The British journal of surgery
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Comparative Study
Effects of warm ischaemia combined with cold preservation on the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α pathway in an experimental renal autotransplantation model.
The increased use of marginal donors highlights the importance of organ quality in transplantation and the identification of prognostic biomarkers. This experimental study investigated modulation of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α pathway in kidney grafts in relation to different degrees of ischaemia. ⋯ The HIF-1α pathway appears to be abolished early in response to severe ischaemia. A high degree of ischaemic injury also results in chronic activation of the HIF-1α pathway, diverting it away from the beneficial activation of angiogenesis. Further studies on the finely tuned balance of signals in this pathway may provide diagnostic biomarkers that can determine organ quality during kidney transplantation. Surgical relevance The increased use of marginal donors has highlighted the importance of organ quality in transplantation. Renal ischaemia-reperfusion injury following transplantation induces graft dysfunction. In a porcine model of renal autotransplantation, the induction of regenerative processes, in response to graded degrees of ischaemia, was studied in the post-transplantation phase. There was early abrogation of the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α pathway in response to severe ischaemia. High degrees of ischaemic injury induced chronic activation of the HIF-1α pathway, diverting it from the beneficial activation of angiogenesis. Identification of the mechanisms involved in renal regeneration, such as those related to the HIF-1α pathway, are important as these mechanisms can be used to identify novel therapeutic targets or develop diagnostic biomarkers to determine organ quality early in the transplantation process.
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Liver metastases occur in 40-50 per cent of patients with colorectal cancer and determine long-term survival. The aim of this study was to examine the immunological architecture of colorectal liver metastases and its impact on patient survival. ⋯ Fibrotic capsule formation and localized cell infiltration of colorectal liver metastases by CD45RO(+) cells were related to prolonged patient survival. Based on these immunological criteria a cellular immune score was developed to stratify patients according to prognosis.
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There is no consensus among patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the topics that need to be addressed after oesophageal cancer surgery. The aim of this study was to identify these topics, using a two-round Delphi survey. ⋯ The study provides surgeons with a list of topics selected by patients and HCPs that may be addressed systematically at the initial follow-up consultation after oesophageal cancer surgery.
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Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) promotes angiogenesis and granulation, in part by strain-induced production of growth factors and cytokines. As their expression profiles are being unravelled, it is pertinent to consider the mode of action of NPWT at the molecular level. ⋯ Cytokine and growth factor expression profiles under NPWT suggest that promotion of wound healing occurs by modulation of cytokines to an anti-inflammatory profile, and mechanoreceptor and chemoreceptor-mediated cell signalling, culminating in angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodelling and deposition of granulation tissue. This provides a molecular basis for understanding NPWT.