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Background T cells and B cells play a key role in alloimmune responses. We aimed to characterize the shift of T cell subsets and B cell subsets during acute hepatic rejection, and further determine whether they could serve as a prognostic marker. Methods Blood samples together with the clinical data from liver transplant recipients with and without acute hepatic rejection were collected and analyzed as well as from a validation cohort. Results Upon activation the expression of TGF-β and granzyme B in CD19+B cells, and the expression of IL-2 and IFN-γ in CD4+T cells were higher in acute hepatic rejection. However, only the frequencies of granzyme B+CD19+B cells and IFN-γ+CD4+T cells correlated with liver function in addition to with each other. A combination of the two cell subsets as a novel marker could classify rejection versus non-rejection (area under the curve 0.811, p = 0.001) with the cut-off value of 62.93%, which was more sensitive for worse histological changes (p = 0.027). Moreover, the occurrence rate of acute rejection was higher in the group with the novel marker > 62.93% (p = 0.000). The role of the novel marker was further confirmed in a validation cohort, which was identified to be the only significant independent risk factor for acute rejection (odds ratio: 0.923; 95% CI confidence interval: 0.885–0.964; p = 0.000). Conclusions A combination of the percentages of IFN-γ+CD4+T cells and granzyme B+CD19+B cells can distinguish rejection from non-rejection, which can be used as a potential prognostic marker for acute rejection in liver transplant recipients.

Background There are few reports about resection of portal vein (PV)/superior mesenteric vein (SMV) and reconstruction by using allogeneic vein. This case-control study was designed to explore the feasibility and safety of this operation type in patients with T3 stage pancreatic head cancer. Methods A total of 42 patients (Group A) underwent PV/SMV resection and reconstruction by using allogeneic vein were 1:1 matched to 42 controls (Group B) with other types of resection and reconstruction. The two groups were well matched. Results There was no significantly prolonged total operation time (Group A vs. Group B [490.0 min vs. 470 min], P = 0.067) and increased intraoperative blood loss (Group A vs. Group B [650.0 min vs. 450 min], P = 0.108) was found between the two groups. R1 rate of PV/SMV was slightly reduced in group A compared to group B (4.8% vs. 14.3%, P = 0.137), although no significant difference was found. The incidences of main postoperative complications between the two groups were similar. A slightly increased 1-year and 2-year overall survival rate (OS) (Group A vs. Group B [1-year OS: 62.9% vs. 57.0%; 2-year OS: 31.5% vs. 25.6%], P = 0.501) and disease-free survival rate (DFS) (Group A vs. Group B [1-year DFS: 43.9% vs. 36.6%; 2-year DFS: 10.5% vs. 7.4%], P = 0.502) could be found in group A compared to group B, although the differences were not significant. Conclusions The operation types of PV/SMV resection and reconstruction by using allogeneic vein is safety and feasible, it might have a potential benefit for patients.

Purpose The aim of this study was to establish enhanced recovery protocols for the management of mild gallstone pancreatitis. Methods Sixty consecutive patients were divided into enhanced recovery and traditional recovery (TR) groups in a randomized observational study. The basic enhanced recovery elements included early laparoscopic cholecystectomy, restrictive endoscopic intervention, and early oral nutrition. The incidence of complications, readmission, length of stay, and total medical cost were analyzed during the hospital course. Results The length of hospital stay and medical cost were significantly lower in the enhanced recovery group in comparison to the TR group: 5.9 days vs. 10.6 days (P

Based on the calculation of the characteristic parameters by moment method, the curved surface dipoles are optimized by an optimization method, the maximum directivities of some V-curved and Gauss-curved surface dipoles are given.

The exact energy flow pattern on the axis of a circular disk by transient excitation is presented in this paper. It has been shown that non-decaying region does not appear when the source is chosen to be a rectangular pulse, on the contrary, there exists a uprising region on the axis when the width of the pulse is less thana/c. After reaching its maximum value point, the energy decays slowly until the law ofr−2 is met. The scale of the uprising region is dependent upon the size of the antenna and the width of the pulse. It has also been shown that there exists a oscillatory region near the source for a harmonic excitation, and the amplitude is also uprising, which is quite different compared with the conclusion drawn by S. Silver (1949). Finally, the phenomenon of energy uprising in time domain is explained and some problems about the electromagnetic missiles are also expounded.