Background: In times of modern surgery, transplantation and percutaneous techniques, pyogenic liver

Background: Adult liver recipients (ALR) differ from the general population with pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) as they exhibit: reconstructed biliary anatomy, recurrent hospitalizations, poor clinical condition and are subjected to immunosuppression. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors associated with PLA in ALR and to analyze the management experience of these patients. Methods: Between 1996 and 2016, 879 adult patients underwent liver transplantation (LT), 26 of whom developed PLA. Patients and controls were matched according to the time from transplant to abscess in a 1 to 5 relation. A logistic regression model was performed to establish PLA risk factors considering clusters for matched cases and controls. Risk factors were identified and a multivariate regression analysis performed. Results: Patients with post-LT PLA were more likely to have lower BMI (p = 0.006), renal failure (p = 0.031) and to have undergone retransplantation (p = 0.002). A history of hepatic artery thrombosis(p = 0.010), the presence of Roux en-Y hepatojejunostomy (p < 0.001) and longer organ ischemia time (p = 0.009) were independent predictors for the development of post-LT PLA. Five-year survival was 49% (95%CI 28-67%) and 89% (95%CI 78%-94%) for post-LT PLA and no post-LT PLA, respectively (p < 0.001).Conclusion: history of hepatic artery thrombosis, the presence of hepatojejunostomy and a longer ischemia time represent independent predictors for the development of post-LT PLA. There was a significantly poorer survival in patients who developed post-LT PLA compared with those who did not.

Chagas' disease is a chronic, debilitating, multisystemic disorder that affects millions of people in Latin America. The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas' disease, has a large number of O-glycosylated Thr/Ser/Pro-rich mucin molecules on its surface (TcMuc). These mucins are the main acceptors of sialic acid and have been suggested to play a role on various host-parasite interactions, such as adhesion to macrophages, protection from complement lysis, and immunomodulation of the immune response mounted by the host. To observe the immunologic effect obtained by the heterologous expression of a TcMuc gene in higher eukaryotic cells exposed to xenogeneic lymphocytes, we developed a strategy based on the transfection of a known T. cruzi mucin gene (TcMuc-e2) into Vero cells. In contrast to the brisk proliferation and activation of human lymphocytes observed at 3, 4, and 5 days induced by normal Vero cells, neither proliferation nor significant activation of human lymphocytes was observed with TcMuc-e2-transfected Vero cells. This TcMuc-e2 mucin-induced suppression of T cell response can be reversed by the addition of exogenous IL-2. In addition it was demonstrated that the immunosuppressive reaction was not related to the induction of an important degree of apoptosis in human lymphocytes. Posttranslational modification are required for the inhibitory effect that TcMuc-e2 exerts when transfected to Vero cells. O-glycosylation and sialylation are required to obtain the immunomodulatory effect as assessed by O-sialoglycoprotease and neuraminidase treatments. These results are consistent with other studies showing that surface glycoconjugates from T. cruzi and mammalian cells can induce an inhibition of the immune response.

Here we report on the impact of completely unpurified islet transplantation on the portal vein pressure (PVP) and the hepatic biochemistry in the peritransplant period and on follow-up. Type I diabetic patients underwent simultaneous kidney and islet transplantation. Islets were not purified from the acinar tissue to prevent loss of endocrine mass. Each patient received a mean 521,846 +/- 201,539.4 islet equivalents (7812.1 islet equivalents/kg/recipient). Immunosuppression and peritransplant medication were given according to the Giessen protocol. The islets were injected into the left hepatic lobe through the umbilical vein. PVP was recorded at time 0 and every 5 min throughout cell infusion. Liver function was assessed daily for the first 10 days, and on follow-up. Basal, peak, and final PVP were 12 +/- 3.8, 25.1 +/- 7.9, and 19.5 +/- 6.2 mmHg, respectively (basal vs. final, p < 0.05). Bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, prothrombin time, and APTT stayed within normal range. Peak aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and serum amylase were 109.4 +/- 61.2 IU/L (basal vs. peak, not significant), 79.5 +/- 56.9 IU/L (basal vs. peak, not significant), and 887.5 +/- 153.6 IU/L (basal vs. peak, p = 0.02), respectively. In all cases AST, ALT, and amylase normalized within 6 days posttransplant and remained so on follow-up (longest control, 33 months posttransplant). Although the intrahepatic infusion of unpurified pancreatic islets affects both the portal vein pressure and the hepatic biochemical profile, this effect is transient and does not compromise the safety of the procedure.

A postoperative enterocutaneous fistula is one of the most complex medical problems. Its treatment may become long-lasting, wearisome, and its outcome often is disappointing. Here, we describe the use of a novel device to treat a 67-year-old patient with a postoperative, high-output enterocutaneous fistula. A semipermeable barrier was created over the fistula by vacuum packing a synthetic, hydrophobic polymer covered with a self-adherent surgical sheet. To set up the system, we constructed a vacuum chamber equipped with precision instruments that supplied subatmospheric pressures between 350 and 450 mm Hg. The intestinal content was, thus, kept inside the lumen, restoring bowel transit and physiology. The fistula output was immediately reduced from a median of 800 ml/day (range, 400-1,600 ml/day), to a median of 10 ml/day (range, 0-250 ml/day), which was readily collected by the apparatus. Oral feeding was reinitiated while both parenteral nutrition and octreotide were withdrawn. No septic complications occurred, and the perifistular skin stayed protected from irritating intestinal effluents. Both the fistula orifice and the wound defect fully healed after 50 days of treatment. We believe this method may serve as a useful tool to treat selected cases of high-output enterocutaneous fistulas without the need for octreotide or parenteral nutrition.