Squamous cell carcinoma of the pancreas with cystic degeneration.

Most nonendocrine pancreatic neoplasms are adenocarcinomas of ductal cell or acinar origin. Primary carcinomas of the pancreas with squamous differentiation are rare enough to warrant a search for other primary tumors. In the past few decades, well-documented individual reports and large series reviews support the view that these squamous neoplasms are indeed of pancreatic origin and not uncommonly exhibit cystic degeneration.

Pancreatic pseudocyst mimicking idiopathic achalasia.

Pseudoachalasia or secondary achalasia is commonly recognized and sought for in the context of an elderly patient presenting with weight loss and brief duration of symptoms. The majority of cases are caused by adenocarcinomas of the fundus or the cardia. It is accepted by gastroenterologists that endoscopy with "routine retroflexion" and biopsy are necessary in any newly diagnosed case of achalasia.

Differential activation of ornithine decarboxylase and tyrosine kinase in the rectal mucosa of patients with hyperplastic and adenomatous polyps.

Hyperplastic polyps are considered to be benign colonic lesions with almost no potential for malignant transformation. Recent reports have shown an increased association of hyperplastic polyps with adenomatous polyps and have advocated a full colonoscopy in patients who harbor hyperplastic polyps. Hyperproliferative mucosa is known to be associated with adenomatous polyps, but its relationship to hyperplastic polyps is unknown.

Splenic trauma during colonoscopy.

A case of splenic rupture following therapeutic colonoscopy is described, and previously reported cases are reviewed. The occurrence of this event and the associated circumstances are often unpredictable. A high index of suspicion is the key to the diagnosis of this rare but potentially lethal complication.

Thymosin alpha 1 enhancement of human lymphocyte proliferation is not mediated by prostaglandin E2.

Prostaglandins of the E series have been implicated as possible mediators of thymosin alpha 1 (TA-1) effect on mitogen stimulated lymphoproliferation. In the present study human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with concanavalin A in the presence of TA-1, prostaglandin E2 and indomethacin individually, or in combination. Both TA-1 and indomethacin significantly enhanced the proliferative response over that seen with mitogen alone (less than 0.