Acute pancreatitis is one of the most common diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and is usually caused by gallstones; its occurrence in pregnancy is rare. Cholecystectomy for biliary pancreatitis during pregnancy is unavoidable, but its timing is controversial. We herein present the case of a patient who underwent termination of pregnancy due to deteriorated acute severe pancreatitis during the 27th week of gestation. Cholecystectomy was performed because of the relapse of acute biliary pancreatitis 10 days after being discharged. The interval from pancreatitis to cholecystectomy varies with its severity; in mild pancreatitis the interval may be one week, but in severe cases it maybe up to three weeks. Because pancreatitis may relapse during this interval, as occurred in the present case, a better solution for the timing of cholecystectomy must be sought.

Methods: Thirty adult BALB/c mice were categorized into three groups. The mice in the control group (n=10) were not injected with any substance. The mice in the second group (n=10) received 10 mg/kg of formalin daily via an intraperitoneal injection, while those in the final group (n=10) were intraperitoneally injected daily with a dose of 10 mg/kg of formalin and 100 mg/kg of L-carnitine. All mice were kept in isolated cages for 31 days. Results: The expression of Bax was significantly higher in the formalin-treated mice than in the mice of the control group, while the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly lower in the formalin-treated mice than in the control mice. Additionally, relative to control mice, Bcl-2 expression increased and Bax expression decreased in the mice administered both formalin and L-carnitine. Conclusion In this study, L-carnitine was shown to augment Bcl-2 expression and to reduce Bax expression, indicating that this compound may inhibit apoptosis. Due to its positive effects, L-carnitine can be used as a prophylactic treatment for people who routinely come into direct contact with formalin as an occupational hazard.