Objective To explore the feasibility and reference value of allogeneic lung transplantation and postoperative monitoring in miniature pigs for lung transplantation research. Methods Two miniature pigs (R1 and R2) underwent left lung allogeneic transplantation. Complement-dependent cytotoxicity tests and blood cross-matching were performed before surgery. The main operative times and partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO₂) after opening the pulmonary artery were recorded during surgery. Postoperatively, routine blood tests, biochemical blood indicators and inflammatory factors were detected, and pathological examinations of multiple organs were conducted. Results The complement-dependent cytotoxicity test showed that the survival rate of lymphocytes between donors and recipients was 42.5%-47.3%, and no agglutination reaction occurred in the cross-matching. The first warm ischemia times of D1 and D2 were 17 min and 10 min, respectively, and the cold ischemia times were 246 min and 216 min, respectively. Ultimately, R1 and R2 survived for 1.5 h and 104 h, respectively. Postoperatively, in R1, albumin (ALB) and globulin (GLB) decreased, and alanine aminotransferase increased; in R2, ALB, GLB and aspartate aminotransferase all increased. Urea nitrogen and serum creatinine increased in both recipients. Pathological results showed that in R1, the transplanted lung had partial consolidation with inflammatory cell infiltration, and multiple organs were congested and damaged. In R2, the transplanted lung had severe necrosis with fibrosis, and multiple organs had mild to moderate damage. The expression levels of interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 increased in the transplanted lungs. Conclusions The allogeneic lung transplantation model in miniature pigs may systematically evaluate immunological compatibility, intraoperative function and postoperative organ damage. The data obtained may provide technical references for subsequent lung transplantation research.

Objective To establish a method for acquisition, perfusion, preservation and transportation of the genetically modified pig kidneys. Methods An eight genetically modified pig was utilized as experimental subject. Prior to kidneys procurement, the health status of the pig was assessed through hematology examination, and the vascular structure of the kidneys was examined using imaging techniques. Following kidneys acquisition, the pig kidneys were perfused and subsequently packaged into the cryogenic storage container labeled "For Organ Transportation Only" for interprovincial transport after communicating the transportation process with transportation department. To evaluate pathological damage to the pig kidneys, a serious of methods were employed such as hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) fluorescence staining and enzyme-linked immune absorbent assay (ELISA). Results The preoperative examination of the eight genetically modified pig showed that the serum creatinine was 73.2 μmol/L, blood urea nitrogen was 2.8 mmol/L and hemoglobin was 116 g/L, all within the normal range, indicating normal renal function. CT angiography revealed no lesions in the pig kidneys, and no dilation, stenosis or premature branching of the blood vessels. The total time of obtaining the left and right kidneys from the eight genetically modified pig was (125 ± 10) min, with a blood loss of (20 ± 2) mL. The warm ischemia times were 3 min and 7 min, respectively. The perfusion and trimming times of the left and right kidneys were 36 min and 41 min, respectively. After perfusion, both kidneys were white and moist. The cold preservation and transportation time was 8 h. HE staining showed that some glomeruli were shrunk, and the lumens of the surrounding renal tubules were slightly depressed and swollen with partial inner membrane shedding and microvacuoles formed when the kidneys were preserved for 8 h. The level of cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 messenger RNA in the kidneys tissue gradually increased with the extension of cold preservation time after 2 h (P<0.05). TUNEL fluorescence staining showed that only a small number of cells underwent apoptosis after 8 h of cold preservation, which was not significantly different from that at 0 h (P>0.05). ELISA results showed that the contents of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatinine in the preservation solution remained relatively stable, but the content of kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1) gradually increased with the extension of preservation time, suggesting that the pig kidneys had mild injury. Conclusions By establishing methods for acquisition, perfusion, preservation and transportation of the kidneys from genetically modified donor pig, it is possible to effectively and reliably use genetically modified pig kidneys for xenotransplantation.

Objective:To investigate the proportion of hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who have received antiviral therapy and compare the clinical characteristics of HCC patients who have received antiviral therapy with those who have not received antiviral therapy.Methods:Data of 2590 newly diagnosed hepatitis B-related HCC cases who were hospitalized in Nanfang Hospital from 2015 to 2017 were collected. Two independent sample t-tests, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ2 test were used to compare the clinical characteristics of hepatitis B-related HCC patients who had received antiviral therapy and those who had not received antiviral therapy. Propensity score was used to match some clinical characteristics of the two groups of patients, and the differences in clinical characteristics of the two groups of patients after matching were further compared. Patients with HCC who had not received antiviral therapy were used as reference, and then the clinical characteristics of HCC patients who had received antiviral treatment were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Results:Among the 2 590 patients with hepatitis B-related HCC, only 18.10% of patients had received antiviral therapy, while 82.20% of patients who did not receive antiviral therapy met the treatment criteria. HCC patients who had received antiviral therapy were older ( P < 0.05), had a higher proportion of liver cirrhosis ( P < 0.001), and lower levels of platelets and alanine aminotransferases and smaller maximum tumor diameter ( P < 0.001). In terms of metabolic disease, patients who had received antiviral treatment had higher prevalence of diabetes (14.50% vs. 7.70%, P < 0.001), hypertension (16.60% vs. 11.20%, P < 0.05), obesity (28.50% vs. 22.30%, P < 0.05), overweight (53.80% vs. 43.50%, P < 0.001) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (18.30% vs.8.00%, P < 0.001). After matching other different clinical characteristics, the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients who received antiviral therapy was still higher than that of patients who did not receive antiviral therapy (14.50% vs. 9.80%, P < 0.05; 16.60% vs. 10.20%, P < 0.05; 18.30% vs. 7.00%, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that HCC patients who had received antiviral therapy had a higher risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ( OR: 2.054, 95% CI: 1.404~3.004) than those who had not received antiviral therapy. Conclusion:Among patients with hepatitis B-related HCC, the proportion of patients who have received antiviral therapy is significantly low (under 20%), which suggests that the popularization and promotion of antiviral therapy has a long way to go. Compared with HCC patients who have not received antiviral therapy, the proportion of HCC patients who have received antiviral therapy combined with metabolic diseases is higher; therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to the role of metabolic factors in the pathogenesis of hepatitis B-related HCC.