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Surgical resection should be considered only when clear distinction from other surgical diseases is difficult, when symptoms or mass effects are present, and when the tumor size is large.

Cytodiagnosis of pancreatic juice using ENPD multiple times proved to be useful in the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma in situ.

We investigated the expression of angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1) in pancreatic cancer. Both AT1 mRNA and protein were expressed in human pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. Binding assays showed that pancreatic cancer cells have specific binding sites for angiotensin II and that binding could be eliminated by treatment with a selective AT1 antagonist in a dose-dependent fashion. Surprisingly, the growth of cancer cells was significantly suppressed by treatment with antagonist, also in a dose-dependent manner. These observations suggest AT1 plays an important role in pancreatic cancer growth. Furthermore, ligand-induced inhibition of AT1 may be a useful therapeutic strategy. ß 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. on behalf of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Background: Wire-guided cannulation (WGC) with a sphincterotome for selective bile duct cannulation (SBDC) has been reported to have a higher success rate and lower incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) than conventional methods in some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were both single-center and limited to only a few endoscopists.Objective: To estimate the difference in SBDC according to the method and catheter used in a multicenter and multi-endoscopist study. Design:A prospective multicenter RCT with a 2-by-2 factorial design. Setting: Fifteen referral endoscopy units.Patients: In total, 400 consecutive patients with naïve papilla who were candidates for ERCP were enrolled and randomized.Interventions: Patients were assigned to 4 groups according to combined catheter (sphincterotome (S) or catheter (C)) and method (with/without guidewire (GW)). Main Outcome Measurements:Success rate of SBDC in 10 min, time for SBDC, fluoroscopic time and incidence of complications. Results:There was no significant difference in SBDC success rate between with-and without-GW, between C and S, or between the 4 groups (C+GW, C, S+GW, and S). WGC had a tendency to significantly shorten cannulation and fluoroscopic times only in approximately 70% of patients in this study in whom SBDC was achieved in 10 min or less (P = 0.036 and 0.00004, respectively). All 4 groups resulted in similar outcomes in PEP (4%, 5.9%, 2%, and 2.1%, respectively).Limitations: Non-double-blinded study. Kawakami-4 4Conclusions: WGC appears to significantly shorten cannulation and fluoroscopic times.However, neither the method nor type of catheter used resulted in significant differences in either SBDC success rate or incidence of PEP in this RCT. Kawakami-5 5 Keywords:Wire-guided cannulation; Selective bile duct cannulation; Post-ERCP pancreatitis; Randomized controlled trial; Cannulation time; Fluoroscopic time; Radiation exposure time Kawakami-6 6 INTRODUCTIONBiliary cannulation is the most basic procedure for performing biliary interventions; however, no standard has been established to date. The success rates are considered to be related to 3 factors: the kind of catheter, cannulation method, and the skill of the endoscopist. The complication rates are also related to 3 factors: patient, procedure factors, and operator expertise. Cannulations using a sphincterotome with wire-guided cannulation (WGC) instead of the conventional catheter, with contrast medium injection, are gradually performed in many countries. These new methods were reported to be superior to conventional techniques in terms of both success rate and the incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) in some randomized studies [1][2][3][4][5]. However, those studies were performed by either a single or, at most, two skilled endoscopists in a single center [1,2,4,5]. Thus, these data cannot be generalized more widely.In these previous studies, 5° backward-oblique angle therapeutic duodenoscopes (BOAD) were used. In Japan, standard duodenoscopes have traditionally been 15° BOAD. Thu...