Long-Standing Pancreatic Hyperenzymemia: Is It a Nonpathological Condition?

Chronic nonpathological pancreatic hyperenzymemia is characterized by a chronic, abnormal increase in the serum concentrations of the pancreatic enzymes including amylase, pancreatic isoamylase, lipase and trypsin. The diagnostic work-up that the physicians should recommend to subjects with hyperenzymemia to definitively assess this syndrome is still an open question. A 72-year-old female was admitted to our Pancreas Unit in December 2008 for the presence of long-standing pancreatic hyperenzymemia of 42 years duration. On admission, serum amylase activity was 160 IU/l (reference range 8–78 IU/l), serum pancreatic isoamylase activity was 91 IU/l (reference range 13–53 IU/l) and serum lipase activity was 127 IU/l (reference range 8–78 IU/l). Other laboratory examinations revealed normal blood tests except for total serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and serum triglycerides that was slight elevated. Abdominal ultrasonography demonstrated no alteration of the pancreatic gland. A magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was carried out according to our diagnostic work-up of patients with unexplained pancreatic hyperenzymemia. This examination revealed two small cystic lesions: one of 6 mm in diameter in the head of the pancreas and the other one of 9 mm in diameter in the body of the pancreatic gland. The duct of Wirsung was normal and the two cystic lesions were diagnosed as branch-type intrapapillary mucinous tumors of the pancreas. All patients with pancreatic hyperenzymemia should be strictly followed in high volume centers for pancreatic disease in order to early diagnose the possible appearance of morphological pancreatic alterations

Autoimmune Pancreatitis Associated with High Levels of Chromogranin A, Serotonin and 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid

We report a case of a male patient with autoimmune pancreatitis in whom biochemical examination revealed high plasma chromogranin A concentrations, histological demonstration of a small lymphocytic infiltrate and rapid decrease in size of the pancreatic mass following short-lasting therapy with methylprednisolone. To our knowledge, this is the first patient with autoimmune pancreatitis who had a simultaneous increase of serum chromogranin A levels, circulating and urinary serotonin concentrations and urine 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid concentrations. This is one of the few cases of mass forming pancreatitis with small lymphocytic infiltrate found in a Caucasian patient and rapid decrease in size of the pancreatic mass following short-lasting therapy with methylprednisolone

Printing ZnO Inks: From Principles to Devices

Solution-based printing approaches permit digital designs to be converted into physical objects by depositing materials in a layer-by-layer additive fashion from microscale to nanoscale resolution. The extraordinary adaptability of this technology to different inks and substrates has received substantial interest in the recent literature. In such a context, this review specifically focuses on the realization of inks for the deposition of ZnO, a well-known wide bandgap semiconductor inorganic material showing an impressive number of applications in electronic, optoelectronic, and piezoelectric devices. Herein, we present an updated review of the latest advancements on the ink formulations and printing techniques for ZnO-based nanocrystalline inks, as well as of the major applications which have been demonstrated. The most relevant ink-processing conditions so far explored will be correlated with the resulting film morphologies, showing the possibility to tune the ZnO ink composition to achieve facile, versatile, and scalable fabrication of devices of different natures

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ABSTRACT Context The absence of a definition and a widely accepted ranking system to classify surgical complications has hampered proper interpretation of the surgical outcome. Patients Sixty-one patients undergoing distal pancreatectomy. Main outcome measures The complications were classified according to the Clavien-Dindo classification; each grade was evaluated regarding the length of the postoperative stay and was compared to the most important complications. Results Thirty (49.2%) patients had no complications; out of the thirty-one (50.8%) patients with complications, 9 (14.5%) had grade I, 15 (24.6%) had grade II, 6 (9.8%) had grade III, and 1 (1.6%) had grade IV. There were no postoperative deaths (grade V). A progressive increase in the length of hospitalization from patients with no complications to those having grade IV (P<0.001) was noted. Postoperative pancreatic fistula and postpancreatectomy hemorrhage rates did not significantly increase from Clavien-Dindo grade I to grade IV (P=0.118 and P=0.226, respectively). The severity of a postpancreatectomy hemorrhage, instead, was positively related to the grade of the Clavien-Dindo classification (P=0.049) while postoperative pancreatic fistula resulted near the significant value (P=0.058). Conclusions The Clavien-Dindo classification is a simple way of reporting all complications following distal pancreatectomy. It allows us to distinguish a normal postoperative course from any deviation and the severity of complications and it may be useful for comparing postoperative morbidity between different pancreatic centers

Spontaneous bladder rupture in acute alcohol intoxication

Spontaneous bladder rupture is a rare condition that can be followed by an acute alcohol intoxication and can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We report a case diagnosed in a alcoholic young male who was admitted to our emergency room for epigastric pain. The case demonstrates the difficulties with diagnosis and the need for physicians who work in an emergency room to be aware of this condition

Layered Double Hydroxides in Bioinspired Nanotechnology

Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) are a relevant class of inorganic lamellar nanomaterials that have attracted significant interest in life science-related applications, due to their highly controllable synthesis and high biocompatibility. Under a general point of view, this class of materials might have played an important role for the origin of life on planet Earth, given their ability to adsorb and concentrate life-relevant molecules in sea environments. It has been speculated that the organic–mineral interactions could have permitted to organize the adsorbed molecules, leading to an increase in their local concentration and finally to the emergence of life. Inspired by nature, material scientists, engineers and chemists have started to leverage the ability of LDHs to absorb and concentrate molecules and biomolecules within life-like compartments, allowing to realize highly-efficient bioinspired platforms, usable for bioanalysis, therapeutics, sensors and bioremediation. This review aims at summarizing the latest evolution of LDHs in this research field under an unprecedented perspective, finally providing possible challenges and directions for future research

Long-standing pancreatic hyperenzymemia: is it a nonpathological condition?

Chronic nonpathological pancreatic hyperenzymemia is characterized by a chronic, abnormal increase in the serum concentrations of the pancreatic enzymes including amylase, pancreatic isoamylase, lipase and trypsin. The diagnostic work-up that the physicians should recommend to subjects with hyperenzymemia to definitively assess this syndrome is still an open question. A 72-year-old female was admitted to our Pancreas Unit in December 2008 for the presence of long-standing pancreatic hyperenzymemia of 42 years duration. On admission, serum amylase activity was 160 IU/l (reference range 8-78 IU/l), serum pancreatic isoamylase activity was 91 IU/l (reference range 13-53 IU/l) and serum lipase activity was 127 IU/l (reference range 8-78 IU/l). Other laboratory examinations revealed normal blood tests except for total serum cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and serum triglycerides that was slight elevated. Abdominal ultrasonography demonstrated no alteration of the pancreatic gland. A magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography was carried out according to our diagnostic work-up of patients with unexplained pancreatic hyperenzymemia. This examination revealed two small cystic lesions: one of 6 mm in diameter in the head of the pancreas and the other one of 9 mm in diameter in the body of the pancreatic gland. The duct of Wirsung was normal and the two cystic lesions were diagnosed as branch-type intrapapillary mucinous tumors of the pancreas. All patients with pancreatic hyperenzymemia should be strictly followed in high volume centers for pancreatic disease in order to early diagnose the possible appearance of morphological pancreatic alteration