Parvalbumin interneurons belong to the major types of GABAergic interneurons. Although the distribution and pathological alterations of parvalbumin interneuron somata have been widely studied, the distribution and vulnerability of the neurites and fibers extending from parvalbumin interneurons have not been detailly interrogated. Through the Cre recombinase-reporter system, we visualized parvalbumin-positive fibers and thoroughly investigated their spatial distribution in the mouse brain. We found that parvalbumin fibers are widely distributed in the brain with specific morphological characteristics in different regions, among which the cortex and thalamus exhibited the most intense parvalbumin signals. In regions such as the striatum and optic tract, even long-range thick parvalbumin projections were detected. Furthermore, in mouse models of temporal lobe epilepsy and Parkinson's disease, parvalbumin fibers suffered both massive and subtle morphological alterations. Our study provides an overview of parvalbumin fibers in the brain and emphasizes the potential pathological implications of parvalbumin fiber alterations.
Mice ; Animals ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/pathology* ; Parvalbumins/metabolism* ; Parkinson Disease/pathology* ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Interneurons/physiology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Brain/pathology*

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies and a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Surgery remains the primary and most successful therapy option for the treatment of early- and mid-stage HCCs, but the high heterogeneity of HCC renders prognostic prediction challenging. The construction of relevant prognostic models helps to stratify the prognosis of surgically treated patients and guide personalized clinical decision-making, thereby improving patient survival rates. Currently, the prognostic assessment of HCC is based on several commonly used staging systems, such as Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM), Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP), and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC). Given the insufficiency of these staging systems and the aim to improve the accuracy of prognostic prediction, researchers have incorporated further prognostic factors, such as microvascular infiltration, and proposed some new prognostic models for HCC. To provide insights into the prospects of clinical oncology research, this review describes the commonly used HCC staging systems and new models proposed in recent years.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Prognosis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Survival Rate ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To study the clinical application of three-dimensional (3D) visualization technology in liver resection of complicated liver cancer. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 28 patients with complicated liver cancer treated from June 2017 to June 2018 in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University. There were 26 males and 2 females, aged (46±10) years old. A treatment plan on how to perform liver resection for these patients was developed under the guidance of 3D visualization technology. The actual surgical procedures, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative complications were documented. The virtual resected liver volume was compared with the actual resected liver volume. The virtual surgical resection margin was also compared with the actual surgical resection margin. Results: All the 28 patients with complicated liver cancer completed the 3D visualization analysis with the location, shape and quantity of tumor being clearly shown. Of the 27 patients who underwent liver resection, 13 underwent anatomical hepatectomy, and 14 underwent non-anatomical hepatectomy. The operation time ranged from 145 to 350 min (median 240 min). The intraoperative blood loss ranged from 100 to 1 500 ml (median 300 ml). The incisional wound healed slowly in 4 patients, pleural effusion developed in 8 patients, and ascites in 2 patients. There were no significant differences in the virtual resected liver volume compared with the actual resected liver volume (P>0.05). There was an excellent positive correlation between the patient's virtual resected liver volume and the actual resected liver volume (r=0.986, P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the virtual surgical resection margin and the actual surgical resection margin (P>0.05). There was an excellent positive correlation between virtual surgical resection margin and the actual surgical resection margin (r=0.983, P<0.05). Conclusion Three-dimensional visualization technology accurately assessed the liver status, optimized surgical procedures, and played an important role in liver resection of complex liver cancer.

Objective To establish and evaluate a novel and non-invasive diagnostic model using routine laboratory serological indexes in cirrhotic patients.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 1044 consecutive patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by hepatectomy in the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from September 2013 to December 2016.These patients were divided into a training cohort (n =783) and a validation cohort (n =261) using the 3 ∶ 1 matching principle.Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors related to occurrence of cirrhosis in the training cohort,and then a PPH score was established.The accuracy of the model in predicting cirrhosis in two groups was evaluated respectively by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and goodness of fit,and compared with the following commonly used predictive systems:the model for endstage liver disease (MELD) score,fibrosis index based on 4 factor score (FIB-4),Forns score and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index score (APRI).Results Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis in the training cohort showed prothrombin time,platelet count and hepatitis B surface antigen positivity were closely related to occurrence of cirrhosis.The accuracy of the PPH score (AUC =0.705) in diagnosing cirrhosis in the training cohort was significantly better than the MELD score (AUC =0.557),APRI score (AUC =0.598),FIB-4 score (AUC =0.597) and Forns score (AUC =0.665).Similar results were obtained in the validation cohort (AUC:0.702 vs 0.554 vs 0.624 vs 0.634 vs 0.580).The goodness of fit indicated that there was no significant difference between the actual and predicted values of cirrhosis in the two cohorts,and the model was in good agreement.Conclusions A novel and non-invasive model for the diagnosis of cirrhosis was successfully established.The accuracy of this model in diagnosing cirrhosis was better than the MELD,APRI,Fib-4 and Forns scores.This model has significance in guiding clinical treatment decision in HCC patients with cirrhosis.

Posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is a major cause of perioperative death after hepatectomy. This article summarizes the current status of research on risk factors contributing to PHLF, prediction methods, preventive measures, and related expert consensus, and it is pointed out that an objective evaluation of liver function before surgery, a reasonable design of the method of liver resection, and accurate operation are the key measures to reduce the incidence rate of PHLF.

Objective To study the value of serum prealbumin-bilirubin score (PALBI) in predicting posthepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) for patients with HBV related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 919 HBV-related HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy from September 2013 to December 2016 at the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University.These patients were divided into a training cohort (n =689) and a validation cohort (n =230) using the 3 ∶ 1 matching principle.The training cohort was divided into the control group (n=546) and the PHLF group (n=143) according to whether PHLF occurred.The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors related to PHLF in the training cohort,and then the PALBI score was established.The ability of the PALBI score to predict PHLF was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and compared with the Child-Pugh,model for end-stage liver disease (MELD),and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) scores.Results Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed the factors including HBV-DNA≥ 103 IU/ml,total bilirubin,prealbumin,platelet count,AST,prothrombin time,intraoperative blood loss ≥400 ml and major liver resection were closely related to PHLF.The ability of the PALBI score (AUC =0.733) to predict PHLF preoperatively was superior to the ChildPugh score (AUC =0.562),the MELD score (AUC =0.652) and the ALBI score (AUC =0.683) in the entire training cohort.Similar results were obtained in the entire validation cohort (AUC:0.752 vs.0.599 vs.0.641 vs.0.678).To eliminate the effect of a small residual liver volume on PHLF,the ability of each of these scores in the training and validation cohorts to predict PHLF was calculated respectively in these 2 cohorts of patients who underwent only minor liver resection,and similar results were obtained.Conclusion The PALBI score was significantly superior to the Child-Pugh,MELD and ALBI scores in predicting PHLF in patients with HBV-related HCC who underwent liver resection.The PALBI score is a simple,non-invasive and reliable novel model in predicting PHLF.

Objective To study the impact of anatomical resection (AR) for hepatocellular carcinoma with microvascular invasion on early tumor recurrence.Methods 178 consecutive patients with solitary hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent liver resection at the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from January 2012 to December 2015 were retrospectively studied.These patients were divided into four groups according the types of resection (anatomical resection AR or non-anatomical resection NAR) and the surgical margins (narrow or wide margin).All the patients were followed up until the tumor recurred or two years after surgery.The recurrence-free survival and the types of recurrence for the 4 different groups were compared.Results The 6 months,1-,2-year disease-free survival rates in the AR (n =55) and NAR groups (n =123) were 87.0％,79.2％,74.5％ and 78.5％,61.3％,45.7 ％,respectively,(P ＜ 0.05).Through pair-wise comparisons of the four groups,there were no significant differences in early recurrence between the narrow surgical margin group and the wide surgical margin group,regardless of the types of surgery.The early recurrence rates of the AR groups were significantly lower than that of the NAR groups,regardless of the widths of the surgical margins.Multivariate analysis showed that AR was a protective factor of early recurrence (HR =0.417,95％ CI 0.229 ～ 0.761).Further analysis of the recurrence patterns of AR and NAR showed that the recurrence types were mainly sohtary for AR (solitary,61.5％;multiple 30.8％) and multiple recurrence for NAR (solitary,32.2％;multiple 61.0％).Conclusion AR improved early recurrence-free survival of patients with microvascular invasion.

Objective To compare the clinical features and surgical outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) combined with portal venous tumor thrombus (PVTT) and hepatic venous tumor thrombus (HVTT) or bile duct tumor thrombi (BDTT),and analyze the effects of different tumor thrombus (TT) types and different surgical methods for TT on prognosis.Methods The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted.The clinical data of 220 HCC patients with lymphovascular invasion (LVI) who were admitted to the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangxi Medical University between January 2004 and December 2014 were collected.Of 220 patients,140 were combined with PVTT,36 with HVTT and 44 with BDTT.According to patients' conditions,they underwent tumor and TT resection,and tumor resection + TT removal or single TT removal.Observation indicators:(1) comparisons of clinical features of HCC patients with PVTT or HVTT or BDTT;(2) surgical and postoperative situations;(3) follow-up and survival.Follow-up using outpatient examination and telephone interview was performed to detect postoperative survival up to December 2015.Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as (x)±s.Comparisons among 3 indicators were analyzed using the one-way ANOVA,and comparisons between 2 indicators were analyzed using the t test.Comparisons of count data were analyzed using the chi-square test.The survival curve and rate were respectively drawn and calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method,and the Log-rank test was used for survival analysis.Results (1) Comparisons of clinical features of HCC patients with PVTT or HVTT or BDTT:number of patients with Child-pugh A,Child-pugh B and peritoneal effusion,tumor diameter and cases with tumor capsule were respectively detected in 133,7,23,(10±4)cm,91 in HCC patients with PVTT and 35,1,4,(9±4)cm,27 in HCC patients with HVTT and 35,9,16,(6±4)cm,15 in HCC patients with BDTT,with statistically significant differences (x2 =12.693,10.408,F=11.300,x2 =17.188,P＜ 0.05).(2) Surgical and postoperative situations:of 140 HCC patients with PVTT,51 underwent tumor and PVTT resection,89 underwent tumor resection + PVTT removal through incising portal vein;68 received postoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).Thirty-six HCC patients with HVTT underwent tumor and HVTT resection;24 received postoperative TACE.Of 44 HCC patients with BDTT,23 underwent tumor and BDTT resection,21 underwent tumor resection + BDTT removal through incising common bile duct;29 received postoperative TACE.(3) Follow-up and survival:① 220 patients were followed up for 1-73 months,with a median time of 12 months.The median survival time,1-,3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 12 months,48.2％,25.0％,15.4％ in 140 HCC patients with PVTT and 28 months,77.1％,45.6％,24.5％ in 36 HCC patients with HVTT and 36 months,88.6％,48.3％,24.6％ in 44 HCC patients with BDTT,with a statistically significant difference in survival (x2 =13.316,P＜0.05).② Of 140 HCC patients with PVTT,49 were in type Ⅰ PVTT,and median survival time,1-,3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 20 months,60.3％,32.6％ and 17.1％;70 were in type Ⅱ PVTT,and median survival time,1-,3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 13 months,51.4％,26.0％ and 17.3％;21 were in type Ⅲ PVTT,and median survival time,1-,3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 7 months,9.5％,4.8％ and 0,showing a statistically significant difference in survival (x2=18.102,P＜0.05).The median survival time,1-,3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 21 months,72.5％,42.5％,26.2％ in 51 patients undergoing tumor and TT resection and 9 months,40％,14.4％,0 in 89 patients undergoing tumor resection + PVTT removal through incising portal vein,showing a statistically significant difference in survival (x2=24.098,P＜0.05).③ Of 36 HCC patients with HVTT,17 were detected in right HVTT,and median survival time,1-,3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 14 months,64.7％,20.2％ and 0;10 were detected in left HVTT,and median survival time,1-,3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 53 months,80.0％,70.0％ and 38.9％;9 were detected in middle HVTT,and median survival time,1-,3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 40 months,88.9％,61.0％ and 30.5％;showing no statistically significant difference in survival (x2 =5.951,P＞0.05).④ Of 44 HCC patients with BDTT,24,6 and 14 were respectively detected in type Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ BDTTs,and median survival time,1-,3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 38 months,87.5％,60.4％,34.9％ in type Ⅰ BDTT patients and 26 months,83.3％,16.7％,0 in type Ⅱ BDTT patients and 35 months,78.6％,50.0％,21.4％ in type Ⅲ BDTT patients,showing no statistically significant difference in survival (x2 =5.312,P＞0.05).Of 44 patients,median survival time,1-,3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 38 months,91.3％,59.5％,34.3％ in 23 patients undergoing tumor and TT resection and 26 months,85.7％,35.7％,15.3％ in 21 patients undergoing tumor resection + TT removal through incising common bile duct,showing no statistically significant difference in survival (x2 =2.071,P＞0.05).Conclusions HCC patients with PVTT have larger tumor diameter and worse liver dysfunction,and are prone to peritoneal effusion.HCC patients with different LVI undergo surgery.There is better prognosis in HCC patients with BDTT,and good prognosis in patients with HVTT,while poorer prognosis in patients with PVTT.The postoperative survival of HCC patients with PVTT is associated with TT type,and patients will have better prognosis after tumor resection + TT removal if TT type is confirmed earlier.The postoperative survival of HCC patients with BDTT is not associated with TT type,tumor resection + TT removal maybe prolong postoperative survival time.

Objective To evaluate the impact of different treatment strategies on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of less than 10 cm but with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT),and to investigate the prognostic factors.Methods Between 2003 and 2008,338 HCC patients with PVTT from the Affiliated Tumor Hospital,Guangxi Medical University,were retrospectively studied.These patients were divided into four groups:the conservative treatment group (n =75),the transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) group (n=86),the surgical resection group (n =90) and the surgical resection with postoperative TACE group (n=87).Survival rates were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and differences among groups were compared using the log-rank analysis.The Cox' s proportional hazards model was performed to explore the risk factors of survival.Results The mean survival periods of patients in the four groups were 3.8,7,8.2,15.1 months respectively.There were significant differences in survival rate among the 4 groups.The survival rates at 1-,2-,and 3-year in the surgical resection with postoperative TACE group were 49％,37％ and 19％,which were significantly higher than the other 3 groups (P＜0.05).The 1-,2-,and 3-year survival rates in the surgical resection group were 28％,20％ and 15％ compared with 17.5％,0％ and 0％ in the TACE group.The survival rates were significantly higher after surgical resection than TACE (P＜0.05).The 1-,2-,and 3-year survival rates in the conservative treatment group were 0％.These were the lowest among the four groups (P＜0.05).Univariate analysis indicated that portal vein occlusion by tumor thrombus was a significant predictor of poor prognosis.Multivariate analysis revealed that the strategy of treatment (TACE) and the number of TACE cycles were independent survival predictors for HCC patients with PVTT.Conclusions Surgical resection is the most effective therapeutic strategy for HCC patients with PVTT and with good liver functional reserve.Postoperative TACE is necessary in preventing recurrence and prolonging survival in patients who could tolerate chemoembolization.TACE should be recommended as an effective and safe treatment for unresectable HCC patients with PVTT.The treatment provided a significantly better survival than conservative treatment.