1.Current status and prospects of robot-assisted laparoscopic partial hepatectomy in the treatment of liver cancer
Shounan LU ; Zhanzhi MENG ; Yong MA
International Journal of Surgery 2025;52(4):221-225
The evolution of surgical treatments for liver cancer—from traditional open surgery to robotic technology—marks a revolutionary advancement in hepatic surgery. This article focuses on robot-assisted laparoscopic hepatectomy (RALH), analyzing its technological breakthroughs, clinical challenges, and future prospects. Early minimally invasive techniques such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) were limited by tumor location and complexity. In contrast, RALH overcomes the "chopstick effect" of traditional laparoscopy through three-dimensional high-definition visualization, flexible robotic arms, and multimodal navigation, enabling precise management of complex lesions in the hepatic hilar region and caudate lobe. Its indications encompass hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic tumors, and benign lesions, with faster postoperative recovery. The widespread adoption of RALH faces three major challenges: high technical barriers (requiring a steep learning curve), prohibitive costs, and limited adaptability in emergency settings. Future efforts should integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) to optimize surgical pathways, promote domestic robot production to reduce costs, and establish regional training centers to shorten the learning curve. Despite these bottlenecks, RALH has emerged as one of the pivotal breakthrough in hepatic surgery due to its precision and minimally invasive advantages. With advancing intelligence and multidisciplinary collaboration, it holds the potential to usher liver cancer treatment into a new era of individualized and precision medicine.
2.Arsenic trioxide preconditioning attenuates hepatic ischemia- reperfusion injury in mice: Role of ERK/AKT and autophagy.
Chaoqun WANG ; Hongjun YU ; Shounan LU ; Shanjia KE ; Yanan XU ; Zhigang FENG ; Baolin QIAN ; Miaoyu BAI ; Bing YIN ; Xinglong LI ; Yongliang HUA ; Zhongyu LI ; Dong CHEN ; Bangliang CHEN ; Yongzhi ZHOU ; Shangha PAN ; Yao FU ; Hongchi JIANG ; Dawei WANG ; Yong MA
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(22):2993-3003
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
3.Research progress of distal pancreatectomy with en bloc celiac axis resection
Wen FU ; Zhilei SU ; Xingming JIANG ; Zhankun CUI ; Shounan LU ; Sheng TAI
Chinese Journal of Digestive Surgery 2019;18(1):102-106
Carcinoma of pancreatic body and tail is a high invasive disease with a low resectability rate.It was once believed that celiac axis infiltration usually contraindicated resection.Distal pancreatectomy with en bloc celiac axis resection (DP-CAR) is described as a new treatment method of this disease.In recent years,more and more literatures have reported this operation,but they were case reports or small sample retrospective study,the results of which differed according to the different treatments and perioperative managements in different centers.The advantages and disadvantages of DP-CAR are still controversial.Research progress of DP-CAR is reviewed in this article.
4.Research progress of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy after gastric resection
Zhankun CUI ; Zhilei SU ; Shounan LU ; Wen FU ; Sheng TAI
International Journal of Surgery 2018;45(4):276-280
Gastric resection can cause a multifactorial clinical manifestations of dyspepsia,such as flatulence,diarrhea,weight loss,and fat diarrhea.Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is one of the possible mechanisms of fat maldigestion following gastric surgery,the main causes may be related to rapid gastric emptying;asynchrony between gastric emptying and bilio-pancreatic secretion due to new tracts of various reconstructions;bacterial overgrowth after gastrectomy and so on.Oral pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) is the mainstay of treatment for EPI,due to lack of available evidence so far,the efficacy and safety of pancreatic enzyme substitution in patients following gastric resection remains unclear and cannot be generally recommended.This review will sum up the revelant studies addressing EPI and PERT after gastric resection in recent years,and summarizes the mechanisms,clinical diagnostic methods and PERT treatment perscription of EPI after gastrectomy to improve the cognition of clinicans.

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