The inflammatory cascade in acute pancreatitis: relevance to clinical disease.

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition that is initiated by the intra pancreatic activation of proteases. Pancreatic enzyme activation triggers a local and systemic inflammatory response that is associated with recruitment of inflammatory cells into the pancreas and a widespread up-regulation of inflammatory markers in distant tissues.

Aortic paraganglioma requiring resection and replacement of the aortic root.

This case report demonstrates the resection of an aortic root paraganglioma incidentally discovered in a 32-year-old male with replacement of the root for an oncologically complete resection.