Pancreas serves endocrine and exocrine functions in the body; thus, their pathology can cause a broad range of irreparable consequences. Endocrine functions include the production of hormones such as insulin and glucagon, while exocrine functions involve the secretion of digestive enzymes. Disruption of these functions can lead to conditions like diabetes mellitus and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Also, the symptoms and causality of pancreatic cancer very greatly depends on their origin: pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most fatal cancer; however, most of tumor derived from endocrine part of pancreas are benign. Pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreatic tissues, is caused by excessive alcohol consumption, the bile duct obstruction by gallstones, and the premature activation of digestive enzymes in the pancreas. Hereditary pancreatic diseases, such as maturity-onset diabetes of the young and hereditary pancreatitis, can be a candidate for disease modeling using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), due to their strong genetic influence. hPSC-derived pancreatic differentiation has been established for cell replacement therapy for diabetic patients and is robustly used for disease modeling. The disease modeling platform that allows interactions between immune cells and pancreatic cells is necessary to perform in-depth investigation of disease pathogenesis.

Pancreas serves endocrine and exocrine functions in the body; thus, their pathology can cause a broad range of irreparable consequences. Endocrine functions include the production of hormones such as insulin and glucagon, while exocrine functions involve the secretion of digestive enzymes. Disruption of these functions can lead to conditions like diabetes mellitus and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Also, the symptoms and causality of pancreatic cancer very greatly depends on their origin: pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most fatal cancer; however, most of tumor derived from endocrine part of pancreas are benign. Pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreatic tissues, is caused by excessive alcohol consumption, the bile duct obstruction by gallstones, and the premature activation of digestive enzymes in the pancreas. Hereditary pancreatic diseases, such as maturity-onset diabetes of the young and hereditary pancreatitis, can be a candidate for disease modeling using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), due to their strong genetic influence. hPSC-derived pancreatic differentiation has been established for cell replacement therapy for diabetic patients and is robustly used for disease modeling. The disease modeling platform that allows interactions between immune cells and pancreatic cells is necessary to perform in-depth investigation of disease pathogenesis.

Pancreas serves endocrine and exocrine functions in the body; thus, their pathology can cause a broad range of irreparable consequences. Endocrine functions include the production of hormones such as insulin and glucagon, while exocrine functions involve the secretion of digestive enzymes. Disruption of these functions can lead to conditions like diabetes mellitus and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Also, the symptoms and causality of pancreatic cancer very greatly depends on their origin: pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most fatal cancer; however, most of tumor derived from endocrine part of pancreas are benign. Pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreatic tissues, is caused by excessive alcohol consumption, the bile duct obstruction by gallstones, and the premature activation of digestive enzymes in the pancreas. Hereditary pancreatic diseases, such as maturity-onset diabetes of the young and hereditary pancreatitis, can be a candidate for disease modeling using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), due to their strong genetic influence. hPSC-derived pancreatic differentiation has been established for cell replacement therapy for diabetic patients and is robustly used for disease modeling. The disease modeling platform that allows interactions between immune cells and pancreatic cells is necessary to perform in-depth investigation of disease pathogenesis.

Pancreas serves endocrine and exocrine functions in the body; thus, their pathology can cause a broad range of irreparable consequences. Endocrine functions include the production of hormones such as insulin and glucagon, while exocrine functions involve the secretion of digestive enzymes. Disruption of these functions can lead to conditions like diabetes mellitus and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Also, the symptoms and causality of pancreatic cancer very greatly depends on their origin: pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most fatal cancer; however, most of tumor derived from endocrine part of pancreas are benign. Pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreatic tissues, is caused by excessive alcohol consumption, the bile duct obstruction by gallstones, and the premature activation of digestive enzymes in the pancreas. Hereditary pancreatic diseases, such as maturity-onset diabetes of the young and hereditary pancreatitis, can be a candidate for disease modeling using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), due to their strong genetic influence. hPSC-derived pancreatic differentiation has been established for cell replacement therapy for diabetic patients and is robustly used for disease modeling. The disease modeling platform that allows interactions between immune cells and pancreatic cells is necessary to perform in-depth investigation of disease pathogenesis.

Anemia is a common cause of referrals to gastroenterologists. Only a small number of anemia cases result from vascular abnormalities. Visceral artery aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms are rare forms of vascular disease that have significant potential for rupture, resulting in potentially life-threatening hemorrhaging. We present the case of a 70-year-old female patient with a pseudoaneurysm of the superior mesenteric artery complicated with rupture, who had no abdominal pain and only anemia.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Anemia* ; Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, False* ; Arteries ; Female ; Humans ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior* ; Referral and Consultation ; Rupture* ; Vascular Diseases

Metformin, commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes, is considered safe with minimal side-effect. Acute pancreatitis is rare but potentially fatal adverse side-effect of metformin. We report a patient on hemodialysis with metformin-related acute pancreatitis and lactic acidosis. A 62-year-old woman with diabetic nephropathy and hypertension presented with nausea and vomiting for a few weeks, followed by epigastric pain. At home, the therapy of 500 mg/day metformin and 50 mg/day sitagliptin was continued, despite symptoms. Laboratory investigations showed metabolic acidosis with high levels of lactate, amylase at 520 U/L (range, 30-110 U/L), and lipase at 1,250 U/L (range, 23-300 U/L). Acute pancreatitis was confirmed by computed tomography. No recognized cause of acute pancreatitis was identified. Metformin was discontinued. Treatment with insulin and intravenous fluids resulted in normalized amylase, lipase, and lactate. When she was re-exposed to sitagliptin, no symptoms were reported.
Acidosis ; Acidosis, Lactic* ; Amylases ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Insulin ; Lactic Acid ; Lipase ; Metformin* ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; Pancreatitis* ; Renal Dialysis* ; Sitagliptin Phosphate ; Vomiting

PURPOSE: Nowadays importance of growth factors in wound healing is being focused. Wound healing can be accelerated by various growth factors. Wound healing cascade consists of inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling phases. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) helps proliferation of fibroblast and promotes angiogenesis and formation of granulation tissue through proliferative phase. We investigated the effect of recombinant basic fibroblast growth factor Fiblast(R) (Kaken Pharmaceutical, Japan) on second degree burns. METHODS: 57 patients from July 2009 to September 2009 with second degree burn were treated with bFGF. Average age, sex, cause of burn, depth of burn, location of wound, epithelization period and number of operation were studied. Recombinant bFGF was used with spraying. The bFGT was sprayed and wait for 30 seconds and then foam dressing was applied to wounds. The bFGF administration continued until the wound healed. RESULTS: The average healing time in the bFGF-treated group was 8.4+/-2.2 days (4~14 days). Among 57 patients, 19 patients had superficial second degree burn and the average healing time in the bFGF-treated group was 7.2+/-1.5 days (4~9 days), 30 patients had deep second degree burn and the average healing time in the bFGF-treated group was 11.2+/-1.7 days (9~14 days). 20 patients had deep second degree burn and were clinically considered to get operation during hospital course but eventually 8 of patients (40%) with deep second degree burn treated with bFGF underwent operation. CONCLUSION: The use of bFGF for second-degree burns decreased the wound healing time. Especially the use of bFGF decreased the rate of getting operation in deep second degree burn and increased the convenience of treatment.
Bandages ; Biological Dressings ; Burns ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; Fibroblasts ; Granulation Tissue ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Wound Healing

Extramedullary plasmacytoma is a non-epithelial neoplasm of plasma cell origin that does not accompany a systemic spread. Only a few cases of this disease developed in the temporal bone have been reported so far. This case report describes an unusual case of solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma of the temporal bone that mimicked a large jugular foramen tumor with hypoglossal canal involvement. The tumor was diagnosed by a biopsy from the external auditory canal at the outpatient clinic, and effectively controlled with primary radiotherapy. Based on our experience, when a jugular foramen tumor is suspected, such as in the case of extramedullary plasmacytoma, a biopsy for pathologic investigation should be considered whenever necessary in order to distinguish lesions that may not require nonsurgical treatment.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Biopsy ; Ear Canal ; Plasma Cells ; Plasmacytoma* ; Radiotherapy ; Temporal Bone

BACKGROUND: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is one of the major complications encountered by patients receiving chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies. The prolonged period of intense immunosuppression following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) may increase the risk of IPA recurrence in patients with a history of IPA. We evaluated the impact of a history of IPA on allogeneic HSCT outcome, and examined the incidence of IPA after HSCT. METHODS: This retrospective study included 22 patients with a history of IPA prior to receiving allogeneic HSCT at the Samsung Medical Center from 1995 to 2007. Diagnosis of IPA was defined as proven (N=5), probable (N=0), or possible (N=17). RESULTS: All 22 patients received amphotericin-based regimens to treat pre-transplant IPA. Secondary antifungal prophylaxis was administered to 10 patients during HSCT. The development of post-transplant IPA was observed in 2 patients. One of the patients died from septic shock within 2 days of the diagnosis of possible IPA. The other patient recovered from IPA, but eventually had a relapse of the primary disease. Of the 22 patients, the overall 2-year survival rate was 63% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 41-85), and the transplant-related mortality rate was 19% (95% CI: 0-38). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that a history of IPA prior to HSCT does not have an adverse impact on transplant outcomes, although the small number of cases was a limitation in this study. Future studies involving a larger number of cases are needed to further examine this issue.
Hematologic Neoplasms ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Incidence ; Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Shock, Septic ; Survival Rate ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DCs) are increasingly being utilized for anti-cancer immunotherapy. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts are able to generate leukemia-derived DC. Advances in culture techniques and AML-DC characterization justify possible clinical applications. We investigated the ability of AML, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and biphenotypic acute leukemia (BAL) blasts to differentiate into DCs in vitro and the qualified function of the leukemia-derived DCs. METHODS: Leukemia cells from 11 patients with AML, 3 patients with ALL and 2 patients with BAL were cultured with GM-CSF, IL-4 and with or without SCF. Cultured leukemia cells were evaluated by phenotype, mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), cytokine production and cytotoxic T cell (CTL) inducing activity. RESULTS: DCs were generated with GM-CSF and IL-4 from the leukemic blasts in 72% of the AML patient cells. MHC class I/II, CD11c and ICAM-1 were highly expressed in the AML-derived DCs. MLR and enzyme linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assays demonstrated that AML-DCs were able to induce T cell proliferation and activation into IFN-gamma secreting effector cells. The ALL blasts from two out of three patients differentiated into DCs with MHC class I/II+, CD11c+ only in the presence of GM-CSF, SCF and IL-4 for 14 days. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that functionallyactive DCs can be differentiated from AML blasts using GM-GSF and IL-4 and ALL, BAL blasts were differentiated into DCs only under stem cell-DC culture conditions.
Cell Proliferation ; Culture Techniques ; Dendritic Cells ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Interleukin-4 ; Leukemia* ; Leukemia, Biphenotypic, Acute ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed ; Phenotype ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma