AIM: To evaluate the biological characteristics and differentiating potentials of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) from sensitized mice by allogeneic splenocyte transfusion in vitro.METHODS: Adherent culture method was applied for culturing the bone marrow-derived MSCs from sensitized mice.The cell morphology was examined and the surface marker profiles were analyzed by flow cytometry.The differentiating potentials of the MSCs into osteogenic,adipogenic and myogenic lineages were explored.The bone marrow-derived MSCs from the normal mice were collected and served as controls.RESULTS: Both the bone marrow-derived MSCs from sensitized and normal mice were exhibited a homogeneous distinctive morphology and were positive for the surface markers CD29,CD105,CD44 and Sca-1,negative in CD 34 and CD11b.The abilities of both MSCs to differentiate into osteogenic,adipogenic and myogenic pathways in the same condition were also observed.CONCLUSION: There is no difference in the biological characteristics and induced differentiating potentials between the sensitized mouse bone marrow-derived MSCs by allogeneic splenocytes transfusion and the MSCs from normal mice.

BACKGROUNDPancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs) are rare and their surgical treatment is often debated. The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyze the diagnosis and surgical strategy of functioning and non-functioning PETs.

METHODSFrom May 1980 to March 2006, 36 patients with pancreatic endocrine tumors at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University were retrospectively studied.

RESULTSAmong the 36 patients, 29 (81%) had functioning tumors, and 7 (19%) had nonfunctioning tumors. Ninety-two percent of insulinomas were benign, whereas 4 (57%) of nonfunctioning PETs were malignant. The size of functioning tumors was (2.3 +/- 0.3) cm, that of nonfunctioning tumors was less than (5.1 +/- 0.5) cm. The combination CT and transabdominal ultrasonography resulted in a diagnostic sensitivity of 84%. Thirty-three primary lesions were precisely located in 32 patients (89%). Atypical tumor resection was performed for 73% of functioning tumors, while typical pancreatectomy was performed for 6 (85%) of nonfunctioning tumors. Moreover, 5 liver resections and 1 lymph node dissection were performed. During the follow-up, fifteen complications occurred in 12 (36%) patients after operation. The 5-year survival rate for patients with benign tumors was 92% compared to 50% for those with malignant tumors. Surgical cure was achieved in 95% of patients with benign insulinomas.

CONCLUSIONSSurgical strategy for PETs depends on the size and location of the tumor and the risk of malignancy. The optimal surgical procedure is key to prevent postoperative complication. Radical resection including initial and metastatic lesion may benefit patients with malignant PETs.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Insulinoma ; diagnosis ; mortality ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; mortality ; surgery ; Positron-Emission Tomography

Objective To investigate the demographic features, etiology and clinical characteristics of chro-nic pancreatitis ( CP) .Methods We retrospectively analyzed the records of 346 CP cases hospitalized in Peking Union Medical College Hospital during the period of January 1983 to December 2008, summarizing the demographic features, clinical manifestations, causes of disease, and complications of these patients.Results The 346 CP ca-ses included 267 males and 79 females ( M/F ratio=3.38∶1 ) .The mean age of onset was ( 44.34 ±15.88 ) years.Most of the patients were Han Chinese ( 94.80%, 328/346 ) , and a large proportion were cadres (32.08%, 111/346) .Both the number of CP cases and its proportion in the total number of inpatients in the hospital increased rapidly.Alcohol (40.17%) and cholelithiasis (41.04%) were the most common risk factors of CP.CP of different etiologies had all increased, especially alcoholic CP, growing by an mean annual rate of 108.7%.84.39% (292/346) of the patients presented with abdominal pain, 56.07%(194/346) had weight loss, 24.86%(86/346) had jaundice (all obstructive).Diabetes (25.14%, 87/346) was the most common complication.The median time of CP onset to occurrence of diabetes and fatty diarrhea were 1.00 year and 280.03 months, respectively.Diabetes occurred earlier in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis than those with idiopathic pancreatitis (P=0.020).Conclusions The incidence of CP is growing rapidly in China, with alco-holic CP increasing faster than biliary CP.The most common symptoms of CP are abdominal pain and weight loss, while the most common complication is diabetes.A patient database and regular follow-up visits could contribute to better understanding of epidemiological patterns of CP and improvement of its diagnosis and treatment.