Staging laparoscopy in pancreatic cancer: a potential role for advanced laparoscopic techniques.

Background: The role of staging laparoscopy in pancreatic cancer in the age of high-resolution CT scans is under debate. This study's aim is to evaluate the efficacy of staging laparoscopy in this disease.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study was conducted evaluating patients who underwent operative treatment for radiographic stage I to III pancreatic cancer between July 2003 and October 2012.

Genetic and biochemical determinants of serum concentrations of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, a potential neural tube defect risk factor.

Background: Women with the AA genotype at the (-2518)A>G promoter polymorphism of CCL-2, which encodes the potent pro-inflammatory chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), may be at increased risk for having offspring affected by spina bifida. As the A allele at this locus has been associated with decreased transcription of MCP-1 mRNA relative to the G allele, the observed genetic association suggests that the risk of spina bifida may be increased in the offspring of women with low MCP-1 levels. The present study was undertaken to identify potential determinants of MCP-1 levels in women of reproductive age.