Chronic pancreatitis is a progressive inflammatory disease resulting from repeated episodes of acute pancreatitis that impair exocrine function and eventually produce endocrine insufficiency. Some causes of chronic pancreatitis appear to be associated with alterations in the serine-protease inhibitor, Kazal type 1 (SPINK1), cationic trypsinogen (PRSS1), and cystic fibrosis-transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) genes, or with structural disorders in the pancreaticobiliary ductal system, such as pancreatic divisum or anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union (APBDU). However, it is unusual to observe both genetic alteration and structural anomaly. Here, we report 2 cases with both APBDU and a mutation in the SPINK1 genes, and we discuss the implications of these findings in clinical practice.
Pancreatitis ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Trypsinogen

The first family of hereditary pancreatitis was described in 1952. The mode of inheritance is autosomal dominant trait with an 80% of penetrance rate. Although hereditary pancreatitis is rare, this disorder has provided valuable insights in understanding the pathophysiology of pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The causative gene of hereditary pancreatitis was identified in 1996 through mutational analysis of genes within chromosome 7q35. Most forms of hereditary pancreatitis are caused by one of two common mutations, R122H in the third exon or N29I in the second exon of the cationic trypsinogen gene (protease serine 1, PRSS1). R122H mutation is the most common PRSS1 mutation. Additional mutations of the cationic trypsinogen gene have been described. In Korea, first family of hereditary pancreatitis with cationic trypsinogen gene mutation revealed an arginine to histidine amino acid substitution at the residue 122. Patients with hereditary pancreatitis present with symptoms at an early age and have significant risk for the development of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The risk of pancreatic cancer is estimated to be 53-fold higher after the age of 50 years than the general population. The risk of pancreatic cancer is not related to the type of mutation. Since hereditary pancreatitis is a strong risk factor for pancreatic cancer, it is important to establish a diagnostic criteria for diagnosis and surveillance. However, there are potential benefits, risks and limitations in genetic testing for hereditary pancreatitis. It is difficult to provide the proper treatment, but recent developments in therapeutic approaches may be helpful in caring hereditary pancreatitis. This article includes the current status, pathogenesis, clinical features, and management of hereditary pancreatitis including the aspects of pancreatic cancer.
Amino Acid Substitution ; English Abstract ; Humans ; Mutation ; Pancreatitis/diagnosis/*genetics/therapy ; Trypsin/*genetics ; Trypsinogen/*genetics

Hereditary pancreatitis (HP) is an autosomal dominant inherited disease characterized by recurrent episodes of pancreatitis often beginning in childhood, a family history of at least 2 other affected members, and the absence of known etiologic factors. The discovery of mutations in cationic trypsinogen gene (PRSS1) in HP not only provided insights into the molecular mechanisms of pancreatitis, but also opened a new era in the field of chronic pancreatitis. The detection of mutations in serine protease inhibitor, Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) and CFTR in patients with hereditary or idiopathic chronic pancreatitis has placed the emphasis on the importance of genetic mutations in pancreatitis. Because the estimated cumulative risk of pancreatic cancer developement in hereditary pancreatitis is nearly 40%, screening tests are important in selected cases. There are no specific medical therapies recommended in patients with HP. Registration of patients with Nationwise Registries is essential if management strategies are to be improved and genetic research to be continued.
Carrier Proteins/genetics ; Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator/genetics ; Humans ; Mutation ; Pancreatitis/*genetics ; Trypsinogen/genetics

Hereditary pancreatitis (HP) appears as an autosomal dominant trait. If the patient has (1) more than 2 affected relatives in different generations and (2) no known etiological factors such as alcohol or gallstones, or has R122H or N29I mutation in the cationic trypsinogen (CT) gene, the diagnosis of HP can be applied. Risk of pancreatic cancer is estimated to be 53-fold higher than in a general population after the age of 50 years. We report a kindredof HP, involving three of its family together; two siblings (14 years old, 13 years old) and cousin (26 years old). The patient had complicating chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic stone, and was treated with amodified Puestow-Gillesby procedure. Her sisters showed chronic pancreatitis. Her cousin underwent a drainage procedure of the pancreatic duct for chronic pancreatitis during the high school period. All the three members showed the R122H mutation of the CT gene.
Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Family Characteristics ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Pancreatitis* ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Siblings ; Trypsinogen

Hereditary pancreatitis (HP) appears as an autosomal dominant trait. If the patient has (1) more than 2 affected relatives in different generations and (2) no known etiological factors such as alcohol or gallstones, or has R122H or N29I mutation in the cationic trypsinogen (CT) gene, the diagnosis of HP can be applied. Risk of pancreatic cancer is estimated to be 53-fold higher than in a general population after the age of 50 years. We report a kindredof HP, involving three of its family together; two siblings (14 years old, 13 years old) and cousin (26 years old). The patient had complicating chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic stone, and was treated with amodified Puestow-Gillesby procedure. Her sisters showed chronic pancreatitis. Her cousin underwent a drainage procedure of the pancreatic duct for chronic pancreatitis during the high school period. All the three members showed the R122H mutation of the CT gene.
Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Family Characteristics ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Pancreatitis* ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Siblings ; Trypsinogen

BACKGROUNDMutations in the cationic trypsinogen gene (PRSS1) have been detected in patients with hereditary pancreatitis (HP). This study investigated the prevalence of the R122H (c.365 G > A), A121T (c.361 G > A) and D162D (c.488 C > T) mutations or polymorphisms in the common, non-hereditary forms of chronic pancreatitis and in an HP family.

METHODSDNA was prepared from blood samples of 54 patients with chronic pancreatitis (35 alcoholic, 17 idiopathic and 2 hereditary) and 120 normal controls. The PRSS1 genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and their products were analyzed by sequencing and related clinical data were also collected.

RESULTSA new polymorphism (c.488 C > T) of PRSS1 was found in 25 patients with chronic pancreatitis (including one affected member of the HP family) and six members of the normal controls. The C/T genotype was significantly increased in chronic pancreatitis (OR: 16.379, 95% CI: 5.7522 - 52.3663), the frequency of c.488 C > T change was in according with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, but it doesn't affect the clinical phenotype. The commonly reported change of R122H (c.365 G > A) was not detected in any of the study subjects. c.361 G > A was found in 2 affected members and one unaffected carrier in an HP family. One of the affected members of an HP family had c.361 G > A mutation and polymorphism (c.488 C > T) in the PRSS1 gene at the same time. The patient's clinical values (C3, C4, CA19-9 and HbA1c) were higher than those of the other patients with chronic pancreatitis. The two patients with HP developed diabetes mellitus and their father died with pancreatic cancer.

CONCLUSIONA new polymorphism (c.488 C > T) in the PRSS1 gene is associated with chronic pancreatitis, but it did not affect the clinical phenotype while the A121T (c.361 G > A) mutation in the gene shows a significant correlation in the patients with HP.

Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Pancreatitis ; genetics ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Trypsin ; Trypsinogen ; genetics

Hereditary pancreatitis is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by recurrent episodes of pancreatitis, often beginning in childhood, with a positive family history involving at least two other affected family members with no known other precipitating factors. Most forms of hereditary pancreatitis are caused by one of two common mutations, i.e., R122H in exon 3 and N29I in exon 2 of the cationic trypsinogen (CT) (PRSS1) gene, located on chromosome 7. The authors describe the case of a 15-year-old boy who had suffered from recurrent attacks of pancreatitis since age three. His mother and grandmother had chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus. Mutation analysis was performed on the family due to the suspicion of hereditary pancreatitis. The CT gene was analyzed in DNA samples extracted from the peripheral blood of three family members, the mother, the proband, and the proband's sister. Two members of the family, the mother and the proband, were found to have a N29I mutation in the CT gene. The authors document the first family with hereditary pancreatitis associated with the N29I mutation in Korea.
Adolescent ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7 ; Diabetes Mellitus ; DNA ; Exons ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mothers ; Pancreatitis* ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Precipitating Factors ; Siblings ; Trypsinogen*

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease that is caused by various etiologies including gallstone, alcohol or hypertriglyceridemia. Although most cases of acute pancreatitis show self-limiting course, severe cases are still associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The pathogenic mechanisms of acute pancreatitis are not fully understood. However, it is a central dogma that premature intracellular activation of trypsinogen is the earliest pathologic event. Even though it remains unknown how intracellular trypsinogen activation can be caused by such diverse etiologies, this initial insult in pancreatic acinar cells lead to local inflammatory complications and a systemic response or death. Pathophysiologic mechanisms related to the progression of acute pancreatitis include microcirculatory injury, chemoattraction of inflammatory cells, release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and bacterial translocation to pancreas and systemic circulation. Recently, several interesting transgenic mice model experiments shed a light in trypsin independent mechanism of local and systemic inflammation for progression of acute pancreatitis.
Acinar Cells ; Animals ; Bacterial Translocation ; Cytokines ; Gallstones ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Inflammation ; Light ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Pancreas ; Pancreatitis ; Trypsin ; Trypsinogen

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The clinical usefulness of urinary trypsinogen-2 dipstick test is still in controversy. We evaluated the usefulness of urinary trypsinogen-2 dipstick test in patients with acute pancreatitis. METHODS: Urinary trypsinogen-2 dipstick test was prospectively performed in 50 patients with acute pancreatitis, 50 patients with non-pancreatic abdominal pain, and 50 healthy controls. RESULTS: On admission, urinary trypsinogen-2 dipstick test was positive in 36 of 50 patients with acute pancreatitis (sensitivity, 72%) and in 4 of 50 patients with non-pancreatic abdominal pain (specificity, 92%). On the other hand, it was all negative in controls. The sensitivity and specificity of serum lipase were 78% and 94%, respectively. At 24 hours after admission, the positive rate of urinary trypsinogen-2 dipstick test rose from 72% to 94% (p=0.02). The results of urinary trypsinogen-2 dipstick test was positive in 14 of 15 patients with severe pancreatitis and 22 of 35 patients with mild pancreatitis according to the criteria by Atlanta International Symposium, 1992. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary trypsinogen-2 dipstick test is comparable to serum lipase in diagnosing acute pancreatitis. Delayed measurement and severe pancreatitis are more likely to yield positive results with urinary trypsinogen-2 dipstick test. Thus, we suggest that the cut-off value of urinary trypsinogen-2 dipstick test should be lowered to increase its sensitivity.
Acute Disease ; Adult ; Aged ; Biological Markers/analysis ; English Abstract ; Female ; Humans ; Lipase/blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatitis/*diagnosis ; Reagent Strips ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Trypsinogen/*urine

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Heat shock proteins (HSPs) protect rats from cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) by preventing the subcellular redistribution of cathepsin B and the activation of trypsinogen. Autophagy plays a critical role in the secretion of digestive enzymes and triggering of cerulein-induced AP via the colocalization of trypsinogen and lysosomes. Therefore, using a rat cerulein-induced AP model, we investigated whether HSPs prevent AP by regulating autophagy. METHODS: Twelve hours after fed standard laboratory chow and water, the experimental groups (cerulein, water-immersion [WI]-cerulein and heat-shock [HS]-cerulein) and the control groups (control, WI, and HS) received one intraperitoneal injection of cerulein (50 microg/kg) or saline, respectively. All of the rats were sacrificed at 6 hours after injection. The severity of the AP was assessed based on the serum amylase level and the histological and electron microscopy findings. Western blotting was also performed for HSP60/70 and LC3B-II. RESULTS: WI and HS induced HSP60 and HSP70, respectively. The induced HSP60/70 effectively prevented the development of cerulein-induced AP. Autophagy developed in the rats with cerulein-induced AP and was documented by the expression of LC3-II and electron microscopy findings. The WI-stressed rats and HS-treated rats did not develop cerulein-induced autophagy. CONCLUSIONS: HSPs exert protective effects against cerulein-induced AP in rats by inhibiting autophagy.
Amylases ; Animals ; Autophagy ; Blotting, Western ; Caerulein ; Cathepsin B ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; Hot Temperature ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Lysosomes ; Microscopy, Electron ; Pancreatitis ; Rats ; Trypsinogen ; Water