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To investigate the role played by cytokines in chronic pancreatitis, we examined serum levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 33 patients with definitively diagnosed chronic pancreatitis. All the patients, who had received either no treatment or only digestive enzyme products for their chronic pancreatitis, had significantly elevated serum IL-1 beta levels (38.5 +/- 28.8 pg/ml, mean +/- SD), compared to normal controls (16.0 +/- 6.7 pg/ml; P < 0.01); however they showed no changes in serum IL-6 levels. Changes in IL-1 beta and IL-6 serum levels were not correlated with the etiological features of pancreatitis or with complications due to liver diseases. Serum IL-1 beta and IL-6 levels were also not correlated with the activity of any pancreatic enzymes in blood or urine. However, in the patients with chronic pancreatitis, serum IL-6 levels were correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP), whereas serum IL-1 beta levels were not correlated with CRP or with erythrocyte sedimentation rate. These results suggest that serum IL-1 beta is involved in the progression and reduction of chronic inflammation of the pancreas, and that the serum IL-1 beta level may be useful as a marker for chronic pancreatitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with liver cirrhosis (LC), water retention, diuretics to treat water retention, and a poor prognosis. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) reportedly predicts a poor prognosis in decompensated LC. This study investigated the usefulness of uNGAL in predicting the short- and long-term effects of tolvaptan (TVP) and the incidence of AKI post-TVP administration., Methods: Of the LC cases with water retention, 86 with available pre-treatment uNGAL were analyzed. A short-term response was defined as weight loss of ≥ 1.5 kg within the first week; a long-term response was defined as a short-term response without early recurrence. The uNGAL usefulness in predicting the short- and long-term effects of TVP and AKI incidence post-TVP administration was investigated., Results: Short-term effects of TVP were observed in 52 patients. Of these, 15 patients had an early recurrence. In multivariate analysis, significant short-term predictive factors were C-reactive protein (CRP) < 1.4 mg/dl, uNa/K ratio ≥ 3.51, and uNGAL < 50.2 ng/ml. Patients were classified according to these three cut-off values, with short-term response rates of 92.9%, 68.8%, 26.7%, and 0% for 0, 1, 2, and 3 points, respectively. CRP < 0.94 mg/dl and uNGAL < 50.2 ng/ml were significant factors for predicting the long-term response of TVP. The AKI incidence post-TVP was 8.1% (n = 7) and was significantly higher among those with uNGAL ≥ 38.1 ng/mL., Conclusion: uNGAL is a useful predictor of the short- and long-term efficacy of TVP and can be useful in predicting AKI incidence post-TVP administration., (© 2023. Japanese Society of Gastroenterology.)

To clarify the long-term prognosis of Japanese patients with ulcerative colitis, we investigated the cumulative colectomy rate and the survival rate, and compared the results with reports from Western countries. The subjects were 778 patients who had visited 8 hospitals from 1973 to 1990. A total of 114 of the 778 patients (14.7%) had required colectomy and 21 (2.7%) had died. These rates were higher in the patients who had total colitis, and in those who had acute fulminant type of severe type. There were no significant differences in these rates according to age of onset (under 29 years, 30-49 years, and more than 50 years). The cumulative colectomy rate increased rapidly within 2 years after onset. Thereafter, the rate increased gradually, by 1%-2% per year. In patients with total colitis, 14.1% required colectomy within 2 years. The age at onset had no effect on this rate. The cumulative survival rate decreased gradually throughout the first 10 years, the rate being 96.2% in the 10th year. No deaths occurred in the 11-18th years after onset. Despite our inclusion of more patients with total or severe colitis, our results were similar to or slightly superior to those reported from Western countries; this may be attributed to a temporal bias.

This study was performed to investigate whether mucosal diamine oxidase activity could be assessed by measuring expired 14CO2 after oral administration of 14C-putrescine. Immediately after giving 5 mu Ci of 14C-putrescine, the 14CO2 was collected at 1-h intervals for 8 h into a vial containing 1 ml of 10 mM hyamine hydroxide, 2 ml of ethanol, and an appropriate amount of phenolphthalein dye. The expired 14CO2 caused the color to disappear. The amount of 14CO2, determined by scintillation counting, reached a maximum 1 h after 14C-putrescine administration, and gradually decreased thereafter. A positive correlation between the mucosal diamine oxidase activity and the maximal expired 14CO2 value was obtained. There is no doubt that this test can be used to easily detect mucosal DAO activity and avoid the necessity of mucosal biopsy.