Pancreas
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) in the early prediction of severity and mortality in AP. ⋯ We confirmed that BISAP is an accurate means of risk stratification in AP within 24 hours of presentation.
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Comparative Study
Patient satisfaction and cost-effectiveness following total pancreatectomy with islet cell transplantation for chronic pancreatitis.
Chronic pancreatitis (CP) results in an extremely poor quality of life and substantially increases health care utilization. Few data exist regarding the cost-effectiveness of surgical treatment for CP. ⋯ Total pancreatectomy + IAT is effective in improving pain and reducing analgesia. Islet cell transplantation offers the chance of insulin independence and results in lower insulin requirements, as well as conferring a survival advantage when compared with TP alone. Total pancreatectomy + IAT is cost-neutral when compared with nonsurgical or segmental surgical therapy.
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The objective of this study was to evaluate genetic alterations of K-ras, p53, c-erbB-2, and deleted in pancreatic cancer, locus 4 (DPC4) genes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and correlate these changes with patients' overall survival. ⋯ This study may help to understand the genetic feature of pancreatic cancer and its survival effect in our population. This shows that additional genetic insights would contribute to the improvement of patients' prognosis.
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Islet autotransplantation (IAT) is performed in nondiabetic patients with chronic pancreatitis at the time of total pancreatectomy (TP) to minimize risk of postoperative diabetes. The role of TP-IAT in patients with chronic pancreatitis and C-peptide-positive diabetes is not established. We postulate that IAT can preserve beta cell mass and thereby benefit patients with preexisting diabetes undergoing TP. ⋯ These findings provide proof of concept that significant islet mass can be isolated in patients with chronic pancreatitis and C-peptide-positive diabetes mellitus undergoing TP-IAT. Stimulated C-peptide may be a useful marker of islet mass before transplantation in these patients.