Validation of serum tumor biomarkers in predicting advanced cystic mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas.

Background: Early detection of advanced cystic mucinous neoplasms [(A-cMNs), defined as high-grade dysplasia or malignancy] of the pancreas is of great significance. As a simple and feasible detection method, serum tumor markers (STMs) may be used to predict advanced intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) and mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs). However, there are few studies on the usefulness of STMs other than carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 for early detection of A-cMNs.

Assessment of different modalities for repeated tissue acquisition in diagnosing malignant biliary strictures: A two-center retrospective study.

Objective: Various modalities are applied for pathological diagnosis of malignant biliary strictures (MBS), including brush cytology (BC), forceps biopsy (FB) and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA). We aimed to assess the value of these modalities in a repeated tissue acquisition process for biliary strictures with initially inconclusive pathological outcomes.

Methods: Patients who were suspected of having MBS and underwent a BC in two large teaching hospitals were retrospectively included.

Captopril pretreatment protects the lung against severe acute pancreatitis induced injury via inhibiting angiotensin II production and suppressing Rho/ROCK pathway.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) usually causes acute lung injury, which is also known as acute pancreatitis associated lung injury (APALI). This study aimed to investigate whether captopril pretreatment was able to protect lung against APALI via inhibiting angiotensin II (Ang II) production and suppressing Rho/ROCK (Rho kinase) pathway in rats. Severe AP (SAP) was introduced to rats by bile-pancreatic duct retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate.

Diagnostic yield of repeat upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for patients with functional dyspepsia.

Objective: To study the diagnostic yield of repeat upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for patients with functional dyspepsia (FD).

Methods: A retrospective review of the database including consecutive patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy at least twice for dyspeptic symptoms at a tertiary endoscopy center from 1996 to 2011 was performed. The patients' age, gender, symptoms and endoscopic and pathological findings were collected and analyzed.

[Application of endoscopic ultrasonography in the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal cancers].

Since its initial introduction in clinical practice, endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS) has been considered as a valuable tool for the diagnosis and staging of gastrointestinal cancers. With the improvement of equipments in the past decade, EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) techniques has been greatly developed, which opens a new avenue to therapeutic EUS. At present, endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has been widely applied in the clinical practice of the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal cancers.

[mRNA expression of GLI1 in pancreatic carcinoma and clinical significance thereof].

Objective: To investigate the mRNA expression of GLI1, a transcription regulator of Hedgehog signaling pathway, in human pancreatic carcinoma and to explore its clinical significance.

Methods: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression of GLI1 in the tumor tissues, tissues near tumor, and normal tissues obtained during operation from 25 pancreatic carcinoma patients.

Results: The GLI1 mRNA expression rate of the tumor tissues was 68.