BackgroundPerineural invasion is a common path for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) metastasis, and it is highly correlated with postoperative recurrence and poor prognosis. It is often an early event in a disease that is commonly diagnosed in advanced stages, and thus it could offer a timely therapeutic and diagnostic target if better understood. This article systematically reviews the progress of CCA neural invasion-related molecules.MethodsStudies were identified by searching MEDLINE and PubMed databases for articles from January 1990 to December 2009, using the keywords "cholangiocarcinoma," "perineural invasion," "nerve growth factor"(NGF), "neural cell adhesion molecule" (NCAM), "matrix metalloproteinase"(MMP), "neurotransmitter," "acetylcholine" (Ach), and "transforming growth factor" (TGF)." Additional papers and book chapters were identified by a manual search of references from the key articles.ResultsFrom above we found that the molecules NGF, NCAM, MMP, Ach and TGF may have prognostic significance in, and offer clues to the mechanism of CCA neural invasion.ConclusionsCholangiocarcinoma's increasing worldwide incidence is especially poignant in view of both the lacking effective therapies, and the fact that it is commonly diagnosed in advanced stages. As CCA neural invasion often appears early, more complete characterization of its molecular pathology could lead to the identification of targets for the diagnosis and therapy of this devastating malignancy.

LC for T1a and T1b gallbladder cancer needs no additional treatment, however, radical operation for T2 patients is recommended, regardless of the margin condition.

A new Diels-Alder Adduct of C60 with 1,1’-biindene (CB) has been synthesized. The Langmuir trough study of this new fullerene derivative indicates that floating film could form monomolecular thick film at the air/water interface at lower concentration, and can be well transferred the floating mixed CB and arachidic acid film onto substrates using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. In the case of the mixed film, high quality films with thickness of up to 50 layers could be readily built up. The absorption variation with film thickness at 255nm was measured, indicating good LB deposition up to 50 layers.