Objective:To investigate the effect of lymph node metastasis on the prognosis of patients with G2 phase stage pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm(pNEN).Methods:A retrospective case control study was conducted to analyze the case data of 368 patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in G2 phase stage from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2016 in SEER database, including 174 males and 194 females. According to whether lymph nodes were metastatic, they are divided into lymph node non metastatic (N0) group ( n=272) and lymph node metastatic (N1) group ( n=96). The Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test were used to compare the overall survival rate (OS) of patients in the N0 and N1 groups. The COX proportional risk model was used to evaluate whether N stage was an independent risk factor affecting prognosis. Count data were expressed as cases and percentage(%), and Chi-square test was used for comparison between the groups. Results:Among all patients, the OS of patients in the N0 group was better than that of patients in the N1 group. The OS of N0 patients at 1, 3, and 5 years was 96.3%, 92.7%, and 85.6%, respectively, while the OS of N1 patients at 1, 3, and 5 years was 92.6%, 82.1%, and 82.1%, respectively ( P=0.014). Multivariate analysis showed that age ( HR=2.245, 95% CI: 1.126-4.475, P=0.022) and N stage ( HR=0.457, 95% CI: 0.237-0.883, P=0.020) were independent prognostic factors for G2 phase pNEN patients. Conclusion:Lymph node metastasis is one of the independent prognostic factors in patients with G2 phase stage pNEN.

Objective:To evaluate the perioperative safety and long-term prognosis of allogeneic vein replacement in abdominal surgery.Methods:Clinical data of 115 patients receiving allogeneic vein replacement from Jan 2013 to Dec 2020 was retrospectively analyzed.Results:The most common operation was radical pancreatoduodenectomy for pancreatic cancer (75.7%), and the most common vascular replacement sites were the junction of portal vein system (53.9%), followed by superior mesenteric vein (23.5%) and portal vein (18.3%). In our group, 6 patients died (5.2%), 31 patients had complications (27.0%), and 2 patients had portal vein thrombosis (1.7%). During the follow-up period, 8 cases (7.5%) had mild stenosis, 12 cases (11.5%) had moderate stenosis and 14 cases (13.2%) had severe stenosis. The half-year, one-year and two-year incidence of moderate and severe stenosis were 8.0%, 24.4% and 34.5% respectively.Conclusions:The early and mid-term result of allogeneic vein replacement is satisfactory. Use of postoperative anticoagulation may help reduce the incidence of thrombogenesis or stenosis .

Objective To investigate the guiding role of quantitative evaluation system of immune status in the individualized management of immunosuppressants for the recipients after liver transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 239 liver transplant recipients were retrospectively analyzed. MingDao Immune Cell Analysis (MICA) was established. All recipients were divided into two groups according to the adjustment regimens of immunosuppressants. The immunosuppressant regimen was adjusted according to MingDao Immune System Score (MISS) in the MISS group (n=84), and the medication plan was empirically adjusted during the same period in the control group (n=155). According to the time of postoperative detection (t), the recipients in the MISS group were divided into subgroup A (t ≤ 28 d, n=78), subgroup B (28 d < t ≤ 6 months, n=68), subgroup C (6 months < t ≤ 12 months, n=18), subgroup D (12 months < t ≤ 24 months, n=18) and subgroup E (t > 24 months, n=19). In the MISS group, postoperative MISS scores of recipients in subgroups A-E were analyzed. The incidence of acute rejection and opportunistic infection and the overall survival rate were statistically compared between the MISS and control groups. Results The MISS scores in subgroups A-E were -7.0 (-13.2, -2.0), -2.0 (-5.8, 1.8), -0.5 (-7.3, 2.8), -2.0 (-4.5, 3.3) and -3.0 (-6.0, 1.0), respectively. The immune status of the recipients was gradually improved over postoperative time, and the difference between two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the MISS group, 15% (13/84) of the recipients developed acute rejection, and 27% (42/155) in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the MISS group, the MISS score of the recipients with acute rejection was 0 (-2.5, 3.5), and -5.0 (-12.0, -1.0) for their counterparts without acute rejection, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the MISS group, 2% (2/84) of the recipients presented with postoperative opportunistic infection, and 9% (14/155) in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the MISS group, the 1- and 3-year overall survival rates were 86.9% and 79.8%, and 83.2% and 76.8% in the control group, and no significant difference was observed between two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions MICA and MISS score may reflect the immune status of liver transplant recipients, and guide the individualized management of administration of immunosuppressants after liver transplantation.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of allogenic vein replacement in treatment of borderline resectable pancreatic cancer, and to analyze risk factors of long-term stenosis.Methods:The clinical data of 77 patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer who underwent surgery from January 2013 to December 2021 at the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. There were 34 males and 43 females, aged (61.4±10.8) years old. The peri-operative data, long-term prognosis and stenosis of allogenic vein were analysed. Risk factors of stenosis were analyzed by the Cox proportional hazards model. Patients were followed up by outpatient visits or by telephone.Results:Pancreatic cancer had invaded the junction of portal vein/superior mesenteric vein (SMV) in 41 patients, SMV in 22 patients and portal vein in 14 patients. The length of venous resection was (3.7±1.0) cm, the tumor longest diameter was (3.8±1.6) cm, lymph node metastasis was present in 57 patients, R 0 resection was carried out in 70 patients, and the postoperative complication rate was 29.9% (23/77). The survival rates in 6 months, 1-year and 2-year were 84.1%, 52.3% and 32.9% respectively. Mild venous stenosis occurred in 4 patients (5.2%), moderate stenosis in 9 patients (11.7%) and severe stenosis in 11 patients (14.3%). A vascular resection length of more than 3 cm ( RR=4.602, 95% CI: 1.657-12.781, P=0.003) and tumor recurrence ( RR=8.529, 95% CI: 1.129-64.448, P=0.038) were independent risk factors for long-term moderate and severe stenosis of allogeneic vein. Conclusion:It was safe and feasible for allogenic vein to be used to reconstruct the portal venous system in resection of borderline resectable pancreatic cancer. Long-term stenosis of the allogenic vein was related to a length of vascular resection of more than 3 cm and recurrence of tumor.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of liver transplantation for severe liver disease. Methods The clinical data of 51 patients who underwent liver transplantation for severe liver disease were retrospectively analyzed. The general intraoperative conditions were observed, including operation duration, warm ischemia time, cold ischemia time, anhepatic phase, bleeding volume, blood transfusion volume, plasma transfusion volume and so on. The changes in indexes such as total bilirubin (TB), prothrombin time activity (PTA), and prothrombin time international normalized ratio (PT-INR) were observed before operation and at 3 d, 1 week and 2 weeks after operation. The postoperative survival and occurrence of complications were analyzed. The indexes that might affect the prognosis of patients with severe liver disease were analyzed by Cox regression analysis. Results For the 51 patients, operation duration, warm ischemia time and cold ischemia time was 8 (7, 9) h, 3 (2, 3) min and 6 (5, 8) h respectively, intraoperative anhepatic phase was 80 (70, 100) min, intraoperative bleeding volume was 1 000 (550, 1 500) mL, and intraoperative blood transfusion volume was 1 200 (200, 1 600) mL. Postoperative TB, PTA, PT-INR and other indexes improved significantly compared to those preoperatively. Among the 51 patients, 10 cases died, with the death causes of multiple organ failure and severe infection(7 cases), renal insufficiency (2 cases), and cardiovascular complications (1 case). Survival rates at 1 month and 1 year post-transplantation for patients with severe liver disease were 82% and 80%, respectively. Cox regression analysis suggested that abnormal preoperative PTA and PT-INR were the risk factors for post-transplantation death in patients with severe liver disease. Conclusions Liver transplantation significantly improves the survival rate for patients with severe liver disease, perioperative infection prevention and treatment as well as multiple organ function management play key roles in improving post-transplantation survival rate in patients with severe liver disease.

Objective:We proposed a Mingdao immune score system(MISS)to evaluate recipient's immune status after liver transplantation.Methods:From January 2017 to June 2019, retrospective analysis was conducted for 89 recipients of liver transplantation. Age/gender-matched 385 healthy controls(HC)were selected. The percentages of 30 lymphocyte subgroups of patients and HC were measured by flow cytometry. The score of each individual was calculated with our proposed MISS method. And drug concentrations and relevant clinical data were collected.Results:The normal MISS value of a healthy person was 0 score according to our criterion. In this study, the value of MISS for HC was distributed in a nearly normal fashion(-0.73±4.02). When the data from patients at different timepoints were compared, the MISS value started with -1.21±7.42 pre-operation, then declined sharply down to -8.95±8.05 at 1 month and jumped to -4.50±7.80 at 3 months. Afterward it stabilized at -4.18±7.83 between 3~12 months post-operation and finally reached -2.00±5.51 at 1 year ( P<0.05). Patients with acute rejection had higher MISS values than those without acute rejection, ( P<0.05). No significant correlation existed between blood drug concentrations and MISS values ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Our proposed MISS method may reflect the whole immune status. It is useful to manage the application of immunosuppressants in conjunctions with blood drug concentrations and liver graft function.

Objective To investigate the effect of Immutol on inducing the immune tolerance of cardiac grafts in rat models. Methods A rat model of heterotopic abdominal heart transplantation was established. The recipient rats were divided into 5 groups: blank control group (n=6); dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) group (n=6), in which DMSO was administered until the cardiac graft arrest; Immutol group (n=6), in which Immutol was administered until the cardiac graft arrest; ciclosporin (CsA) group (n=10), in which CsA was administered for 20 d; combined group (n=13), in which Immutol was given for 60 d combined with CsA for 20 d. The survival time and pathological changes of cardiac grafts in each group were observed. The contents of serum interleukin (IL)-10 and interferon (IFN)-γ were detected. The expression levels of indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO) and fibrinogen-like protein 2(Fgl2) messenger RNA(mRNA) in heart tissues of rats in each group were measured. Results In the combined group, the cardiac grafts survived for >180 d and immune tolerance was induced. The pathological score of cardiac grafts in the combined group was significantly lower than that in the CsA group at postoperative 39 d (P < 0.05). The levels of serum IL-10 and IFN-γ in the combined group were significantly higher than those in the CsA group at 9 d and 39 d after operation (both P < 0.05). The content of serum IL-10 and IFN-γ in the combined group were gradually increased over time. At postoperative 39 d, the expression levels of IDO and Fgl2 mRNA in the combined group were significantly higher than those in the CsA group (both P < 0.05). The expression level of IDO mRNA in the combined group tended to gradually elevate after operation. In the combined group, the expression level of Fgl2 mRNA at postoperative 180 d was significantly higher than those at 9 d and 39 d after operation (both P < 0.05). Conclusions Combined administration of Immutol and CsA can effectively inhibit the incidence of acute rejection, and maintain the long-term survival of the cardiac grafts and induce immune tolerance after drug withdrawal.

Objective To analyse the clinical efficacy of liver transplantation and summarize the clinical experience of perioperative management in patients with hepatic coma. Methods Clinical data of 22 patients with hepatic coma undergoing liver transplantation were retrospectively analyzed. The perioperative conditions of the recipients were observed, including operation time, warm/cold ischemia time of donor liver, intraoperative anhepatic phase of the recipients, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative blood transfusion, early postoperative blood drug concentration and incidence of postoperative complications. The survival situation of the recipients and the influencing factors of clinical prognosis were analyzed. Results The operation time of 22 recipients was 8 (6-12) h, the warm ischemia time of donor liver was 4 (2-6) min, the cold ischemia time was 7 (5-10) h, intraoperative anhepatic phase of recipients was 80 (55-120) min, intraoperative blood loss was 1 139 (400-4 000) mL and intraoperative blood transfusion was 1 440 (0-3 600) mL.The blood concentration of tacrolimus (FK506) fluctuated between 6 and 11 ng/mL at postoperative one week. Six recipients died after liver transplantation including 1 case of primary graft liver failure, 2 cases of severe infection, 1 case of severe cerebral edema caused by cerebral hemorrhage and 2 cases of multiple organ failure. The postoperative 1 month and 1 year survival rates of hepatic coma recipients were 82% and 77%. Conclusions Liver transplantation can significantly improve the survival rate of patients with hepatic coma. Preoperative decreasing blood ammonia, controlling postoperative infection, improving renal function and formulating precise individualized immunosuppression therapy according to immune status play a pivotal role in enhancing the survival rate.

Objective To investigate the relationship between immune tolerance and the changes of helper T cell (Th), regulatory T cell (Treg) cytokines, related signaling pathway proteins during immune tolerance process in rat models of liver transplantation. Methods The orthotopic liver transplantation rat models were established by double-cuff technique. All rats were divided into 3 groups. In the operative control group (n=6), sham operation was performed without liver transplantation. In the short-term group (n=10), the rats survived for 10 d after liver transplantation. In the immune tolerance group (n=10), the rats survived for 100 d after operation and the function of the transplanted liver was restored to normal. The expression levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Th1 cytokines [interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-2 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α], Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-6 and IL-13), Th17 cytokines [granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-17A], Treg cytokines [IL-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and IL-12p] were quantitatively measured. The serum sample of rats in each group was detected by protein chip analysis. Results Compared with the operative control group, the AST level in the short-term group was significantly down-regulated, whereas the ALT level was significantly up-regulated (both P < 0.05). However, the AST and ALT levels did not significantly differ between the immune tolerance group and operative control group (both P > 0.05). In the liver tissues of rats in each group, the expression levels of Th1 cytokines IFN-γ and IL-2 in the short-term group were significantly higher than those in the operative control group (both P < 0.05). The expression level of Th2 cytokine IL-4 in the immune tolerance group was significantly lower than that in the operative control group (P < 0.05). The expression levels of Th2 cytokines IL-5, IL-6 and IL-13 in the short-term group were significantly lower than those in the operative control group (all P < 0.05). The expression level of IL-17A in the immune tolerance group was significantly higher than that in the operative control group (P < 0.05). In the immune tolerance group, the expression levels of IL-10and IL-12p were significantly higher than those in the operative control group (both P < 0.05). The expression level of TGF-β in the short-term group was significantly higher than that in the operative control group (P < 0.05). Compared with the operative control group, the expression levels of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, pro-platelet basic protein (Ppbp), Neuropilin-2, Notch-2 protein in the short-term group were significantly up-regulated (all P < 0.05). The expression levels of CXC chemokine ligand 17 (CXCL17), ICAM-1 and Neuroleptin-2 protein were markedly up-regulated (all P < 0.05), whereas that of B7-1 protein was significantly down-regulated (P < 0.05) in the immune tolerance group. Conclusions Treg cytokines (IL-10, TGF-β and IL-12p), IL-6, IL-17 and trans-membrane signaling pathway molecules (ICAM-1, Neuropilin-2, B7-1 proteins) play a pivotal role in the natural immune tolerance process of rat models of liver transplantation.

Background: Carbon nanoparticles show significant lymphatic tropism and can be used to identify lymph nodes surrounding mid?low rectal tumors. In this study, we analyzed the effect of trans anal injection of a carbon nanoparti?cle suspension on the outcomes of patients with mid?low rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic resection. Methods: We collected the data of 87 patients with mid?low rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic resection between November 2014 and March 2015 at Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College. For 35 patients in the experimental group, the carbon nanoparticle suspension was injected transan?ally into the submucosa of the rectum around the tumor 30 min before the operation; 52 patients in the control group underwent the operation directly without the injection of carbon nanoparticle suspension. We then compared the operation outcomes between the two groups. Results: In the experimental group, the rate of incomplete mesorectal excision was lower than that in the control group, but no significant difference was found (2.9% vs. 7.7%, P = 0.342). The distance between the tumor and thecircumferential resection margin was 5.8 (P = 0.001). The mean number of lymph nodes removed was 28.2 ± 9.4 in the experimental group and 22.7 ± 7.3in the control group (P and 4.5 ± 3.7, respectively (P < 0.001). Three patients in the experimental group received lateral lymph node resec?tion. Among the three patients, we retrieved three nodes (one stained node) from the first patient, three nodes (two stained nodes) from the second patient, and two nodes (no stained nodes) from the third patient. Conclusions: Injecting a carbon nanoparticle suspension improved the outcomes of patients who underwent laparoscopic resection for mid?low rectal cancer; it also improved the accuracy of pathologic staging. Moreover, for selected patients, this technique narrowed the scope of lateral lymph node dissection. ± 1.4 mm in the experimental group and 4.8 ± 1.1 mm in the control group= 0.003); the mean number of lymph nodes smaller than 5 mm in diameter was 10.1 ± 7.5 and 4.5 ± 3.7, respectively (P < 0.001). Three patients in the experimental group received lateral lymph node resection. Among the three patients, we retrieved three nodes (one stained node) from the first patient, three nodes (two stained nodes) from the second patient, and two nodes (no stained nodes) from the third patient. Conclusions: Injecting a carbon nanoparticle suspension improved the outcomes of patients who underwent laparoscopic resection for mid-low rectal cancer; it also improved the accuracy of pathologic staging. Moreover, for selected patients, this technique narrowed the scope of lateral lymph node dissection.