ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Perineural invasion is a common path for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) metastasis, and it is highly correlated with postoperative recurrence and poor prognosis. It is often an early event in a disease that is commonly diagnosed in advanced stages, and thus it could offer a timely therapeutic and diagnostic target if better understood. This article systematically reviews the progress of CCA neural invasion-related molecules. METHODS: Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE and PubMed databases for articles from January 1990 to December 2009, using the keywords "cholangiocarcinoma," "perineural invasion," "nerve growth factor"(NGF), "neural cell adhesion molecule" (NCAM), "matrix metalloproteinase"(MMP), "neurotransmitter," "acetylcholine" (Ach), and "transforming growth factor" (TGF)." Additional papers and book chapters were identified by a manual search of references from the key articles. RESULTS: From above we found that the molecules NGF, NCAM, MMP, Ach and TGF may have prognostic significance in, and offer clues to the mechanism of CCA neural invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Cholangiocarcinoma's increasing worldwide incidence is especially poignant in view of both the lacking effective therapies, and the fact that it is commonly diagnosed in advanced stages. As CCA neural invasion often appears early, more complete characterization of its molecular pathology could lead to the identification of targets for the diagnosis and therapy of this devastating malignancy.
Subject(s)
Cholangiocarcinoma/pathology , Acetylcholine/metabolism , Humans , Matrix Metalloproteinases/metabolism , Medical Oncology/methods , Medical Oncology/trends , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Neoplasm Metastasis , Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules/metabolism , Neurons/metabolism , Neurons/pathology , Postoperative Complications , Prognosis , RecurrenceABSTRACT
Surface hydroxyl group rich nano-structured solids dramatically increase the rate of several organic reactions; such effect is attributed to the formation of interfacial hydrogen bonds between the surface hydroxyl groups and the reactants; this catalytic effect is versatile and applicable for a broad range of reaction conditions.
ABSTRACT
Water-soluble cubic structure Ag(2)Se (alpha-Ag(2)Se) nanocrystals smaller than 5 nm can be obtained by cation-exchange reaction at room temperature, using water-dispersed ZnSe nanocrystals as precursors, which is achieved by controlling the injection speed of AgNO(3) solutions via a syringe pump in the presence of the stabilizer of trisodium citrate. Meanwhile, the thermal stability of the product Ag(2)Se nanocrystals is studied. The results show that the mean sizes and shapes of the precursor ZnSe and product Ag(2)Se nanocrystals are similar, and Se anion sublattices between them are topotaxial. In addition, no phase transition is observed for the product Ag(2)Se (cubic structure) nanocrystals below 180 degrees C. The present synthetic method based on cation-exchange reactions can also be applied to the syntheses of PbSe and CuSe nanocrystals.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis, especially acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP), is a serious disease with a high morbidity because of multiorgan dysfunction. Recent studies have indicated that during the pathogenesis of ANP, changes of the microcirculation play an important role in the worsening of the disease. This study based on a model of acute pancreatitis in Wistar rats was to determine the effect of treatment with low-dose dopamine on acute pancreatitis by the dynamic measurement of serum levels of inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-alpha. METHODS: Fifty Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups, and a model of ANP was set up by injecting sodium taurocholate into the pancreatic duct. Rats in the dopamine group (treatment group) were given dopamine by vein and those in the acute pancreatitis group (control group) were given normal saline. To assess the effect of low-dose dopamine (5 mug.kg-1.min-1) on induced acute pancreatitis, the antibody sandwich ELISA method was used to measure the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha at different times before and after the induction of ANP. RESULTS: The serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in the treatment and control groups before and after ANP induction were significantly different. There was a markedly significant difference in the comparison of the two groups after ANP induction (P<0.01), but no significant difference in the comparison before the induction (P>0.05). Postoperative pancreatic histopathologic changes in the treatment group were more marked than those in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose dopamine is effective in treating ANP by alleviating inflammatory reactions. This effect may be related to the fact that low-dose dopamine not only can increase the blood flow of the pancreatic microcirculation but also reduce its permeability.
