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Doripenem (DRPM) is a relatively new drug belonging to the carbapenem antibiotic group. We hypothesized that the pharmacological characteristics of DRPM could make it useful in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). We investigated the usefulness of continuous regional arterial infusion (CRAI) with DRPM and protease inhibitors for SAP. Two hundred and forty-two patients with SAP were admitted to Showa University Hospital between November 2002 and June 2013. Of these, 53 patients were treated with CRAI with carbapenem antibiotics and nafamostat mesilate (NM), a serine protease inhibitor, via the celiac and superior mesenteric arteries. Clinical outcomes were evaluated retrospectively in 34 patients treated with DRPM and 19 patients undergoing non-DRPM therapy (meropenem n=11, imipenem n=6; biapenem n=2). The median time to commencement of oral intake was significantly shorter in the DRPM than non-DRPM group (9 vs 14 hospital days, respectively; P

We investigated the safety and utility of endoscopic removal of common bile duct stones (CBDS) in the elderly. In all, 253 patients with CBDS who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) between January 2007 and December 2011 at Showa University Hospital were evaluated retorspectively. The median age of the patients was 75 years ; thus, we divided patients into two groups, those aged ≥ 75 years (Group A ; n ＝ 134) and those aged ＜75 years (Group B ; n ＝ 119). Patients in Group A had significantly higher rates of endoscopic sphincterotomy in palliative ERCP (24.8% vs. 10.7%; p ＝ 0.008) and palliative removal of CBDS (34.8% vs. 20.9%; p ＝ 0.015) than patients in Group B. However, the median dose of flunitrazepam was significantly lower for patients in Group A than Group B (1 vs. 1.4 mg, respectively ; p ＜ 0.001). The rate of use of pentazocine (18.5% vs. 54.7%; p ＜ 0.001) and scopolamine butylbromide (6.2% vs. 23.9%; p ＜ 0.01) was significantly lower in Group A patients, whereas the use of glucagon was significantly higher in this group (43.8 vs. 15.4%; p ＜ 0.001). There were no significant differences in the rate of successful endoscopic removal of CBDS, treatment time, complications, and the recurrence of CBDS between the two groups. Endoscopic removal of CBDS in the elderly is a safe procedure with good outcomes if the appropriate treatment is selected.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is observed in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). The development of DM in AIP is believed to be due to blood flow obstruction of the endocrine gland that accompanies pancreatitis, as well as injury to the islets caused by inflammation. The latter is called insulitis and the detailed mechanisms underlying its development are not yet clear. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanisms involved in the development of insulitis in AIP using aly mice as an animal model of AIP: results in aly/aly male mice, as the AIP group, were compared with those inaly/+ male mice as a control group. Mice in both groups were killed between 16 and 48 weeks of age, and pancreatitis and insulitis were evaluated histologically. Inflammatory and endocrine cells were evaluated by immunofluorescence staining with anti-CD4, anti-CD8, anti-CD11b, and anti-CD11c antibodies, as well as immunohistochemical analyses using insulin and glucagon antibodies. Plasma levels and the pancreatic content of interferon (IFN)-γ (as a Th1-secreted cytokine) and interleukin (IL)-4 (as a Th2-secreted cytokine) were determined. Pancreatitis was seen in aly/aly mice from 16 weeks of age and it developed gradually thereafter. Insulitis also developed gradually and was seen in mice after 24 weeks of age in association with a decrease in the number of islets. CD11c+ cells and CD4+ T cells were seen to infiltrate into the islets. Although the number of β-cells decreased with time, the number of α-cells was maintained until mice were 48 weeks of age. IFN-γ content peaked in mice at 16 weeks of age and declined rapidly from 20 weeks. There were two peaks in IL-4 content, one at 16 weeks and the other at 32 weeks, suggesting an association between IL-4 content and advanced insulitis after 32 weeks. In conclusion, the results suggest that insulitis in AIP is induced predominantly by the infiltration of CD11c+ cells and CD4+ T cells into the islets, and progression is facilitated by the imbalance of the activation of Th2 rather than Th1. Furthermore, insulitis in AIP predominantly involves β-cells rather than α-cells.