Fibrinolytic properties have been detected in animal and human gallbladder (GB) bile. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) has been reported in greater concentration in GB stone bile and may be a nucleating factor in the pathogenesis of GB stone formation. It is unknown whether or not human choledochal bile has similar properties, which could have a role in choledocholithiasis. The aims of this study were to determine the presence of fibrinolytic properties of human choledochal bile and to compare those properties among normal, acalculous, and calculous-infected choledochal bile. Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and PAI-1 of choledochal bile were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in patients with cholangitis due to acalculous bile duct obstructions (n = 9), choledocholithiasis with cholangitis (n = 20), and normal bile (n = 7). The t-PA concentration of choledochal bile was no different among the three groups (acalculous-infected bile, median 4.61 ng/ml, and calculous-infected bile, 4.61 ng/ml, versus normal bile, 7.33 ng/ml). PAI-1 was detected in choledochal bile in significantly greater concentrations in patients with acalculous cholangitis due to bile duct obstructions and choledocholithiasis with cholangitis (acalculous-infected bile, median 0.36 ng/ml, and calculous-infected bile, 0.1 ng/ml, versus normal bile, 0.02 ng/ml, p < 0.05), but the bile concentration of PAI-1 was no different between the acalculous and calculous-infected choledochal bile. Human choledochal bile possesses t-PA and PAI-1. PAI-1 was present in greater concentrations in both acalculous and calculous-infected choledochal bile. Increased levels of PAI-1 may be an epiphenomenon of cholangitis rather than a factor in the pathogenesis of choledocholithiasis.
Aged ; Bile/microbiology ; Bile/chemistry* ; Cholangitis/microbiology ; Cholangitis/metabolism ; Cholangitis/etiology ; Cholangitis/chemically induced ; Cholestasis/metabolism ; Cholestasis/complications ; Common Bile Duct/metabolism* ; Common Bile Duct Calculi/metabolism ; Common Bile Duct Calculi/complications ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1/analysis* ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator/analysis*

There has been no report for the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and its clinicopathologic and biologic significance in ampulla of Vater cancer. This study was aimed for the clarification of COX-2 expression and its biologic roles in ampulla of Vater cancer. Fourty-six patients with ampulla of Vater cancer were enrolled and their COX-2 expression and clinicopathologic features were analyzed. The median age of patients was 60 yr and the mean duration of follow-up was 35 months (range: 14-82 months). Immunohistochemical stainings for COX-2, Ki-67, CD34 and TUNEL staining were performed. The immunoreactive COX-2 expression was present in 24 (52.2%) patients of ampulla of Vater cancer and mainly localized in cytosolic and perinuclear region. There was no significant difference in the length of survival between COX-2 postive and negative group (p=0.9420 by Log Rank test). Also, there were no significant differences of proliferation index (p=0.326), apoptotic index (p=0.764) and microvessel density (p=0.135) between COX-2 positive and negative group. Initial pTNM stage (p=0.0028 by Log Rank test) and blood transfusion over 4 pints during operation (p=0.0254 by Log Rank test) were independent prognostic factor in patients with ampulla of Vater cancer. It is suggested that immunoreactivity of COX-2 is not correlated with clinicopathologic and biologic features of ampulla of Vater cancer.
Adult ; Aged ; Ampulla of Vater*/enzymology ; Ampulla of Vater*/pathology ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/enzymology* ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/pathology* ; Female ; Human ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Isoenzymes/metabolism* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthase/metabolism* ; Statistics ; Survival Rate

Carcinosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratins ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Vimentin ; metabolism

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hedgehog protein is an essential molecule for gastrointestinal tract development, and disruption of hedgehog signaling pathway is linked to some gastrointestinal tumorigenesis. Here, we performed hedgehog immunostaining in periampullary cancer to evaluate the differences according to the location type of cancer and the differentiation of adenocarcinoma. METHODS: We retrieved surgical specimens from 43 periampullary cancer patients (15 ampulla of Vater cancer, 12 distal common bile duct cancer, 13 pancreatic head cancer, and 3 combined ampulla of Vater/bile duct cancer). Immunohistochemical stain was performed in both normal and cancerous tissue portions of each case using Sonic hedgehog (H-160) rabbit polyclonal antibody. Immunohistochemical stain results were grouped into three groups according to the percentage of positive cytoplasmic stain in tumor volume (unstained: <5%, weakly stained: 5-50%, and strongly stained: >50%). RESULTS: All of the normal tissue revealed negative immunohistochemical stain while cancerous tissue revealed positivity in 95.3% (41/43 cases). Strongly stained cases were more frequently seen in ampulla of Vater cancers (13/15) and in combined ampulla of Vater/bile duct cancers (3/3) than in distal common bile duct cancers (4/12) and in pancreatic head cancers (3/13) (p=0.002). In addition, strongly stained cases were more frequently seen in well-differentiated adenocarcinoma than the others (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Most of the periampullary cancers show hedgehog protein expression. In addition, hedgehog protein immunostainings shows stronger expression in ampulla of Vater cancers and in well-differentiated adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma/metabolism ; Aged ; *Ampulla of Vater ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/*metabolism ; English Abstract ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/*metabolism ; Trans-Activators/*metabolism

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoid Tumor ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Child ; Chromogranin A ; metabolism ; Common Bile Duct ; pathology ; surgery ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Duodenum ; pathology ; surgery ; Gallbladder ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Keratins ; metabolism ; Lymphoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Mucin-1 ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Rhabdomyosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Stomach ; pathology ; surgery ; Synaptophysin ; metabolism

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins may exhibit differential expression in intestinal type or pancreatobiliary type ampulla of Vater carcinomas (AVCs). We evaluated the expression of E-cadherin, beta-catenin, and S100A4 in intestinal and nonintestinal type AVCs and analyzed their relationships with clinicopathological variables and survival. METHODS: A clinicopathological review of 105 patients with AVCs and immunohistochemical staining for E-cadherin, beta-catenin, and S100A4 were performed. The association between clinicopathological parameters, histological type, and expression of EMT proteins and their effects on survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-five intestinal type, 35 pancreatobiliary type, and five other types of AVCs were identified. The severity of EMT changes differed between the AVC types; membranous loss of E-cadherin and beta-catenin was observed in nonintestinal type tumors, whereas aberrant nonmembranous beta-catenin expression was observed in intestinal type tumors. EMT-related changes were more pronounced in the invasive tumor margin than in the tumor center, and these EMT-related changes were related to tumor aggressiveness. Among the clinicopathological parameters, a desmoplastic reaction was related to overall survival, and the reaction was more severe in nonintestinal type than in intestinal type AVCs. CONCLUSIONS: Dysregulation of E-cadherin, beta-cadherin, and S100A4 expression may play a role in the carcinogenesis and tumor progression of AVCs.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Ampulla of Vater/*metabolism ; Cadherins/metabolism ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/classification/*metabolism ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; S100 Proteins/metabolism ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*metabolism ; beta Catenin/metabolism

The aims of this study were to identify the morphological diversities and anatomical variations of pancreatic ductal system and to define the relationships between pancreatic ductal systems, pancreaticobiliary diseases, and procedure-related complications, including post-ERCP pancreatitis. This study included 582 patients in whom both pancreatic duct (PD) and common bile duct were clearly visible by ERCP. PD systems were categorized into four types according to the relationship between common bile duct and PD. In types A and B, Wirsung duct formed the main PD. In type C, Wirsung duct did not form the main PD. If PD system did not fall into any of these three types, it was categorized as type D. The distribution of types among pancreatic ducts examined was as follows: type A: 491 cases (84.4%), type B: 56 cases (9.6%), type C: 20 cases (3.4%), and type D: 15 cases (2.6%). The anomalous anatomic variations of PD systems were divided into migration, fusion, and duplication anomalies. PD anomalies were noted in 51 patients, of which 19 (3.3%) were fusion anomalies (12 complete pancreas divisum, 7 incomplete pancreas divisum), and 32 (5.5%) were duplication anomalies (5 number variations, 27 form variations). No significant relationships between various PD morphologies and pancreaticobiliary diseases were found. However, post- ERCP hyperamylasemia was more frequently found in types C (41.7%), D (50%) and A (19.8%) than in type B (9.4%). In summary, whether Wirsung duct forms the main PD and the presence or absence of the opening of the Santorini duct are both important factors in determining the development of pancreatitis and hyperamylasemia after ERCP.
Sex Factors ; Pancreatitis/diagnosis/pathology ; Pancreatic Ducts/*anatomy & histology/*pathology ; Pancreatic Diseases/diagnosis ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Common Bile Duct/anatomy & histology/pathology ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde/*methods ; Bile Ducts/*anatomy & histology/metabolism/pathology

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and metastasis. Currently, the Chalkley assay with CD34 immunostaining is the proposed standard method for angiogenesis quantification in solid tumor sections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of CD34 and its prognostic significance using the Chalkley method in node negative carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater. Between January 1997 and December 2006, 56 node negative patients who had curative resection for carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater were retrospectively reviewed. The Chalkley count was expressed as the mean value of the three counts for each tumor and further divided into two groups according to the mean value of the Chalkley count: low < 4 or high > or = 4. The mean Chalkley count value was 4.0 (+/- 3.1). In the low Chalkley group, the 1- and 3-yr recurrence rates were 18.3%, 47.6% respectively; in the high Chalkley group, the 1- and 3-yr recurrence rates were 26.5% and 60.6% respectively. Only high Chalkley count had statistical significance as a factor in recurrence of node negative ampulla of Vater carcinoma. Assessment of angiogenesis may have an important role in the prognostic evaluation of node negative cancer of the ampulla of Vater.
Adult ; Aged ; Ampulla of Vater/metabolism/*pathology ; Antigens, CD34/metabolism ; Carcinoma/metabolism/mortality/*pathology ; Common Bile Duct Neoplasms/metabolism/mortality/*pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Neovascularization, Pathologic ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: There have been few reports showing direct correlation between obstructive jaundice and diabetes mellitus (DM). We were able to incidentally observe the reversal of DM to normal glucose metabolism after relieving obstruction of bile duct in our patients. So, we present our cases and speculate on the pathophysiology of this phenomenon. METHODS: Four patients showed reversible DM due to obstructive jaundice from August 1993 to June 1997. We reviewed their medical records retrospectively. We ruled out other causes of glucose intolerance such as primary DM, sepsis, previous history of chronic liver disease, previous history of chronic pancreatitis, etc.. RESULTS: The first patient was a sixty-year-old male presenting obstructive jaundice due to distal blie duct cancer. The second patient was a 53-year-old female developing jaundice due to common hepatic duct stricture after laparoscopic choloecystectomy. The third patient was a 68-year old male with pancreas head cancer and glucose intolerance. The fourth patient was a 54-year-old male also developing jaundice due to common hepatic duct stricture after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Insulin was necessary to maintain normal serum glucose level for two to three weeks postoperatively. After being relieved of jaundice, all patients showed normalized serum glucose levels. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that obstructive jaundice itself may cause DM. So, glucose intolerance may be a useful indicator of diseases causing obstructive jaundice. However, the pathophysiology of DM with obstructive jaundice has not yet been clarified. Further studies are needed to determine the relationship.
Aged ; Bile Ducts ; Blood Glucose ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Female ; Glucose ; Glucose Intolerance ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Humans ; Insulin ; Jaundice ; Jaundice, Obstructive* ; Liver Diseases ; Male ; Medical Records ; Metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Pancreas ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between radiologic vascular dilatation and serum nitrite concentration and eNOS expression in the endothelial cell and pneumocyte in a rabbit model of hepatopulmonary syndrome induced by common bile duct ligation (CBDL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thin-section CT scans of the lung and pulmonary angiography were obtained 3 weeks after CBDL (n=6), or a sham operation (n=4), and intrapulmonary vasodilatation was assessed. The diameter and tortuosity of peripheral vessels in the right lower lobe by thin-section CT and angiography at the same level of the right lower lobe in all subjects were correlated to serum nitrite concentration and eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) expression as determined by immunostaining. RESULTS: The diameters of pulmonary vessels on thin-section CT were well correlated with nitrite concentrations in serum (r = 0.92, p < 0.001). Dilated pulmonary vessels were significantly correlated with an increased eNOS expression (r = 0.94, p < 0.0001), and the severity of pulmonary vessel tortuosity was found to be well correlated with serum nitrite concentration (r = 0.90, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The peripheral pulmonary vasculature in hepatopulmonary syndrome induced by CBLD was dilated on thin-section CT and on angiographs. Our findings suggest that peripheral pulmonary vascular dilatations are correlated with serum nitrite concentrations and pulmonary eNOS expression.
Angiography ; Animals ; Common Bile Duct/injuries ; Dilatation, Pathologic/radiography ; Disease Models, Animal ; Endothelium, Vascular/metabolism ; Hepatopulmonary Syndrome/etiology/*metabolism ; Ligation ; Lung/*blood supply/metabolism/*radiography ; Nitric-Oxide Synthase/*metabolism ; Nitrites/*blood ; Pulmonary Artery/radiography ; Rabbits ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods