As the criteria for liver donation have been extended to include marginal donors, liver grafts are becoming particularly vulnerable to hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). However, no specific measures have been validated to ameliorate hepatic IRI. In this article, we explored whether everolimus has protective effects against hepatic IRI in relation with autophagy. The effects of everolimus were investigated in both in vitro and in vivo hepatic IRI models. Mouse hepatocyte AML12 cells and BALB/c mice were utilized for the establishment of each model. In the IRI-induced AML12 cells, everolimus treatment increased the expressions of autophagic markers (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 and p62) and decreased pro-apoptotic proteins (cleaved caspase 3 and cleaved poly-ADP ribose polymerase). The blockage of autophagy, using either bafilomycin A1 or si-autophagy-related protein 5, abrogated these anti-apoptosis effects of everolimus. Subsequently, everolimus administration to the hepatic IRI-induced mice provided hepatoprotective effects in terms of (1) decreasing the expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins, (2) inhibiting the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α), (3) reducing elevated liver enzymes (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and ammonia), and (4) restoring liver histopathology. These findings suggest that everolimus protects the liver against hepatic IRI by way of activating autophagy, and thus could be a potential therapeutic agent for hepatic IRI.

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Locoregional relapse at 5 years after gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy was 8·5 per cent, and was most often seen outside the D2 dissected area.

Polypyrroles doped with two dopants were prepared by chemical polymerization in aqueous solutions of pyrrole monomer. The solutions contained dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid (DBSA) as a dopant, tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEABF 4 ) as a codopant, and ammonium persulfate (APS) as an oxidant. The PPy composites [polypyrrole-dodecylbenzenesulfonates (PPy-DBS) codoped with tetrafluoroborate (BF 4 Ϫ )-PPy-DBS-BF] were soluble in m-cresol, NMP, and conditionally soluble in chloroform. Cyclic voltammetry was measured to know the electrochemical property of PPy-DBS-BF. The maximum electrical conductivity of room temperature for PPy-DBS-BF is 1.18 s/cm, which is greatly higher than that of polypyrrole doped with DBS Ϫ (0.04 s/cm). The composition and structural characterization of PPy-DBS-BF were inferred from elemental analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy was performed to know the morphology of PPy-DBS-BF. The results of UV-Vis spectra and electron spin resonance measurements showed that polaron and bipolaron existed as charge carrier of soluble PPy-DBS-BF. From the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity, it was suggested that possible conduction mechanism for soluble PPy-DBS-BF should be hopping conduction.

Volume measurement of cervical nodes using 3D US can be a useful tool for differentiating metastatic from benign nodes in patients with primary head and neck malignancy.

Soluble polypyrrole (PPy) samples advanced in electrical conductivity were chemically synthesized with dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS) sodium salt as a dopant, with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as an additive, and with ammonium persulfate as an oxidant. The PPy-DBS-PEG samples were soluble in organic solvents (N-methylpyrrolinone and m-cresol). The greater the molar percentage ratio was of DBS, the greater the solubility was of synthesized PPy composites (PPy-DBS-PEG). The maximum electrical conductivity at room temperature for PPy-DBS-PEG was 1.02 S/cm, which was in fact the true conductivity of 100/10 (mol %) PPy/DBS. The chemical composition and doping level of PPy-DBS-PEG were determined by elemental analysis. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used for the structural characterization of PPy-DBS-PEG. The scanning electron microscopy results showed that the electrical conductivity was related to the morphology of PPy-DBS-PEG. According to thermogravimetric analysis, PPy-DBS-PEG was more thermostable than PPy-DBS. Electron spin resonance measurements showed that the polaron and bipolaron acted as charge carriers of PPy-DBS-PEG. According to the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity, PPy-DBS-PEG was a semiconductor and followed the three-dimensional variable-range hopping model. The improved electrical conductivity apparently resulted from the reduction of the crosslinking and structural defects of the PPy chains.

ANA may be an important marker of disease activity in patients with JIA. ANA titres tend to decrease during disease remission but the fluorescence patterns do not appear to be related to disease activity or clinical outcome.

Trocar site hernia arising from 8 mm robotic port is very rare despite the increasing prevalence of robot-assisted surgeries. To date, there had been only a single case reported in the literature. We report a case of small bowel obstruction secondary to an interparietal trocar site incisional hernia after robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy. Meticulous closure of 8 mm robotic trocar sites associated with large peritoneal defect at the end of surgery should be performed.