Osteopontin as a discriminating marker for pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis.

INTRODUCTION: We analyzed concentrations of osteopontin (OPN) in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in order to determine firstly whether it is useful to distinguish between PDAC patients and those with chronic non-hereditary pancreatitis (CP) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and secondly whether OPN concentrations depend on the PDAC stage. METHODS: Groups consisting of 64 patients with PDAC, 71 with CP, 67 with T2DM and 48 healthy controls (CON) were enrolled in the study. Controls were compared with regard to levels of OPN, oxidative stress markers, conventional tumor markers and other biochemical parameters. RESULTS: Levels of OPN were higher in patients with PDAC compared with CP patients (P< 0.001), T2DM (P< 0.001) and CON (P< 0.001). There were increased OPN levels in CP patients in comparison with T2DM (P< 0.001) and CON (P< 0.001). Patients with PDAC in stage IV had higher OPN levels than PDAC patients in stage III (P< 0.01). There was no difference in OPN levels of PDAC patients in stage III compared to patients in stage II. CONCLUSION: Our pilot study demonstrates the usefulness of estimating OPN levels to differentiate between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. Higher OPN levels over 102 ng/ml could be a potential diagnostic biomarker for pancreatic cancer.

Chronic pancreatitis and the composition of plasma phosphatidylcholine fatty acids.

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is an irreversible inflammatory disorder characterized by the destruction of both exocrine and endocrine tissue. There is growing evidence that dysregulation of fatty acid (FA) metabolism is connected with many diseases; however, there are few data concerning FA composition in CP. Therefore, we analyzed FA profiles in plasma phosphatidylcholines in 96 patients with CP and in 108 control subjects (CON). The patients with CP had, in comparison with CON, increased sum of monounsaturated FA (ΣMUFA) and decreased content of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) in both n-6 and n-3 families. Moreover, CP patients had increased indexes for delta-9, delta-6 desaturases, and fall in activity of delta-5 desaturase. Increased ratio of 16:1n-7/18:2n-6 (marker of essential n-6 FA deficiency), was more prevalent among CP patients. These changes implicated decreased fat intake, including n-3 as well as n-6 PUFA, and intrinsic changes in FA metabolism due to the alteration of delta desaturase activities.

[The evolution of knowledge about the inflammatory bowel diseases]. / Vývoj znalostí o idiopatických strevních zánetech.

Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis has affected people for many centuries however its incidence most likely used to be very low. The knowledge of the idiopathic intestinal inflammation at that time was also very limited - an interest about the disease has emerged since the second half of 19th century. Despite all the progress in medicine its etiology still remains unclear.Diagnosis had for a long been based only on clinical investigation and later radiography, endoscopy came in to use in the 1970s. First significant advances in therapy came during the 1940s and 1950s with the invention of aminosalicylates, antibiotics and corticoids. The most advanced conservative therapy today is biological treatment although the importance of gastrointestinal surgery should not be overlooked.The aim of this article is to briefly review the development of knowledge of the idiopathic intestinal inflammation with an emphasis on the 20th century.