Annals of translational medicine
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Review
ALPPS for hepatocarcinoma under cirrhosis: a feasible alternative to portal vein embolization.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and malignant tumors. Preoperative portal vein embolization (PVE) is currently the most accepted treatment before major hepatic resection for HCC in patients with liver fibrosis or cirrhosis and associated insufficient future liver remnant (FLR). In the last decade, associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) technique has been described to obtain an increase of volume regarding PVE and a decrease of drop out. ⋯ For both techniques a complete preoperative assessment of the FLR is the most important issue and only patients with and adequate FLR should be resected. ALPPS could be a feasible technique in very selected patients with HCC and cirrhosis. As long as it is performed in an experienced center could be used as a first choice technique versus PVE or could be used as a rescue technique in case of PVE failure.
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Psoriasis is an incurable, chronic skin disorder with considerable impact on the quality of life. No drugs are available for treating the disease. Clarifying the progression, exploring the risk factors affecting progression, and finding effective treatments with few side-effects and low recurrence rates is critical. This protocol describes a future study that will analyze psoriasis vulgaris progression risk factors and trends, establish a multicenter clinical registration platform, evaluate clinical evidence for Chinese Medicine (CM) intervention for psoriasis, and evaluate therapeutic effectiveness and recurrence rate advantages of CM. ⋯ The primary outcome measures include improvement in both the psoriasis and severity index scores after eight weeks of intervention. Secondary outcome measures include body surface area affected, Physician Global Assessment scores, Dermatology Life Quality Index, pain-relat ed quality of life, pain on visual analog scale, CM syndromes, and recurrence. Other outcome measures include CM physical scale, personal history, medical expenses, and patient satisfaction. The number, nature, and severity of adverse events will be carefully recorded.
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Adding an adjuvant, such as dexmedetomidine or dexamethasone, to a nerve block improves its quality and reduces perioperative opioid consumption. We aimed to compare the effect of dexmedetomidine and dexamethasone as an adjuvant for the erector spinae plane block (ESPB) to control postoperative pain after video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy surgery (VATLS). ⋯ Using dexmedetomidine (1 µg/kg), instead of dexamethasone (10 mg), as an adjuvant of ESPB with ropivacaine, prolonged sensory block duration, provided effective acute pain control, and required lesser rescue analgesia and shorter hospital stays.
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Whether tumor mutation burden (TMB) correlated with improved survival outcomes or promotion of immunotherapies remained controversy in various malignancies. We aimed to investigate the prognosis of TMB and the potential association with immune infiltrates in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). ⋯ Higher TMB correlated with poor survival outcomes and might inhibit the immune infiltrates in ccRCC. The mutants of 9 hub TMB-related immune signature conferred lower immune cells infiltration which deserved further validation.
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Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA), which is present in the blood, is related to the apoptosis and necrosis of cancer cells; inflammation also influences the total plasma level of cfDNA. However, the total plasma cfDNA level has not been investigated in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who experience cancer and HBV infection at the same time. The aim of the study was to investigate total plasma cfDNA in patients with HBV-related HCC. ⋯ In addition to tumor diameter and vascular invasion, CTP class can influence total plasma cfDNA in HBV-related HCC patients, and the total plasma cfDNA level can be used as a biomarker to predict early recurrence in HBV-related HCC patients.