Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and the risk of erectile dysfunction: a drug target Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have been widely used for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and weight management. However, the causal relationship of GLP-1RAs with erectile dysfunction (ED) was still unclear.

Methods: Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to reveal the association of genetically proxied GLP-1RAs with ED.

Predictive value of geriatric nutritional risk index in cardiac and cerebrovascular events after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of malnutrition assessed by the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) on major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in the elderly patients after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of elderly patients who underwent EVAR in a tertiary hospital. Malnutrition status was assessed by the GNRI.

Causal associations between systemic lupus erythematosus and primary biliary cholangitis: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Objectives: The association between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) has been increasingly recognized. However, the existence of causal connections between SLE and PBC has yet to be established. In this study, we aimed to investigate the bidirectional causation between SLE and PBC utilizing Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

The causal relationship between inflammatory bowel diseases and erythema nodosum: a bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study.

Background: Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) exhibit a heightened likelihood of developing erythema nodosum (EN), but the presence of causal link is unknown. The purpose of the present research was to investigate this connection using a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Methods: Summarized statistics for EN were sourced from the FinnGen consortium of European ancestry.

Diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and relapsing immune-mediated disease of the gastrointestinal tract with a gradually increasing global incidence and prevalence. A prolonged course of IBD leads to a decline in patient quality of life and the creation of a substantial economic burden on society. Owing to the lack of specific diagnostic markers, the diagnosis of IBD still needs a gold standard based on a combination of clinical manifestations, imaging, laboratory, and endoscopic results.

CT-determined low skeletal muscle index predicts poor prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer.

Background: Sarcopenia is highly prevalent among patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Computed tomography (CT)-based assessment of low skeletal muscle index (SMI) is widely used for diagnosing sarcopenia. However, there are conflicting findings on the association between low SMI and overall survival (OS) in CRC patients.

Stimuli-activatable nanomedicine meets cancer theranostics.

Stimuli-activatable strategies prevail in the design of nanomedicine for cancer theranostics. Upon exposure to endogenous/exogenous stimuli, the stimuli-activatable nanomedicine could be self-assembled, disassembled, or functionally activated to improve its biosafety and diagnostic/therapeutic potency. A myriad of tumor-specific features, including a low pH, a high redox level, and overexpressed enzymes, along with exogenous physical stimulation sources (light, ultrasound, magnet, and radiation) have been considered for the design of stimuli-activatable nano-medicinal products.

Sarcopenia and treatment failure in inflammatory bowel disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The association between sarcopenia and treatment outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is currently a subject of controversy.

Methods: A systematic search was performed of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for studies published until April 2023. The quality assessment of each included study was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

Incidence and risk outcomes of second primary malignancy of patients with post-operative colorectal cancer.

Background And Aims: This study aimed to investigate the incidence and the risk factors of incidence for second primary malignancies (SPMs) onset among survivors diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: A large population-based cohort study was performed. Data of patients diagnosed with CRC was identified and extracted from 8 cancer registries of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from January 1990 to December 2017.

Diagnosis, prevalence, and outcomes of sarcopenia in kidney transplantation recipients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The prevalence of sarcopenia and its clinical predictors and clinical impact vary among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), in part because of different diagnostic criteria. This study aimed to assess the reported diagnosis criteria of sarcopenia and compare them in terms of prevalence, clinical predictors, and impact of sarcopenia. The Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for the full-length reports published until 28 January 2022.

Early use of probiotics might prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea in elderly (>65 years): a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is diarrhea associated with consuming antibiotics that cannot be explained by other causes. AAD prolongs admission time and increases mortality and financial costs. Elderly individuals are more prone to receive antibiotic treatment and develop AAD.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Sexual Dysfunction in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background: Sexual dysfunction (SD) in patients who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not attracted widespread attention, and thus research studies are scarce.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the rates of SD in IBD compared with healthy individuals and elucidate the associated factors.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the simplified version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) were filled by IBD patients, as well as healthy control individuals.

Efficacy and Safety of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Rectal Tumors Extending Versus Not to the Dentate Line: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Goals: To evaluate the outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for rectal tumors extending to the dentate line (RTDLs) compared with rectal tumors not extending to the dentate line (non-RTDLs).

Background: There is limited composite data on the outcomes of ESD for RTDLs versus non-RTDLs.

Study: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that reported the clinical outcomes of ESD for RTDLs and non-RTDLs.

Predictive value of frailty in the mortality of hospitalized patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The present study aimed to analyze the impact of frailty on mortality risk among hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: Literature searches were conducted using the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases for articles reporting the association between frailty and mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS).

The importance of fecal nucleic acid detection in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19): A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Pooled data from 2352 hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with viral RNA in feces across 46 studies were analyzed and the pooled prevalence of fecal RNA was 46.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.383-0.

Efficacy and Safety of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Dysplasia in Ulcerative Colitis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aims: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Current guidelines recommend endoscopic resection if the lesion is visible with distinct margins and a complete resection can be achieved. However, submucosal fibrosis due to chronic inflammation may increase the procedural risk and reduce the complete resection rate.

Secondary colon cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: A meta-analysis was conducted on the incidence of colon cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between UC and colon cancer, and provide a theoretical guidance for clinical diagnoses and treatments of UC.

Methods: Articles were searched in Chinese database with "ulcerative colitis", "UC", "colon cancer", "colorectal cancer", "incidence", and "meta-analysis" as the search terms.

The Role of E3 Ubiquitin Ligases and Deubiquitinases in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Friend or Foe?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which include Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), exhibits a complex multifactorial pathogenesis involving genetic susceptibility, imbalance of gut microbiota, mucosal immune disorder and environmental factors. Recent studies reported associations between ubiquitination and deubiquitination and the occurrence and development of inflammatory bowel disease. Ubiquitination modification, one of the most important types of post-translational modifications, is a multi-step enzymatic process involved in the regulation of various physiological processes of cells, including cell cycle progression, cell differentiation, apoptosis, and innate and adaptive immune responses.

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice via a macrophage-mediated pathway.

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) has been reported to protect mice from intestinal inflammation, but its anti-inflammatory mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we found that there was a downregulation in intestinal expression of GDNF accompanied by an increase of M1 macrophages in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. GDNF treatment could facilitate the macrophages polarization towards the M2-like phenotype in DSS-treated mice and LPS-stimulated RAW264.

Prevalence and risk factors of sexual dysfunction in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is increasingly identified in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but there are few systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the studies of SD in IBD patients. The purpose of the study is to further quantify the association between IBD and SD.

Methods: MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE (OVID), and the Cochrane Library (OVID) were searched (until August 2020) to identify observational studies that reported the prevalence and risk factors of SD in IBD patients.

Targeting Gremlin 1 Prevents Intestinal Fibrosis Progression by Inhibiting the Fatty Acid Oxidation of Fibroblast Cells.

Intestinal fibrosis is a consequence of continuous inflammatory responses that negatively affect the quality of life of patients. By screening altered proteomic profiles of mouse fibrotic colon tissues, we identified that GREM1 was dramatically upregulated in comparison to that in normal tissues. Functional experiments revealed that GREM1 promoted the proliferation and activation of intestinal fibroblast cells by enhancing fatty acid oxidation.