OBJECTIVETo establish a novel bioartificial liver (BAL) consisting of spheroids of porcine hepatocytes in a hollow-fiber bioreactor, and to perform an in vitro study on its metabolic effects on the serum from severe hepatitis B patients.

METHODSHepatocytes were isolated from pup pigs and cultured as aggregate spheroids through rotation and vibration. Phase-contrast microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were used for morphological detection of hepatocyte spheroids. The hepatocyte spheroids were then transferred into the shell of a polysulfone hollow-fiber bioreactor, creating a novel BAL. Diluted serum samples of severe hepatitis B patients were circulated for 3 hours each into the bioreactor, by using an extracorporeal circulatory system. Every half hour, including both before and after perfusion, serum samples were collected to assay total bilirubin (TBIL), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), and globulin (GLB) concentrations in order to judge the metabolic effects of this novel BAL.

RESULTSMost hepatocytes had formed spheroids with high viability after 24 hours in culture. After 3 hours of perfusion, when compared with the control group, the serum concentration of TBIL in the treatment group decreased significantly (P < 0.01), but the serum concentrations of TP and ALB increased significantly (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSHepatocytes can be conveniently cultured as aggregate spheroids through a rotation and vibration method. The novel BAL is efficient in removing bilirubin from the serum of severe hepatitis B patients, and in supplying the serum with ALB. Thus, the BAL might provide effective therapy for patients with severe hepatitis B.

Bilirubin ; blood ; Blood Proteins ; analysis ; Hepatitis B ; blood ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Liver, Artificial ; Serum Albumin ; analysis ; Serum Globulins ; analysis

AIMTo propose a new simple and sensitive voltammetric method for determination of proteins.

METHODSProtein with sulfhydryl or disulfide bond in 0.5 mol x L(-1) NaOH, 1.5 x 10(-4) mol x L(-1) Pb2+ and 0.02% tetrabutylammonium iodide was heated in boiling water for 5 minutes. The reactive product gave a well defined reductive adsorption wave at -0.66 V (vs SCE) by means of single sweep polarography, and the height of derivative wave was proportional to the concentration of proteins.

RESULTSThe peak height was linearly proportional to bovine serum albumin (BSA) or human serum albumin (HSA) concentration in range of 7.5 x 10(-10) -3.0 x 10(-7) mol x L(-1) (r(BSA) = 0.9995, and r(HSA) = 0.9990). The detection limit of BSA or HSA was 3.0 x 10(-10) mol x L(-1). For lysozyme (Lyso), the concentration range was from 1.4 x 10(-8) to 1.3 x 10(-6) mol x L(-10 (r(Lyso) = 0.9997) and the detection limit was 7.0 x 10(-9) mol x L(-1).

CONCLUSIONThe method is simple, rapid, sensitive and applicable to the assay of diluted human serum albumin samples.

Adsorption ; Animals ; Humans ; Lead ; Muramidase ; analysis ; Polarography ; methods ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; Serum Albumin ; analysis ; chemistry ; Serum Albumin, Bovine ; analysis ; chemistry ; Sodium Hydroxide

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Insecticides ; poisoning ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organophosphate Poisoning ; Poisoning ; blood ; Serum Albumin ; analysis ; Serum Globulins ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of different cell lysis buffers on protein quantification with Bradford method and bicinchoninic acid (BCA) method.

METHODSBradford method and BCA method were used to determine the concentration of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in different solutions (distilled water, cell lysis buffer used in two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis and three kinds of cell lysis buffers used in conventional two dimensional gel electrophoresis), as well as the protein concentrations of cell lysates using these different lysis buffers. Bradford method was also applied to determine the protein concentrations of samples with repeated freeze thaw cycle, in different colorimetric cylinders, or using different standard curves from different periods.

RESULTThe protein measurements increased for 1.2 to 2 fold when different cell lysis buffers were used in Bradford method, but the measurements increased with the increased concentration of BSA (r=0.989 approximately 0.996, P<0.05). For BCA, measurement reading increased about thousands times higher, even overflowed the limits of machine. Protein measurements didn't change significantly, only showed a declined trend after repeated freeze thaw cycle, while no significant changes were found using different colorimetric cylinders or standard curves from different periods.

CONCLUSIONBradford method may be the choice of the protein quantification in proteomics. However, optimization is required for specific experimental conditions.

Buffers ; Cells ; Chemistry Techniques, Analytical ; methods ; Proteins ; analysis ; Serum Albumin, Bovine ; analysis ; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to identify risk factors associated with anastomotic leakage (AL) after an anterior resection (high anterior resection+low anterior resection) for rectal cancer. METHODS: Between January 1998 and December 2007, 356 patients underwent an anterior resection for rectal cancer. Early anastomotic leakage (EAL) was defined as leakage identified during hospitalization. Late anastomotic leakage (LAL) was defined as leakage identified in outpatients. RESULTS: AL (EAL+LAL) occurred in 30 patients (8.4%, mean time: 15.4 days). Among of them, EAL occurred in 20 patients (5.6%, mean time: 5.1 days), and LAL occurred in 10 patients (2.8%, mean time: 36.0 days). In the univariate analysis, the size of the tumor, the tumor level from the anal verge, and the level of anastomosis were significantly associated with AL. In EAL, the size of the tumor, the tumor level from the anal verge, the level of anastomosis, the operation type, and the value of serum albumin on day 3 after the operation were risk factors. In LAL, the tumor level from the anal verge and the level of anastomosis were risk factors. In the multivariate analysis, tumor size >7 cm (AL: P<0.001, EAL: P<0.001) and tumor level from the anal verge < or =8 cm (AL: P=0.014, EAL: P=0.001) were independent risk factors. CONCLUSION: AL and EAL after an anterior resection for rectal cancer were related to the size of the tumor and the level of the tumor from the anal verge.
Anastomotic Leak ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Outpatients ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Risk Factors ; Serum Albumin

BACKGROUND: Hypoalbuminemia is the well- known marker of morbidity and mortality in the dialysis population. An albumin concentration at a single time point may not be of help in predicting the outcome of an individual patient. The direction of change over time may offer better prediction. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical significance of the trends in serum albumin concentration over time. METHODS: We retrospectively studied 61 patients. Additionally 24 patients were excluded in this study with an admission history during last one year and clinically apparent acute/chronic infection. The albumin slope (AS: g/dL/mon) was obtained from monthly measured serum albumin levels from September 2001 to August 2002 by method of least squares. RESULTS: AS was negatively correlated with hs- CRP (r=-0.530, p=0.000) and positively correlated with TCO2 (r=0.272, p=0.034), but not correlated with age, dialysis duration, wKt/V, nPCR and Hb. When the studied population was divided according to the albumin slope to group I (n=45, AS > or =+0.01, lASl <0.01) and group D (n=16, AS < or =-0.01), dialysis duration was longer and iPTH was higher in the group I than in group D (52.3+/-40.3 vs 32.8+/-18.9, p<0.05; 98.1+/-110.9 vs 46.4+/-30.7, p<0.01, respectively). AS was higher in group I than in group D (0.015+/-0.012 vs -0.026+/-0.023, p<0.001); hs-CRP tended to be higher in group D but did not reach statistical significance (1.78+/-2.81 vs 0.44+/-1.08; p=0.08). When it comes to Ca, P, Mg and TCO2, there was no difference between the groups. Compared to initial 3 months, last 3 months showed a significant increase of serum creatinine (10.3+/-3.0 vs 10.9+/-2.8, p<0.01) and a significant decrease of serum TCO2 (23.7+/-3.2 vs 20.8+/-2.2, p<0.001) in group I with no change in group D. CONCLUSION: Slope of albumin over time, even if its degree is clinically negligible, can offer valuable information about the patient's status that is not apparent.
Creatinine ; Dialysis ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Mortality ; Renal Dialysis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum Albumin

PURPOSE: It is well known that old age is a risk factor for postoperative complications. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the risk factors for poor postoperative surgical outcomes in elderly gastric cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2006 and December 2015, 247 elderly gastric cancer patients who underwent curative gastrectomy were reviewed. In this study, an elderly patient was defined as a patient aged ≥65 years. All possible variables were used to explore the risk factors for poor early surgical outcomes in elderly gastric cancer patients. RESULTS: Based on multivariate analyses of preoperative risk factors, preoperative low serum albumin level (<3.5 g/dl) and male sex showed statistical significance in predicting severe postoperative complications. Additionally, in an analysis of surgery-related risk factors, total gastrectomy was a risk factor for severe postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings suggest that low serum albumin level, male sex, and total gastrectomy could be risk factors of severe postoperative complications in elderly gastric cancer patients. Therefore, surgeons should work carefully in cases of elderly gastric cancer patients with low preoperative serum albumin level and male sex. We believe that efforts should be made to avoid total gastrectomy in elderly gastric cancer patients.
Aged* ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Male* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Postoperative Complications* ; Risk Factors* ; Serum Albumin* ; Stomach Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the systemic inflammatory response in colorectal cancer patients, and to estimate the usefulness of the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) as a prognostic factor. METHODS: Patients with biopsy-proven colorectal adenocarcinoma who were operated between April 2005 and December 2008 were enrolled in this study. The GPS was estimated based on the measurement of CRP and serum albumin level. The GPS was compared with other clinicopathological factors. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the factors affecting cancer-specific survival. RESULTS: GPS was significantly higher in patients with anemia, thrombocytosis, a high neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, tumor of the colon, and large tumor. Patient age, gender, serum CEA level, tumor gross appearance, TNM stage, and tumor differentiation were not related with the GPS. In univariate analysis, hemoglobin, CEA, gross appearance of tumor, TNM stage, tumor differentiation, and GPS were associated with cancer-specific survival. In multivariate analysis, TNM stage (III or IV : I or II; hazard ratio [HR], 12.322; P = 0.015), tumor differentiation (poorly differentiated : well or moderately differentiated; HR, 3.112; P = 0.021), and GPS (GPS 2 : GPS 0 or 1; HR, 5.168; P = 0.003) were identified as independent prognostic factors in colorectal cancer. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the GPS was an independent variable from tumor stage and a good and convenient prognostic factor in colorectal cancer patients.
Adenocarcinoma ; Anemia ; Colon ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lymphocytes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neutrophils ; Prognosis ; Serum Albumin ; Thrombocytosis

OBJECTIVETo study the changes of serum albumin contents after operation and investigate whether post-operational serum albumin contents are correlated with the disease severity in children with acute intussusception.

METHODSSerum albumin contents were measured using the automatic biochemistry analyzer in 32 children with mild acute intussusception and 21 children with severe acute intussusception 1 day after surgical operation. After 5 days combined treatment, serum albumin contents were re-examined. Thirty healthy children severed as the control group. The correlation between post-operational serum albumin contents and critical illness scores was evaluated.

RESULTSSerum albumin contents in the mild (34.2+/-6.5 g/L; P<0.05) and the severe intussusception groups (25.8+/-7.5 g/L; P<0.01) 1 day after operation were significantly lower than those in the control group (37.1+/-4.1 g/L). There were significant differences in serum albumin contents between the mild and the severe intussusception groups (P<0.05). Five days after operation, serum albumin contents in the mild intussusception group significantly increased (37.1+/-11.4 g/L; P<0.05), while serum albumin contents in the severe intussusception group did not differ from those 1 day after operation. There was a positive correlation between serum albumin contents on the 1st day after operation and the critical illness scores (r=0.879, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSSerum albumin contents decreased on the 1st day after operation and were correlated with the disease severity in children with acute intussusception. Hypoalbuminemia lasted for a longer period in severe cases. The post-operational measurement of serum albumin contents may be useful in the evaluation of the severity for children with acute intussusception.

Acute Disease ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Intussusception ; blood ; complications ; surgery ; Male ; Serum Albumin ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical significance of preoperative serum albumin level and its association with survival in colon cancer patients.

METHODSClinicopathological data of 621 consecutive patients with colon cancer admitted in Henan Cancer Hospital between January 2000 and December 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were divided into hypoalbuminemic and normal groups according to the definition of hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin < 35 g/L). Clinicopathological features were compared between two groups. The association of preoperative serum albumin level and the prognosis was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and Log-rank test. Multivariate Cox model was used to evaluate the survival.

RESULTSSixty-seven(10.8%) patients were defined as preoperative hypoalbuminemia and were mostly found in those with right hemicolon cancer. Preoperative serum albumin level was associated with depth of tumor (χ(2)=35.609, P=0.000), lymph node metastasis (χ(2)=8.110, P=0.004), distant metastasis (χ(2)=9.064, P=0.003), advanced TNM T staging (χ(2)=23.070, P=0.000), and not associated with age, gender, tumor gross type, histological type, and degree of tumor differentiation (all P>0.05). 5-year survival rate of hypoalbuminemia group and normal group was 55.2% and 66.1% respectively (P=0.032). Univariate analysis revealed age (P=0.000), tumor gross type (P=0.014), degree of tumor differentiation (P=0.014), depth of tumor (P=0.000), lymph node metastasis (P=0.001), distant metastasis (P=0.000), advanced TNM T staging (P=0.000), operative method (P=0.000) and preoperative serum albumin level (P=0.032) were associated with survival. Cox multivariate analysis revealed the albumin level was the independent prognostic factor of the 5-year overall survival (HR:0.694, 95% CI: 0.492-0.980, P=0.038). The patients with higher albumin level had better survival outcome.

CONCLUSIONSPreoperative serum albumin level is an independent prognostic factor for colon cancer. Colon cancer patients with hypoalbuminemia have worse clinicopathological manifestation and poorer overall survival.

Colonic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum Albumin ; Survival Rate