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To compare the fundamental structure of the human liver, in relation to that of the rat a comparative study was performed, in which 20 rat livers and 78 human cadaver livers were examined. The rat livers had four lobes (left, middle, right, and caudate). The left and middle lobes formed a single lobe but the middle lobe had a deep notch to which the round ligament attached. The right lobe was split into two sub-lobes and the caudate lobe was divided into the paracaval portion and the Spiegel lobe, which was split into two sub-lobes. The left, right, and caudate lobes had one primary portal branch, whereas the middle lobe had two portal branches. The left and the right sub- and caudate lobes had one large hepatic vein each, whereas three large hepatic veins were observed in the middle lobe. Based on the ramifying patterns of the portal and hepatic veins, the rat middle lobe possessed left and right hepatic components and a main portal fissure. The following rat hepatic lobes were equivalent to the following human liver segments: the left lobe to segment II; the middle lobe to segments III, IV, V, and VIII; and the right lobe to segments VI and VII. The fundamental structures of rat and human livers were similar, and the findings demonstrated a new interpretation of the anatomy of the human liver.

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Background and purposeOxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Edaravone, a free radical scavenger, was approved as a therapeutic drug for ALS in 2015 in Japan. A phase 3 clinical trial demonstrated a smaller decline in ALS functional scale scores compared with placebo. However, the long-term effects of edaravone on ALS patients remain unclear. This study aimed to retrospectively investigate the long-term effects of edaravone on the survival of ALS patients.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 27 consecutive patients with ALS who were treated with edaravone and 30 consecutive ALS patients who were not treated with edaravone between 2010 and 2016.ResultsThe differences of ALSFRS-R scores from baseline to 6 months was significantly reduced in the edaravone group, compared to the control group. The changes in serum creatinine, as a possible marker of ALS severity, from baseline to 6 and 12 months were significantly improved in the edaravone group, compared to the control group. The survival rate was significantly improved in the edaravone group compared with control patients.ConclusionOur retrospective single-center analysis suggests slower progression and better prognosis of ALS patients with edaravone treatment. Further investigation, including prospective multicenter analysis, is warranted to confirm the usefulness of edaravone for a better prognosis of ALS.

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