Pancreatitis News and Research

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Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach and close to the duodenum—the first part of the small intestine. The pancreas secretes digestive juices, or enzymes, into the duodenum through a tube called the pancreatic duct. Pancreatic enzymes join with bile—a liquid produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder—to digest food. The pancreas also releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones help the body regulate the glucose it takes from food for energy.

Normally, digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas do not become active until they reach the small intestine. But when the pancreas is inflamed, the enzymes inside it attack and damage the tissues that produce them.

Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic. Either form is serious and can lead to complications. In severe cases, bleeding, infection, and permanent tissue damage may occur.

Scientists discover way to distinguish pancreatic cancer from non-cancerous tissue

The research examined pancreatic cancer cells for tiny molecules called microRNA (miRNA). It shows that relative levels of certain miRNAs can distinguish pancreatic cancer from nearby noncancerous tissue and from inflamed pancreatic tissue.

2 May 2007

Expression pattern of microRNA may be useful in differentiating between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a lethal disease, with the annual deaths nearly equaling the incidence of 33,000 in the United States, according to background information in the article.

2 May 2007

Biomarker discovery bodes well for better cancer diagnostics

While new findings from Ohio State University scientists suggest a genetic marker that could help distinguish between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer and gauge who will do well with cancer treatment, a pharmacologist at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia sees the discovery as much more.

2 May 2007

Early stage pancreatic cancer expresses antigen targeted by Immunomedics' PAM4 antibody

Immunomedics has reported in an oral presentation at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) that the antigen targeted by the humanized PAM4 antibody is expressed in early stage pancreatic cancer specimens, a stage before the tumor becomes invasive.

18 Apr 2007

Link between common lifestyle factors, immune system and cancer

The immune system is fickle, and easily influenced by more than just viruses and bacteria. It can be swayed by the seemingly unexpected, such as by what we eat, for example, and affected by surprising sources.

13 Nov 2006

FDA expands use of Oncaspar to include treating children and adults with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approved use of Oncaspar to include treating children and adults with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as part of a multiple drug chemotherapy regimen.

25 Jul 2006

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy as an indicator of liver and biliary diseases

A retrospective case-control study of 21,008 women in Finland has found that those with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), an itchy skin condition when bile gets backed up in the liver, are significantly more likely to suffer other liver diseases later in life.

7 Apr 2006

Link between alcohol abuse and dependence with medical conditions in two American Indian reservation communities

Alcohol abuse and dependence are known to be major health problems among American Indians, yet little research has examined alcohol's detrimental effect on organ systems among these populations.

27 Mar 2006

Coffee reduces risk of alcohol-induced pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas becomes inflamed, causing severe abdominal pain. It is often triggered by alcohol consumption which causes digestive enzymes to digest part of the pancreas.

15 Mar 2006

Liverpool scientists discover how coffee can reduce the risk of alcohol-induced pancreatitis

13 Mar 2006

Patients checking into a top rated hospital have a 27 percent lower chance of mortality

Patients checking into a hospital rated in the top five percent in the country have, on average, a 27 percent lower chance of mortality and a 14 percent lower risk of complications, according to a study released today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings company.

7 Feb 2006

Alarming deaths of Tamiflu patients - FDA to investigate

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating the deaths of 12 children in Japan who took Roche's flu-fighting drug Tamiflu.

20 Nov 2005

Women with defects in lipoprotein metabolism may actually be able to bear children without complications

A group of Belgian researchers has determined that a pregnant woman's ability to metabolize fats is determined not only by her genes but by her baby's genes as well.

30 Oct 2005

Study shows cystic fibrosis gene mutation a risk factor for young-onset pancreatic cancer disease

Mayo Clinic researchers have found the risk of developing pancreatic cancer at a young age (under 60) to be twice as high for people who carry a mutation of the gene that causes cystic fibrosis, compared to noncarriers. Results of a pilot and follow-up study were reported Oct. 14, 2005, online in the journal Gut.

23 Oct 2005

Liverpool scientists have found a way of identifying families at high risk of pancreatic cancer

The team has developed a novel means of testing for pancreatic cancer that will enable doctors to treat the killer disease at its earliest stages. They are also now able to show how the risk of cancer for these patients changes with age.

20 Sep 2005

3D gradient-echo MRI examinations useful in detecting most lethal of all major cancers

The study included 57 patients who had clinical symptoms of pancreatic cancer. All had contrast enhanced 3D gradient-echo MRI examinations.

6 Sep 2005

Rare surgery performed to remove pancreas, prevent diabetes and ease pain of chronic pancreatitis

In a 12-hour, dual-stage surgery known to be performed at only two other centers in the U.S., doctors at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) on Tuesday returned a patient's own insulin-producing cells to him after surgically removing his pancreas to eliminate constant, severe pain from chronic pancreatitis.

22 Apr 2005

MRI is both safe and accurate for diagnosing pregnant women with acute pain in the abdomen and pelvis

MRI is both safe and accurate for diagnosing pregnant women with acute pain in the abdomen and pelvis, surpassing the limits of both CT and ultrasound for this purpose, according to a new study by researchers from University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, NC.

3 Feb 2005

Consumption of alcohol the risk of several common cancers

An article appearing in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis presents definite evidence of these findings amongst other papers as part of an open forum discussion on wine, alcohol, and cardiovascular risk.

19 Jan 2005

New IBM technology could bring the promise of personalized medicine one step closer

Using a basic computer language, the researchers created a "smart" DNA stream that contains a patient's entire medical record

8 Sep 2004

Pancreatitis News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists discover way to distinguish pancreatic cancer from non-cancerous tissue

Expression pattern of microRNA may be useful in differentiating between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer

Biomarker discovery bodes well for better cancer diagnostics

Early stage pancreatic cancer expresses antigen targeted by Immunomedics' PAM4 antibody

Link between common lifestyle factors, immune system and cancer

FDA expands use of Oncaspar to include treating children and adults with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy as an indicator of liver and biliary diseases

Link between alcohol abuse and dependence with medical conditions in two American Indian reservation communities

Coffee reduces risk of alcohol-induced pancreatitis

Liverpool scientists discover how coffee can reduce the risk of alcohol-induced pancreatitis

Patients checking into a top rated hospital have a 27 percent lower chance of mortality

Alarming deaths of Tamiflu patients - FDA to investigate

Women with defects in lipoprotein metabolism may actually be able to bear children without complications

Study shows cystic fibrosis gene mutation a risk factor for young-onset pancreatic cancer disease

Liverpool scientists have found a way of identifying families at high risk of pancreatic cancer

3D gradient-echo MRI examinations useful in detecting most lethal of all major cancers

Rare surgery performed to remove pancreas, prevent diabetes and ease pain of chronic pancreatitis

MRI is both safe and accurate for diagnosing pregnant women with acute pain in the abdomen and pelvis

Consumption of alcohol the risk of several common cancers

New IBM technology could bring the promise of personalized medicine one step closer

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