PURPOSE: To investigate the chemotherapeutic effect of quercetin against cancer cells, signaling pathway of apoptosis was explored in human pancreatic cells. METHODS: Various anticancer drugs including adriamycin, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and gemcitabine were used. Cell viability was measured by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphe-nyltetra zolium bromide assay. Apoptosis was determined by 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole nuclei staining and flow cytometry in PANC-1 cells treated with 50 microg/mL quercetin for 24 hours. Expression of endoplas mic reticulum (ER) stress mediators including, Grp78/Bip, p-PERK, PERK, ATF4, ATF6 and GADD153/CHOP proteins were measured by Western blot analysis. Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by fluorescence staining with JC-1, rhodamine 123. Quercetin induced the apoptosis of PANC-1, which was characterized as nucleic acid and genomic DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and sub-G0/G1 fraction of cell cycle increase. But not adriamycin, cisplatin, gemcitabine, and 5-FU. PANC-1 cells were markedly sensitive to quercetin. RESULTS: Treatment with quercetin resulted in the increased accumulation of intracellular Ca2+ ion. Treatment with quercetin also increased the expression of Grp78/Bip and GADD153/CHOP protein and induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Quercetin exerted cytotoxicity against human pancreatic cancer cells via ER stress-mediated apoptotic signaling including reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial dysfunction. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that quercetin may be an important modulator of chemosensitivity of cancer cells against anticancer chemotherapeutic agents.
Apoptosis* ; Benzimidazoles ; Blotting, Western ; Carbocyanines ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Survival ; Chromatin ; Cisplatin ; Deoxycytidine ; DNA Fragmentation ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescence ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Quercetin* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Reticulum ; Rhodamine 123

Bronchobiliary fistula (BBF) is a rare condition that is defined as an abnormal communication between the biliary system and bronchial tree. Furthermore, a BBF is an extremely rare complication of radiofrequency ablation (RFA). A 54 year-old man with a history of extrahepatic biliary cancer had been suffering with a benign stricture of hepaticojejunostomy site and was treated with RFA for metastatic cholangicarcinoma. In this report, we describe a patient with BBF complicated by an abscess which occurred after RFA. He was treated by placement of external drainage catheter into the liver abscess and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) into the right intrahepatic duct. After 6 weeks, a complete obliteration of the BBF was confirmed by a repeated follow-up of computed tomography scan and cholangiography through PTBD.
Abscess ; Biliary Fistula ; Biliary Tract ; Bronchial Fistula ; Catheter Ablation ; Catheters ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Cholangiography ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dioxolanes ; Drainage ; Fistula ; Fluorocarbons ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver Abscess ; Stress, Psychological

Intrahepatic sarcomatoid cholangiocarcinomais is a very rare disease with a poor prognosis due to its biologically aggressive tumor behavior. We report a patient who presented with subcapsular hemorrhage and a rapidly growing liver mass. A 57 year-old man was admitted with severe abdominal pain. CT and MRI images showed the presence of a 10 cm-sized subcapsular hemorrhage connected with a multi-lobulated mass with hemorrhage and necrotic foci in the right liver. The patients underwent right hemihepatectomy with caudate lobectomy and lymphadenectomy. The operation findings revealed metastatic nodules to the diaphragm and omentum. Detailed histopathological analysis through immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis of sarcomatoid cholangiocarcinoma with a poorly undifferentiated sarcomatous component. The patient underwent chemotherapy. To date, the patient is doing well for 8 months after initial diagnosis.
Abdominal Pain ; Benzeneacetamides ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Diaphragm ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Liver ; Lymph Node Excision ; Omentum ; Piperidones ; Prognosis ; Rare Diseases

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to compare single incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) and conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CLC) with respect to clinical outcomes. METHODS: Patients with less than a 28 body mass index (BMI) and a benign gall bladder disease were enrolled in this study. From January 2011 to February 2012, 30 consecutive patients who underwent SILC were compared with 30 patients who underwent CLC during the same period. In this study, all operations were performed by one surgeon. In each group, patient characteristics and perioperative data were collected. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the preoperative characteristics. There was no significant difference in the postoperative laboratory result (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase), number of conversion and complication cases, and length of hospital stay. The operation time was significantly longer in the SILC group (78.5 +/- 17.8 minutes in SILC group vs. 34.9 +/- 5.75 minutes in CLC group, P < 0.0001). The total nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug usage during perioperative period showed significantly higher in SILC groups (162 +/- 51 mg in the SILC group vs. 138 +/- 30 mg in the CLC group), but there was no statistically significant difference in opioid usage between two groups. The postoperative pain score was significantly higher in the SILC group at second, third, and tenth postoperative day. Satisfaction of postoperative wound showed superiority in SILC group. CONCLUSION: SILC seems to be an acceptable alternative to CLC with acceptable results. However, it is not enough to propose any real benefits of SILC when compared with CLC in terms of operation time and postoperative pain.
Alanine ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Body Mass Index ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Pain, Postoperative ; Perioperative Period ; Prospective Studies

A 21-year-old woman presented gastrointestinal manifestation showing intermittent abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. An upper endoscopic examination showed round, elevated mucosa at the antrum of the stomach anterior wall. After CT scanning, a huge degenerated gastrointestinal stromal tumor was suspected. Subtotal gastrectomy with Billroth II anastomosis was performed. Histologically, pseudocystic degeneration of the heterotopic pancreas was confirmed. The patient showed eventful postoperative course except temporary dilated gastric emptying. The patient is doing well without any abnormal symptom at 8-month follow-up. This report is a rare case of gastric outlet obstruction caused by a pseudocyst originating from a heterotopic pancreas in the gastric antrum.
Abdominal Pain ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Emptying ; Gastric Outlet Obstruction ; Gastroenterostomy ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Nausea ; Pancreas ; Pyloric Antrum ; Stomach ; Vomiting ; Young Adult

A 50-year-old male, renal transplant recipient, was admitted with fever and chest discomfort. At admission, chest radiologic finding was negative and echocardiography showed minimal pericardial effusion. After 2 days of admission, chest pain worsened and blood pressure fell to 60/40 mmHg. Emergency echocardiography showed a large amount of pericardial effusion compressing the entire heart. Pericardiocentesis was performed immediately. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated from pericardial fluid. Tuberculosis pericarditis should be considered as the cause of cardiac tamponade in renal transplant recipients, even with the absence of pericardial effusion in the initial study or suggestive history.
Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Tamponade ; Chest Pain ; Echocardiography ; Emergencies ; Fever ; Heart ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Pericardial Effusion ; Pericardiocentesis ; Pericarditis ; Thorax ; Transplants ; Tuberculosis

PURPOSE: Operative management of acute cholecystitis in aged patients has been shown to have relatively higher morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to determine appropriate management protocols for acute cholecystitis in those more than 70 years old. METHODS: From May 2003 to Dec 2009, we performed this study of patients over 70 years old that were diagnosed with acute cholecystitis (n=257). We excluded patients that had a hepatobilliary malignancy, a previous laparotomy history, secondary cholecystitis, or a high operative risk factor (n=78). Eligible participants were divided into two groups according to the first management of acute cholecystitis. One hundred two of the 179 (group A) had undergone a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) or open cholecystectomy (OC) within 48 hr after arriving at the emergency room; 77 of the 179 (group 2) had PTGBD done as the first management protocol. We divided group 2 into group C (n=47) and D (n=30) according to cholecystectomy or not. We compared clinical outcomes of the two groups. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 77.5 years old (102 for Group A and 77 for Group B. Univariant analysis of pre-operative clinical findings between groups A and B showed a significant difference only in age and in type of acute cholecystitis, However, the pre-operative co-morbidity of group B was significantly higher than that for group A. Comparing postoperative results between groups A and C, postoperative complications, open conversion rate, and mortality after cholecystectomy were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: PTGBD could be considered as appropriate management in aged patients with acute cholecystitis. Moreover, PTGBD can reduce unnecessary cholecytectomies.
Aged ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Cholecystitis ; Cholecystitis, Acute ; Drainage ; Emergencies ; Gallbladder ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Postoperative Complications ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic liver resection has gained much popularity in recent years, but relatively few centers have performed hepatectomies in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients due to the technical difficulties faced with underlying liver cirrhosis. We now present our early experience with laparoscopic liver resection in HCC performed in a single institution. METHODS: From October 2003 until March 2009, 39 laparoscopic liver resections were performed on HCC patients among whom 26 had underlying liver cirrhosis. RESULTS: The location of the tumor was in the left lateral section in 15, segment 5 or 6 in 20, segment 4 in 3 and caudate lobe in 1. Resection involving less than a monosegment was done in 26 and more than 2 segments in 13. Tumor size ranged from 0.8 cm to 6.6 cm (median 2.35) and the resection margin from 0.1 to 6 cm (median 1.5 cm). All patients were either stage I (29) or II (10). There was no difference between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients in operation time (median 210 minutes, range 60~637), change of hematocrit value (4.8%, -1~19.6%), or hospital stay (8 days, 3~67 days). The median follow up duration was 15.1 months, and the 2-year recurrence free survival rate was 48.3%. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic liver resection in HCC with or without underlying cirrhosis seems to be feasible with minimal morbidity, especially in well selected cases with early stage HCC.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Fibrosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematocrit ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate

Pancreatic pseudocysts are a common complication of both acute and chronic pancreatitis. But fistular formation or spontaneous perforation of a pancreatic pseudocyst through adjacent organs is rare. Even rarer is bleeding through the fistula between stomach and pancreatic pseudocyst with splenic artery pseudoaneurysm. Therapeutic modalities for ruptured splenic artery pseudoaneurysm with pancreatic pseudocyst include surgical correction and/or angiographic intervention likely splenic artery embolization. However, there seem to be a debate about which treatments are superior. We experienced a case of massive gastric bleeding through a gastrocystic fistula that was controlled surgically by distal pancreatectomy and gastric wedge resection. We report the case with a literature review.
Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, False ; Fistula ; Hemorrhage ; Pancreatectomy ; Pancreatic Pseudocyst ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; Splenic Artery ; Stomach