Adiponectin was found to be expressed in myofibroblasts. Adiponectin expression was significantly suppressed by induction of colitis, and aggravation of colitis after exposure to omega-3 fat may be due to a further decrease in the expression level of adiponectin.

SUMMARYBackground: Proton-pump inhibitors, such as lansoprazole, are metabolized in the liver by CYP2C19 and cannot inhibit acid sufficiently in homozygous extensive metabolizers of CYP2C19. Aim: To examine whether famotidine would increase the cure rates of Helicobacter pylori infection by a standard triple therapy.

SummaryClinical studies using omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (w3-PUFA) to Crohn's disease (CD) are conflicting. Beneficial effects of dietary w3-PUFA intake in various experimental inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) models have been reported. However, animal models of large intestinal inflammation have been used in all previous studies, and the effect of w3 fat in an animal model of small intestinal inflammation has not been reported. We hypothesized that the effects of w3 fat are different between large and small intestine. The aim of this study was to determine whether the direct effect of w3 fat is beneficial for small intestinal inflammation. Senescence accelerated mice (

An autopsy case of adenosquamous pancreatic cancer in a 61-year-old male patient with an elevated serum level of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTH-rP) is reported. He was admitted to our hospital with a 1-month-long history of abdominal discomfort and progressive abdominal fullness. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen showed a retroperitoneal mass, approximately 10 cm in diameter, involving the pancreas, with round enhancement on contrast examination. Histological examination of a specimen taken by CT-guided needle biopsy suggested squamous cell carcinoma or transitional cell carcinoma. Laboratory data on admission revealed a high serum calcium level and high PTH-rP level. The calcium level initially responded to intravenous hydration, furosemide, calcitonin, and bisphosphonates, decreasing from 15.0 to 9.0 mg/dl. However, the hypercalcemia recurred after 10 days. The patient developed carcinomatous peritonitis and acute renal failure, and died on the 25th hospital day. Autopsy revealed a mass in the pancreatic body to tail, invading the retroperitoneum, with progressive carcinomatous peritonitis. Histological examination of the mass revealed infiltrating carcinoma, showing squamous differentiation with focal intracytoplasmic lumina formation, consistent with pancreatic adenosquamous carcinoma. Immunohistological examination showed positive staining for PTH-rP. Adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas is relatively rare; only a few cases associated with hypercalcemia and for which PTH-rP has been identified as a causative factor have been reported. This is the first case in which immunohistochemistry proved localized PTH-rP in adenosquamous pancreatic cancer cells, associated with persistent hypercalcemia.

Tolerance to intraluminally administered LPS in the lymphocyte recruitment process was induced by enterobacteria, possibly via the induction of IRAK-M and TGF-beta.

Abstract. The negative signal provided by interactions of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligands, B7-H1 and B7-DC, has been suggested to play an important role in tumor evasion from host immunity. Pancreas cancer patients with B7-H1 expression have a poor prognosis. B7-H1 blocking has been shown to inhibit the development of a subcutaneous tumor from a pancreas cancer cell line. In this study, we investigated the effects of B7-DC as well as B7-H1 blockade in vivo in a murine pancreatic cancer model. Pancreatic cancer cells (Panc02) were inoculated in the pancreas of C57BL/6 mice. Five weeks later, tumor sizes were measured and the mice bearing appropriate size of tumors received the following treatments. Blocking antibodies against B7-H1 or B7-DC (200 μg) were administered 3 times/week for 3 weeks. Cells infiltrating the tumors were characterized by immunohistochemistry. Effects of antibodies on cytokine and FoxP3 expression were examined by quantitative RT-PCR. In vitro cultured Panc02 cells expressed B7-H1 upon IFN-Á stimulation. However, expression of B7-H1 and B7-DC was found mainly on CD45-positive infiltrating cells and rarely on cancer cells in vivo. Treatment with both antibodies significantly decreased tumor growth in vivo. B7-DC blockade decreased the levels of IL-10 and FoxP3, suggesting that regulatory systems are mainly inhibited at the tumor site. B7-H1 blockade increased the levels of IFN-Á and FoxP3. Collectively, blocking of B7-H1 or B7-DC efficiently induced regression of pre-established pancreatic cancers by upregulating IFN-Á production and down-regulating IL-10 production at the tumor site.

These results show intratumoral injection of CCL2 induces effective interaction between monocytes and endothelial cells in the peritumoral area of pancreatic cancer accompanied by the upregulation of ICAM-1 and may possibly become a tool for immunotherapy by promoting the infiltration of immune cells in cancers.

Background: Famotidine increases Helicobacter pylorieradication rates by a triple lansoprazole/amoxicillin/ clarithromycin therapy in patients with the rapid extensive metabolizer genotype of CYP2C19. Aim: To determine the effect of famotidine on the gastric acid inhibition by lansoprazole in relation to CYP2C19 genotypes. Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers with different CYP2C19 genotypes -consisting of six rapid extensive metabolizers, nine intermediate metabolizers and five poor metabolizers -underwent three 7-day courses with placebo, lansoprazole 30 mg twice daily, and lansoprazole 30 mg twice plus famotidine 20 mg twice daily. Lansoprazole was dosed after breakfast and dinner. Famotidine was dosed after lunch and at bedtime.