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Introduction. Aneuploidy has been suggested as independent prognostic marker in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients for developing UC-associated colorectal carcinomas (UCCs). UCCs are associated with a poorer prognosis and more frequently present with synchronous carcinomas when compared with sporadic colorectal carcinomas (SCCs). The authors therefore investigated if the adjacent non-malignant mucosa of aneuploid UCCs and aneuploid SCCs shows differences regarding the frequency of aneuploidy and if this aneuploidy is associated with histomorphological alterations. Methods. Primary tumors of 25 UCCs and 20 SCCs were selected showing exclusively aneuploid DNA patterns and matching DNA stemlines. The UCCs' ( n = 82) and SCCs' ( n = 40) adjacent non-malignant mucosa were evaluated for histopathology and assessed for DNA ploidy status by image cytometry. Results. UCCs' non-malignant mucosa showed dysplasia in 31.7% and aneuploidy in 89%. In contrast, SCCs' non-malignant mucosa revealed no dysplasia and aneuploidy in only 5%. Irrespective of dysplastic lesions, aneuploidy was observed more frequently in adjacent non-malignant mucosa of UCCs than of SCCs ( p < 0.001). Neither a correlation between aneuploidy and inflammation ( p = 0.916) nor between aneuploidy and dysplastic lesions ( p = 0.159) could be observed. Conclusion. Aneuploidy is more frequent in adjacent non-malignant mucosa of aneuploid UCCs than in adjacent non-malignant mucosa of aneuploid SCCs. Furthermore, aneuploidy seems to be irrespective of inflammation or dysplasia. The results therefore emphasize the importance of aneuploidy for UC-associated carcinogenesis and its potential as new diagnostic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) is a widely used technology platform for diagnostic biomarker discovery in tissue, plasma and serum. High-throughput and simplicity of experimental procedures have allowed this technology to become an important research tool for biomarker discovery during the last years. This review provides an overview of SELDI-TOF functionality, its advantages and drawbacks and gives a current literature overview of colorectal cancer based serum biomarker detection. Further improvements in instrumentation sensitivity and labelling chemistries will enable detection of novel, tissue-leakage biomarkers in serum. However, major emphasis should be given on subsequent identification of differentially observed protein peaks detected by SELDI-TOF. Clinical validation in large patient cohorts will then allow transferring novel biomarkers into clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Pain is the main symptom of chronic pancreatitis. However, in addition to an improvement in pain symptoms, an increase in the quality of life also influences therapeutic success. The present paper evaluates the influence of surgery on chronic pancreatitis, and the early and late postoperative quality of life., Patients: From March 2000 until April 2005, 51 patients underwent surgical treatment for chronic pancreatitis at our institution., Intervention: Thirty-nine (76.5%) patients were operated on according to the Frey procedure and, in 12 (23.5%) patients, a Whipple procedure was performed., Study Design: Patient data were documented throughout the duration of the hospital stay. Postoperative follow-up data were recorded retrospectively., Main Outcome Measures: Postoperative follow-up with postoperative pain scores and quality of life were carried out using a standardized questionnaire., Results: During a median follow-up period of 50 months, an improvement in pain scores was observed in 92.3% of the patients in the Frey group and in 66.7% in the Whipple group. The indices for global quality of life and for physical and emotional status increased in both surgical groups., Conclusion: For patients with chronic pancreatitis, the decisive factor is the quality of life, particularly concerning pain and metabolic changes. The Frey procedure seems to offer advantages with respect to long-term freedom of pain and low risk of surgery-induced pancreatic insufficiency.