Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the primary cause of morbidity and mortality after major abdominal surgery. However, little is known about the effect of anesthetics on the development of AKI after pediatric liver transplantation (LT). This study aimed to compare the effects of propofol and sevoflurane anesthetics on postoperative AKI after LT surgery. A total of 120 pediatric patients scheduled for pediatric LT were randomly assigned to receive either continuous infusion of propofol or inhalation of sevoflurane. Serum creatinine (Scr), inflammatory medium and oxidative stress factors and renal biomarkers were measured before surgery (T1), 5 min after anhepatic phase (T2), 10 min after ischemia reperfusion (T3), 2 h after ischemia reperfusion (T4), 24 h after surgery (T5), and 3 d after surgery (T6) to evaluate the effects of anesthetics on the development of postoperative AKI. The incidence of AKI was lower in patients receiving sevoflurane than those receiving propofol. The mean arterial pressure was changed slightly in sevoflurane group. The inflammatory factors of interleukin-18, tumor necrosis factor-α, and the levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) were lower in sevoflurane group, while no oxidative stress factors [hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase)] and interleukin-10 showed differences between the groups. Anesthesia with sevoflurane may be associated with a modest decrease in the incidence of AKI when compared with propofol. Further clarification with relevance to such association is warranted.

It has been demonstrated that dexmedetomidine (Dex) can protect patients with acute kidney injury from experiencing further tissue damage, however its mechanism of action remains unclear. The present study investigated the immune modulatory functions of Dex in rats with acute kidney injury (AKI) induced via injection of lipopolysaccharide into the tail vein. ELISA analysis showed that Dex reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines in rats with AKI in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, the regulatory effects of Dex on cytokine production disappeared when the α‑2 adrenergic receptor antagonist Yohimbine (YOH) was added. For a detailed investigation on how Dex regulates the immune response in rats with AKI, the impact of Dex on the viability of splenocytes and lymphocytes was determined and it was determined that Dex did not influence splenocyte and lymphocyte viability. In addition, ELISA tests showed that Dex regulated the production of the T‑helper (Th) 17 cytokines interleukin (IL)‑17 and IL‑23, but not the Th1 cytokine tumor necrosis factor α, in splenocytes and lymphocytes. To confirm whether Dex functioned as an α‑2‑adrenergic receptor in these immune regulations, YOH was administered together with Dex. When Dex and YOH were administered together, the regulatory functions of Dex were reduced, confirming that Dex acted as an agonist on the α‑2‑adrenergic receptor. Thus the results of the current study may provide novel insights regarding how Dex modulates immune functions in AKI.

Background Living donor liver transplantation (LT) is the main treatment for paediatric biliary atresia (BA) in Asia. During LT, a series of haemodynamic changes often occur during LT reperfusion, which is called postreperfusion syndrome (PRS), and PRS is related to a prolonged postoperative hospital stay, delayed recovery of graft function and increased mortality. To reduce adverse reactions after paediatric living donor LT (LDLT), our study’s objectives were to ascertain the incidence of PRS and analyse possible risk factors for PRS. Methods With the approval of the Ethics Committee of our hospital, the clinical data of 304 paediatric patients who underwent LDLT from January 2020 to December 2021 were analysed retrospectively. According to the presence or absence of PRS, the paediatric patients were divided into the non-PRS group and the PRS group. Independent risk factors of PRS were analysed using logistic regression analysis. Results PRS occurred in 132 recipients (43.4%). The peak values of AST (816 (507–1625) vs 678 (449–1107), p=0.016) and ALT (675 (415–1402) vs 545 (389–885), p=0.015) during the first 5 days after LDLT in paediatric patients with PRS were significantly higher than those in the non-PRS group. Meanwhile, the paediatric patients in the PRS group had longer intensive care unit stays and hospital stays, as well as lower 1-year survival rates. Graft cold ischaemic time (CIT) ≥90 min (OR (95% CI)=5.205 (3.094 to 8.754)) and a temperature <36°C immediately before reperfusion (OR (95% CI)=2.973 (1.669 to 5.295)) are independent risk factors for PRS. Conclusions The occurrence of hypothermia (<36.0℃) in children immediately before reperfusion and graft CIT≥90 min are independent risk factors for PRS. PRS was closely related to the postoperative adverse outcomes of paediatric patients.

To investigate the impact of patent foramen ovale (PFO) on the short-term outcomes of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in children with biliary atresia. With the approval of the hospital ethics committee, 304 children with biliary atresia who underwent LDLT in our center from January 2020 to December 2021 were enrolled. According to the results of echocardiography before the operation, the subjects were divided into the PFO group (n = 73) and the NoPFO group (n = 231). The baseline characteristics; intraoperative recipient-related data and donor-related data; incidence of postreperfusion syndrome (PRS); postoperative mechanical ventilation time; ICU stay duration; postoperative hospital stay duration; liver function index; incidences of postoperative complications including acute renal injury (AKI), graft dysfunction, hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) and portal vein thrombosis (PVT); and one-year survival rate were compared between the two groups. The median age in the PFO group was 6 months and that in the NoPFO group was 9 months (P < 0.001), and the median height (65 cm) and weight (6.5 kg) in the PFO group were significantly lower than those in the NoPFO group (68 cm, 8.0 kg) (P < 0.001). The preoperative total bilirubin level (247 vs. 202 umol/L, P = 0.007) and pediatric end-stage liver disease (PELD) score (21 vs. 16, P = 0.001) in the PFO group were higher than those in the NoPFO group. There were no significant differences in the intraoperative PRS incidence (46.6% vs. 42.4%, P = 0.533 ), postoperative mechanical ventilation time (184 vs. 220 min, P = 0.533), ICU stay duration (3.0 vs. 2.5 d, P = 0.267), postoperative hospital stay duration (22 vs. 21 d, P = 0.138), AKI incidence (19.2% vs. 24.7%, P = 0.333), graft dysfunction incidence (11.0% vs. 12.6%, P = 0.716), HAT incidence (5.5% vs. 4.8%, P = 0.762), PVT incidence (2.7% vs. 2.2%, P = 0.675) or one-year survival rate (94.5% vs. 95.7%, P = 0.929) between the two groups. The presence of PFO has no negative impact on short-term outcomes in children with biliary atresia after LDLT.