Pancreas
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Comprehensive experimental methods are of major relevance assessing pain mechanisms in patients with chronic pain. Chronic pancreatitis is thought to involve the sensory response in other visceral organs and somatic tissue. We, therefore, aimed at exploring the pain mechanisms in chronic pancreatitis (CP) using a multimodal and multitissue stimulation approach. ⋯ The findings suggest that the balance among central hyperexcitability, neuroplastic changes, and descending pain-modulating pathways may explain the pain response to experimental multimodal stimulations in CP. This will likely also reflect the clinical pain mechanisms and may have important impact in selection of treatment, where drugs with potential effects on these mechanisms should be used.
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Comparative Study
Disialotransferrin, determined by capillary electrophoresis, is an accurate biomarker for alcoholic cause of acute pancreatitis.
Serum disialotransferrin is a specific marker of heavy alcohol consumption. We tested its accuracy and probability in detecting alcoholic cause of acute pancreatitis (AP). ⋯ Disialotransferrin, determined by capillary electrophoresis, is accurate, simple, and a rapid single biomarker of the alcoholic cause of AP.
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To introduce a new scoring system based on signs of systemic inflammation on computed tomography (CT) [ExtraPancreatic Inflammation on CT (EPIC) score] and evaluate this score as an early prognostic tool. ⋯ In patients with acute pancreatitis, extrapancreatic inflammation assessed by abdominal CT scan and quantified with the EPIC score allows accurate estimation of disease severity and mortality within 24 h of admission.
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Histological subclassification of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) is important because the malignant potential of each subtype is different. We investigated whether pancreatic juice cytology can be used to define the subtypes of IPMNs preoperatively. ⋯ Most of the cytological findings of IPMNs corresponded to the histological findings. The use of MUC2 immunocytochemistry in IPMN subtyping was also demonstrated. Subtyping of IPMNs is useful for preoperative evaluation in addition to cytomorphological grading.