Nuova tecnica di autotrapianto di fegato in un modello sperimentale porcino con preservazione del graft in machine perfusion: applicazione clinica per neoplasie epatiche non resecabili tramite chirurgia convenzionale

A NEW LIVER AUTOTRANSPLANTATION TECHNIQUE USING SUBNORMOTHERMIC MACHINE PERFUSION FOR ORGAN PRESERVATION IN A PORCINE MODEL: CLINICAL INDICATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF UNRESECTABLE HEPATIC LESIONS WITH CONVENTIONAL SURGERY ! Abstract ! BACKGROUND: Hepatic resection is the gold standard of therapy for primary and secondary liver tumors, but few patients are eligible for this procedure because of the extent of their neoplasms. Improvements in surgical experience of liver transplantation (OLT), hepatic resection and preservation with sub-normothermic machine perfusion (MP) have prompted the development of a new model of large animal autotransplantation. This sperimental model allowed the clinical application of Ex situ ex vivo liver surgery to treat otherwise unresectable liver tumors. METHODS: Landrace pigs were used in this experiment. After intubation, hepatectomy was performed according to the classic technique. The intrahepatic caval vein was replaced with a homologous tract of porcine thoracic aorta. The liver was perfused with hypothermic Celsior solution followed by MP at 20 °C with oxygenated Krebs solution. An hepatectomy was performed during the period of preservation, which lasted 120 minutes, then the liver was reimplanted into the same animal in a 90° counterclockwise rotated position. The anastomoses were performed in the classic sequence. Samples of intravascular fluid, blood and liver biopsies were obtained at the end of the period of preservation in MP and again at 1 and 3 hours after liver reperfusion to evaluate graft function and microscopic damage. Then we report the clinical application of the model on 8 clinical cases described individually. After appropriate preoperative study and with the permission of the ethics committee, the patients underwent ex situ liver resection. RESULTS: All animals survived the procedure. The peak of aspartate aminotransferase was recorded 60 minutes after reperfusion and the peak of alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase after 180 minutes. Histopathologic examination under the light microscope identified no necrosis or congestion. Intraoperative echo-color Doppler documented good patency of the anastomosis and normal venous drainage. Among the patients who underwent surgical treatment the overall mortality during the mean follow-up of 493 days , was 25 % ( 12.5 % for sepsis and 12.5 % for recurrence of disease ) . The 66.6 % of patients in life is alive and currently free of neoplastic disease , 33.3 % are alive with disease recurrence in chemotherapy and in good overall clinical condition . CONCLUSION: This system made it possible to perform hepatic resections and vascular reconstructions ex situ while preserving the organ with mechanical perfusion (ex vivo, ex situ surgery). Improving surgical techniques regarding autotransplantation and our understanding of ischemia-reperfusion damage may enable the development of interesting scenarios for aggressive surgical treatment (Ex situ, ex vivo liver surgery ) or radiochemotherapy options to treat primary and secondary liver tumors unsuitable for conventional in situ surgery

The metastatic potential of grade I breast carcinoma of no special type: A deep insight into putative molecular mechanisms

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Mouse mammary tumour virus-like env nucleotide and p14 signal peptide are present in feline mammary carcinomas, but not in neoplastic or dysplastic canine mammary lesions

Mouse mammary tumour virus-like (MMTV-like) is suspected to be involved in human breast cancer and it has been hypothesized that companion animals might have a role in viral transmission. The aim of our study was to investigate the presence of MMTV-like nucleotide sequences and viral protein in a larger number of feline (FMCs) and canine mammary carcinomas (CMCs) by nested PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results showed that the presence of MMTV-like env sequence in FMCs was 7% (6/86), while all the CMCs and canine dysplastic lesions scored negative. All PCR-positive FMCs scored positive for the MMTV p14 signal peptide of the envelope precursor protein of the virus. In contrast, all PCR-negative FMCs and canine mammary lesions were also negative for immunohistochemistry analysis. Canine and feline normal mammary gland tissues scored negative for both PCR and MMTV-p14 protein. Multiple nucleotide alignment of MMTV-like env gene sequences isolated from cat showed 97% and 99% similarity with HMTV and MMTV, respectively, while the others two presented some polimorphisms. Particularly the sequences of one of these two tumors showed a polymorphism (c.7575 A> G), that causes a previously unreported amino acid substitution (Thr > Ala). In conclusion, the results of our study showed the presence of MMTV-like sequences and viral protein in some FMCs. Further studies are needed to understand whether this virus does play a role in the development of FMCs, if MMTV-like is an exogenous virus as these data suggest and, in such a case, how and from whom this virus was acquired

Cancer astrocytes have a more conserved molecular status in long recurrence free survival (RFS) IDH1 wild-type glioblastoma patients: New emerging cancer players

Glioblastoma is a devastating disease that despite all the information gathered so far, its optimal management remains elusive due to the absence of validated targets from clinical studies. A better clarification of the molecular mechanisms is needed. In this study, having access to IDH1 wild-type glioblastoma of patients with exceptionally long recurrence free survival (RFS), we decided to compare their mutational and gene expression profile to groups of IDH1 wild-type glioblastoma of patients with shorter RFS, by using NGS technology. The exome analysis revealed that Long-RFS tumors have a lower mutational rate compared to the other groups. A total of 158 genes were found differentially expressed among the groups, 112 of which distinguished the two RFS extreme groups. Overall, the exome data suggests that shorter RFS tumors could be, chronologically, in a more advanced state in the muli-step tumor process of sequential accumulation of mutations. New players in this kind of cancer emerge from the analysis, confirmed at the RNA/DNA level, identifying, therefore, possible oncodrivers or tumor suppressor genes

ANKRd44 gene silencing: a putative role in trastuzumab resistance in HER2-like breast cancer

Trastuzumab is an effective therapeutic treatment for Her2-like breast cancer; despite this most of these tumors develop resistance to therapy due to specific gene mutations or alterations in gene expression. Understanding the mechanisms of resistance to Trastuzumab could be a useful tool in order to identify combinations of drugs that elude resistance and allow a better response for the treated patients. Twelve primary biopsies of Her2+/hormone receptor negative (ER-/PgR-) breast cancer patients were selected based on the specific response to neoadjuvant therapy with Trastuzumab and their whole exome was sequenced leading to the identification of 18 informative gene mutations that discriminate patients selectively based on response to treatment. Among these genes, we focused on the study of the ANKRD44 gene to understand its role in the mechanism of resistance to Trastuzumab. The ANKRD44 gene was silenced in Her2-like breast cancer cell line (BT474), obtaining a partially Trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer cell line that constitutively activates the NF-kb protein via the TAK1/AKT pathway. Following this activation an increase in the level of glycolysis in resistant cells is promoted, also confirmed by the up-regulation of the LDHB protein and by an increased TROP2 protein expression, found generally associated with aggressive tumors. These results allow us to consider the ANKRD44 gene as a potential gene involved in Trastuzumab resistance

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Nuova tecnica di autotrapianto di fegato in un modello sperimentale porcino con preservazione del graft in machine perfusion: applicazione clinica per neoplasie epatiche non resecabili tramite chirurgia convenzionale

A NEW LIVER AUTOTRANSPLANTATION TECHNIQUE USING SUBNORMOTHERMIC MACHINE PERFUSION FOR ORGAN PRESERVATION IN A PORCINE MODEL: CLINICAL INDICATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF UNRESECTABLE HEPATIC LESIONS WITH CONVENTIONAL SURGERY ! Abstract ! BACKGROUND: Hepatic resection is the gold standard of therapy for primary and secondary liver tumors, but few patients are eligible for this procedure because of the extent of their neoplasms. Improvements in surgical experience of liver transplantation (OLT), hepatic resection and preservation with sub-normothermic machine perfusion (MP) have prompted the development of a new model of large animal autotransplantation. This sperimental model allowed the clinical application of Ex situ ex vivo liver surgery to treat otherwise unresectable liver tumors. METHODS: Landrace pigs were used in this experiment. After intubation, hepatectomy was performed according to the classic technique. The intrahepatic caval vein was replaced with a homologous tract of porcine thoracic aorta. The liver was perfused with hypothermic Celsior solution followed by MP at 20 °C with oxygenated Krebs solution. An hepatectomy was performed during the period of preservation, which lasted 120 minutes, then the liver was reimplanted into the same animal in a 90° counterclockwise rotated position. The anastomoses were performed in the classic sequence. Samples of intravascular fluid, blood and liver biopsies were obtained at the end of the period of preservation in MP and again at 1 and 3 hours after liver reperfusion to evaluate graft function and microscopic damage. Then we report the clinical application of the model on 8 clinical cases described individually. After appropriate preoperative study and with the permission of the ethics committee, the patients underwent ex situ liver resection. RESULTS: All animals survived the procedure. The peak of aspartate aminotransferase was recorded 60 minutes after reperfusion and the peak of alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase after 180 minutes. Histopathologic examination under the light microscope identified no necrosis or congestion. Intraoperative echo-color Doppler documented good patency of the anastomosis and normal venous drainage. Among the patients who underwent surgical treatment the overall mortality during the mean follow-up of 493 days , was 25 % ( 12.5 % for sepsis and 12.5 % for recurrence of disease ) . The 66.6 % of patients in life is alive and currently free of neoplastic disease , 33.3 % are alive with disease recurrence in chemotherapy and in good overall clinical condition . CONCLUSION: This system made it possible to perform hepatic resections and vascular reconstructions ex situ while preserving the organ with mechanical perfusion (ex vivo, ex situ surgery). Improving surgical techniques regarding autotransplantation and our understanding of ischemia-reperfusion damage may enable the development of interesting scenarios for aggressive surgical treatment (Ex situ, ex vivo liver surgery ) or radiochemotherapy options to treat primary and secondary liver tumors unsuitable for conventional in situ surgery.NUOVA TECNICA DI AUTOTRAPIANTO DI FEGATO IN UN MODELLO SPERIMENTALE PORCINO CON PRESERVAZIONE DEL GRAFT IN MACHINE PERFUSION: APPLICAZIONE CLINICA PER NEOPLASIE EPATICHE NON RESECABILI TRAMITE CHIRURGIA CONVENZIONALE. !INTRODUZIONE : La resezione epatica rappresenta il gold standard per il trattamento dei tumori del fegato primitivi e secondari , tuttavia solo una minoranza di pazienti possono essere sottoposti a tale trattamento poichè spesso la diagnosi di neoplasia avviene in stadi di malattia neoplastica troppo avanzata. L’esperienza tecnica del nostro Centro legata alla chirurgia epatica resettiva e sostituitiva, associata ai nostri studi sul danno da ischemia-riperfusione e sull’allestimento di nuove metodiche di preservazione del graft tramite l’utilizzo della Machine Perfusion (MP), ci ha permesso di sviluppare un sistema di perfusione meccanica sub-normotermica per preservare il fegato, che consente di eseguire resezioni epatiche e complesse ricostruzioni vascolari ex-situ durante la perfusione meccanica (chirurgia ex-vivo, ex-situ). Questo modello sperimentale ha permesso l' applicazione clinica della chirurgia epatica ex vivo ex situ per il trattamento di tumori al fegato altrimenti non operabili . METODI : Per l’esecuzione dell’esperimento abbiamo utilizzato 5 maiali Landrace x Large White . Dopo l’ intubazione è stata eseguita l’ epatectomia secondo la tecnica classica . La vena cava intraepatica è stata sostituita con un omologo tratto di aorta toracica di suino. Il fegato è stato perfuso con soluzione di preservazione ipotermica (Celsior solution 60 mL/kg in aorta e 30 mL/kg in vena porta) a 4°C. Quindi il fegato veniva posto in un sistema di perfusione ossigenato e continuamente perfuso per 120 minuti con soluzione di Krebs (MP). Durante la preservazione in Machine Perfusion, veniva eseguita una epatectomia tramite dissezione a freddo con forbici. Dopo 120 minuti di preservazione in MP, il fegato veniva reimpiantato nello stesso animale (auto- trapianto) ruotato di 90° in senso antiorario. Le anastomosi sono state eseguite nella sequenza classica . Campioni sia di sangue che di liquido di preservazione venivano prelevati per determinare i livelli di AST, ALT, LDH e lattati dopo il termine del periodo di preservazione con MP e nuovamente a un ora e a tre ore dalla riperfusione epatica. Di seguito viene descritta l'applicazione clinica di questo modello sperimentale su 8 casi clinici descritti individualmente . Dopo adeguato studio preoperatorio e con il permesso del comitato etico , i pazienti sono stati sottoposti a resezione epatica ex situ. RISULTATI: Tutti gli animali sono sopravvissuti alla procedura . Il picco di aspartato aminotransferasi è stato registrato 60 minuti dopo la riperfusione e il picco di alanina aminotransferasi e lattico deidrogenasi dopo 180 minuti. L’indagine istopatologica alla microscopia ottica non ha documentato reperti significativi di necrosi e congestione all’analisi dei preparati esaminati. L’Eco color Doppler intraoperatorio ha documentato buona pervietà delle anastomosi e normale drenaggio venoso . Tra i pazienti sottoposti a trattamento chirurgico la mortalità globale su un follow-up medio di 493 giorni , è stata del 25 % ( 12,5 % per sepsi e 12,5% per recidiva di malattia ) . Il 66,6 % dei pazienti in vita è vivo e attualmente libero da malattia , il 33,3 % sono vivi con recidiva di malattia in trattamento chemioterapico. ! CONCLUSIONI : Questo modello sperimentale ha consentito di effettuare resezioni epatiche e ricostruzioni vascolari ex situ preservando l'organo con la perfusione meccanica ( chirurgia ex vivo-ex situ ) . Il miglioramento delle tecniche chirurgiche relative all’autotrapianto e la miglior comprensione del danno da ischemia-riperfusione potrebbe rendere possibile lo sviluppo di scenari interessanti per il trattamento di tumori epatici primitivi e secondari non suscettibili di trattamento chirurgico convenzionale

Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Literature Review of Viable Surgical Options with a Special Focus on Microwave Liver Thermal Ablation and Mini-Invasive Approach

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common tumor worldwide and it is characterized in 20–30% of cases by liver involvement, which strongly affects the long-term patient outcome. There are many available therapies for liver colorectal metastases (CRLMs); the current standard of care is represented by liver resection, and when feasible, associated with systemic chemotherapy. Microwave thermal ablation (MWA) is a viable option in unresectable patients or to achieve treatment with a parenchymal spearing approach. A literature review was performed for studies published between January 2000 and July 2022 through a database search using PUBMED/Medline and the Cochrane Collaboration Library with the following MeSH search terms and keywords: microwave, ablation, liver metastases, colorectal neoplasm, and colon liver rectal metastases. The recurrence rate and overall patients’ survival were evaluated, showing that laparoscopic MWA is safe and effective to treat CRLMs when resection is not feasible, or a major hepatectomy in fragile patients is necessary. Considering the low morbidity of this procedure, it is a viable option to treat patients with recurrent diseases in the era of effective chemotherapy and multimodal treatments

Formation of Boronate Ester Polymers with Efficient Intrastrand Charge Transfer Transitions by Three-Component Reactions

The three-component reaction of aryl boronic acids with 1,2,4,5-tetrahydroxybenzene and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene or 4,4-bipyridine leads to the formation of dark-purple boronate ester polymers. Crystallographic analyses show that the polymer strands have a zig-zag geometry, and the bis(dioxaborole) units are connected by dipyridyl linkers through dative B-N interactions. Upon dissolution of the polymers in hot chloroform, most of the B-N connections are broken, which indicates that polymer formation is a reversible process. A computational study provides evidence that the strong color of the polymers is due to efficient intrastrand charge-transfer excitations from the tetraoxobenzene to the dipyridyl linker