Erythromycin for Promoting the Postpyloric Placement of Feeding Tubes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Critically ill patients can benefit from enteral nutrition with postpyloric feeding tubes, but the low success rate limits its wide use. Erythromycin could elevate the success rate of tube insertion, but its clinical efficiency still remains controversial.

Methods: Included studies must be RCTs which assessed the success rate of postpyloric feeding tube insertion using erythromycin.

Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 mediates the inhibitory effect of hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α on hepatocellular carcinoma.

Previous studies provided substantial evidence of a striking suppressive effect of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is involved in death receptor-mediated apoptosis and may acts as a tumor suppressor in hepatocarcinogenesis. However, the status and function of ASK1 during HCC progression are unclear.

Does low-dose rifaximin ameliorate endotoxemia in patients with liver cirrhosis: a prospective study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of different doses of rifaximin in Chinese patients with liver cirrhosis.

Methods: This random prospective study included a screening visit, a 2-week treatment period and a subsequent 4-week observation phase. Patients with liver cirrhosis were randomly assigned to a low-dose rifaximin group, a high-dose rifaximin group and the control group in a ratio of 1:1:1.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α-nuclear factor-κB feedback circuit modulates liver cancer progression.

Unlabelled: Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) is a liver enriched transcription factor and is indispensable for liver development. However, the role of HNF4α in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression remains to be elucidated. We report that reduced HNF4α expression correlated well with the aggressive clinicopathological characteristics of HCC and predicted poor prognosis of patients.

New proposal for the serum ascites albumin gradient cut-off value in Chinese ascitic patients.

Background: Serum ascites albumin gradient (SAAG) has been recognized as a reliable marker in the differential diagnosis of ascites. The etiological background of cirrhosis is rather different between western countries and eastern countries. The threshold of SAAG in Chinese ascitic patients has not been evaluated yet.

Perturbation of MicroRNA-370/Lin-28 homolog A/nuclear factor kappa B regulatory circuit contributes to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Unlabelled: MicroRNA 370 (miR-370) is located within the DLK1/DIO3 imprinting region on human chromosome 14, which has been identified as a cancer-associated genomic region. However, the role of miR-370 in malignances remains controversial. Here, we report that miR-370 was repressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and hepatoma cell lines.

Drug-induced liver disease: an 8-year study of patients from one gastroenterological department.

Objective: To analyze drug-induced liver disease over an 8-year period from January 2000 to December 2007 in one gastroenterological department.

Methods: International consensus of standard definitions and criteria for assessing causality of adverse drug reactions were applied to all patients with abnormal hepatic test results.

Results: Drugs were implicated in hepatic injury in 30 patients (15 men and 15 women) in whom there was a causal or highly probable relationship between drug use and liver disease.