BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Objective:To investigate the feasibility and therapeutic efficacy of robot-assisted radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. The clinical data of 29 patients who underwent robot-assisted radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma at the Department of Minimally Invasive Hepatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from July 2021 to February 2025 were retrospectively collected. There were 16 males and 13 females, aged ( M(IQR)) 68.0 (10.0) years (range:36 to 78 years), and body mass index (24.0±2.9) kg/m 2 (range:17.5 to 29.1 kg/m 2). Bismuth-Corlette classification: 12 cases type Ⅰ, 4 cases type Ⅱ, 6 cases type Ⅲb, and 7 cases type Ⅳ. Preoperative CA19-9 was 161.7(320.9) U/ml (range:7.1 to 1 000.0 U/ml), and carcinoembryonic antigen was 2.8(2.1)μg/L (range:0.3 to 203.1 μg/L). Preoperative total bilirubin was 134.2 (348.9) μmol/L (range:10.4 to 557.9 μmol/L), direct bilirubin was 90.8 (264.1) μmol/L (range:2.5 to 418.7 μmol/L), ALT was 136.4 (134.8) U/L (range:13.0 to 569.9 U/L), AST was 122.2 (119.9) U/L (range:16.0 to 384.0 U/L), and albumin was (34.5±6.3) g/L (range:21.7 to 41.3 g/L). Comparison of quantitative data at different time points using paired t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Cox univariate analysis was performed for the relevant variables, and Cox multivariate regression analysis was used to screen the independent prognostic factors of patients after robot-assisted radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Results:All the 29 patients successfully underwent robot-assisted radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma, and the R0 resection rate was 93.1% (27/29) without conversion to laparotomy. The operation time was 295.0 (87.5) minutes (range:195 to 590 minutes), the intraoperative blood loss was 100.0 (150.0) ml (range:20 to 1 000 ml), the intraoperative blood transfusion rate was 20.1% (6/29), the number of lymph nodes dissected was 10.0 (7.0) pieces (range: 6 to 18 pieces), the first postoperative deflatus time was 3.0 (1.0) days (range:2 to 4 days), The oral feeding time was 5.0 (1.0) days (range: 4 to 7 days), the drainage tube removal time was 8.0 (2.0) days (range: 6 to 26 days), and the postoperative hospital stay time was 10.0 (6.0) days (range:7 to 27 days). The incidence of complications above grade Ⅱ of the Clavien-Dindo complication grading system was 24.1% (7/29), including 3 cases of gastrointestinal bleeding with recurrent high fever, 1 case of delayed gastric emptying, 1 case of bile leakage, and 5 cases of hypoalbuminemia. The total bilirubin was 42.8 (66.8) μmol/L (range:6.8 to 195.9 μmol/L), direct bilirubin was 28.1 (38.5) μmol/L (range:4.3 to 88.6 μmol/L), ALT was 55.8 (56.0) U/L (range:9.9 to 207.1 U/L), AST was 33.9 (17.9) U/L (range:10.6 to 122.7 U/L), and albumin was (32.1±3.8) g/L (range:22.8 to 37.7 g/L), the levels of transaminase and bilirubin in the postoperative liver function indexes were significantly improved compared with those before operation, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The mortality rate of patients without perioperative death was 3.4% (1/29) at 90 days after surgery. The results of Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that R0 resection was an independent prognostic factor for survival at 1 year after surgery ( P<0.05). The follow-up time was 15.0 (12.0) months (range:6 to 30 months), 1 of the 29 patients died of intra-abdominal infection 1 week after discharge, and the remaining 28 patients were completely followed up, of which 20 patients had no recurrence and metastasis during the follow-up period, and the tumor-free survival was 15.0 (12.0) months (range:6 to 30 months), the tumor-free survival rate was 65.5% (19/29), the overall survival rate was 68.9% (20/29), and 8 patients with postoperative recurrence and metastasis. One patient with liver metastasis survived after reoperation, and one patient underwent postoperative chemoradiotherapy and died due to recurrence. There were 8 deaths during the follow-up, of which 7 died due to tumor recurrence and metastasis, and 1 died due to previous underlying diseases. Conclusion:Robot-assisted radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma is feasible and effective.

As the Chinese Medical Association (CMA) marks its 110th anniversary, the authors reflect with profound admiration on the groundbreaking contributions made by its founders Wu Lien-teh, Yan Fuqing, etc. since its establishment in 1915. Their visionary work laid the founda-tion for China's medical advancement. The year 2025 also commemorates the 24th anniversary of the Chinese Journal of Digestive Surgery. This milestone prompts the authors to revisit the enduring academic legacy of the "Zhiqiang Spirit" that continues to inspire future generations, as well as the journal's extraordinary role in establishing itself as a premier publication and fostering a high-quality academic exchange platform to advance digestive surgery in China and even all over the world. At these twin commemorative moments, the authors synthesize pivotal developments in digestive surgery for the new era: the establishment of precise medicine frameworks. The transfor-mative wave of minimally invasive surgery. The diagnosis and treatment models change in digestive surgery. As CMA marks its 110th anniversary, through this work, we pay tribute to the physicians dedicated to propel digestive surgery forward in the new times.

As the Chinese Medical Association (CMA) marks its 110th anniversary, the authors reflect with profound admiration on the groundbreaking contributions made by its founders Wu Lien-teh, Yan Fuqing, etc. since its establishment in 1915. Their visionary work laid the founda-tion for China's medical advancement. The year 2025 also commemorates the 24th anniversary of the Chinese Journal of Digestive Surgery. This milestone prompts the authors to revisit the enduring academic legacy of the "Zhiqiang Spirit" that continues to inspire future generations, as well as the journal's extraordinary role in establishing itself as a premier publication and fostering a high-quality academic exchange platform to advance digestive surgery in China and even all over the world. At these twin commemorative moments, the authors synthesize pivotal developments in digestive surgery for the new era: the establishment of precise medicine frameworks. The transfor-mative wave of minimally invasive surgery. The diagnosis and treatment models change in digestive surgery. As CMA marks its 110th anniversary, through this work, we pay tribute to the physicians dedicated to propel digestive surgery forward in the new times.

Objective:To investigate the feasibility and therapeutic efficacy of robot-assisted radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. The clinical data of 29 patients who underwent robot-assisted radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma at the Department of Minimally Invasive Hepatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from July 2021 to February 2025 were retrospectively collected. There were 16 males and 13 females, aged ( M(IQR)) 68.0 (10.0) years (range:36 to 78 years), and body mass index (24.0±2.9) kg/m 2 (range:17.5 to 29.1 kg/m 2). Bismuth-Corlette classification: 12 cases type Ⅰ, 4 cases type Ⅱ, 6 cases type Ⅲb, and 7 cases type Ⅳ. Preoperative CA19-9 was 161.7(320.9) U/ml (range:7.1 to 1 000.0 U/ml), and carcinoembryonic antigen was 2.8(2.1)μg/L (range:0.3 to 203.1 μg/L). Preoperative total bilirubin was 134.2 (348.9) μmol/L (range:10.4 to 557.9 μmol/L), direct bilirubin was 90.8 (264.1) μmol/L (range:2.5 to 418.7 μmol/L), ALT was 136.4 (134.8) U/L (range:13.0 to 569.9 U/L), AST was 122.2 (119.9) U/L (range:16.0 to 384.0 U/L), and albumin was (34.5±6.3) g/L (range:21.7 to 41.3 g/L). Comparison of quantitative data at different time points using paired t-test or Mann-Whitney U test. Cox univariate analysis was performed for the relevant variables, and Cox multivariate regression analysis was used to screen the independent prognostic factors of patients after robot-assisted radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Results:All the 29 patients successfully underwent robot-assisted radical resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma, and the R0 resection rate was 93.1% (27/29) without conversion to laparotomy. The operation time was 295.0 (87.5) minutes (range:195 to 590 minutes), the intraoperative blood loss was 100.0 (150.0) ml (range:20 to 1 000 ml), the intraoperative blood transfusion rate was 20.1% (6/29), the number of lymph nodes dissected was 10.0 (7.0) pieces (range: 6 to 18 pieces), the first postoperative deflatus time was 3.0 (1.0) days (range:2 to 4 days), The oral feeding time was 5.0 (1.0) days (range: 4 to 7 days), the drainage tube removal time was 8.0 (2.0) days (range: 6 to 26 days), and the postoperative hospital stay time was 10.0 (6.0) days (range:7 to 27 days). The incidence of complications above grade Ⅱ of the Clavien-Dindo complication grading system was 24.1% (7/29), including 3 cases of gastrointestinal bleeding with recurrent high fever, 1 case of delayed gastric emptying, 1 case of bile leakage, and 5 cases of hypoalbuminemia. The total bilirubin was 42.8 (66.8) μmol/L (range:6.8 to 195.9 μmol/L), direct bilirubin was 28.1 (38.5) μmol/L (range:4.3 to 88.6 μmol/L), ALT was 55.8 (56.0) U/L (range:9.9 to 207.1 U/L), AST was 33.9 (17.9) U/L (range:10.6 to 122.7 U/L), and albumin was (32.1±3.8) g/L (range:22.8 to 37.7 g/L), the levels of transaminase and bilirubin in the postoperative liver function indexes were significantly improved compared with those before operation, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The mortality rate of patients without perioperative death was 3.4% (1/29) at 90 days after surgery. The results of Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that R0 resection was an independent prognostic factor for survival at 1 year after surgery ( P<0.05). The follow-up time was 15.0 (12.0) months (range:6 to 30 months), 1 of the 29 patients died of intra-abdominal infection 1 week after discharge, and the remaining 28 patients were completely followed up, of which 20 patients had no recurrence and metastasis during the follow-up period, and the tumor-free survival was 15.0 (12.0) months (range:6 to 30 months), the tumor-free survival rate was 65.5% (19/29), the overall survival rate was 68.9% (20/29), and 8 patients with postoperative recurrence and metastasis. One patient with liver metastasis survived after reoperation, and one patient underwent postoperative chemoradiotherapy and died due to recurrence. There were 8 deaths during the follow-up, of which 7 died due to tumor recurrence and metastasis, and 1 died due to previous underlying diseases. Conclusion:Robot-assisted radical resection for hilar cholangiocarcinoma is feasible and effective.

Objective:To explore whether a longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) model is more conducive to medical students' post competency and satisfaction with clerkships compared with the traditional block rotation clerkship.Methods:We selected 72 students who participated in graduating clerkships at The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from June 2018 to June 2019. They were equally divided into experimental group and control group to adopt LIC and traditional block rotation clerkship models, respectively. After completing the clerkships, the two groups were evaluated for post competency through objective testing of theoretical medical knowledge and basic clinical skills and rating of the other five competence items by the students themselves and their teachers. At the same time, a questionnaire was delivered to both groups for the degree of satisfaction with clerkships. The t-test and chi-squared test were performed using SPSS 23.0. Results:The objective tests and students' self-evaluation showed that the experimental group had significantly higher scores of theoretical medical knowledge [(8.02±1.11) vs. (7.50±0.97)], basic clinical skills [(7.63±0.90) vs. (6.93±0.73)], medical professional responsibility [(7.74±0.56) vs. (7.31±0.78)], clinical communication [(8.10±1.06) vs. (7.22±0.60)], team work [(7.84±0.62) vs. (7.11±0.69)], literature searching [(6.25±0.60) vs. (4.78±0.84)], and scientific research ability [(4.26±0.88) vs. (2.46±1.20)] compared with the control group (all P<0.05). The experimental group had significantly higher teacher-rated scores of medical professional responsibility [(8.03±0.74) vs. (6.59±0.70)], clinical communication [(7.95±0.73) vs. (6.87±0.67)], team work [(7.96±0.75) vs. (6.95±0.69)], literature searching [(4.84±0.84) vs. (3.30±0.69)], and scientific research ability [(4.53±1.03) vs. (2.70±1.05)] than the control group (all P<0.01). The scores of satisfaction were all higher in the experimental group than in the control group in terms of course arrangement satisfaction [(7.17±0.91) vs. 6.56±0.84)], teacher-student interaction satisfaction [(7.08±0.69) vs. (6.28±0.82)], self-improvement satisfaction [(7.28±0.45) vs. (6.36±0.49)], and clinical work smoothness [(7.72±0.82) vs. (6.81±0.71); all P<0.01]. Conclusion:Compared with the traditional block rotation model, the LIC model is more helpful for improving the post competency of medical students. LIC is a new clinical clerkship model that can potentially replace the traditional block rotation clerkship.

High technology promotes the rapid development of the surgery. Various high and new technologies emerge to benefit patients and doctors. However, it is not surprising that there are unavoidable problems at the same time. Any situation needs to be analyzed from two aspects, which can be called the "double-edged sword" effects. Talking about and paying attention to these circumstances can promote the better application of high technology in the field of surgery.

Along with the increasing quantity of patients with end-stage liver diseases year by year, as an efficacious treatment, the safety and efficacy of liver transplantation are critical issues to be considered. In addition, liver transplant techniques have become a new research hot spot. In recent years, liver transplant techniques are constantly innovating and developing with the unremitting efforts of researchers. Researchers have successively developed multiple liver transplant techniques, such as split liver transplantation, ischemia-free liver transplantation, liver xenotransplantation, domino liver transplantation, delayed total hepatectomy combined with liver resection and segment Ⅱ-Ⅲ liver transplantation, heterotopic auxiliary liver transplantation on splenic fossa and magnetic anastomosis. It has laid a foundation for expanding the donor pool, improving clinical efficacy of liver transplantation and enhancing the quality of life of liver transplant recipients. In this article, the exploration, development, innovation and improvement of liver transplant techniques were reviewed and prospected, aiming to provide reference for clinical application of liver transplantation.

Cholecystolithiasis is a common disease of the digestive system. In recent years, due to the changes in diet and daily living habits, the incidence of cholecystolithiasis in the world is rising gradually. Choledocholithiasis can form initially in situ, mainly due to infection and cholestasis, but also secondary to cholecystolithiasis or intrahepatic bile duct stones.Symptomatic gallstone disease in patients with laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the standard treatment.However, for patients with common bile duct calculi, traditional open surgery, laparoscopic combined choledochoscope, laparoscopic combined endoscopic and laparoscopic combined laser lithotripsy are all effective ways of treatment. But which one specific operation method is the best choice has yet to agree a consensus. In this paper, several different surgical treatment methods of common bile duct calculi are reviewed in order to provide certain reference value for clinical practice.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancers worldwide, which ranks as the second of cancer-related death. Each year, more than half of the new and death cases occur in China. Vascular invasion is one of the important biological characteristics of HCC. HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus is closely related to the prognosis of patients, but there is no consensus on the best treatment method.Based on domestic and foreign literatures, the authors discuss the current status and progress of treatment for HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus, in order to explore the optimal treatment.