Open surgical treatment of choledochocele: A case report and review of literature

Choledochocele （also known as type？Ⅲ？ choledochal cyst according to Todani’s classifcation） is a cystic dilation of the distal segment of the common bile duct protru-ding into the duodenal lumen. Cases are rare and the etiology remains unclear. It is usually misdiagnosed as peptic ulcer, as in the patient whose case is described here. Multislice spiral computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography may be comparable to endoscopic retrograde cholangiogra-phy for diagnosis of choledochocele. Both endoscopic therapy and open surgical management are safe options, and size of the cyst plays a role in the decision-making for which approach to apply. A 50-year-old woman admitted to our hospital with upper abdominal pain caused by choledochocele with large size was successfully treated by open surgical management. We present the details of her case in this case report and discuss the recent literature on such cases and their therapeutic management.

Targeting X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein inhibits pancreatic cancer cell growth through p-Akt depletion

AIM: To determine whether lentivirus-mediated shRNA targeting the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) gene could be exploited in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Human pancreatic cancer cells Panc-1, Mia-paca2, Bxpc-3 and SW1990, infected with lentivirus, were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Western blotting was used to examine XIAP protein levels, survivin and p-Akt to confirm the result of real-time PCR and determine the possible mechanism. The 3-(4,5-cimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to measure IC50 to determine chemosensitivity to the chemotherapeutic drugs 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and gemcitabine. A colony assay, MTT assay and a tumorigenicity experiment were used to study cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo . Caspase-3/7 activity, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole-staining and flow cytometric measurements were used to study apoptosis in SW1990 cells. RESULTS: XIAP proteins were found to be differen- tially expressed among pancreatic cancer cell lines Panc-1, Mia-paca2, Bxpc-3 and SW1990. Data of real-time PCR and Western blotting showed that XIAP was reduced persistently and markedly by lentivirus-mediated shRNA. Downregulation of XIAP by transfection with XIAP shRNA resulted in decreased p-Akt expression. XIAP shRNA also inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo , enhanced drug-induced apoptosis and increased chemosensitivity to 5-FU and gemcitabine. Results also suggest that inhibition of XIAP and subsequent p-Akt depletion may have an anti-tumor effect through attenuating the ability of cancer cells to survive. CONCLUSION: Lentivirus-mediated gene therapy is an attractive strategy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer and justifies the use of lentivirus in pancreatic cancer gene therapy studies.