Determinants of metastatic rate and survival in patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome: a prospective long-term study.

Background/aims: It is unclear whether tumor location, size, or the presence of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN-1) alters metastatic rate and survival in patients with pancreatic endocrine tumors. The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic factors of survival and metastatic rate in patients with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (ZES).

Methods: Data were analyzed from 185 consecutive patients with ZES who were followed up prospectively.

Diffuse hemorrhagic gastroenteropathy: report of a new entity.

An apparently novel entity, diffuse hemorrhagic gastroenteropathy (DHG), in a 70-year-old female who had an unremitting course of chronic gastrointestinal blood loss for 3 years requiring transfusion of more than 200 units of packed red blood cells over this period is reported here. Endoscopy showed diffusely hemorrhagic mucosa in the stomach, duodenum, and small bowel. Full-thickness biopsy of the stomach and small intestine revealed luminal narrowing of capillaries and post-capillary venules within the lamina propria due to swelling and some proliferation of the endothelial cells with margination and emigration by neutrophils as well as partial occlusion of some vessels by fibrin thrombi.

A chimeric VIP-PACAP analogue but not VIP pseudopeptides function as VIP receptor antagonists.

The ability to assess the importance of VIP in different physiological processes is limited by the lack of specific potent antagonists. In the present study, we have adopted two different approaches used successfully with other peptides in an attempt to identify new VIP receptor antagonists. One involves the formation of pseudopeptides by insertion of reduced peptide bonds in the NH2-terminus from position 2 to 8 of VIP.