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Endoscopy 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka-Sayama, Japan.

Curr Opin Gastroenterol 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Pancreato-Biliary Endoscopy Division and Endosonography Division, Pancreas Translational and Clinical Research Centre, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita Salute San Raffaele University, Milan.

Purpose Of Review: Alcohol is a type I carcinogen and the WHO stated that it caused 5% of all deaths in 2016, of which 13% because of cancers. Among digestive tract cancers, this association is clear for esophageal, liver and colorectal cancer, and more debated for gastric and pancreatic cancer. The present review will revise recent evidence on epidemiologic association and mechanisms linking alcohol with the risk of esophageal, gastric, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Read More

Isr Med Assoc J 2018 Dec;20(12):765-769

Department of Transplantation, Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Campus), Petah Tikva, Israel.

Background: The lack of organs for liver transplantation has prompted transplant professionals to study potential solutions, such as the use of livers from donors older than 70 years. This strategy is not widely accepted because potential risks of vascular and biliary complications and recurrence of hepatitis C.

Objectives: To examine the efficacy and safety of liver grafts from older donors for transplantation. Read More

J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Epidemiology, Infectious Disease Control, and Prevention, Hiroshima University Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan.

Background And Aims: Albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade was developed as a new method to assess hepatic function. Sorafenib has been confirmed to be effective in improving survival in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we investigated the impact of ALBI grade versus Child-Pugh classification on survival in HCC patients who received sorafenib. Read More

Asian J Endosc Surg 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Division of Surgery, Gastroenterological Center, Medico Shunju Shiroyama Hospital, Osaka, Japan.

Introduction: A 50-year-old Japanese man presented with obstructive jaundice. We performed endoscopic retrograde biliary drainage before biliary decompression. CT showed a thickened gallbladder wall with low-density areas and a 35-mm gallstone; the stone was impacted in the gallbladder neck and cystic duct. Read More

Scand J Immunol 2018 Dec 13:e12744. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Notch signaling is an evolutionarily conserved multifaceted pathway that controls diverse cellular processes. Its role in regulating development and tissue homeostasis is well established. Aberrant activation of the Notch pathway has been implicated in the initiation and progression of many types of cancers. Read More

Hepatology 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Pediatrics, The Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania.

Pediatric waitlist morbidity and mortality is high overall but unpredictable in individual cases resulting in poor stratification and general dissatisfaction with our current system of liver allocation in infants and children. The scope of this problem is broad but has harshest impact on our youngest candidates who disproportionately suffer from biliary atresia (BA). This article is protected by copyright. Read More

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2019 Jan;49(1):116-117

Department of Liver, Biliary Tract and Pancreas Diseases, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.

Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2019 Jan 30;37:7-10. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Baghdad Medical City, Iraq.

Background: Gall stones are the most common biliary pathology. Subclinical hypothyroidism is not a common problem in the population with thyroid disease, several explanations for a possible relation between hypothyroidism and lipid metabolism, gall stone formation proved that prevalence of gall stones is increased in patients with hypothyroidism disease.

Objective: To find the prevalence and correlation between the subclinical hypothyroidism and gall stone disease. Read More

Exp Ther Med 2018 Dec 5;16(6):5224-5226. Epub 2018 Oct 5.

Department of Gastroenterological Surgery I, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8638, Japan.

It is often difficult to correctly diagnose patients who present with dilation of the bile duct. Cholangiocarcinoma, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and immunoglobulin (Ig)G4-related sclerosing cholangitis must be considered as potential diagnoses for these cases. The current study presents a 73-year-old female patient who presented with a high fever and abdominal pain. Read More

Tech Vasc Interv Radiol 2018 Dec 30;21(4):249-254. Epub 2018 Jul 30.

Department of Interventional Radiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC.

Percutaneous biliary interventions have a well-established role in the management of hepatobiliary diseases. Good outcomes include recognizing and avoiding complications. This section will cover the "standard" technique of percutaneous biliary drainage, pearls to decrease the risk of problems, and approaches to treat those complications in patients undergoing percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. Read More

Turk J Gastroenterol 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Vacuum-assisted closure in the treatment of biliary leakage following gunshot injury to the liver.

Rev Gastroenterol Mex 2018 Dec 9. Epub 2018 Dec 9.

Division of Gastroenterology & Liver Unit, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canadá. Electronic address:

Turk J Med Sci 2018 12 12;48(6):1175-1181. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey

Background/aim: Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has been reported to have a positive correlation with the activation degree of the immune system. This study’s aim is to investigate the efficiency of SuPAR serum levels in acute pancreatitis (AP) patients in determining the severity of disease.

Materials And Methods: This prospective research involves patients who arrived at the emergency service, were over 18 years old, had nontraumatic abdominal pain and diagnosis of AP, and agreed to join the study. Read More

Neuromodulation 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.

Background/aims: Patients with gastroparesis often have biliary/pancreatic and small bowel symptoms but the effects of gastric electrical stimulation on small bowel electrical activity of the mid-gut have not been studied. Animal model aim: Establish gastric and upper small bowel/biliary slow wave activity relationships with electrical stimulation. Human study aim: Demonstrate improvement in symptoms associated with proximal small bowel dysmotility in gastric stimulated patients. Read More

Gastroenterol Res Pract 2018 4;2018:8319481. Epub 2018 Nov 4.

Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Hațieganu", Louis Pasteur St., No. 6, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Aim: We aimed to establish the independent predictive factors (from infection, biliary reflux, histologic features of the gastric mucosa, drugs, comorbidities, and social habits) for gastric stump ulcer occurrence more than 15 years after surgery.

Methods: 76 patients with previous gastric surgery were included: 21 patients with gastric ulcer (marginal ulcer or ulcer of the rest of the gastric remnant-study group) and 55 controls (nonulcer group).

Results: infection tended to be higher in the control group than in the ulcer group (14. Read More

HPB (Oxford) 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address:

Background: With the increasing use of biliary stents for neoadjuvant therapy (NT) for pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the risk of post-pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) infection remains relevant. This study documents the contemporary incidence of stent-related complications (SRC) during NT and to analyze their impact on surgical infections.

Methods: Consecutive patients from a single institution (2011-15) with resected PDAC treated with biliary decompression, NT, and PD were analyzed. Read More

HPB (Oxford) 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Pôle des Pathologies Digestives, Hépatiques et de la Transplantation, Hôpital de Hautepierre-Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. Electronic address:

Background: This study evaluates the impact of macrovascular venous invasion (MVI) on surgical and survival outcomes of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (PNETs).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data of 125 patients operated for PNETs. Operative, pathological,and survival outcomes were compared between PNETs with and without MVI. Read More

Transplant Proc 2018 Mar 9. Epub 2018 Mar 9.

Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic and Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a systemic vasculitis affecting the small vessels that mainly presents in children and young adults. It is characterized by tissue deposition of immunoglobulin A (IgA) immune complexes with the classic manifestations of purpura, arthritis, arthralgia, and gastrointestinal and renal involvements. We report a case of HSP nephritis that occurred 2 years after living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Read More

J Cancer Res Ther 2018 Dec;14(Supplement):S1158-S1162

Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650101, Yunnan, China.

Purpose: To investigate the role of percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage (PTCD) combined with percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (PEJ) in maintaining the nutrition state in patients with advanced ampullary neoplasms.

Materials And Methods: Sixty patients who suffered from advanced ampullary neoplasms and could not tolerate internal drainage operation or biliary stent placement were enrolled. After PTCD, PEJ was implemented, and then the enteral nutrient solution + bile were instilled through PEJ tube for enteral nutrition support. Read More

J Proteome Res 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease characterized by ongoing inflammatory destruction of the interlobular bile ducts, eventually leading to chronic cholestasis and biliary cirrhosis. This study primarily aims to define the metabolomic signature of PBC after comparison with healthy controls (HC). Secondly it aims at evaluating the possible metabolic association between PBC and coeliac disease (CD), an immune-mediated disorder frequently associated with PBC. Read More

Hepatol Int 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Yamanashi Prefectural Central Hospital, 1-1-1 Fujimi, Kofu-shi, Yamanashi, 400-8506, Japan.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is common among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and those on hemodialysis due to nosocomial infections and past blood transfusions. While a majority of HCV-infected patients with end-stage renal disease are asymptomatic, some may ultimately experience decompensated liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma. Administration of a combination of elbasvir/grazoprevir for 12 weeks leads to high sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in patients with HCV genotypes (GTs) 1a, 1b or 4 and stage 4 or 5 CKD. Read More

Obes Surg 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Service de Chirurgie Générale et Endocrinienne, CHU Lille, Hôpital Huriez, Rue Michel Polonowski, 59000, Lille, France.

Background: The incidence of biliary lithiasis is increased after bariatric surgery due to rapid weight loss [1]. Trans-oral endoscopic management in cases of common bile duct gallstone complication is not possible in patients with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) due to the modified anatomy. Access to the biliary tree after RYGB with a classical direct surgical approach of common bile duct and choledocoscopy can be used, but may be complicated in situations of acute cholangitis because of the fragility of common duct, or in cases of previous cholecystectomy. Read More

Ann Surg Oncol 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.

Background: The prevalence and characteristics of actual 5-year survivors after surgical treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC) have not been described previously.

Methods: Patients who underwent resection for HC from 2000 to 2015 were analyzed through a multi-institutional registry from 10 U.S. Read More

Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y) 2018 Nov;14(11):654-657

Gladys and Roland Harriman Professor of Medicine Clinical Chief, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology Weill Cornell Medicine New York, New York.

Onco Targets Ther 2018 20;11:8211-8219. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (CAMS & PUMC), Beijing 100730, China,

Background: With the purpose of elevating the risk of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), alcoholic liver disease (ALD) was shown. Nonetheless, the findings were controversial. Herein, a meta-analysis and a systematic review were conducted to study the relation as mentioned above. Read More

Indian J Surg Oncol 2018 Dec 31;9(4):530-537. Epub 2018 Jul 31.

1Department of General Surgery, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, UP India.

Gallbladder cancer (CaGB) in the subcontinent belongs to low socioeconomic status, and at the time of diagnosis, a large number is unresectable or inoperable so the palliative treatment remains the only option. In the present study, attempt was made to see the effect and safety profile of single-agent oral capecitabine in inoperable CaGB in presence of low levels of jaundice post-single-catheter transhepatic external biliary drainage. In  = 35 of inoperable jaundiced CaGB, post-biliary drainage capecitabine in low dose was started when their total bilirubin levels fell to 10 mg% or below. Read More

Clin Sci (Lond) 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Instituto de Fisiología Experimental (IFISE-CONICET) y Area Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, UNR, Suipacha 570, Rosario, S2002LRL, Argentina

We previously demonstrated in and models that physiological concentrations of unconjugated bilirubin prevent oxidative stress (OS)-induced hepatocanalicular dysfunction and cholestasis. Here, we aimed to ascertain, in the whole rat, whether a similar cholestatic OS injury can be counteracted by heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) induction that consequently elevates endogenous bilirubin (BR) levels. This was achieved through the administration of hemin, an inducer of HO-1, the rate-limiting step in BR generation. Read More

Endoscopy 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Department of Gastroenterology, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, Japan.

Cell Physiol Biochem 2018 7;51(5):2224-2236. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Departments of Urology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of SooChow University, Changzhou,

Background/aims: We aimed to study the involvement of circZMYM2 (hsa_circ_0099999) in pancreatic cancer (PC) cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion and to figured out the underlying mechanism of circZMYM2 regulating miR-335-5p and JMJD2C.

Methods: CircRNA differential expressions in twenty PC samples and paired normal tissue samples were analyzed using Arraystar Human CircRNA microarray V1. CircZMYM2 expression level was determined via qRT-PCR. Read More

Int J Surg 2018 Dec 8. Epub 2018 Dec 8.

Service de chirurgie hépatobiliaire et pancréatique et de transplantation, Département de chirurgie, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Site St-Luc, Montréal, QC, Canada.

Background: Previous studies comparing the survival outcomes of liver resections with and without preoperative portal vein embolization (PVE) for colorectal liver metastases (CLM) have linked PVE to higher rate of tumor progression, lower overall survival (OS) and lower disease-free survival (DFS). The lack of adjusted models to compare these outcomes is a limitation of these studies since patients requiring PVE may differ significantly from the ones receiving upfront surgery.

Materials And Methods: Prospective cohort study of 128 patients undergoing CLM resection. Read More

J Oncol Pract 2018 Dec;14(12):701-708

South East Cancer Center, University Hospital Waterford, Waterford, Ireland; and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Biliary tract cancers, including gallbladder cancer, intrahepatic, perihilar, and distal cholangiocarcinomas, although anatomically contiguous, represent a heterogeneous group of cancers with extensive biologic and genetic diversity. With early disease, surgical resection is the preferred option for all subtypes; however, relapse rates remain high, and survival outcomes are poor. Data to guide the use of adjuvant therapy have been limited to retrospective series, population-based studies, and meta-analyses, all with their associated limitations. Read More

J Oncol Pract 2018 Dec;14(12):719-720

Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.

J Oncol Pract 2018 Dec;14(12):723-724

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH.

J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Sci 2018 Dec 8. Epub 2018 Dec 8.

Department of General and Oncological Surgery, Mauriziano Hospital, Turin, Italy.

Background: The albumin-indocyanine green evaluation (ALICE) model based on serum albumin and indocyanine retention rate, has been shown to be an effective method for predicting postoperative outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Aim of the study was to validate the ALICE model in a large Western cohort of patients by comparing the Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) score and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score.

Methods: A total of 400 patients who underwent hepatic resection from 01/2005 to 06/2016 at 3 centers were enrolled. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1905:237-245

Department of Gastroenterology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

A good mouse model is mandatory for elucidating carcinogenic mechanisms and identifying the cellular origin of cancer. Although the lack of an appropriate mouse model has hampered investigation of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC), we recently established a novel mouse model of biliary injury-related ECC by ductal cell-specific activation of Kras and deletion of transforming growth factor (TGF) β receptor type 2 and E-cadherin. Using this mouse model, we identified that peribiliary glands, which are considered a biliary epithelial stem cell niche, are potential cellular origins of ECC. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1905:187-198

Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.

It has been demonstrated that the liver remarkably alter its tissue structures during regeneration, and various types of liver stem or progenitor cells locating in specific areas in the liver tissue contribute to regeneration. Therefore, it is important to analyze the dynamic rearrangement of the liver tissue structures in 3D for better understanding the process and mechanism of liver regeneration. Here we describe a macroscopic analysis method to visualize the whole 3D structure of the vasculatures and the biliary tree, which are dynamically remodeled during regeneration, and a microscopic analysis method to visualize detailed structures at the cellular level, which can compensate what cannot be detected in the macroscopic analysis. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1905:175-185

Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.

Incorporation of bile drainage system into engineered liver tissue is an important issue to advance liver regenerative medicine. Our group reported that three-dimensional (3D) coculture of fetal liver cells (FLCs) and adult rat biliary epithelial cells (BECs) allows reconstruction of hepatic spheroids that possess bile ductular structures. In this chapter, we describe the detailed protocol to isolate FLCs and BECs and to generate the spheroids with bile drainage system using these two types of primary cells. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1905:117-130

Division of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.

Bipotent liver progenitor cells (LPCs) are promising cell sources for cell transplantation therapy in hepatic disorders as well as biliary dysfunctions. Using a cocktail of small molecules, we recently reported a novel approach to generate bipotent LPCs, named chemically induced liver progenitors (CLiPs), from adult rat hepatocytes. In this chapter, we describe a detailed protocol for the induction of rat CLiPs. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1905:83-90

Department of Developmental Biology, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Following massive hepatocyte ablation in zebrafish, biliary epithelial cells can extensively give rise to hepatocytes through liver progenitor cells (LPCs). The zebrafish liver injury model is an important system to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying LPC-driven liver regeneration. Here, we describe a chemical screening method using the zebrafish model for identifying small molecules that can modulate LPC-driven liver regeneration. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1905:45-57

Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.

Lineage tracing of liver cells is a powerful tool to understand liver embryonic development, healthy liver cell homeostasis, tissue repair, and regeneration. Lineage tracing of biliary epithelial cells (BECs) in the adult liver has been used to assess the contribution of the biliary epithelium to liver injury, regeneration, and disease. These studies have shown the contribution of BECs to the expansion of ductular reaction (DR) and liver progenitor cells (LPCs) and eventually the generation of new hepatocytes. Read More

Surg Endosc 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.

Background: Early cholecystectomy (EC) is recommended in patients with acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP). In real-life practice, cholecystectomy is frequently deferred due to various reasons and delayed cholecystectomy (DC) is performed instead. Endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) is an alternative to prevent recurrent pancreatitis, however other gallstone-related complications (GCs) may still develop. Read More

Transplant Direct 2018 Nov 23;4(11):e400. Epub 2018 Oct 23.

Division of Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, UMass Memorial Medical Center, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA.

Background: It remains controversial if arterial perfusion in addition to portal vein perfusion during machine preservation improves liver graft quality. Comparative studies using both techniques are lacking. We studied the impact of using single or dual machine perfusion of donation after circulatory death rat livers. Read More

Case Rep Surg 2018 4;2018:3931674. Epub 2018 Nov 4.

Department of Surgery, Chugoku Rosai Hospital, 1-5-1 Hirotagaya, Kure, Hiroshima 737-0193, Japan.

Pylephlebitis is defined as a septic thrombophlebitis of the portal vein and its tributaries that is associated with multiple suppurative abdominal infections. We report a case of pylephlebitis associated with a cholecystocolonic fistula (CCF). A 41-year-old man presented with upper abdominal pain and anorexia for 1 month. Read More

Khirurgiia (Mosk) 2018 (11):20-23

Botkin Municipal Clinical Hospital, Moscow, Russia.

In the time period from 2009 to 2017 in Botkin Hospital (Moscow) bilateral biliary stenting was performed in 43 patients with malignant common hepatic duct stricture. Patients were divided into 2 statistically homogeneous groups: 'side-by-side' stenting in 28 patients and percutaneous 'Y'-biliary stent placement in 15 patients. The causes of malignant obstruction were as follows: in the 1 group 13 (46. Read More