Photoactivated full-API nanodrug (FAND): harnessing transition metal complexes and MTH1 inhibitor for enhanced DNA damage in cancer cells.

The effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been greatly restricted by the hypoxic tumor microenvironment and the susceptible resistance of monotherapy. Although nanodrugs based on transition metal complexes capable of integrating PDT with photoactivated chemotherapy (PACT) have garnered tremendous attention as promising candidates for overcoming the above limitations, the therapeutic efficacy of these nanodrugs is still hampered by inadequate loading of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and the inherent ability of cancer cells to repair damaged DNA. Herein, we developed a photoactivated full-API nanodrug, Ru-T FAND, by one-step self-assembly of RuDPB and TH287. By virtue of its 100 wt% API content and favorable stability in water, the Ru-T FAND exhibited improved cellular uptake behavior and intracellular 1O2 generation. Attractively, the Ru-T FAND with triple anti-cancer modalities can photogenerate 1O2, photo-release DPB ligand and inhibit the repair of DNA damage, ultimately enhancing its phototherapeutic effect on cancer cells. Importantly, the uncaged DPB ligand from RuDPB emits red fluorescence, enabling real-time monitoring of the drug's absorption, distribution and efficacy. Collectively, the presented photoactivated Ru-T FANDs with multiple anti-cancer mechanisms will expand new horizons for the development of safe, efficient and synergistic tumor phototherapy strategies.

Automated classification of ulcerative lesions in small intestine using densenet with channel attention and residual dilated blocks.

Objective. Ulceration of the small intestine, which has a high incidence, includes Crohn's disease (CD), intestinal tuberculosis (ITB), primary small intestinal lymphoma (PSIL), cryptogenic multifocal ulcerous stenosing enteritis (CMUSE), and non-specific ulcer (NSU). However, the ulceration morphology can easily be misdiagnosed through enteroscopy.Approach. In this study, DRCA-DenseNet169, which is based on DenseNet169, with residual dilated blocks and a channel attention block, is proposed to identify CD, ITB, PSIL, CMUSE, and NSU intelligently. In addition, a novel loss function that incorporates dynamic weights is designed to enhance the precision of imbalanced datasets with limited samples. DRCA-Densenet169 was evaluated using 10883 enteroscopy images, including 5375 ulcer images and 5508 normal images, which were obtained from the Shanghai Changhai Hospital.Main results. DRCA-Densenet169 achieved an overall accuracy of 85.27% ± 0.32%, a weighted-precision of 83.99% ± 2.47%, a weighted-recall of 84.36% ± 0.88% and a weighted-F1-score of 84.07% ± 2.14%.Significance. The results demonstrate that DRCA-Densenet169 has high recognition accuracy and strong robustness in identifying different types of ulcers when obtaining immediate and preliminary diagnoses.

Study on antitumor activity of three ruthenium arene complexes in vitro.

Three ruthenium arene complexes, namely {[(η6-p-cymene)Ru(Cl)]2(dpb)}(PF6)2 (1), [(η6-p-cymene)Ru(dpb)Cl](PF6) (2) and [(η6-p-cymene) Ru(dpb)py](PF6) (3) (dpb = 2,3-bis(2-pyridyl)benzo-quinoxaline, py = pyridine), were synthesized and their antitumor properties were introduced. Complexes 1-3 were characterized by 1H NMR, MS, and elemental analysis. As a binuclear ruthenium structure, the absorption of metal ligand electron transfer (MLCT) of 1 extended to 700 nm. Complex 1 was significantly hydrolyzed under dark conditions. The cytotoxicity in vitro study showed that complexes 1 and 2 are more toxic to human lung cancer cells (A549) and human cervial cancer cells (Hela) than cisplatin. Moreover, there was almost no cross-resistance between complex 1-2 and cisplatin. Under the irradiation at 478 nm, complexes 1-3 all produced singlet oxygen (1O2), and the 1O2 quantum yield of complex 1 in PBS is the highest among complexes 1-3. Complex 1 also produced 1O2 under 600 nm light irradiation. DNA gel electrophoresis showed that 1 caused the photocleavage of plasmid DNA. The hydrolysis rate of complex 1 was accelerated under light (λ > 600 nm). And the phototoxicity of complex 1 to Hela cells under light (λ > 600 nm) was much greater than its dark toxicity, which may be due to its generation of 1O2 and the promotion of its hydrolysis under long-wave light irradiation.

Large-scale, national, family-based epidemiological study on Helicobacter pylori infection in China: the time to change practice for related disease prevention.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Current practice on Helicobacter pylori infection mostly focuses on individual-based care in the community, but family-based H. pylori management has recently been suggested as a better strategy for infection control. However, the family-based H. pylori infection status, risk factors and transmission pattern remain to be elucidated. METHODS: From September 2021 to December 2021, 10 735 families (31 098 individuals) were enrolled from 29 of 31 provinces in mainland China to examine family-based H. pylori infection, related factors and transmission pattern. All family members were required to answer questionnaires and test for H. pylori infection. RESULTS: Among all participants, the average individual-based H. pylori infection rate was 40.66%, with 43.45% for adults and 20.55% for children and adolescents. Family-based infection rates ranged from 50.27% to 85.06% among the 29 provinces, with an average rate of 71.21%. In 28.87% (3099/10 735) of enrolled families, there were no infections; the remaining 71.13% (7636/10 735) of families had 1-7 infected members, and in 19.70% (1504/7636), all members were infected. Among 7961 enrolled couples, 33.21% had no infection, but in 22.99%, both were infected. Childhood infection was significantly associated with parental infection. Independent risk factors for household infection were infected family members (eg, five infected members: OR 2.72, 95% CI 1.86 to 4.00), living in highly infected areas (eg, northwest China: OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.57 to 2.13), and large families in a household (eg, family of three: OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.76 to 2.21). However, family members with higher education and income levels (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.91), using serving spoons or chopsticks, more generations in a household (eg, three generations: OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.92), and who were younger (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.70) had lower infection rates (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Familial H. pylori infection rate is high in general household in China. Exposure to infected family members is likely the major source of its spread. These results provide supporting evidence for the strategic changes from H. pylori individual-based treatment to family-based management, and the notion has important clinical and public health implications for infection control and related disease prevention.

Interplay between Discrete Emotions and Preventive Behavior in Health Crises: Big Data Analysis of COVID-19.

Understanding the interplay between discrete emotions and COVID-19 prevention behaviors will help healthcare professionals and providers to implement effective risk communication and effective risk decision making. This study analyzes data related to COVID-19 posted by the American public on Twitter and identifies three discrete negative emotions (anger, anxiety, and sadness) of the public from massive text data. Next, econometric analyses (i.e., the Granger causality test and impulse response functions) are performed to evaluate the interplay between discrete emotions and preventive behavior based on emotional time series and Google Shopping Trends time series, representing public preventive behavior. Based on the textual analysis of tweets from the United States, the following conclusions are drawn: Anger is a Granger cause of preventive behavior and has a slightly negative effect on the public's preventive behavior. Anxiety is a Granger cause of preventive behavior and has a positive effect on preventive behavior. Furthermore, preventive behavior is a Granger cause of anxiety and has a negative and lagging effect on anxiety. Exploring how discrete emotions, such as anger and anxiety, affect preventive behaviors will effectively demonstrate how discrete emotions play qualitatively different roles in promoting preventive behaviors. Moreover, understanding the impact of preventive behaviors on discrete emotions is useful for better risk communication.

Effect and safety of anaprazole in the treatment of duodenal ulcers: a randomized, rabeprazole-controlled, phase III non-inferiority study.

BACKGROUND: The pharmacokinetic and clinical behaviors of many proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in peptic ulcer treatment are altered by CYP2C19 genetic polymorphisms. This non-inferiority study evaluated the efficacy and safety of the novel PPI anaprazole compared with rabeprazole. We also explored the influence of Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection status and CYP2C19 polymorphism on anaprazole. METHODS: In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, positive-drug parallel-controlled, phase III study, Chinese patients with duodenal ulcers were randomized 1:1 to receive rabeprazole 10 mg + anaprazole placebo or rabeprazole placebo + anaprazole 20 mg once daily for 4 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the 4-week ulcer healing rate assessed by blinded independent review. Secondary endpoints were the proportion of patients with improved overall and individual duodenal ulcer symptoms at 4 weeks. Furthermore, exploratory subgroup analysis of the primary endpoint by H. pylori status and CYP2C19 polymorphism was conducted. Adverse events were monitored for safety. Non-inferiority analysis was conducted for the primary endpoint. RESULTS: The study enrolled 448 patients (anaprazole, n = 225; rabeprazole, n = 223). The 4-week healing rates were 90.9% and 93.7% for anaprazole and rabeprazole, respectively (difference, -2.8% [95% confidence interval, -7.7%, 2.2%]), demonstrating non-inferiority of anaprazole to rabeprazole. Overall duodenal ulcer symptoms improved in 90.9% and 92.5% of patients, respectively. Improvement rates of individual symptoms were similar between the groups. Healing rates did not significantly differ by H. pylori status or CYP2C19 genotype for either treatment group. The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events was similar for anaprazole (72/220, 32.7%) and rabeprazole (84/219, 38.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of anaprazole is non-inferior to that of rabeprazole in Chinese patients with duodenal ulcers. REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04215653.

Capturing the Interplay between Risk Perception and Social Media Posting to Support Risk Response and Decision Making.

This research aims to capture the interplay between risk perception and social media posting through a case study of COVID-19 in Wuhan to support risk response and decision making. Dividing users on Sina Weibo into the government, the media, the public, and other users, we address two main research questions: Whose posting affects risk perception and vice versa? How do different categories of social media users' posts affect risk perception and vice versa? We use Granger causality analysis and impulse response functions to answer the research questions. The results show that from one perspective, the government and the media on Sina Weibo play critical roles in forming and affecting risk perceptions. From another perspective, risk perception promotes the posting of the media and the public on Sina Weibo. Since government's posting and media's posting can significantly enhance the public's perceptions of risk issues, the government and the media must remain vigilant to provide credible risk-related information.

Anti-control of periodic firing in HR model in the aspects of position, amplitude and frequency.

This paper proposes a novel controller to control position, amplitude and frequency of periodic firing activity in Hindmarsh-Rose model based on Hopf bifurcation theory which is composed of linear control gain and nonlinear control gain. First, we select the activation of the fast ion channel as control parameter. Based on explicit criterion of Hopf bifurcation, a series of conditions are obtained to derive the linear gains of controller responsible for control of the location where the periodic firing activity occurs. Then, based on the control parameter, a series of conditions are obtained to derive the nonlinear gains of controller responsible for controlling the amplitude and frequency of periodic firing activity by using center manifold and normal form. Finally, the numerical experiments show that our controller can make the periodic firing activity occur at designed value and control the amplitude and frequency of periodic firing activity by adjusting nonlinear control gain of controller.

Metal Versus Plastic Stents for Pancreatic Fluid Collection Drainage: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The therapeutic efficacy of metal stents (MSs) for pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) is invariably controversial. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the results of efficacy of MSs and plastic stents (PSs) in PFC drainage. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We performed a literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and COCHRANE for all of the published studies regarding the use of MSs and PSs for endoscopic transmural drainage of PFCs from January, 1 2015 to June 1, 2020. We extracted data from 9 studies (1359 patients) that met the inclusion criteria. The main outcome measures were the rates of treatment success, including technique success and clinical success (CS), adverse events, recurrence, procedure time, and length of hospital stay (LOS). RESULTS: There was no difference in overall technique success between patients treated with MSs and PSs for PFCs. However, MSs showed a higher CS rate 92% versus 82% (P<0.01) and a lower overall adverse event rate 20% versus 31% (P<0.01) than PSs. The recurrence rate of PFCs using MSs also had significant advantages over PSs 3% versus 10% (P<0.01) and MSs needed a shorter procedure time than PSs (26.73 vs. 45.40 min, P<0.01). In comparing direct endoscopic necrosectomy use and LOS, there was no difference between MSs and PSs. CONCLUSIONS: Bringing together the results of the current study, endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage of PFCs using MSs may be superior to PSs in terms of CS, adverse events rates and recurrence rate, with similar LOS and direct endoscopic necrosectomy use.

High-Risk Characteristics Associated with Advanced Pancreatic Cystic Lesions: Results from a Retrospective Surgical Cohort.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The management of pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) remains controversial. We performed a retrospective study to determine characteristics associated with advanced PCLs (A-PCLs) and whether these characteristics vary in different pathological types of PCLs. The additional diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) was also evaluated. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgical resection for an identified PCLs by imaging modalities were included. A logistic regression model was developed to identify significant characteristics for A-PCLs. EUS data was assessed separately. RESULTS: Three hundred and fifty-three patients were included, and 125 patients (35.4%) were A-PCLs. The presence of main pancreatic duct (MPD) diameter ≥ 10 mm (odds ratio [OR], 11.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.53-89.2; P = 0.018), mural nodules ≥ 5 mm (OR, 11.67; 95% CI, 2.3-59.05; P = 0.003), solid components within cysts (OR, 30.87; 95% CI, 7.23-131.7; P < 0.0001) and high serum CA19-9 levels (OR, 1.006; 95% CI, 1.001-1.011; P = 0.02) were independently associated with the presence of A-PCLs. The presence of septa was independently associated with the presence of non-A-PCLs (OR, 0.147; 95% CI, 0.04-0.6; P = 0.008). Males who had a history of tobacco abuse (P < 0.0001) and had a greatly dilated MPD (P < 0.0001) were more common in advanced intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMC) patients. Solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPT) often occurred in young women (P < 0.0001), mostly asymptomatically (P < 0.0001) and with lower serum CA19-9 levels (P < 0.0001). In the 124 patients who underwent EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA), five additional characteristics (4 mural nodules and 1 MPD involvement) were identified by EUS imaging and 17 patients were identified with abnormal cytological results (13 atypical cells and 4 suspicious for malignancy cells) by EUS-FNA. CONCLUSION: On the basis of a retrospective study with large sample size, the presence of MPD ≥ 10 mm, mural nodules, solid components, and high serum CA19-9 levels were independently associated with the presence of A-PCLs. The high-risk characteristics may vary across different types of A-PCLs. EUS and EUS-FNA could provide additional diagnostic information for PCLs.

Helicobacter pylori Infection and Serum Pepsinogen Level With the Risk of Gastric Precancerous Conditions: A Cross-sectional Study of High-risk Gastric Cancer Population in China.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Gastric precancerous conditions are generally considered to play an essential role in the gastric carcinogenesis cascade. This study identified risk factors of gastric precancerous conditions in a nationwide multicenter cross-sectional study. METHODS: Individuals who made their visit to 115 hospitals in China for gastric cancer screening were recruited. Lifestyle habits and personal information were collected through a series of questionnaires. Serum biomarker test (pepsinogen I, pepsinogen II, gastrin-17, and anti-Helicobacter pylori immunoglobulin G antibody) and endoscopy were then performed. Risk factors for gastric precancerous conditions were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Of 14,929 subjects eligible for analysis, 4477 (30.0%) developed gastric precancerous conditions and 405 (2.71%) developed gastric cancer. In multiple logistic regression, precancerous conditions were associated with advanced age [odds ratio (OR)=1.027; 95% confidence interval (Cl), 1.023-1.032; P<0.001], male gender (OR=1.303; 95% Cl, 1.188-1.429; P<0.001), H. pylori infection (OR=1.377; 95% Cl, 1.272-1.490, P<0.001), and smoking (OR=1.142; 95% Cl, 1.005-1.298, P=0.004), whereas they were inversely correlated with white meat intake (OR=0.731; 95% Cl, 0.673-0.794; P<0.001) and pepsinogen I level (30 to 70 subgroup OR=1.536; 95% Cl, 1.163-2.028; P=0.002; <30 subgroup OR=1.354; 95% Cl, 1.206-1.520; P<0.001). Also, the authors observed a statistically lower prevalence of reflux esophagitis (2.8% vs. 4.7%) and of gastric polyps (11.0% vs. 13.7%) in H. pylori-infected population. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with H. pylori have a 1.4-fold higher risk of having gastric precancerous conditions. Besides, precancerous conditions were associated with advanced age, male gender, H. pylori infection, and smoking in a large population. However, regular white meat intake and higher pepsinogen I level were associated with reduced risk of having precancerous lesions.

A novel lncRNA PTTG3P/miR-132/212-3p/FoxM1 feedback loop facilitates tumorigenesis and metastasis of pancreatic cancer.

Pseudogene pituitary tumor-transforming 3 (PTTG3P) is emerging as a key player in the development and progression of cancer. However, the biological role and clinical significance of PTTG3P in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remain unclear. Here, we found that PTTG3P was significantly upregulated in PDAC tissues. Elevated PTTG3P expression correlated with larger tumor size and worse differentiation, and reduced overall survival. Bioinformatics and experimental evidence revealed that PTTG3P promoted malignant phenotypes and FoxM1 signaling pathway in PDAC cells. Mechanistically, PTTG3P functions as a microRNA sponge to positively regulate the expression of FoxM1 through sponging miR-132/212-3p. Moreover, it showed that FoxM1 transcriptionally activated PTTG3P expression, thus forming a feedback loop to promote the aggressiveness of PDAC cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that PTTG3P promotes PDAC progression through PTTG3P/miR-132/212-3p/FoxM1 feedforward circuitry and it may serve as a promising diagnostic marker or target for treatment in PDAC patients.

The role of solid debris in endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage of walled-off necrosis: A large cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The effect of solid debris on walled-off necrosis (WON) drainage remains unknown. Our study evaluated the role of solid debris in endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided drainage of WON compared lumen-apposing metal stent (LAMS) with double-pigtail plastic stent (DPPS). METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated consecutive patients with WON who underwent EUS-guided drainage in our endoscopic center over a 9-year period. The amount of solid debris in WON was assessed with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and EUS images. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2019, 84 WON patients were included. In WON with < 20% solid debris, the short-term clinical success of LAMSs (96.8%) was significantly higher than DPPSs (66.7%) (P = 0.03), and LAMSs were safer than DPPSs with less early adverse events (P = 0.02) and late adverse events (P = 0.03). On multivariable analysis, DPPS (odds ratio [OR], 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.04-0.65; P = 0.01) and solid debris > 40% (OR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.02-0.62; P = 0.01) were the predictors for failure of resolution of WON after adjusting for age and cyst size. The number of DPPSs used was significantly higher than LAMSs in managing WONs (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: For WON with < 20% solid debris, LAMSs might superior to DPPSs in terms of efficacy and safety.

Consensus on eradication of Helicobacter pylori and prevention and control of gastric cancer in China (2019, Shanghai).

BACKGROUND AND AIM: China is a country with high prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, which in turn is closely related to the occurrence of gastric cancer. Therefore, the risks of H. pylori infection and gastric cancer are highly overlapping, and the prevention and treatment of H. pylori infection are necessary to prevent gastric cancer. METHODS: Based on evidence-based medicine and the Delphi method, the National Clinical Medical Research Center for Digestive Disease along with the National Early Gastrointestinal Cancer Prevention and Treatment Center Alliance organized dozens of experts in the fields of digestive diseases, H. pylori research, gastric cancer surgery, epidemiology, health economics, and health management to discuss the relationship between H. pylori eradication and prevention and the treatment of gastric cancer. RESULTS: A preliminary consensus on the relationship between H. pylori infection and gastric cancer, H. pylori eradication and gastric cancer prevention, and H. pylori screening and eradication strategy was reached. The consensus further clarified the relationship between H. pylori and gastric cancer and how to formulate future prevention and control strategies for gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: This consensus could provide guidance on early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of H. pylori to reduce the occurrence of gastric cancer in China.

Endoscopic transpapillary drainage in disconnected pancreatic duct syndrome after acute pancreatitis and trauma: long-term outcomes in 31 patients.

BACKGROUND: Conventionally, disconnected pancreatic duct syndrome is treated surgically. Endoscopic management is associated with lesser morbidity and mortality than that observed with surgery and shows similar success rates. However, limited data are available in this context. We evaluated the efficacy of endotherapeutic management for this syndrome. METHODS: We prospectively obtained data of patients with disconnected pancreatic duct syndrome between September 2008 and January 2016. Demographic and clinical data were assessed, and factors affecting clinical outcomes were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients underwent 40 endoscopic transpapillary procedures, and 1 patient developed an infection after prosthesis insertion. Etiological contributors to disconnected pancreatic duct syndrome were abdominal trauma (52%) and acute necrotizing pancreatitis (48%). The median interval between the appearance of pancreatic leaks and disconnected pancreatic duct syndrome was 6.6 months (range 0.5-84 months). The median follow-up after the last treatment procedure was 38 months (range 17-99 months). Patients with complete main pancreatic duct disruption in the body/tail showed a low risk of pancreatic atrophy (P = 0.009). This study highlighted the significant correlation between endoscopic transpapillary drainage and clinical success (P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Disconnected pancreatic duct syndrome is not an uncommon sequel of pancreatic injury, and much of the delayed diagnosis is attributable to a lack of knowledge regarding this disease. Endoscopic transpapillary intervention with ductal stenting is an effective and safe treatment for this condition.

MicroRNA-132 Plays an Independent Prognostic Role in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Acts as a Tumor Suppressor.

The role of microRNA-132 in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas is still ambiguous. We explored the association between microRNA-132 and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma prognosis. The expression of microRNA-132 in 50 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissue samples and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell lines was examined, and the association between its expression and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma prognosis was assessed. Functional analysis and factors downstream of microRNA-132 were investigated. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that high expression of microRNA-132 was a significant prognostic factor for 1-year survival of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma ( P = .028). Multivariate analysis for overall survival indicated that high expression of microRNA-132 was an independent prognostic factor for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma ( P = .044). Low expression of microRNA-132 was associated with poor prognosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Ectopic expression of microRNA-132 significantly inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of 2 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell lines. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that microRNA-132 may exert its effects on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through downregulating mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 and nuclear transcription factor Y subunit α. The results of this study further our understanding of the relationship between microRNA-132 and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by showing that microRNA-132 might inhibit the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by regulating mitogen-activated protein kinase and nuclear transcription factor Y subunit alpha.

22-Gauge biopsy needles have a better histological diagnostic yield in the discrimination of specific pancreatic solid neoplasms.

BACKGROUND: To overcome the limitations of using cytological specimen alone for the diagnosis of challenging pancreatic lesions, biopsy needles have been developed to procure histological specimens during EUS, especially for the discrimination of several specific pancreatic tumors requiring adequate histological samples. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic yield of EUS-guided 22-gauge (G) fine needle aspiration (FNA) needles and 22G fine needle biopsy (FNB) needles for sampling pancreatic masses. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of all EUS-guided sampling performed between November 2012 and April 2016. 422 cases sampled with a 22G FNA needle (N = 254) or a 22G FNB needle (N = 168) were recruited for this study. The specimen quality analyses, technical characteristics, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPVs), and negative predictive values (NPVs) for the pancreatic masses were reviewed and compared. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the procurement of adequate histological specimens (75.0% vs. 79.5%; p = .277) or the presence of diagnostic histological specimens (71.3% vs. 77.4%; p = .155) between FNA and FNB groups, respectively. There were also no significant differences in the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPVs, or NPVs of the cytological, histological, and overall analyses for FNA and FNB groups in the diagnosis of pancreatic malignancy. However, 22G biopsy needles demonstrated a better histological diagnostic yield in the discrimination of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and non-adenocarcinoma pancreatic neoplasms than 22G FNA needles (69.8% vs. 57.9%, p = .033). CONCLUSIONS: 22G FNB needle demonstrated a better histological diagnostic yield in the differentiation between pancreatic adenocarcinoma and non-adenocarcinoma pancreatic neoplasms.