BACKGROUND:Colagen hydrogel provides good matrix support for hepatocyte growth and tissue reconstruction, and the colagen-based engineered tissue is easy to merge the growth and form integrated tissue. OBJECTIVE:To improve the thickness of engineered hepatic tissue by dissociating hepatocytes/colagen hydrogel composite into smal hepatic units that accumulate in the subcutaneous cavity. METHODS:Freshly isolated hepatocytes from rats were mixed with colagen hydrogel to establish hepatocytes/colagen hydrogel composite. The hepatocytes/colagen hydrogel composite was dissociated into smal hepatic units after being cured. The undissociated hepatocytes/colagen hydrogel composite was taken as a control. Six Spraque-Dawley rats were enroled. Three of them were subjected to a two-thirds partial hepatectomy to induce liver regeneration. Dissociated and undissociated hepatocytes/colagen hydrogel composites were implanted into the bilateral inguinal subcutaneous cavity. Dissociated and undissociated hepatocytes/colagen hydrogel composites were implanted into the bilateral inguinal subcutaneous cavity of the other three rats. At the 7th day after transplantation, engineered hepatic tissue formation was evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining and India ink perfusion methods. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The grafts in these two groups al formed vascular engineered hepatic tissue in the subcutaneous cavity, but after the smal hepatic units merged, a large piece of vascular engineered hepatic tissue formed. The hepatic tissue thickness was up to 4 mm. The whole piece of implanted liver grafts only formed smal pieces of hepatic tissues, with only several layers of cels. Immunohistochemistry staining confirmed that the hepatocytes in vascular engineered hepatic tissue had the characteristics and functions of natural hepatocytes. Partial hepatectomy experiment showed that engineered hepatic tissue had the ability to respond to regenerative stimulus of partial hepatectomy. These results show that dissociating the hepatocytes/colagen hydrogel grafts into smal units that accumlate in the subcutaneous cavity can increase the thickness of the engineered hepatic tissue.

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of balloon compression-assisted endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (bc-EIS) for esophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis.Methods:From December 2020 to April 2021, cirrhotic patients with esophageal varices who planned to receive endoscopic treatment in the Department of Gastroenterology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were selected and randomly divided into the trial group (treated with bc-EIS) and the control group [treated with endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL)] through computer randomization. The varices eradication rate, rebleeding rate and postoperative adverse reactions in the two groups were studied.Results:During the study, 93 cases were initially included according to inclusion criteria, among which 9 cases were excluded by exclusion criteria. Finally, 84 cases were included for data analysis, with 42 cases in each group. The esophageal varices eradication rate after the first treatment in the trial group was 88.10% (37/42), which was significantly higher than that in the control group [33.33% (14/42)] ( χ2=26.40, P<0.001). The esophageal varices eradication rate after 1 to 2 times and 1 to 3 times of treatment in the trial group were both significantly higher than those in the control group [97.62% (41/42) VS 40.48% (17/42), χ2=29.47, P<0.001; 100.00% (42/42) VS 45.24% (19/42), P<0.001]. The maximum follow-up period was 6 months, and none of the patients had rebleeding in the trial group, and the rebleeding rate in the control group was 4.76% (2/42) ( P=0.494). The incidence of thoracic and abdominal discomfort, nausea and vomiting, and abdominal distension in the trial group and control group were 26.19% (11/42) and 35.71% (15/42) ( χ2=0.51, P=0.474), 2.38% (1/42) and 7.14% (3/42) ( χ2=0.26, P=0.608), and 4.76% (2/42) and 11.90% (5/42) ( χ2=0.62, P=0.430), respectively. No other adverse events such as infection, dysphagia, perforation, esophageal tracheal fistula, esophageal stenosis, or ectopic embolism occurred in any group. Conclusion:Bc-EIS is effective and safe for the treatment of esophageal varices in patients with cirrhosis, with a one-time varices eradication rate of more than 85%, and can be completely eradicated after 1 to 3 times of treatment.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of inflatable balloon compression-assisted endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (bc-EIS) in the treatment of esophago-gastric fundal varices (EGV).Methods:From June 12 to September 12, 2020, at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 38 patients with EGV who underwent bc-EIS were prospectively selected, the amount and the injection points of sclerosing medication were calculated, whether the injection point was bleeding during operation (no bleeding, oozing, spurting), whether compression was needed to stop bleeding (no need, needle sheath compression to stop bleeding, transparent cap compression to stop bleeding), early rebleeding after operation (72 h to 6 weeks after operation), delayed bleeding (six weeks after operation) were observed, and the number of treatments to achieve the complete elimination of varices were recorded. The postoperative follow-up period was one, three and six months to evaluate the efficacy and complications of bc-EIS. Descriptive methods were used for statistical analysis.Results:Among the 38 patients with EGV, there were 24 males and 14 females, aged (53.2±11.3) years old (ranged from 30 to 79 years old). During bc-EIS operation, the dosage of sclerosing medication of each patient was (20.03 ±7.49) mL (ranged from 6 to 40 mL), and the injection points of sclerosing medication were 4.97±1.83 (ranged from 2 to 10). The rates of complete disappearance of varices after the first, second and third time of bc-EIS were 71.1% (27/38), 89.5% (34/38) and 100.0% (38/38), respectively. Among the 38 patients with EGV, no postoperation varices related rebleeding occurred. During the follow-up two patients had hematemesis and melena within one month after operation. The endoscopic diagnosis was gastric varices bleeding below the cardia, which was improved after tissue glue injection under endoscopy. No severe adverse reactions such as fever, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy, ectopic embolism, or death occurred in all patients after bc-EIS treatment.Conclusions:The dosage of sclerosing medication in bc-EIS is reduced by half compared with the recommended amount in the guidelines, and the injection point bleeding is less, moreover, the rate of complete disappearance rate of esophageal varices is more than 70% after the first treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the risks and benefits of endoscopic ligation and tissue adhesive injection for tortuous gastric varices.Methods:A total of 193 patients with esophagogastric varices, who underwent endoscopic variceal ligation or endoscopic tissue adhesive injection in Department of Gastroenterology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from June 2015 to June 2020, were included in the retrospective analysis. These cases were connected vessels (type Le and gf based on LDRf standard) of tortuous gastric varices (F1 in Hashizume standard). According to the treatment, the patients were divided into three groups: gastric fundus and esophageal ligation group (endoscopic ligation of gastric fundus and esophageal varices, 32 cases), tissue adhesive group (endoscopic tissue adhesive injection of gastric varices, endoscopic ligation of esophageal varices, 71 cases) and esophageal ligation group (endoscopic ligation of esophageal varices, 90 cases). The re-bleeding rate, the effectiveness rate, the significant effectiveness rate and complications of the three groups were compared.Results:The rates of re-bleeding in gastric fundus and esophageal ligation group, tissue adhesive group and esophageal ligation group were 18.75% (6/32), 12.68% (9/71) and 3.33% (3/90), respectively.There was significant difference only between gastric fundus and esophageal ligation group and esophageal ligation group ( χ2=6.110, P<0.016). The effectiveness rates of the three groups were all 100.00%. The significant effectiveness rates in gastric fundus and esophageal ligation group, tissue adhesive group and esophageal ligation group were 37.50% (12/32), 25.35% (18/71) and 14.44% (13/90), respectively. There was significant difference only between gastric fundus and esophageal ligation group and esophageal ligation group ( χ2=7.702, P<0.016). No pulmonary infection, hepatic encephalopathy, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis or perforation occurred in the three groups.The incidences of chest pain or abdominal pain in gastric fundus and esophageal ligation group, tissue adhesive group and esophageal ligation group were 18.75% (6/32), 11.27% (8/71) and 2.22% (2/90), respectively.There was significant difference only between gastric fundus and esophageal ligation group and esophageal ligation group ( χ2=10.524, P<0.016). There was no significant difference in the incidence of fever, nausea or vomiting among the three groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Simultaneous endoscopic ligation of gastric fundus and esophageal varices, and endoscopic tissue adhesive injection of gastric varices combined with endoscopic ligation of esophageal varices is of no benefit for patients with tortuous gastric varices, but endoscopic ligation of esophageal varices alone may yield more benefit.

To explore the clinical effect, safety and effectiveness of ultrasound-guided rhomboid intercostal and subserratus plane (RISS) block for postoperative analgesia after minimally invasive McKeown esophagectomy (MIE-McKeown), and provide new ideas for the selection of postoperative analgesia programs for minimally invasive esophageal cancer surgery patients.