Management and outcomes following pancreaticoduodenectomy for ampullary adenocarcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes following pancreaticoduodenectomy(PD) for ampullary adenocarcinoma(AAC). METHODS: We evaluated patients having undergone PD for AAC and the impact of clinical/histopathologic factors and adjuvant therapy(AT) on survival. RESULTS: 52 patients underwent potentially curative PD. Perineural and lymphovascular invasion were associated with decreased survival. There was no difference in survival between patients treated with PD vs. PD+AT, however, AT was more often administered to patients with N1 vs. N0 and stage II/III vs. I disease. Among patients receiving AT, we observed a trend towards improved survival when radiation was included. Recurrence occurred in 7/18(39%) stage I patients, only 2(7%) of which received AT. CONCLUSION: AT did not improve survival, however was more commonly administered in advanced disease. Stage I patients had high recurrence rates but rarely received AT. Prospective evaluation of appropriate AT regimens and use in early stage patients should be considered.

Pathophysiology of experimental nephrotic syndrome induced by puromicyn aminonucleoside in rats. III. Effect of captopril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, on proteinuria and sodium retention.

The effect of the converting enzyme inhibitor (CEI) (captopril, 50 mg/kg/day) on proteinuria (UProt), urinary aldosterone (UAldoV), plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma renin concentration (PRC), plasma angiotensinogen concentration (PAC), urinary sodium (UNaV), serum total protein, and body weight was studied for 21 days in an experimental nephrotic syndrome (NS) model induced in rats by a single injection (15 mg/100g) of puromycin aminonucleoside (PA). The effect of captopril on control rats without NS was also characterized. In control rats, captopril increased PRC and PRA, and decreased PAC; it had no effect on UNaV, UAldoV, UProt, total serum protein and body weight. In rats with NS, captopril had no effect on sodium retention, hypoproteinemia, and UProt; it abolished the increased UaldoV and favored weight loss. Captopril also rose PRA and PRC, and decreased PAC in PA-nephrotic rats; these changes were similar to those produced by captopril in control rats. The mortality rate was higher in nephrotic rats treated with captopril (37%) than in untreated nephrotic rats (13%). It is concluded that captopril has no beneficial effects on the course on NS induced by PA during the first 21 days, and supports the contention that sodium retention is not related to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activity in these rats.

Pathophysiology of experimental nephrotic syndrome induced by puromycin aminonucleoside in rats. II. In vitro release of renin, angiotensinogen and aldosterone.

In vitro release of renin, angiotensinogen and aldosterone was studied in control (CT) and nephrotic rats. Nephrotic syndrome (NS) was induced by a single injection of puromycin aminonucleoside (PA). The in vitro systems used were: renal cortical slices (RCS), liver slices (LS) and adrenal glands, all incubated in Krebs-Ringer buffer. Renal renin content (RRC) and isoproterenol-induced renin secretion (RS) also were studied. RS, RRC and angiotensinogen release were measured indirectly by radioimmunoassay (RIA) of angiotensin I (ANG I); aldosterone was estimated by direct RIA. Basal RS was not modified in NS: 385 +/- 196 (CT) vs 344 +/- 149 ng ANG I/mg protein/h (NS), p greater than 0.05. Isoproterenol increased RS significantly in both CT and NS groups: 535 +/- (CT) and 685 +/- 231 ng ANG I/mg protein/h (NS) (p less than 0.05 vs. basal RS). RRC was similar in both groups: 2.17 +/- 0.62 (CT) vs 2.05 +/- 0.49 micrograms ANG I/mg protein/h (NS), p greater than 0.05. Angiotensinogen release from LS increased in nephrotic rats from 10 +/- 3.2 (CT) to 12 +/- 1.9 pmoles angiotensinogen I/mg tissue/2h (NS), p less than 0.05. Aldosterone release increased markedly from adrenal glands of rats with NS (1649 +/- 1111 pg aldosterone/mg tissue/h) with respect to control rats (257 +/- 85), p less than 0.05 In vitro studies were performed six days after PA-injection, when nephrotic rats had ascitis, edema, proteinuria, hypoproteinemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low sodium and aldosterone excretion, low levels of plasma angiotensinogen and high levels of plasma renin and aldosterone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Pathophysiology of experimental nephrotic syndrome induced by puromycin aminonucleoside in rats. I. The role of proteinuria, hypoproteinemia, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system on sodium retention.

The pathophysiology of the nephrotic syndrome (NS), characterized by protenuria, edema, sodium retention and hyperlipidemia, is not clear. We studied the role of some systemic factors on sodium retention in an experimental model of NS. NS was induced in rats by a single subcutaneous injection of puromycin aminonucleoside (PA) (15 mg/100 g); control animals received vehicle. All rats were kept in metabolic cages for 24 days (3 days before and 21 days after PA-injection). Urine was collected daily. Blood samples were obtained every day until day 10, and then every other day up to the end of the study. The rats showed the following alterations after PA injection: a) a rise in serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity (ACEA) and plasma aldosterone (PAldo) at day 1; b) a rise in urinary aldosterone (UAaldoV), azotemia and sodium retention at day 2; c) massive proteinuria (UProt) and decrease in plasma angiotensinogen concentration (PAC) at day 4; d) increases in plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma renin concentration (PRC) and serum creatinine as well as hypoproteinemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, ascitis and edema at day 5; e) increase in urine volume at day 6. PAldo became normal at day 7; urine sodium (UNaV), PRA and PRC at day 8; UAldoV at day 9; serum urea and ACEA at day 10; urinary volume at day 11; PAC, serum total protein and creatinine at day 12. The edema disappeared at day 11. UProt, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia persisted, though they decreased substantially by the end of the study (day 21). Light microscopy studies revealed normal glomerular morphology, but electron microscopy showed fusion of podocytes before proteinuria. These data suggest that: a) sodium retention was not a consequence of proteinuria or hypoproteinemia; b) sodium retention seems non-related to renin secretion, but may be partially mediated by a fall in glomerular filtration rate or by an increased tubular resabsorption secondary to other factors; c) the increase in PAldo, UAldoV and ACEA are non-related to renin secretion: all occurred before PRA rose; d) water retention, increase in PRA and PRC, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia are secondary to the hypoproteinemia.