Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) in patients with suspected chronic pancreatitis. Methods Forty seven patients including 28 males and 19 females (mean age 52.3 years, range 47～69 years) were enrolled into study. The diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic malignancy was based on results of BT PABA test, Sudan Ⅲ staining of stool and abdominal CT scanning, the mean course of disease was 6.3 year (range 3 21 year). Pancreatic tissue specimens were harvested by EUS guided FNA and investigated by histopathological study. Results Totally 31 cases (31/47, 69%) were diagnosed as chronic pancreatitis based on histopathological examination of the specimens taken by EUS FNA. Conclusion EUS FNA had the potential clinical value in diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis.

ObjectiveTo explore the role and molecular mechanism of Weifuchun （WFC） in inhibiting inflammation and alleviating gastric precancerous lesions （GPL）. MethodHuman gastric mucosal epithelial cells （GES-1） were stimulated with N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine （MNNG） for the modeling of GPL （MC cells）， with Caspase-3 inhibition by Z-DEVD-FMK. MC cells were divided into control （20% blank serum）， WFC （15% and 20% WFC-containing serum）， and caspase-3 inhibitor groups. The cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） was used to examine the viability of GES-1 cells or MC cells. The Transwell assay and 5-acetylidene-2′-deoxyuridine （EdU） staining were employed to examine cell invasion and proliferation， respectively. Flow cytometry was employed to determine the level of reactive oxygen species. Real-time PCR was conducted to determine the mRNA levels of interleukin （IL）-1， IL-6， and tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α. Gene Expression Omnibus （GEO） was used to analyze the role of pyroptosis in gastric cancer progression. Western blotting was employed to determine the protein levels of nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） p65， gasdermin E （GSDME）， and Caspase-3. Immunofluorescence staining was employed to detect the NF-κB p65 protein level and nuclear translocation. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was carried out to observe the pathological changes in the gastric mucosa before and after WFC treatment in the patients. ResultCompared with the control group， MC cells presented enhanced proliferation and invasion energy （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank serum group， WFC-containing serum inhibited the proliferation and invasion of MC cells （P<0.01）， down-regulated the mRNA levels of IL-1， IL-6， and TNF-α， and lowered the level of reactive oxygen species （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The transcriptome data at different stages of gastric cancer showed that pyroptosis was involved in gastric cancer progression， and the GSDME level was significantly higher in GPL patients than in the normal group. Compared with the blank serum， WFC-containing serum lowered the level of NF-κB and inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-κB （P<0.05）， and it inhibited pyroptosis by suppressing the cleavage of Caspase-3 on GSDME （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The analysis of patient specimens further demonstrated that WFC treatment down-regulated the NF-κB level and GSDME cleavage （P<0.01）， inhibited pyroptosis， and alleviated gastric mucosal inflammation and intestinal epithelial metaplasia. ConclusionPyroptosis is involved in the progression of gastric cancer， and WFC inhibits pyroptosis via the NF-κB/GSDME pathway， thereby alleviating gastric mucosal inflammation in GPL.