• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.288-294
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• 2021

Purpose: Despite aggressive medical and nutritional management, patients with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) often suffer from multi-organ damage. Early deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) has emerged as an intervention to prevent disease progression. We investigated the efficacy of living donor LT (LDLT) with a potential carrier of MMA and a small volume of graft in patients with MMA as an alternative to DDLT. Methods: Of five patients (three male, two female; median age 5.7 years; range, 1.3-13.7 years), four underwent carrier LDLT, while one underwent non-carrier auxiliary LDLT. All patients received pre- and post-LT continuous renal replacement therapy and were provided with minimal restriction diet according to serum MMA level after LT. MMA levels in the serum and urine, the incidence of metabolic crisis, and clinical findings before and after LT were compared. Results: The survival rate was 100% during 2.2 years of follow up period after LT. In all five cases, MMA titer in the serum after transplantation decreased with less restrictive diet. Metabolic crisis was not observed during the follow-up period. In addition, no patient showed progression of severe renal impairment requiring hemodialysis. Progression of delayed cognitive development was not observed. Social functioning with improved neuropsychiatric development was observed. Conclusion: This study showed that LDLT achieved improved quality of life with less restrictive diet, therefore it could be a feasible alternative option to DDLT for the treatment of patients with MMA, even with an auxiliary LT.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2014

Purpose: The propose of this study was to introduce the clamping protocols for a biliary external drainage tube and trace the results of using clamping protocols to prevent some possible biliary complications or enable their early detection in living-donor liver transplantation. Method: This study was a retrospective study to analyze the cases of 97 subjects who had undergone liver transplantation in a hospital in Seoul, Korea. Clamping protocol 1 was applied to 47 patients, and clamping protocol 2 was applied to 50 patients. Results: In the case of protocol 1, the success rate of the clamping protocol was 74.5%, while that of protocol 2 was 84.0%. However, there was no significant difference in the compiled statistics from authentic sources (p = .246). Conclusions: The difference in the success rate between the two protocols was not significant for the clamping protocols of the biliary external drainage tube. However protocol 2 is suggested for the clamping method due to the simplicity of application. Further study with a large sample size is suggested.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3855-3859
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• 2013

Purpose: Liver cancer, one of the most common cancers in China, is reported to feature relatively high morbidity and mortality. Curcumin (Cum) is considered as a drug possessing anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation effect. Previous research has demonstrated antitumor effects in a series of cancers. Materials and Methods: In this study the in vitro cytotoxicity of Cum was measured by MTT assay and pro-apoptotic effects were assessed by DAPI staining and measurement of caspase-3 activity. In vivo anti-hepatoma efficacy of Cum was assessed with HepG2 xenografts. Results: It is found that Cum dose-dependently inhibited cell growth in HepG2 cells with activation of apoptosis. Moreover, Cum delayed the growth of liver cancer in a dose-dependent manner in nude mice. Conclusions: Cum might be a promising phytomedicine in cancer therapy and further efforts are needed to explore this therapeutic strategy.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.435-450
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to understand the care experiences of the family of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) patients where the donation had occurred within the family. Methods: Participants were eight family caregivers who cared for recipients and donors of LDLT. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews from November, 2020 to April, 2021. Data analysis was performed through a cyclical process of data collection and analysis by applying Giorgi's phenomenological research method. Results: The five main components extracted from the experiences of the family caregivers were: "A double-edged choice to save the family", "The harsh daily life of liver transplantation care", "The yoke of double care on both shoulders", "The power to withstand the adversity of caring", and "The recovery and growth of life pursued by trusting each other". Conclusion: The participants tried to do their best in their daily lives, while providing reassurance and care to the LDLT patients in the family; however, they expressed some worry and hardship while doing so. The results of this study provide a deeper understanding of the caring experience of the family caregivers, which may contribute to the development of nursing interventions that will aid these caregivers in providing care to their LDLT family members. Furthermore, the development and application of an integrated management program for LDLT patients in the family is required.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.147-151
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• 2016

Neonatal hemochromatosis (NH) is a severe neonatal liver injury that is confirmed by extra-hepatic iron accumulation. Although a recent study described treating NH with exchange transfusions and intravenous immunoglobulin, liver transplantation should be considered for patients with severe liver failure that does not respond to other medical treatment. Herein, we report the case of a two-month-old female infant who presented with persistent ascites and hyperbilirubinemia. Her laboratory findings demonstrated severe coagulopathy, high indirect and direct bilirubin levels, and high ferritin levels. Abdominal magnetic resonance imaging presented low signal intensity in the liver on T2-weighted images, suggesting iron deposition. The infant was diagnosed with NH as a result of the clinical findings and after congenital infection and metabolic diseases were excluded. The infant was successfully treated with a living-donor liver transplantation. Living related liver transplantation should be considered as a treatment option for NH in infants.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.261-265
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• 2014

Three-dimensional computed tomography is an effective tool to estimate the liver volume of living donors for the live liver transplantation. When additional operation is required, magnetic resonance imaging is conducted to determine the safety of the donor. This study compared the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography in estimating 3D liver volume of 23 male and 7 female donors who underwent both magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography tests before the transplantation. The analysis was conducted to see whether the liver's estimated total volumes and the left lobe volumes obtained from 3D-magnetic resonance imaging and 3D-computed tomography were identical. Volumes of the right lobe estimated with 3D-magnetic resonance imaging and 3D-computed tomography were compared with the actual volume of the right lobe harvested in the operating room because the volume of the right lobe is an important determinant in the safety of the donor. The total volume of the liver estimated from 3D-magnetic resonance imaging and 3D-computed tomography differed (1238.1904 units and 1402.364 units respectively). The left lobe volume of the liver estimated with 3D-magnetic resonance imaging and 3D-computed tomography also differed (450.530 units and 554.490 units, respectively). The right lobe volume of the liver estimated with 3D-magnetic resonance imaging and 3D-computed tomography were 787.660 units and 847.545 units, respectively, while the actual average right lobe volume of the harvested liver was 678.636 units. 3D-computed tomography has been widely used to estimate the right lobe volume of the donors' liver. However, 3D-magnetic resonance imaging was also very effective in estimating the volume of the liver. Thus, 3D-magnetic resonance imaging is also expected to become an important tool in determining the safety of the donors before transplantation.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.51
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• pp.324.1-324.6
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• 2018

Oxysterol $7{\alpha}$-hydroxylase deficiency is a very rare liver disease categorized as inborn errors of bile acid synthesis, caused by CYP7B1 mutations. As it may cause rapid progression to end-stage liver disease even in early infancy, a high index of suspicion is required to prevent fatal outcomes. We describe the case of a 3-month-old boy with progressive cholestatic hepatitis and severe hepatic fibrosis. After excluding other etiologies for his early liver failure, we found that he had profuse urinary excretion of $3{\beta}$-monohydroxy-${\Delta}^5$-bile acid derivatives by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis with dried urine spots on filter paper. He was confirmed to have a compound heterozygous mutation (p.Arg388Ter and p.Tyr469IlefsX5) of the CYP7B1 gene. After undergoing liver transplantation (LT) from his mother at 4 months of age, his deteriorated liver function completely normalized, and he had normal growth and development until the current follow-up at 33 months of age. We report the first Korean case of oxysterol $7{\alpha}$-hydroxylase deficiency in the youngest infant reported to undergo successful living donor LT to date.

• Annals of Surgical Treatment and Research
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• v.95 no.5
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• pp.267-277
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• 2018

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze survival outcomes in 1,000 consecutive liver transplantations (LTs) performed at a single institution from 1993 to April 2017. Methods: The study population was divided into 2 groups based on donor type: deceased donor LT (DDLT; n = 181, 18.1%) and living donor LT (LDLT; n = 819; 81.9%), and into 3 periods based on the number of cases (first 300 cases, middle 300 cases, last 400 cases). Results: Infection was the most common cause of death, accounting for 34.8% (95 of 273). Mortality due to hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence occurred most frequently between 1 and 5 years after transplantation. Mortality rate by graft rejection was highest between 5 and 10 years after transplantation. And mortality by de novo malignancy occurred most frequently after 10 years after transplantation. The patient survival rates for the entire population at 5 and 10 years were 74.7%, and 68.6%, respectively. There was no difference in survival rate between the LDLT and DDLT groups (P = 0.188). Cause of disease, disease severity, case period, and retransplantation had a significant association with patient survival (P = 0.002, P = 0.031, P = 0.003, and P = 0.024, respectively). Conclusion: Surgical techniques and perioperative management for transplant patients have improved and undergone standardization. Controlling perioperative infection and managing patients with HCC as LT candidates will result in better outcomes.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.82-90
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the degree of preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain among volunteer and non-volunteer donors in living liver transplantation. Methods: The 32 volunteer and 32 non-volunteer donors were recruited from a university hospital after obtaining research approval. The data were analyzed by $x^2$, t, ANOVA tests and Pearson's correlation coefficients using SPSS 12.0 program. Results: There were no significant differences in pre-operative anxiety between the two groups. However, the non-volunteer donors had significantly more severe pain for 3 post-operative days, measured by visual analogue scale (VAS) and non-verbal pain behavior scale (non-VPBS), compared to that of the volunteer donors. There was a significant correlation between preoperative state anxiety and postoperative non-VPBS score. Conclusions: These results showed that liver donors who belonged to the non-volunteer group needed much more active postoperative pain management and psychological support than the volunteer group.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.178-185
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• 2008

Living donor liver transplantation is increasingly performed as an alternative to cadaveric transplantation. Preoperative screening of the donor candidates is very important. The quality, size, and vascular and biliary anatomy of the liver are best assessed with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging or computed tomography (CT). In particular, the volume of the potential graft must be measured to ensure sufficient liver function after surgery. Preoperative liver segmentation has proved useful for measuring the graft volume before living donor liver transplantations in previous studies. In these studies, the liver segments were manually delineated on each image section. The delineated areas were multiplied by the section thickness to obtain volumes and summed to obtain the total volume of the liver segments. This process is tedious and time consuming. To compensate for this problem, automatic segmentation techniques have been proposed with multiplanar CT images. These methods involve the use of sequences of thresholding, morphologic operations (ie, mathematic operations, such as image dilation, erosion, opening, and closing, that are based on shape), and 3D region growing methods. These techniques are complex but require a few computation times. We made a phantom for volume measurement with pig and evaluated actual volume of spleen and liver of phantom. The results represent that our semiautomatic volume measurement algorithm shows a good accuracy and repeatability with actual volume of phantom and possibility for clinical use to assist physician as a measuring tool.