Gateway hypothesis presumes that using a psychotropic drug can increase the probability of using another drug. The study was to assess whether cigarette smoking is a gateway drug for subsequent opium use. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was applied to test and estimate the size of causal effect of cigarette smoking on opium use. The CHRNA3 rs1051730 polymorphism was used as an instrumental variable. A population-based case control study in the setting of Fasa Cohort Study was carried out using 477 cases and 531 controls based on their opium use status at the baseline of cohort study. The logistic two stage estimator method was applied. The Number of cigarettes smoked per day was associated with opium use (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.15-1.19). In the MR analysis, rs1051730 T alleles were associated with increased risk of opium use among ever smokers (OR 5.73, 95% CI 1.72-19.07) however there found no evidence of association among never smokers. In instrumental variable analysis, showed that on average smoking every 1 more cigarette per day increases the odds of opium use by 1.17 (OR 1.17, 95%CI1.14-1.19). The MR analysis found a positive finding on the relationship between cigarette smoking and opium use which supports the gateway hypothesis. It adds new information to the gateway theory regarding the relation of cigarette smoking and drug use, and increases our understanding of the importance of tobacco control for prevention of opium addiction.Religious and spiritual (R/S) issues impact medical decision-making, particularly among highly R/S populations, for whom existing measures have limitations in identifying levels of R/S commitment. The Belief into Action (BIAc) scale was designed for this purpose and was never tested among hospitalized patients. We interviewed 152 patients (51% men) with a mean age of 48.9 years (SD = 15.2), having either cancer (27%), cardiovascular (26%), rheumatic (21%), or other diseases (26%). Cronbach alpha was .82 and a 3-factor structure (subjective, social, and private religious commitment) was the most robust. Results suggest the BIAc has adequate convergent, divergent, and incremental validity compared to other well-established questionnaires and is appropriate for the inpatient setting.G-quadruplexes (G4s) are DNA or RNA structures formed by guanine-rich repeating sequences. Recently, G4s have become a highly attractive therapeutic target for BRCA-deficient cancers. Here, we show that a substituted quinolone amide compound, MTR-106, stabilizes DNA G-quadruplexes in vitro. MTR-106 displayed significant antiproliferative activity in homologous recombination repair (HR)-deficient and PARP inhibitor (PARPi)-resistant cancer cells. Moreover, MTR-106 increased DNA damage and promoted cell cycle arrest and apoptosis to inhibit cell growth. Importantly, its oral and i.v. administration significantly impaired tumor growth in BRCA-deficient xenograft mouse models. However, MTR-106 showed modest activity against talazoparib-resistant xenograft models. In rats, the drug rapidly distributes to tissues within 5 min, and its average concentrations were 12-fold higher in the tissues than in the plasma. Overall, we identified MTR-106 as a novel G-quadruplex stabilizer with high tissue distribution, and it may serve as a potential anticancer agent.

The role of ligation of the portal venous branches to the caudate lobe (cPVL) as preparation for planned major hepatectomy is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of laparoscopic cPVL (Lap-cPVL) concomitant with transileocolic portal vein embolization of the right portal venous system (rTIPE), namely, Lap-cPVL/rTIPE, for planned right hemihepatectomy (rHx) in advanced hepatobiliary cancer patients.

Thirty-one patients who underwent rHx after rTIPE with/without Lap-cPVL between March 2013 and March 2020 were enrolled in this study. The Lap-cPVL was performed for the portal branches of the right caudate lobe.

Eight of the 31 patients underwent Lap-cPVL/rTIPE. The degree of hypertrophy was significantly increased in Lap-cPVL/rTIPE (19.3%, range 6.5-25.6%) as compared to rTIPE (7.2%, range – 1.1 to 21.2%) (p=0.027). The functional kinetic growth rate was also significantly increased in Lap-cPVL/rTIPE (5.40%, range 2.17-5.97) than that in rTIPE (1.85%, range – 0.22 to 6.45%) (p=0.046). Inavolisib in vitro Postoperative liver failure ≧ grade B occurred in 21.7% of patients in rTIPE, while there was no postoperative liver failure ≧ grade B in Lap-cPVL/rTIPE. Mortality rates were zero after rHx in this study.

Lap-cPVL/rTIPE is safe and provides an additional effect on liver hypertrophy in advanced hepatobiliary cancers.

Lap-cPVL/rTIPE is safe and provides an additional effect on liver hypertrophy in advanced hepatobiliary cancers.

Three-dimensional (3D) surgical planning is widely accepted in liver surgery. Currently, the 3D reconstructions are usually presented as 3D PDF data on regular monitors. 3D-printed liver models are sometimes used for education and planning.

We developed an immersive virtual reality (VR) application that enables the presentation of preoperative 3D models. The 3D reconstructions are exported as STL files and easily imported into the application, which creates the virtual model automatically. The presentation is possible in “OpenVR”-ready VR headsets. To interact with the 3D liver model, VR controllers are used. Scaling is possible, as well as changing the opacity from invisible over transparent to fully opaque. In addition, the surgeon can draw potential resection lines on the surface of the liver. All these functions can be used in a single or multi-user mode.

Five highly experienced HPB surgeons of our department evaluated the VR application after using it for the very first time and considered it helpful according to the “System Usability Scale” (SUS) with a score of 76.6%. Especially with the subitem “necessary learning effort,” it was shown that the application is easy to use.

We introduce an immersive, interactive presentation of medical volume data for preoperative 3D liver surgery planning. The application is easy to use and may have advantages over 3D PDF and 3D print in preoperative liver surgery planning. Prospective trials are needed to evaluate the optimal presentation mode of 3D liver models.

We introduce an immersive, interactive presentation of medical volume data for preoperative 3D liver surgery planning. The application is easy to use and may have advantages over 3D PDF and 3D print in preoperative liver surgery planning. Prospective trials are needed to evaluate the optimal presentation mode of 3D liver models.