Long-term outcome of pancreatic function following oncological surgery in children:Institutional experience and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Pancreatic neoplasms are uncommon in children and in most cases they are benign or have low malignant potential.Pancreatoblastoma and solid pseudopapillary tumor are the most frequent types in early and late childhood,respectively.Complete resection,although burdened by severe complications,is the only curative treatment for these diseases.Pancreatic surgery may result in impaired exocrine and endocrine pancreatic function.However,limited data are available on the long-term pediatric pancreatic function following surgical resection.AIM To investigate endocrine and exocrine pancreatic function and growth after oncological pancreatic surgery in a pediatric series.METHODS A retrospective analysis of all pediatric patients who underwent surgery for pancreatic neoplasm in our Institution from January 31,2002 to the present was performed.Endocrine and exocrine insufficiency,auxological and fat-soluble vitamin status(A,D,E and clotting tests)were assessed at diagnosis and at every follow-up visit.Exocrine insufficiency was defined as steatorrhea with fecal elastase-1<200μg/g stool,while endocrine insufficiency was identified as onset of Diabetes or Impaired Glucose Tolerance.Growth was evaluated based on body mass index(BMI)z-score trend.RESULTS Sixteen patients(12 girls and 4 boys,mean age 10.7±5.3 years),were included.Nine patients(56%)had a neoplasm in the pancreatic head,4 in the body/tail,2 in the tail and 1 in the body.Histological findings were as follows:Solid pseudopapillary tumor in 10 patients(62.5%),insulinoma in 2 patients,neuroendocrine tumor in 2 patients and acinar cell carcinoma in 2 patients.The most frequent surgery was pancreaticoduodenectomy(50%).Exocrine failure occurred in 4 patients(25%)and endocrine failure in 2 patients(12.5%).Exocrine insufficiency occurred early(within 6 mo after surgery)and endocrine insufficiency later(8 and 10 years after surgery).Mean BMI z-score was 0.36±1.1 at diagnosis and 0.27±0.95 at the last assessment.Vitamin D was insufficient(<30 ng/mL)in 8 of the 16 patients during the follow-up period.Vitamins A,E and clotting test were into the normal ranges in all patients.CONCLUSION Careful and long-term monitoring should follow any pancreatic surgery,to recognize and promptly treat exocrine and endocrine pancreatic insufficiency,which can occur after surgery.

The Effect of Tuberculosis Infection on Pancreatic Beta-Cell Function in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate how individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus’ pancreatic β-cell function index and insulin resistance index are affected by tuberculosis infection. Methods: The study group consisted of 89 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and tuberculosis infection who were admitted to Jingzhou Chest Hospital between March 2019 and March 2021. Gender and duration of diabetes were matching conditions. The control group was made up of 89 patients with type 2 diabetes who were admitted to Jingzhou Central Hospital’s endocrinology department during the same period. The two patient groups provided general information such as gender, age, length of diabetes, and blood biochemical indexes such as glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting glucose (FPG), and fasting C-peptide (FC-P). The HOMA calculator was used to calculate the HOMA-β and the HOMA-IR, and intergroup comparisons and correlation analyses were carried out. Results: Regarding gender, age, disease duration, FC-P, and HbA1c, the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). However, BMI, FPG, HOMA-β, and HOMA-IR showed statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). In comparison to the control group, the study group’s HOMA-β was lower and its HOMA-IR was greater. According to Spearman’s correlation analysis, HOMA-β had a negative association (P th FPG, HbA1c, and the length of the disease, and a positive correlation with BMI and FC-P. A positive correlation was found between HOMA-IR and BMI, FPG, and FC-P (P < 0.01), as well as a correlation with the length of the disease (P > 0.05) and HbA1c. Conclusions: In type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with tuberculosis infection, the patients had higher FPG levels and lower FC-P levels, the secretory function of pancreatic β-cells was more severely impaired, and insulin resistance was more obvious.

A Study on Enhancing Pancreatic Islet Function in Type 2 Diabetes and Coronary Heart Disease Patients with Liraglutide and Metformin Combination Therapy

Objective:To investigate the impact of combining liraglutide with metformin on the enhancement of pancreatic islet function in patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.Methods:60 patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease admitted from February 2022 to August 2023 were selected as research subjects.They were randomly assigned to either control or treatment groups,with 30 patients in each.The control group received metformin alone,while the treatment group received liraglutide in combination with metformin.Various indicators,including blood sugar levels,pancreatic islet function,and cardiac function between the two groups were compared.Results:The results of FPG,2hPG,HbA1c,HOMA-IR,NT-proBNP,and LVEDD in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group,whereas the values of FINS,HOMA-β,E/A,and LVEF in the treatment group were higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:The use of liraglutide in combination with metformin significantly benefits patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.It leads to improved pancreatic islet function,better blood sugar control,and enhanced cardiac function.This combination therapy is recommended for clinical adoption.

THE CHANGES OF PANCREATIC ACINAR CELL FUNCTION IN ACUTE NECROTIZING PANCREATITIS OF RATS

ObjectiFe To evaluate the changes of pancreatic acinar cell functions in the rats with acutenecrotizing pancreatitis (ANP). methods Seventy SD rats were randomized into two groups: experimental group(n=35) and control group (n=35). To prepare the experimental model, the retrograde injection of 5% sodiumtaurocholate into the pancreatic duct was used for inducing ANP. Radioactive tracing by L -3H-phenylalanineand autoradiography were performed for scoring the differences of changes of amino acid uptake, enzyme-proteinsynthesis and output from acinar cells in rats between both groups. Results No changes were observed in aminoacid uptake and enzyme -protein synthesis in rats with dotted and haemorrhagic necrotizing foci as compared withcontrol group. However, accumulated zymogen granules in the interstitial of acinar cells were seen in theexperimental group. Conclusion It indicates that in experimental ANP rats, the functions of acinar cells in bothamino acid uptake and protein synthesis were essentially normal, but the pathway of enzyme output was affectedinto ectopic secretion through the bottom or lateral cellular membrane of pancreatic acinar cell.

Surgical management of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms

Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms are a rare and complex group of neoplastic lesions that develop from pancreatic islet cells.Their incidence has dramatically increased during the last two decades.Due to its complex nature and pathophysiological behaviour,surgical management continues to evolve.Surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment for most non-functional and functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours,while lymphadenectomy remains a controversial subject.Different techniques,such as pancreas-preserving and minimally invasive approaches,continue to evolve and offer the same overall outcomes as open surgery.This comprehensive review describes in detail the current and most up-todate classification and staging of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours,explores the rationale for nonsurgical and surgical management,and focuses on surgical treatment and more specifically,on minimally invasive approaches.

A comparative study of pancreatic endocrine function and related metabolism after long-term survival between the patients with combined kidneypancreas transplantation vs those with combined en bloc ' liver-pancreas transplantation

Objective To compare the effects of combined en bloc liver - pancreas transplantation ( LPT) with portal vein drainage and simultaneous combined kidney - pancreas transplantation ( KPT) with systemic venous drainage on the pancreatic endocrine function and related me-

Surgical management of chronic pancreatitis

BACKGROUND: Treatment of chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a challenging condition for surgeons. During the last decades, increasing knowledge about pathophysiology of CP, improved results of major pancreatic resections, and integration of sophisticated diagnostic methods in clinical practice have resulted in significant changes in surgery for CP. DATA SOURCES: To detail the indications for CP surgery, the surgical procedures, and outcome, a Pubmed database search was performed. The abstracts of searched articles about surgical management of CP were reviewed. The articles could be identified and further scrutinized. Further references were extracted by cross-referencing. RESULTS: Main indications of CP for surgery are intractable pain, suspicion of malignancy, and involvement of adjacent organs. The goal of surgical treatment is to improve the quality of life of patients. The surgical approach to CP should be individualized according to pancreatic anatomy, pain characteristics, baseline exocrine and endocrine function, and medical co-morbidity. The approach usually involves pancreatic duct drainage and resection including longitudinal pancreatojejunostomy, pancreatoduodenectomy (Whipple’s procedure), pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy, total pancreatectomy, duodenum- preserving pancreatic head resection (Beger’s procedure), and local resection of the pancreatic head with longitudinal pancreatojejunostomy (Frey’s procedure). Non-pancreatic and endoscopic management of pain has also been advocated. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical procedures provide long-term pain relief, a good postoperative quality of life withpreservation of endocrine and exocrine pancreatic function, and are associated with low early and late mortality and morbidity. In addition to available results from randomized controlled trials, new studies are needed to determine which procedure is the most effective for the management of patients with CP.

Endoscopic ultrasound for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis

Endoscopic ultrasound(EUS) has become a well accepted test for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis.Advantages include its ability to detect subtle and severe changes of the pancreatic duct and parenchyma,and its relative safety compared with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.Limitations include inter-and intraobserver variability,operator dependence,and an incomplete understanding of its true accuracy.The Rosemont classif ication has recently been proposed as a weighted,standardized method that may improve EUS chronic pancreatitis scoring.This paper reviews the published evidence regarding the accuracy of EUS in chronic pancreatitis diagnosis,and enumerates the emerging technologies that have been recently studied which may ultimately improve endosonographic imaging of the pancreas.

Comparing acid steatocrit and faecal elastase estimations for use in M-ANNHEIM staging for pancreatitis

AIM To compare two tests for exocrine pancreatic function(EPF) for use in M-ANNHEIM staging for pancreatitis. METHODS One hundred and ninety four consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis(AP; n = 13), recurrent acute pancreatitis(RAP; n = 65) and chronic pancreatitis(CP; n = 116) were enrolled. EPF was assessed by faecal elastase-1(FE-1) estimation and stool fat excretion by the acid steatocrit method. Patients were classified as per M-ANNHEIM stages separately based on the results of the two tests for comparison. Independent Student's t-test, χ~2 test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test and Mc Nemar's test were used as appropriate. RESULTS Sixty-one(52.5%) patients with CP had steatorrhoea when assessed by the acid steatocrit method; 79 (68.1%) with CP had exocrine insufficiency by the FE-1 test(χ~2 test, P < 0.001). The results of acid steatocrit and FE-1 showed a significant negative correlation(Spearman's rho =-0.376, P < 0.001). A statistically significant difference was seen between the M-ANNHEIM stages as classified separately by acid steatocrit and the FE-1. Thirteen(6.7%), 87(44.8%), 89(45.8%) and 5(2.5%) patients were placed in M-ANNHEIM stages 0,?Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ respectively, with the use of acid steatocrit as against 13(6.7%), 85(43.8%), 75(38.6%), and 21(10.8%) respectively by FE-1 in stages 0,?Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ thereby altering the stage in 28(14.4%) patients(P < 0.001, Mc Nemar's test). CONCLUSION FE-1 estimation performed better than the acid steatocrit test for use in the staging of pancreatitis by the M-ANNHEIM classification since it diagnosed a higher proportion of patients with exocrine insufficiency.

FUNCTIONAL STATUS OF PANCREATIC ISLET IN ACUTE LEUKEMIA

Using enzymatic assay and radioimmunoassay, we studied the functional status of pancreatic islet in 50 patients with acute leukemia. Oral glucose tolerance test and insulin and C peptide release were made in 40 patients before and after treatment .14 patients who revealed diabetic curve and delayed insulin and C peptide release before treatment showed normal values in 6 after therapy. Five patients with impaired glucose tolerance and decreased insulin and C peptide release before treatment showed normalization of these parameters following therapy. Five patients with normal pretreatment values disclosed abnormal post-treatment results. The remaining 16 patients displayed normal results both before and after therapy. Anti-insulin antibodies were negative, and glucagon level was normal in all the 50 patients. The red cell insulin receptor binding rate analysed in 47 patients was significantly higher than in controls (P< 0.001). We considered that the disturbed glucose metabolism in acute leukemia was not uncommon mainly due to the dysfunction of pancreatic islet β cells as a result of islet damage by leukemic cells, the effect of corticosteroid and chemotherapy and the preexisting diabetes. Impaired glucose metabolism had no influence on therapeutic effect.

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with impaired glucose metabolism in Han Chinese subjects

Background Increasingly, evidence from population, clinic-based and laboratory studies supports an independent association between obstructive sleep apnea syndrome （OSAS） and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes; however, this observation has yet to be replicated in China and the potential mechanisms that link these two conditions are not clear. Methods A total of 179 Han Chinese subjects were enrolled in this study. All subjects underwent polysomnography, the oral glucose tolerance-insulin releasing test （OGTT-IRT） and serum HbAlc measurement. Indexes including homeostasis model assessment-IR （HOMA-IR）, Matsuda index, HOMA-β, early phase insulinogenic index （△I30 / △G30）, AUC-I180 and oral disposition index （DIo） were calculated for the assessment of insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell function. Results Based on OGTT, 25.4%, 44.6% and 54.5% subjects were diagnosed having glucose metabolic disorders respectively in control, mild to moderate and severe OSAS groups （P 〈0.05）. Serum HbA1c levels were highest in subjects with severe OSAS （P 〈0.05）. In contrast, compared with normal subjects, HOMA-β, △I30/△G30 and DIo were lower in severe OSAS group （P 〈0.05）. In stepwise multiple linear regressions, 0-min glucose and HbAlc were positively correlated with the percentage of total sleep time below an oxyhemoglobin saturation of 90% （T90） （Beta = 0.215 and 0.368, P 〈0.05）; 30-min and 60-min glucose was negatively correlated with the lowest SpO2 （LSpO2） （Beta = -0.214 and -0.241, P 〈0.05）. HOMA-β and Dlowere negatively correlated with T90 （Beta = -0.153 and -0.169, P 〈0.05） while body mass index （BMI） was the only determinant of HOMA-IR and Matsuda index. Conclusions OSAS is associated with impairment in glucose tolerance and pancreatic β-cell function in Han Chinese subjects while insulin sensitivity is mainly determined by obesity.