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Biomedical subjects

P C Sheen

Publications and source records attributed to P C Sheen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Pyogenic liver abscess: an audit of 10 years' experience and analysis of risk factors.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Despite continuous improvement in image modalities, availability of potent antibiotics and advancement in the knowledge and treatment of pyogenic liver abscess, mortality remains high. The high mortality rate has underlined the important role of prognostic factors and prompts a number of studies to identify the risk factors. The present study aims to audit our experience in managing patients with pyogenic hepatic abscess during the period of 1989-1999, and to document changes in etiology, bacteriology and outcome, and to identify any risk factor associated with mortality. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-three patients with pyogenic hepatic abscess were studied to determine the demographic characteristics, clinical features, laboratory, bacteriological findings, methods of treatment, final outcome and risk factor analysis. All patients were treated with parenteral antibiotics. One hundred and twelve patients were subjected to ultrasound-guided percutaneous aspiration of the abscess. A percutaneous drainage catheter was inserted after aspiration in all patients. Laparotomy was done in 21 patients. RESULTS: The overall hospital mortality rate was 6% (8/133). Biliary tract disease was the most frequently identified cause. Leukocytosis, hypoalbuminemia and hyperbilirubinemia were common laboratory findings. The most common microorganism cultured was Klebsiella pneumoniae. The most common concomitant disease was diabetes mellitus. On univariate analysis, large abscess, diabetes mellitus and sepsis were significantly associated with hospital mortality. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the presence of sepsis (p = 0.0031) was found to be an independent risk factor. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to early diagnosis and prompt treatment, making every effort to treat patients with adverse prognostic factors and systemic complications, the hospital mortality rate will be decreased significantly.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Centrosome abnormalities in human carcinomas of the gallbladder and intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts.

During mitosis, 2 centrosomes ensure accurate assembly of bipolar spindles and fidelity of the chromosomal segregation. The presence of more than 2 copies of centrosomes during mitosis can result in the formation of multipolar spindles, unbalanced chromosome segregation, and aneuploidy. Recent studies have provided evidence that centrosome hyperamplification plays a pivotal role in carcinogenesis. Using immunofluorescence analysis with gamma-tubulin and pericentrin antibodies, paraffin-embedded sections from 40 malignant biliary diseases including gallbladder cancers (GC; n = 13), intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCC; n = 19), and extrahepatic bile duct cancers (BDC; n = 8) were examined. Thirty-seven benign biliary diseases including chronic cholecystitis, gallbladder adenoma, hepatolithiasis, and choledochal cyst were included as benign controls. The frequencies of the centrosome abnormalities were 70% for GC, 58% for CCC, and 50% for BDC, respectively. The frequencies of centrosome abnormalities in malignant biliary diseases were significantly higher than in their benign counterparts (GC, CCC, BDC; P =.001,.002, and.001, respectively). The results of current study also indicated that biliary malignancy in the advanced stage (III-IV) displayed a higher frequency of centrosome abnormalities than in the early stage (I-II) (P <.001). We conclude that abnormalities in size, number, and shape of the centrosome are frequently observed in biliary tract malignancy. Centrosome abnormalities started to occur in the early stage of biliary malignancy and became very frequent in the advanced stage. This implies that centrosome abnormality might relate to the transition from early to advanced malignancy in biliary malignancy.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2000

Sphincter of Oddi motility in patients with hepatolithiasis and common bile duct stones.

The purpose of this study was to explore a difference in sphincter of Oddi (SO) motor activity among patients with intrahepatic (I, N = 5), intra- and extrahepatic (IE, N = 15), and common bile duct (CBD, N = 6) stones. Interdigestive motility of the SO and duodenum was studied by pneumohydraulic infusion manometry via the percutaneous route. SO phasic contractions showed a cyclic change in concert with the duodenal migrating motor complex (MMC) in all these patients. There was no significant difference in the cycle length, frequency, or amplitude of the SO phasic waves among the three groups throughout the whole cycle. The SO basal pressure during duodenal phases I and II of the duodenal MMC was significantly lower in patients with the IE type of hepatolithiasis than in those with the I type (P = 0.04), but there was no significant difference during phase III between the two groups. The SO basal pressure during phases I and II of the CBD group was also significantly lower than that of the I group (P = 0.02). The significance became even more prominent (P = 0.001) when a subgroup of patients with a dilated CBD (diameter > 1 cm) was examined. Lower basal pressure in the IE group or CBD group than in the I group suggested that stones in the common duct might injure or irritate the SO and cause SO dysfunction. In the subgroup with dilated CBD, which may have resulted from repeated and severe SO injury, the statistics became more prominent.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in peribiliary glands of stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts.

All cases of hepatolithiasis showed features of chronic proliferative cholangitis, and it has been speculated that the atypical glandular proliferation might be a precursor to overt cholangiocarcinoma. Proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a nuclear protein synthesized in the G1/S phase of the cell cycle and therefore is related to cell proliferative activity. In an attempt to assess the activity of cell proliferation of stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts, we conducted a study using immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibody to score PCNA in intrahepatic bile ducts. Thirty patients (10 men, 20 women; mean age 52.4 years) having hepatolithiasis surgically resected were studied. Ten stone-free patients served as controls. All 40 specimens were immunostained for PCNA using PC 10 monoclonal antibody. PCNA of both stone-containing and stone-free intrahepatic bile ducts were assessed by counting positive staining nuclei per 500 cells and expressed as labeling index (LI), ie, percentage of positive nuclei to the total number of nuclei. The PCNA LI in stone-free intrahepatic bile ducts was generally low: 10.0+/-13.2%, 10.4+/-10.7% and 7.9+/-9.6% for extramural glands, intramural glands, and epithelial lining, respectively. In contrast, the PCNA LI for stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts were significantly higher than those of controls (P < 0.001): 49.4+/-8.3%, 40.6+/-7.0% and 34.1+/-6.8% for extramural glands, intramural glands, and epithelial lining, respectively. The extramural glands had a significantly higher PCNA LI (P < 0.001) than the intramural glands and controls. Hyperplasia was found in all specimens, while dysplasia was found in six of 30 cases with hepatolithiasis. The dysplastic cells also had a higher PCNA LI (P < 0.001) than the hyperplastic cells and normal epithelium. Our findings showed that there is marked increase of activity of cell proliferation in stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts. It is well known that genetic mutations are facilitated in proliferating cells. Therefore, our results suggest that the high epithelial turnover in dysplastic cells and extramural glands had higher potential for proliferation and neoplastic transformation in long-standing untreated hepatolithiasis.

Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic↗
PubMed1999

Spontaneous multiple cholecystoenteric fistulas--a case report.

Spontaneous multiple cholecystoenteric fistulas are relatively rare complications of chronic cholecystitis. One cholecystoduodenal and two cholecystocolonic fistulas were observed in a 65-year-old woman whose symptoms included fever, chills, jaundice, diarrhea, and prolonged right upper quadrant pain. Pneumobilia, which is a pathognomonic sign of bilioenteric fistula, was also detected by her plain abdomen X-ray on admission. Both types of fistulas were correctly diagnosed preoperatively by barium enema, upper GI series and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography. The patient was referred for surgery and fistulas were identified during laparotomy. Cholecystectomy, division of these fistulas, and primary repair of these bowel defects were successfully performed. The postoperative course was unremarkable. We report this unusual case and briefly review the hypothesized pathogenesis, typical symptomatology, radiographic diagnosis, complications and therapeutic modalities of this condition.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous cholecystostomy as an initial treatment for acute cholecystitis in elderly patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Acute cholecystitis may atypically present itself in the elderly, thus causing diagnostic and therapeutic problems, and it is well recognized as a high-risk condition for morbidity. The outcome has been attributed to the presence of severe co-morbid disease. In an attempt to minimize the postoperative morbidity and mortality, we performed ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic cholecystostomy (PC) on elderly patients with acute cholecystitis for both initial treatment and subsequent diagnosis of their biliary tract disorders. METHODS: Those being more than 70 years old, had acute episode of cholecystitis for more than 48 h and still had positive Murphy's signs and distended gallbladders were candidates for ultrasound-guided PC. RESULTS: Forty-two elderly patients underwent ultrasound-guided PC. Once the condition of each patient showed signs of improvement and stability, cholangiography was performed via PC tube. The results of the cholangiography showed 20 patients with gallbladder stones, 16 with common bile duct stones and 6 with acalculous cholecystitis. Once stable enough, 32 patients underwent definite surgery, 18 having cholecystectomies, 14 having cholecystectomies and choledocholithotomies. The 6 patients with acalculous cholecystitis had the PC tube removed 3 weeks later, without further surgery. Two patients had gallbladder stones removed by choledochofiberscope. Two patients had common bile duct stone removed by endoscopic sphincteroplasty. Although postoperative complications occurred in 5 patients (11.9%), no instance of operative mortality was found. CONCLUSION: Our findings lead us to conclude that the use of PC in the early treatment of acute cholecystitis in elderly patients can decrease postoperative morbidity and mortality.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

Effect of vitamin E, topical hypothermia and steroid on ischemic liver in rats.

Major hepatic surgery often requires temporary occlusion of the porta hepatis in order to minimize intraoperative bleeding. Occlusion of porta hepatis induces hepatic ischemia and may cause liver damage. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of vitamin E, topical hypothermia and administration of steroids on ischemic liver by assessing the hepatic levels of lipid peroxides and examining the ultrastructural change of mitochondria. One hundred and twenty male wistar rats were divided into four groups, each of 30. All rats underwent laparotomy and the liver ischemia experiment was conducted by clamping the porta hepatis for 15 minutes. Group A received no further treatment, group B received vitamin E (30IU/Kg/B.W) supplementation for one week before experiment, group C was topically cooled and group D received preocclusion intravenous methylprednisolone (2mg/Kg/B.W). Hepatic lipid peroxides, expressed as nmol MDA/g wet wt were assessed by spectrofluorometric methods, and were measured immediately before occlusion, 15 min after occlusion, and 15 min after reperfusion. The results showed that the concentration of lipid peroxides increased markedly after occlusion of porta hepatis in group A, which received no treatment in ischemic liver (8.76 +/- 3.19 vs. 10.49 +/- 3.35 MDA nmol/g wet wt, p < 0.05, paired t-test), while the concentrations of hepatic lipid peroxides were not found to increase in groups B, C or D. In the meantime, the ultrastructural study showed marked swelling of mitochondria in ischemic liver of group A rats only. This suggests that vitamin E supplementation, topical hypothermia and administration of steroids will inhibit the propagation of lipid, peroxidation and provide protective effects on liver parenchyma during ischemia.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1998

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic drainage of gallbladder followed by cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis--10 years' experience.

Acute cholecystitis is a common disease which may carry the risk of complications, including empyema, perforation, abscess, peritonitis and sepsis. Percutaneous transhepatic drainage of the gallbladder (PTGBD) with antibiotics can provide prompt decompression of gallbladder in acute cholecystitis and interrupt the natural history of the disease effectively. From July 1986 to June 1996, 154 patients with acute cholecystitis were reviewed retrospectively in Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital. The chief symptoms and signs were pain (98.1%), fever (57.1%) and jaundice (37.7%). WBC count more than 10,000 was noted in 116 (75.3%) patients. Associated diseases included empyema: 42 (27.3%), septic shock: 14 (9.1%), diabetes mellitus: 13 (8.4%), pancreatitis: 10 (6.5%), perforation: 7 (4.5%), liver cirrhosis: 6 (3.9%) and respiratory failure: 1 (0.6%). All of them underwent ultrasound-guided PTGBD immediately after the diagnosis was established. The symptoms and signs disappeared soon after this procedure. Bacterial culture was found positive in 104 (67.5%) of 154 patients in which Escherichia coli (51.9%) was the most common organism, followed by Klebsiella pneumonia (20.2%). After acute stage, 138 patients obtained the cholangiography via PTGBD tube. Gallbladder stones were only noted in 56 (40.6%) patients, gallbladder stone concomitant with common bile duct stone in 26 (18.8%), cystic duct obstruction in 25 (18.1%), acalculous cholecystitis in 21 (15.2%), gallbladder perforation in 1 (0.7%), choledochocyst in 1 (0.7%), and cholecystocolonic fistula in 1 (0.7%). There were 135 patients to undergo surgery after the clinical condition was stable. The operative findings included gallbladder stones only in 88 (65.2%), gallbladder stone concomitant with common bile duct stone in 34 (25.2%), acalculous cholecystitis in 13 (9.6%), choledochocyst in 1 (0.7%), and cholecysto-colonic fistula in 1 (0.7%). The postoperative complications included wound infection 8 (5.9%), UGI bleeding 3 (2.2%), acute renal failure 1 (0.7%) and acute respiratory failure 1 (0.7%). The postoperative mortality rate was 0.7% (1/135), which was much lower than those of previous reports, which not undergoing PTGBD initially. It led us to conclude that PTGBD, as an initial preoperative modality to treat acute cholecystitis, is effective in decreasing postoperative morbidity and mortality.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

Pancreatic pseudocyst involving the spleen.

The pseudocyst of the pancreas is a frequent complication of acute pancreatitis. The splenic involvement from the pancreatic pseudocyst is an uncommon entity. A 40-year-old man, who had a five-year history of alcohol consumption, was referred to our hospital for treatment of throbbing pain over left upper quadrant (LUQ) of the abdomen. Except for LUQ tenderness, physical examination was essentially normal. MRI showed two cystic lesions in splenic hilum and pancreatic tail, and prominent vessels in left infrasplenic area and gastrosplenic ligament. Angiography revealed splenic vein thrombosis. Because of persistent LUQ pain, he underwent laparotomy. During the operation, we found the cysts in pancreatic tail and splenic hilum. The cystic content was aspirated to check amylase, which showed the level of amylase being as high as 20,000 IU/L. The diagnosis of a pancreatic pseudocyst involving the spleen was established. Splenectomy and distal pancreatectomy were performed to remove both cysts. The pathologic examination of the resected spleen showed splenic infarction with cyst formation and pancreatic pseudocyst. The patient recovered uneventfully after operation.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Histomorphometric evaluation of mucin content in stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts.

Although histologic studies of mucin distribution in the peribiliary glands have been conducted, a quantitative study of mucin content in intrahepatic bile ducts has yet to be reported. In an attempt to evaluate the mucin content in stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts, we conducted a study on 25 surgically resected livers with hepatolithiasis. Specimens from 10 livers without stones served as controls. All specimens were fixed in 10% formalin and sectioned for periodic acid Schiffalcian blue double-stain (PAS-AB; pH 2.5) to evaluate the epithelial mucin content of the intrahepatic bile ducts. The PAS-AB positive area and the total epithelial area were measured with a computerized image analyzer and the PAS-AB index was calculated as the proportion of the PAS-AB positive to the total epithelial area. The histochemical study showed that epithelial cells in both the intramural glands and extramural glands of stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts stained heavily and homogeneously with PAS-AB, while those of controls stained weakly. The PAS-AB indexes in stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts were 51.8 +/- 15.88% for mucous cells of intramural glands, 52.86 +/- 9.85% for mucous cells of extramural glands, and 77.29 +/- 21.59% for serous cells of extramural glands. These values were all significantly higher than those of control specimens. However, the PAS-AB index of the epithelial lining in both hepatolithiasis and control specimens were similarly low, indicating the epithelial lining does not secrete much mucous glycoprotein. The results of this study led us to conclude that stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts contain an abundant amount of mucous glycoprotein, and mucin is secreted from the peribiliary glands, not from the epithelial lining of the bile ducts.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Laparoscopic fenestration for giant liver cyst.

Laparoscopic fenestration for treatment of the non-parasitic cyst of the liver has been rarely reported, but sporadic cases appeared elsewhere in the literature. Here we report four cases with symptomatic giant nonparasitic liver cysts which were treated by a laparoscopic fenestration procedure that allowed the successful removal of the cyst dome. Before starting to excise the wall of the cyst, laparoscopic-quided needle aspiration of the cyst fluid was done first in order to clean the visual field for laparoscopic intervention where possible. The cyst wall was usually slightly transparent and somewhat smooth in the external and internal surface of the cysts. It was necessary to lysis the omental adhesion sometime before starting to remove the dome of the cyst. The cyst wall of the exposed part could be removed first with heat-probe instrument through laparoscopy. Those patients were discharged and revealed an uneventful post-operative course in three cases but in one case we had to convert to the traditional laparostomy to perform resection of the multiple cystic lesions. Post-operative echographic study showed that the giant cyst had collapsed. Therefore, we believe laparoscopic fenestration for the liver cyst is simple and effective, if the patient is a candidate who requires operation to remove the dome of the giant cyst.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Changes of insulin and somatostatin and their relationship to liver regeneration in experimental obstructive jaundice.

The liver is a parenchymal organ that has a substantial capacity to regenerate after damage. Obstructive jaundice is a common surgical disease and potentially risky. A successful outcome of operations depends upon the hepatic regeneration reserve. Insulin is one of factors responsible for hepatotrophic regeneration and somatostatin has a reversal suppressive action. Experimental obstructive jaundice was introduced and relieved. In addition, serum insulin and somatostatin concentrations were measured. We used immuno-histochemical study of pancreatic tissue by immunogold to express the tissue relative insulin and somatostatin concentrations. Nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were used to predict the nucleolar activity of liver cells. In our studies, we observed the serum concentrations of insulin and somatostatin were similar to the relative tissue concentration in pancreatic tissues. The relative tissue gold-particle score of insulin in group A (rats with common bile duct tied), was CONT: T4: T7: T14 = 100%: 90.5%: 68.3%: 46.2%; of somatostatin was 100%: 120%: 118.2%: 115.5% respectively. In group B (common bile duct tied for 4 days then relieved), the gold-particle score of insulin was T4: T4R4: T4R7: T4R14 = 90.5%: 62.8%: 72.2%: 95.4%; of somatostatin was 120.2%: 114.3%: 108.1%: 106.2% respectively. In group C (common bile duct tied for 7 days then relieved), the gold-particle score of insulin was T7: T7R4: T7R7: T7R14 = 68.3%: 53.3%: 73.5%; of somatostain was 118.2%: 109.4%: 104.6%: 102.1% respectively. The mean numbers of AgNORs in group A revealed CONT: T4: T7: T14 = 2.24 +/- 0.24: 3.02 +/- 0.96: 3.26 +/- 1.02:3.08 +/- 0.84, group B was T4: T4R4: T4R7: T4R14 = 3.02 +/- 0.96: 3.03 +/- 0.73: 3.36 +/- 1.12: 3.72 +/- 1.46, and group C showed T7: T7R4:T7R7: T7R14 = 3.26 +/- 1.02: 3.26 +/- 0.84: 3.31 +/- 1.24: 3.54 +/- 1.24. In conclusion, our studies suggested: (1) liver regeneration appeared promptly after obstructive jaundice developed, but prolonged cholestasis inhibited this process. (2) Insulin levels gradually fell during the process of obstructive jaundice. Those levels elevated when cholestasis was improved. Nevertheless, both insulin and hepatic regeneration power could not reflect the initial improvement of cholestasis simultaneously. It took a longer time for the improvement of cholestasis and the recovery of the liver function. (3) Patho-physiologically, somatostatin had a weak influence on hepatic regeneration during obstructive jaundice. (4) Our studies provided clues that early biliary drainage might improve hepatic regeneration capacity. Supplement of insulin during the obstructive jaundice might be helpful for the improvement of hepatic regeneration power.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Changes of bile duct mucosa after choledochoduodenostomy in rats.

This study investigated the changes of bile duct mucosa in rats after choledochoduodenostomy. Wistar rats were divided into three groups: group I (n = 6) was treated with sham operation as control; group II (n = 10) was treated with common bile duct ligation without choledochoduodenostomy, and group III (n = 12) had both common bile duct ligation and choledochoduodenostomy creation 4 days after common bile duct ligation. From our observations, retrograde induced cholangitis due to enteric reflux into the common bile duct is the possible cause of chronic inflammation after choledochuduodenostomy. At the end of the study, Choledocholithiasis developed in 5 of 12 rats. Severe dysplasia was present in the bile duct mucosa in 6 of 12 rats in group III, but not in group I or II. A technique for silver staining of nucleolar organizing regions (AgNOR) was applied. This technique demonstrated differences in AgNOR counts between normal mucosa and dysplasia. Under AgNOR stain, the number of AgNOR was significantly greater than in the normal or benign counterparts and gradually increased from the normal bile duct mucosa group to the severe dysplasia group (group I 2.1 +/- 0.8, group II 3.2 +/- 1.0, group III 5.3 +/- 1.1). All of these observations suggest that 'sump syndrome' and bile stasis could occur after choledochoduodenostomy in rats and can result in chronic inflammation of the bile duct. It has been well established that calcium bilirubinate is the major type of choledocholithiasis in Orientals. beta-Glucuronidase from bacteria, such as Escherichia coli present in the biliary tree, hydrolyzes bilirubin diglucuronide to bilirubin. Bilirubin combines with calcium in the bile flow to form calcium bilirubinate. Bacterial infection plays a key role in calcium bilirubinate stone formation. Since choledochoduodenostomy did increase reflux cholangitis, and bacterial infection would increase mucin overproduction, bile deconjugation and eventually new calcium bilirubinate stones would be formed. The dysplastic changes in the bile duct mucosa could possibly be related to the prolonged exposure to the biochemically altered infected bile. Thus choledochoduodenostomy might not be the perfect choice in treating calcium bilirubinate choledocholithiasis in Orientals.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

The ultrastructural study on epithelium of gallbladder with gallstones.

To investigate the fine structures of epithelium, 30 patients bearing gallstones were subjects for this study: ten for gallbladders with cholesterol stones, 10 for pigment stones and 10 for the control. The electron microscopic examination of these specimens revealed that all the epithelial cells from three gallbladder models had similar ultrastructural features. The most striking feature was the presence of numerous mucous droplets in the apical portion of the all epithelial cells. Another prominent finding was multivesicular bodies predominantly in gallbladders with pigment stone. Golgi apparatus, rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were apparent and well-developed. Crescent and semi-circular structures were found exclusively in gallbladders with cholesterol gallstones. According to the well-developed Golgi apparatus, rough endoplasmic reticulum and abundant mucous droplets, these epithelial cells are presumably mucus secretory cells. The gallbladder epithelium may play an important role in regulating the stone formation.

Cholelithiasis↗
PubMed1995

Lectin histochemical study of cholangiocarcinoma arising from stone-bearing intrahepatic bile duct.

With the purpose of studying changes in the expression of glycoconjugate structures in cholangiocarcinoma and the nonneoplastic epithelium of stone-bearing intrahepatic bile ducts, a panel of 12 biotinylated lectins were used on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 13 patients who had undergone surgical resection of cholangiocarcinoma and on nonneoplastic stone-bearing intrahepatic bile ducts from 10 patients. Of the 13 patients with cholangiocarcinoma 10 had hepatolithiasis and 3 did not. Among the 12 lectins, only wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) stained the cholangiocarcinoma and nonneoplastic epithelium of the stone-bearing intrahepatic bile duct. All nonneoplastic epithelia of stone-bearing intrahepatic bile ducts were stained heavily and homogeneously by WGA, the GlcNAC-specific lectin. The high columnar epithelium of both intramural and extramural glands was stained in the supranuclear region, while the low columnar epithelium of serous acini was stained in the whole cytoplasm. cytoplasm. In the well-differentiated cholangiocarcinoma, the WGA weakly stained the neoplastic cells in the supranuclear region, while it stained the luminal cytoplasmic membrane heavily. In the poorly-differentiated cholangiocarcinoma, about 50% of cancer cells were stained with WGA. The carcinoma was moderately stained in the cytoplasm. Less reactivity and a lower percentage of cells stained with lectin were found in cholangiocarcinomas when compared to nonneoplastic epithelia. This led us to conclude that there is a dramatic decrease in lectin-binding carbohydrate structures associated with cholangiocarcinoma progression.

Bile Duct Neoplasms↗
PubMed1995

A lectin histochemical study of intrahepatic ducts in patients with hepatolithiasis.

A panel of 12 biotinylated lectins was used to investigate the diversity of glycoconjugate on the epithelium of stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts and compared to controls. Among the 12 lectins, only WGA (wheat germ agglutinin) and Con A (concanavalin agglutinin) stained the epithelium of stone-containing intrahepatic ducts. Con A, a glucose/mannose-specific lectin, bound weakly on the epithelium of the stone-bearing intrahepatic duct in 10 of the 25 specimens, but none of the controls. All stone-containing intrahepatic bile ducts were stained heavily and homogenously by WGA, the N-acetylglucosamine-specific lectin. The high columnar epithelia of both intramural and extramural glands were stained in the supranuclear region, while the serous acini of extramural glands were stained in whole cytoplasm. The epithelium of intrahepatic ducts from the controls was stained weakly by WGA only. The WGA receptors were not abolished by pretreatment of neuraminidase. This led us to conclude that the stone-containing intrahepatic ducts were rich in N-acetylglucosamine and the heavy and homogenous staining with WGA will be indicative of hypersecretion of mucus from stone-bearing intrahepatic bile ducts.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Study of lysosomal changes in rat pancreas after ingesting monosodium L-glutamate.

An experiment was conducted on 54 male Wistar rats (36 experimental, 18 controls) to study adverse effects of monosodium L-glutamate (MSG) on pancreatic acinar cells by measuring the qualitative and quantitative changes in acid phosphatase (ACPase) in these cells. Various concentrations of aqueous MSG were given to rats for various durations (Group I, 1% MSG for 1 month; Group II, 1% MSG for 1 week; Group III, 0.5% MSG for 1 week; Group IV, 0.2% MSG for 1 week; Group V, 0.1% MSG for 1 week; Group VI, 0.05% MSG for 1 week). The pancreas was then removed from each specimen for electron microscopic examination, cytochemical localization of ACPase, and cell fractionation for quantitative measurement of ACPase. Serum level of ACPase was determined in these animals before removal of the pancreas. The ultrastructural changes in pancreatic acinar cells revealed an increase in the number and size of autophagic vacuoles and various sizes of myelin figures in the cytoplasm and interstitial space. Dilatation of rough endoplasmic reticulum, swollen mitochondria, and altered zymogen granules were occasionally found. These changes occurred most often in Group I rats, which ingested 1% MSG for 1 month. The changes became less prominent as the dose of MSG administered was lessened. A reaction product of ACPase could also be seen in autophagic vacuoles in Group I rats. Regarding quantitative measurement, the serum level of ACPase for Group I rats was markedly higher than that of the controls and was statistically significant (20.52 +/- 4.92 vs. 12.62 +/- 4.13 U/L; p < 0.05)(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acid Phosphatase↗