Predicting immunosuppressant dosing in the early postoperative period with noninvasive indocyanine green elimination following orthotopic liver transplantation

Brian M. Parker, Jacek B. Cywinski, Joan M. Alster, Samuel A. Irefin, Marc Popovich, Michael Beven, John J. Fung – 27 December 2007 – Twenty adult patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) were enrolled in this study, with the noninvasive indocyanine green plasma disappearance rate (ICG‐PDR) measured both during and after OLT to assess the relationship between ICG‐PDR and the ability of patients to achieve therapeutic postoperative tacrolimus immunosuppressant blood levels.

Microtubule acetylation and stability may explain alcohol‐induced alterations in hepatic protein trafficking

Rohan A. Joseph, Blythe D. Shepard, George T. Kannarkat, Tara M. Rutledge, Dean J. Tuma, Pamela L. Tuma – 27 December 2007 – We have been using polarized hepatic WIF‐B cells to examine ethanol‐induced liver injury. Previously, we determined microtubules were more highly acetylated and more stable in ethanol‐treated WIF‐B cells. We proposed that the ethanol‐induced alterations in microtubule dynamics may explain the ethanol‐induced defects in membrane trafficking that have been previously documented.

Safety and efficacy of N‐acetylcysteine in children with non‐acetaminophen‐induced acute liver failure

Christine Kortsalioudaki, Rachel M. Taylor, Paul Cheeseman, Sanjay Bansal, Giorgina Mieli‐Vergani, Anil Dhawan – 27 December 2007 – Acute liver failure (ALF) carries a high mortality in children. N‐acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant agent that replenishes mitochondrial and cytosolic glutathione stores, has been used in the treatment of late acetaminophen‐induced ALF and non‐acetaminophen‐induced ALF. In our unit, NAC was introduced as additional treatment for non‐acetaminophen‐induced ALF in 1995.

Association between donor‐recipient serum sodium differences and orthotopic liver transplant graft function

Jacek B. Cywinski, Edward Mascha, Charles Miller, Bijan Eghtesad, Shunichi Nakagawa, Joseph P. Vincent, Nick Pesa, Jie Na, John J. Fung, Brian M. Parker – 27 December 2007 – Previous studies have shown that donor hypernatremia and possibly recipient hyponatremia negatively impact graft function after orthotopic liver transplant (OLT). The purpose of this retrospective investigation was to determine whether measured differences in serum sodium values between cadaveric donors and OLT recipients (ΔNa+) influence immediate postoperative allograft function and short‐term patient outcomes.

Recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantation: On‐treatment prediction of response to peginterferon/ribavirin therapy

Ibrahim A. Hanouneh, Charles Miller, Federico Aucejo, Rocio Lopez, Mary Kay Quinn, Nizar N. Zein – 27 December 2007 – Sustained virologic response (SVR) in the treatment of recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection after liver transplantation (LT) remains suboptimal. We evaluated efficacy of pegylated interferon alfa (PEG) and ribavirin (RBV) (PEG/RBV) combination therapy in LT recipients with recurrent HCV and predictive values of rapid virological response (RVR) and early virologic response (EVR).

Triple‐phase computed tomography and intraoperative flow measurements improve the management of portosystemic shunts during liver transplantation

Federico N. Aucejo, Koji Hashimoto, Cristiano Quintini, Dympna Kelly, David Vogt, Charles Winans, Bijan Eghtesad, Mark Baker, John Fung, Charles Miller – 27 December 2007 – Ligation of portosystemic shunts in patients with cirrhosis undergoing liver transplantation has been recommended to avoid insufficient portal vein (PV) flow. Shunts are not always recognized pretransplantation because intraoperative PV flow assessment is not routinely attempted.

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