Skeletal muscle depletion, referred to as sarcopenia, predicts morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing digestive surgery. However, the impact on liver transplantation is unclear. The present study investigated the impact of sarcopenia on patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Sarcopenia was assessed by a body composition analyzer in 124 adult patients undergoing LDLT between February 2008 and April 2012. The correlation of sarcopenia with other patient factors and the impact of sarcopenia on survival after LDLT were analyzed. The median ratio of preoperative skeletal muscle mass was 92% (range, 67-130%) of the standard mass. Preoperative skeletal muscle mass was significantly correlated with the branched-chain amino acids to tyrosine ratio (r ¼ À0.254, p ¼ 0.005) and body cell mass (r ¼ 0.636, p < 0.001). The overall survival rate in patients with low skeletal muscle mass was significantly lower than in patients with normal/high skeletal muscle mass (p < 0.001). Perioperative nutritional therapy significantly increased overall survival in patients with low skeletal muscle mass (p ¼ 0.009). Multivariate analysis showed that low skeletal muscle mass was an independent risk factor for death after transplantation. In conclusion, sarcopenia was closely involved with posttransplant mortality in patients undergoing LDLT. Perioperative nutritional therapy significantly improved overall survival in patients with sarcopenia.

Tumor recurrence after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with a poor prognosis. Because immunosuppression is a well-known risk factor for tumor growth, it is surprising that its possible role in the outcome of liver transplantation has been poorly evaluated. We performed a case-control review of prospectively collected data and compared 2 groups of patients according to the type of immunosuppression after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma at a single center. One hundred six patients received tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil, and 121 received sirolimus. Patients in the sirolimus group had significantly higher recurrence-free survival rates than patients in the tacrolimus group (P ϭ 0.0003). The sirolimus group also had significantly higher patient survival rates than the tacrolimus group at 1 year (94% versus 79%), 3 years (85% versus 66%), and 5 years (80% versus 59%; P ϭ 0.001). Sirolimus was well tolerated, and the patients in this study did not have the increase in surgical complications noted by other investigators. Leukopenia was the most common side effect, but it typically resolved with dose reduction. Dyslipidemia and mouth ulcers were common but were easily controlled. In summary, the data suggest a beneficial effect of sirolimus immunosuppression on recurrence-free survival, which translates into patient survival benefits.

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Carbon monoxide (CO) provides protection against oxidative stress via anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective actions. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that a low concentration of exogenous (inhaled) CO would protect transplanted lung grafts from cold ischemia-reperfusion injury via a mechanism involving the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Lewis rats underwent orthotopic syngeneic or allogeneic left lung transplantation with 6 h of cold static preservation. Exposure of donors and recipients (1 h before and then continuously post-transplant) to 250 ppm CO resulted in significant improvement in gas exchange, reduced leukocyte sequestration, preservation of parenchymal and endothelial cell ultrastructure and reduced inflammation compared to animals exposed to air. The beneficial effects of CO were associated with p38 MAPK phosphorylation and were significantly prevented by treatment with a p38 MAPK inhibitor, suggesting that CO's efficacy is at least partially mediated by activation of p38 MAPK. Furthermore, CO markedly suppressed inflammatory events in the contralateral naïve lung. This study demonstrates that perioperative exposure of donors and recipients to CO at a low concentration can impart potent anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects in a clinically relevant model of lung transplantation and support further evaluation for potential clinical use.

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