title: Acute pancreatitis.
abstract: Acute pancreatitis is a process that continues to interest physicians and research scientists. Understanding potential factors initiating acute pancreatitis, mechanisms regulating the local and distant inflammatory response, methods for accurately predicting outcome, and possible therapeutic interventions continue to be investigated. Current interest in inflammatory response of the acute injury focuses on proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines as markers for disease severity and predictors of outcome. Recent studies confirm the utility of physical examination and existing markers such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis. Understanding the molecular mechanism of lung injury remains a major focus for future therapeutic targets, since pancreatitis-associated pulmonary injury results in significant morbidity and is a major indication for intensive care unit admissions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Pfützer
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Whitcomb