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Background: Laparoscopic approach has been increasingly used in the treatment of pancreatic benign diseases. This report evaluates our experience with laparoscopic surgery for pancreatic insulinomas.Methods: Between July 2000 and December 2007, laparoscopic pancreatectomy was attempted in 29 consecutive patients with insulinomas. The localization of tumors, operating characteristics, and clinical outcomes were analyzed.Results: Tumors were precisely localized in 28 of 29 (96.6%) patients by a combination of preoperative imaging techniques and intraoperative ultrasonography. Laparoscopic pancreatectomy was successfully performed in 26 patients, including enucleation (n = 14), hand-assisted enucleation (n = 2), and distal pancreatectomy with (n = 9) or without (n = 1) spleen preservation. Two conversions to open procedure were required because of unfavorable locations of the tumors. The pancreatic fistula occurred in four patients who underwent tumor enucleation. The median hospital stay was 5.5 days (range, 3-18 days) after laparoscopic procedure. Twenty-eight patients with pancreatic resection were free of symptoms and remained normoglycemic after a median follow-up period of 19 months (range, 10-36 months).Conclusion: Laparoscopic pancreatic resection is a feasible and safe procedure for patients with insulinomas. Further studies are required to evaluate the potential application of the hand-assisted approach for tumors located at anatomically unfavorable positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encapsulating peptide-stabilized gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with thiolated hyaluronic acid (HA-SH) and selectively adding cysteine to the peptide sequence increased their photoluminescence. We found that peptide compositions with cysteine in the middle emitted the most. RCR-stabilized AuNCs can be purified using size-exclusion chromatography to characterize their optical characteristics, chemical composition, and possible structure. Our findings show that RCR-stabilized AuNCs have a unique chemical structure, microsecond photoluminescence lifetime, good quantum yield, and near-infrared emission peak. Due to Au-S bonding and electrostatic interactions, RCR-stabilized AuNCs were encapsulated with HA-SH to create nanocomposites. HA-SH-AuNCs had a longer emission peak, greater particle size, and better photostability than RCR-stabilized AuNCs. HAase break down HA in HA-SH-AuNCs, changing their structure and size. Thus, centrifugation makes it easier to separate HA-SH-AuNCs from HAase-digested ones. Similar to earlier sensors, HA-SH-AuNCs have great sensitivity and selectivity for HAase, with a linear range of 0.5–6.0 U/mL and a detection limit of 0.39 U/mL. They were useful for urine HAase determination, with spike recovery of 103 % to 107 %. HA-SH-AuNCs further served as a platform for targeted imaging of CD44 receptor-expressing cancer cells, demonstrating bioimaging and clinical diagnostic potential. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Disorder of the extracellular matrix has been suggested to play a role in the development of diabetic nephropathy. The aim of the present study was to examine the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in the kidney of Kkay mice, a type 2 diabetic model. Methods: Eight Kkay control mice (KA) and eight Kkay diabetic mice (KB) were fed with the same diets for 4 months and sacrificed after glucose levels and weight were measured. The renal pathological changes were examined by periodic acid–Schiff and periodic acid–silver methenamine staining, and the glomerulosclerosis indexes (GIs) were calculated. The levels of MMP-9 protein in the kidney tissue were assessed by immunohistochemistry. The gene expression of MMP-9 was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: The diabetic group had morphological findings of diabetic nephropathy, and their GI (240.0±17.3) was much higher than that of the control group (118.4±15.1) (P<.01). The mean positive area of MMP-9 protein in the glomeruli of Kkay mice in the KB group was higher than that in the KA group. The expression of MMP-9 messenger RNA level in the diabetic KB group was up-regulated when compared with the KA group. Conclusion: The expression of MMP-9 in the kidney of mice with diabetic nephropathy was enhanced, and MMP-9 might be involved in the development of diabetic nephropathy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]