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Background: Studies reporting outcomes of endoscopic treatment methods in children who underwent liver transplantation (LT) is very limited. We present our outcomes, as a high-volume transplant center where endoscopic methods are preferred as the first choice in the treatment of biliary complications in children. Methods: Patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) as the first treatment approach for biliary complications after LT between 2005 and 2017 were included. Clinical data included patient demographics, ERCP indications (stricture or leak), and treatment outcomes, including the need for percutaneous and surgical intervention. Results: ERCP was performed in 49 patients who had a duct-to-duct anastomosis (38 living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), 11 deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT)). The most common biliary complication was stricture. Our endoscopic success rate was 66.7% (18/27) and 75% (6/8) in LDLT and DDLT patients with stricture (p > 0.05), respectively. While our endoscopic success rate was 75% (3/4) in patients with leak alone after LDLT, it was 25% (1/4) in patients with leak and stricture in this group. The endoscopic success rate was 50% in two patients who had leak alone after DDLT. Conclusions: ERCP should be considered as a preferential treatment option for the management of biliary complications in pediatric liver transplant patients with duct-to-duct anastomosis, as in adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and study aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of Lycium barbarum (LB) on bacterial translocation (BT) frequency in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver injury in rats. Materials and methods: Group 1 was the control. In group 2 (TAA), rats received TAA daily for 3 days. In group 3 (TAA+LB), Lycium barbarum was administered orally 25 mg/kg for 21 days prior to the first TAA injection. In group 4 (LB), rats received only Lycium barbarum. Results: In our study, Lycium barbarum treatment did not attenuate liver damage. Lycium barbarum treatment decreased ileal E. coli counts and intestinal damage but it did not alter BT frequency. Conclusions: In conclusion, the effects of Lycium barbarum on BT may be related to ongoing severe liver damage in this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin a frequently used antimicrobial for the treatment of late-onset neonatal sepsis. It can be infused either intermittently or continuously, however, there is no consensus on the optimal dosing regimen. AIM: To evaluate microbiological outcomes, clinical response and adverse events of vancomycin when administered via continuos intravenous infusion. METHODS: The files of preterm infants (<34 weeks), who received either intermittent (group I, n = 41) or continuous (group II, n = 36) vancomycin infusion for the treatment of late-onset sepsis, were investigated retrospectively. Clinical and demographic features were recorded. RESULTS: Clinical improvement rates,Töllner scores and microbiological outcomes did not differ significantly between groups. At 48th hour of vancomycin infusion, 52.8% of infants achieved therapeutic concentrations of vancomycin in group II compared with 34.1% of patients in group I (p = 0.002). Thirty-nine percent of infants in group I had supratherapeutic concentrations of vancomycin at 48th hour compared with 5.6% in group II (p = 0.002). Dose adjustment rate in group I did not differ than group II (65.9% vs. 52.8% respectively, p = 0.3). However, when we subdivide group I into two according to dosing intervals, dose adjustment rates were more common in infants with a gestational age <29 weeks for whom intermittent infusion was performed in 18 hours intervals (92.9% vs 51.9%, p = 0.014). CONCLUSION: In preterm infants, continuous and intermittent infusions of vancomycin have similar clinical efficacies. Continuous infusion is well-tolerated and require less blood sampling compared to intermittent infusion especially in infants less than 29 weeks of gestational age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High summer temperature negatively affects cotton yield, and better understanding of genetic mechanisms of heat stress responses in cotton may facilitate development of new heat tolerant cultivars. We attempted to determine heat responsive genes in cotton using tolerant (Stoneville 453, BA 119) and susceptible (Nazilli 84S) cultivars. Twenty five expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were sequenced and studied for gene homology. Sixteen ESTs were significantly similar to known genes, whereas eight ESTs were similar to not annotated cDNA clones and 1 EST did not show homology to any known gene. Expression of some ESTs was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and IAA-ala hydrolase (IAR3), folylpolyglutamate synthase (FPGS3), and two not annotated ESTs (GhHS126 and GhHS128) were consistently up-regulated under both short- and long-term heat stress. Since cotton is considered relatively more heat tolerant than most of the other crops, it can be suggested that these genes and ESTs could play a significant role in heat tolerance. In addition, GhHS126 and GhHS128 might be parts of the new candidate genes for heat tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gingko biloba (GB) has antioxidant and platelet-activating factor (PAF) antagonistic effects. We investigated the protective effects of GB on thioacetamide (TAA)-induced fulminant hepatic failure in rats. Fulminant hepatic failure was induced in treatment groups by three intraperitoneal (ip) injections of TAA (350 mg/kg) at 24-hour intervals. Treatments with GB (100 mg/kg per day, orally) and N-acetylcysteine (20 mg/kg twice daily, sc) were initiated 48 hours prior to TAA administration. The liver was removed for histopathological examinations. Serum and liver thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) levels were measured for assessment of oxidative stress. Liver necrosis and inflammation scores and serum and liver TBARS levels were significantly higher in the TAA group compared to the control group (P <0.001, <0.001, 0.001, <0.001, respectively). Liver necrosis and inflammation scores and liver TBARS levels were significantly lower in the GB group compared to the TAA group (P <0.001, <0.001 and 0.01, respectively). GB ameliorated hepatic damage in TAA-induced fulminant hepatic failure. This may be due to the free radical-scavenging effects of GB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]