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Postoperative complications are vital factors affecting the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), especially for complex hepatectomy. The present study aimed to compare perioperative complications between laparoscopic and robotic complex hepatectomy (LCH vs. RCH). Patients with solitary HCC after complex hepatectomy were collected from a multicenter database. Propensity score-matched (PSM) analysis was adopted to control confounding bias. Multivariable analysis was performed to determine the prognostic factors. 436 patients were included. After PSM, 43 patients were included in both the LCH and RCH groups. The results showed that compared to LCH, RCH had lower rates of blood loss and transfusion, and lower postoperative 30-day and major morbidity, and post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) (all P < 0.05). Additionally, the length of hospital stay was shorter in the RCH group (P = 0.026). Multivariable analysis showed RCH is an independent protective factor for reducing the 30-day morbidity, major morbidity and PHLF. RCH has advantages over LCH in the minimally invasive treatment of complex HCC, as it can reduce the incidence of postoperative morbidity. Therefore, RCH should be considered for patients with HCC who require complex hepatectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of nitrate (NO 3 − ) on chromate (Cr(VI)) reduction in a membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) were studied when CH 4 was the sole electron donor supplied with a non-limiting delivery capacity. A high surface loading of NO 3 − gave significant and irreversible inhibition of Cr(VI) reduction. At a surface loading of 500 mg Cr/m 2 -d, the Cr(VI)-removal percentage was 100% when NO 3 − was absent (Stage 1), but was dramatically lowered to < 25% with introduction of 280 mg N m −2 -d NO 3 − (Stage 2). After ∼50 days operation in Stage 2, the Cr(VI) reduction recovered to only ∼70% in Stage 3, when NO 3 − was removed from the influent; thus, NO 3 − had a significant long-term inhibition effect on Cr(VI) reduction. Weighted PCoA and UniFrac analyses proved that the introduction of NO 3 − had a strong impact on the microbial community in the biofilms, and the changes possibly were linked to the irreversible inhibition of Cr(VI) reduction. For example, Meiothermus , the main genus involved in Cr(VI) reduction at first, declined with introduction of NO 3 − . The denitrifier Chitinophagaceae was enriched after the addition of NO 3 − , while Pelomonas became important when nitrate was removed, suggesting its potential role as a Cr(VI) reducer. Moreover, introducing NO 3 − led to a decrease in the number of genes predicted (by PICRUSt) to be related to chromate reduction, but genes predicted to be related to denitrification, methane oxidation, and fermentation increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]