Acute pancreatitis.

Purpose Of Review: Acute pancreatitis is associated with a significant morbidity and a mortality as high as 10%. This review summarizes the most relevant articles in the past year that have contributed to understanding and management of this disease.

Recent Findings: Pathologic activation of both digestive zymogens and the transcription factor nuclear factor kappaB are early events in acute pancreatitis; these pathologic processes are inhibited in experimental pancreatitis by curcumin and the pH modulator chloroquine.