Reversal of High-Fat Diet-Induced Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Metformin Combined with PGG, an Inducer of Glycine N-Methyltransferase.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major cause of liver-related morbidities and mortality, and no effective drug treatment currently exists. We aimed to develop a novel treatment strategy to induce the expression of glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT), which is an important enzyme regulating S-adenosylmethionine metabolism whose expression is downregulated in patients with NAFLD. Because 1,2,3,4,6-pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) is a GNMT inducer, and metformin was shown to upregulate liver mitochondrial GNMT protein expression, the effect of PGG and metformin was evaluated.

Prognostic Value of F-FDG PET/CT Volume-Based Metabolic Parameters in Patients with Node-Negative Stage II Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a major cancer prevalent in Asian males. Pretreatment tumor burden can be prognostic for ESCC. We studied the prognostic value of metabolic parameters of 2-deoxy-2-[F] fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG PET/CT) and the serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) level in node-negative stage II ESCC patients.