Stenting with pcARMS compared with standard ucSEMS reduces risk of ascending cholangitis and has longer stent patency, but does not increase patient survival. Chictr.org. number, ChiCTR-TRC-11001800.

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Background Endoscopic management of biliary anastomotic stricture (AS) following liver transplantation (LT) remains challenging. There are no dedicated self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) for this setting. Methods A short fully covered SEMS (FCSEMS) with a retrieval suture was designed. Between July 2008 and June 2010, 13 patients with post-LT AS had this FCSEMS placed endoscopically, keeping the whole stent inside the bile duct across the AS with the retriever out of the papilla. The stents were removed by forceps under endoscopy according to a schedule. Technical success, complications, AS resolution and the outcome for the patients were observed. Results Placement of the FCSEMS was successful on the first attempt in all patients. One patient with complicated infection did not respond to the stenting therapy and underwent stent retrieval ahead of schedule. Others kept well during stenting for a mean (SD) duration of 5.4 (1.7) months (range 2-8) without stent migration. All stents were removed successfully without great difficulty. AS resolution was obtained in all 12 patients, who were closely followed up for a mean (SD) time of 12.1 (8.0) months (range 1-26.5) after stent removal. Stricture recurrence occurred in one, who underwent a successful reintervention with a second FCSEMS. Others remain free from symptoms and have normal liver function up to now. Conclusions Endoscopic treatment of post-LT AS using a removable FCSEMS is technically feasible, safe, and effective. This dedicated method may play an increasing role in the future management of benign biliary strictures.Keywords Biliary stricture Á Complications Á Liver transplantation Á Self expanding metal stent (SEMS) Á Endoscopic therapy Abbreviations SEMSSelf-expandable metal stent FCSEMS Fully covered self-expandable metal stent PCSEMS Partially covered self-expandable metal stent LT Liver transplantation AS Anastomotic stricture

BackgroundSelf-expandable metallic stents (SEMSs) are widely used for palliation of malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). There are two types of SEMS, covered and uncovered, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety between uncovered and covered SEMSs in the palliation of malignant gastric outlet obstruction.MethodsDatabases including PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, the Science Citation Index and momentous meeting abstracts were searched and evaluated by two reviewers independently.ResultsNine trials involving 849 patients were analyzed. Meta-analysis showed there was no significant difference in technical success rate (RR 1.0, 95% CI [0.98, 1.01]), clinical success rate (RR 1.04, 95% CI [0.98, 1.11]), post-stenting dysphagia score (WMD −0.01, 95% CI [−0.52, 0.50]), stent patency (WMD −0.31, 95% CI [−1.73, 1.11]), overall complications (RR 1.07, 95% CI [0.87, 1.32]) and reintervention rate (RR 1.30, 95% CI [0.92, 1.83]) between covered and uncovered SEMSs group. However, covered SEMSs were associated with higher migration rate (RR 3.48, 95% CI [2.16, 5.62], P < 0.00001) and lower obstruction rate (RR 0.42, 95% CI [0.24, 0.73], P = 0.002).ConclusionsIn the palliative treatment of malignant gastric outlet obstruction, both covered and uncovered SEMSs are safely and effective. Covered stents can reduce the risk of restenosis, whereas uncovered stents are effective in decreasing stent migration.

The polarization of tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) and tumor‐associated neutrophils (TANs), especially from the antitumoral phenotype to the protumoral phenotype under certain conditions, has an important influence on the progression of tumors. However, the interactions and combined prognosis of these cells are poorly known. Here, we detected the infiltration of CD68+ TAMs, CD163+ TAMs, and CD66b+ TANs in the specimens from 662 patients with GC by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that the infiltration of each of CD163+, CD68+, and CD66b+ cells in GC tissue was significantly increased and independently associated with GC prognosis. Strong collinearity (r = 0.690, P < 0.001) was found between the infiltration of CD163+ and CD68+ cells in GC, and multivariate Cox analysis confirmed the infiltration of CD163+ cells was a better predictor for prognosis than that of CD68+ cells. The combination of the infiltration of CD163+ and CD66b+ cells provided more accurate survival prediction than any individual marker. Patient subgroups with CD66blowCD163low (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.161; 95% confidence interval (CI)  = 1.266–3.688; P < 0.001), CD66bhighCD163high (HR = 3.575; 95% CI = 2.155–5.933; P < 0.001), and CD66blowCD163high (HR = 7.514; 95% CI = 4.583–12.312; P < 0.001) were gradually associated with shorter DFS when compared with the subgroup with CD66bhighCD163low. The similar result was also for DSS among the subgroups. Moreover, the two‐marker model could more effectively discriminate the prognosis among the patients with chemotherapy than that among those without chemotherapy. We concluded that CD163+ TAMs were a more valuable prognostic marker than CD68+ TAMs, and CD163+ TAMs combined with CD66b+ TANs could more precisely predict the prognosis of patients with GC.

Hemicentin has come a long way from when it was first identified in C. elegans as him-4 (High incidence of males). The protein is now a recognized player in maintaining the architectural integrity of vertebrate tissues and organs. Highly conserved hemicentin sequences across species indicate this gene’s ancient evolutionary roots and functional importance. In mouse, hemicentin is liberally distributed on the cell surface of many cell types, including epithelial cells, endothelial cells of the eye, lung, and uterus, and trophectodermal cells of blastocyst. Recent discoveries have uncovered yet another vital purpose of hemicentin 1. The protein also serves a unique function in mitotic cytokinesis, during which this extracellular matrix protein plays a key role in cleavage furrow maturation. Though understanding of hemicentin function has improved through new discoveries, much about this protein remains mysterious.

The aim of this study was to establish the criteria for methodology of cellular “anti-IGF-I” therapy of malignant tumours and particularly for glioblastoma multiforme. The treatment of primary glioblastoma patients using surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy was followed by subcutaneous injection of autologous cancer cells transfected by IGF-I antisense/triple helix expression vectors. The prepared cell “vaccines” should it be in the case of glioblastomas or other tumours, have shown a change of phenotype, the absence of IGF-I protein, and expression of MHC-I and B7. The peripheral blood lymphocytes, PBL cells, removed after each of two successive vaccinations, have demonstrated for all the types of tumour tested an increasing level of CD8+and CD8+28+molecules and a switch from CD8+11b+to CD8+11. All cancer patients were supervised for up to 19 months, the period corresponding to minimum survival of glioblastoma patients. The obtained results have permitted to specify the common criteria for “anti-IGF-I” strategy: characteristics sine qua non of injected “vaccines” (cloned cells IGF-I(−) and MHC-I(+)) and of PBL cells (CD8+increased level).