Anatomical variations of vascular and biliary structures in right lobe grafts are common. However, most can be managed safely with technical modifications. Only cases with intraparenchymal origin of the anterior portal vein(s) may form a relative contraindication, especially when combined with similar biliary variants. Otherwise, intraoperative assessment of biliary anatomy was enough for successful management. Detailed and precise assessment of vascular and biliary anatomy is vital for appropriate surgical management.

Duct-to-duct reconstruction with continuous suture combined with an external stent represents a useful technique for LDLT utilizing the right lobe, but biliary complications remain significant.

This paper reports on the position and force control of pneumatic artificial muscles reinforced by straight glass fibers. This type of artificial muscle has a greater contraction ratio and power and a longer lifetime than conventional McKibben types. However, these muscles are highly non-linear; hence, it is difficult to use them in a mechanical system. Furthermore, this actuator has a high compliance characteristic. Though this characteristic is useful for human interactions, the position and force of this actuator cannot be easily controlled.In this paper, a mathematical model of this type of artificial muscle is proposed, and the relationship between design parameters and control specifications is realized. In addition, the position and force based on the mathematical model are determined and applied to artificial muscle linearization.

EBV-infected cells in the blood of chronic high EBV load carriers expressed a highly restricted set of latency genes, suggesting that the EBV-infected cells escaped from a T cell response.