more accurately evaluated.