Recipient and donor thrombophilia and the risk of portal venous thrombosis and hepatic artery thrombosis in liver recipients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Vascular complications, such as HAT, are an important cause of graft loss and recipient mortality. We aimed to characterize post-transplant thrombotic events in a cohort of liver transplant recipients, and identify independent risk factors for these complications.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a thrombophilic study of 293 orthotopic liver transplants performed in the Digestive Surgery Department of the 12 de Octubre Hospital (Madrid, Spain) between January 2001 and December 2006.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The most frequent post-transplant thrombotic events were HAT (9%) and PVT (1.7%). The one variable associated with post-transplant thrombotic event was a high fibrinogen level in the global cohort of liver transplantation. But toxicity as event post-OLT has been associated with post-transplant thrombotic event in the retrospective group and high fibrinogen level and low protein C levels were associated post-transplant thrombotic event in the prospective group. Liver disease relapse (HR 6.609, p < 0.001), high levels of FVIII (HR 1.008, p = 0.019)) and low levels of antithrombin (HR 0.946, p < 0.001) were associated with poor overall survival (OS).</p> <p>In conclusion, high fibrinogen and decreased protein C levels were associated with allograft thrombosis. Further studies are required in order to assess the clinical relevance of these parameters in prospective studies and to study the effect of anticoagulation prophylaxis in this group of risk.</p

Plasma cobalamin level as a considered tumor marker for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancer among men and women. There are many serological tumor markers for the diagnosis of HCC. These are alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), des-gamma-carboxyprothrombin, vitamin B12 binding protein and HCC associated alkaline phosphatase. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of using vitamin B12 as a tumor marker for HCC. This cross sectional study was performed during a 2 year period, and serum samples were obtained from 38 HCC, 57 non-cancerous cirrhotic and 82 healthy control groups. Vitamin B12 levels were determined by using an automated chemiluminescence system test kit. All HCC patients also had an underlying cirrhotic pattern. The period of the previous liver disease was 30.7±26.3 month in cirrhotic patients and 15.4±10 month in the HCC group. AFP and vitamin B12 levels in HCC patients were significantly higher (median AFP: 219 ng/ml, median B12:1106 ng/ml) than cirrhosis patients (median AFP:9,7 ng/ml, median B12:445 ng/ml) and control group (median B12:442 ng/ml) (p0.05). Vitamin B12 levels can be useful as tumor marker in addition to other tumor markers and imaging modalities. Additional studies should be performed related to this subject and the other liver masses without malignancies. © 2016 Yuzuncu Yil Universitesi Tip Fakultesi. All rights reserved

Trophic characteristics of the Sapanca lake (Turkey)

Systematic measurements of optical properties, concentrations of major and minor chemicals and primary production throughout 1989-1992 enabled us to identify the oligotrophic state of Sapanca lake, Marmara region, Turkey. Lake waters which have low concentrations of major anions and cations (total = 49 mu M) overturn every February-March, ventilating the bottom waters and enriching the surface waters with nutrients. Surface waters cool down to 6.5 degrees C by late winter and then warm steadily to 26 degrees C by late summer, while temperatures in deep waters range between 6.5 and 10.0 degrees C throughout the year. When the seasonal thermocline develops, the dissolved oxygen profiles exhibit a subsurface maximum in the thermocline, while in the hypolimnion water, the content varies seasonally from 11.5-12.0 ppm (350-375 CIM) in March to 0.5-1.7 ppm (16-56 mu M) in late autumn. Surface nitrate concentrations vary markedly with season, from < 0.15 mu M in summer to 5.7 mu M in early March, whilst the bottom water concentrations range from 13.5-14.0 mu M in late autumn to 5.7 mu M after the winter overturn. Phosphate concentrations are always less than 0.1 mu M throughout the entire water column. Subsurface chlorophyll-a maximum descends in late summer to 20-25 m depths, where the Light intensity is less than 1% of the surface value. Below 10-15 m depths, corresponding to the upper thermocline, primary productivity is very low. The range was from 35 to 93 mg C/m(2) day(-1) during 1989-1991, consistent with the values in other oligotrophic lakes