If the number of “No” or “unclear” answers was more than four, the article was

excluded. In this way, we excluded low quality articles to make sure the results of this research are credible. Third, with the limited number learn more of studies available, potential publication bias may still exist, because small studies with optimistic results may be published more easily than small studies with unfavorable results. Larger studies with optimistic results may also be published more easily than larger studies with unfavorable results, but this difference usually is smaller. Moreover, we only included studies published in English, which might invoke the so-called “Tower of Babel” bias, which refers to the fact that investigators working in a language other than English could be sending only studies with positive results to international journals and make it possible that studies with negative results could have been left out. Fourth, not all studies explicitly stated that they were performed in a prospective manner. However, a prospective study design as a covariate to the bivariate statistical

model (prospective design vs not prospective design) did not significantly influence sensitivity or specificity. It was found that PET/CT was a highly sensitive and DWI was a highly specific modality in diagnosing patients with pancreatic malignancy. PET/CT and DWI could play different roles in diagnosing pancreatic carcinoma. Enhanced PET/CT seems to be superior to unenhanced PET/CT. Further larger prospective studies are Selleck Temozolomide needed to establish its value for diagnosis in pancreatic cancer. This work was supported by the Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project (No. S30203) and Shanghai Jiao tong University School of Medicine Leading Academic Discipline Project. “
“Aim:  The pathogenesis of non-malignant portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in cirrhotic patients is not clearly

defined. This case-control study aimed to investigate the role of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T gene mutation in the pathogenesis of PVT in Egyptian cirrhotic patients. Methods:  Plasma homocysteine was measured and MTHFR C677T gene mutation was detected in 76 cirrhotic patients (21 with PVT, 55 without PVT) and 20 healthy controls. Results:  The frequency of CC genotype (wide type) in cirrhotic patients with PVT this website was lower than controls and cirrhotics without PVT. However, the frequency of TT genotype (homozygous mutation) was elevated in cirrhotic patients with PVT as compared to controls and those without PVT. Cirrhotic patients with PVT had significantly higher homocysteine than those without PVT. Cirrhotic patients with TT genotype are at a significant risk for PVT (odds ratio = 7.7, 95% confidence interval, 1.50–42.81) when compared with CC genotype. Moreover, subjects carrying TT genotype had a higher homocysteine than those carrying CC genotype.