Protective role of ABCC drug subfamily resistance transporters (ABCC1-7) in intestinal inflammation.

The ABCC subfamily contains thirteen members. Nine of these transporters are called multidrug resistance proteins (MRPs). The MRPs have been associated with developing ulcerative colitis (UC).

Protective Role of Selenium-Binding Protein 1 (SELENBP1) in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis.

Background: The expression of selenium-binding protein 1 (SELENBP1), a molecule responsible for the absorption of selenium in the colon, is crucial for its immunoregulatory effect, but this phenomenon has not been studied in patients with UC. The present study aimed to determine the clinical outcome of SELENBP1 expression in colonic tissue from patients with UC.

Methods: The relative mRNA expression of SELENBP1 was analyzed in 34 patients with UC and 20 controls.

Participation of Semaphorin Family and Plexins in the Clinical Course of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Unlabelled: Semaphorins are an immunoregulatory protein family. Plexins bind semaphorins (SEMAs) and can form receptor complexes that give them chemotactic capacity. The role and expression profile of semaphorins and plexins in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is currently unknown.

Achalasia alters physiological networks depending on sex.

Achalasia is a rare esophageal motility disorder for which the etiology is not fully understood. Evidence suggests that autoimmune inflammatory infiltrates, possibly triggered by a viral infection, may lead to a degeneration of neurons within the myenteric plexus. While the infection is eventually resolved, genetically susceptible individuals may still be at risk of developing achalasia.

Increased synthesis and intestinal expression of IL-39 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

IL-39 (Interleukin-39) is a heterodimeric cytokine composed of IL-23p19 and EBI3 (Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 3) subunits. Despite the evidence that correlates the role of IL-39 in regulating inflammation, its expression in the intestinal microenvironment of IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) patients is still unknown. Thus, this work was focused on characterizing relative mRNA (messenger RNA) IL-39 expression and intestinal synthesis in IBD patients.

Differential expression of TOB/BTG family members in patients with plaque psoriasis: cross-sectional study.

TOB/BTG is a family of antiproliferative proteins that play an important role in the regulation of immune responses, acting as lymphocyte activators and macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity. No previous studies have explored their role in patients with psoriasis. The aim of this study was to characterize the expression of TOB/BTG family and their co-localization in skin from patients with psoriasis.

Prolactin Inhibits or Stimulates the Inflammatory Response of Joint Tissues in a Cytokine-dependent Manner.

The close association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA), sex, reproductive state, and stress has long linked prolactin (PRL) to disease progression. PRL has both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory outcomes in RA, but responsible mechanisms are not understood. Here, we show that PRL modifies in an opposite manner the proinflammatory actions of IL-1β and TNF-α in mouse synovial fibroblasts in culture.

A Higher Manometric Esophageal Length to Height Ratio in Achalasia Explains the Lower Prevalence of Hiatal Hernia.

Background/aims: The evidence suggests that a shorter esophageal length (EL) in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients is associated with the presence of hiatal hernia (HH). However, there are no reports of this association in patients with achalasia. The aim is to (1) determine the prevalence of hiatal hernia in achalasia patients, (2) compare achalasia EL with GERD patients and healthy volunteers (HV), (3) measure achalasia manometric esophageal length to height (MELH) ratio, and (4) determine if there are differences in symptoms between patients with and without hiatal hernia.

Supplementation with EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids improves peripheral immune cell mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation in subjects with obesity.

Omega-3 fatty acids (w-3 FA) have anti-inflammatory effects and improve mitochondrial function. Nonetheless, little is known about their effect on mitochondrial bioenergetics of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in individuals with obesity. Thus, this study aimed to determine the mitochondrial bioenergetics status and cell subset composition of PBMCs during obesity, before and after 1 month supplementation with w-3 FA.

Pecans and Its Polyphenols Prevent Obesity, Hepatic Steatosis and Diabetes by Reducing Dysbiosis, Inflammation, and Increasing Energy Expenditure in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

Pecans () are considered a functional food due to the high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber and polyphenols. To determine the effect of whole pecans (WP) or a pecan polyphenol (PP) extract on the development of metabolic abnormalities in mice fed a high-fat (HF) diet, we fed C57BL/6 mice with a Control diet (7% fat), HF diet (23% fat), HF containing 30% WP or an HF diet supplemented with 3.6 or 6 mg/g of PP for 18 weeks.

Pods or a Polyphenolic Extract Derived from Them Exert Immunomodulatory, Metabolic, Renoprotective, and Prebiotic Effects in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

Obesity causes systemic inflammation, hepatic and renal damage, as well as gut microbiota dysbiosis. Alternative vegetable sources rich in polyphenols are known to prevent or delay the progression of metabolic abnormalities during obesity. (VF) is a potent source of polyphenols with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities with potential anti-obesity effects.

Peripheral Immunophenotype in IgG4-Related Disease and Its Association with Clinical Phenotypes and Disease Activity.

Diverse immune cell subsets have been described in IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). If there is a different immunophenotype according to clinical phenotype and activity status is not known. Levels of IL-4-, IL-13-, IL-5-, and IL-21-producing CD4 T cells (Th2 subsets), CD4 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD4CTLs), T helper 9 cells, T follicular helper cells (Tfh; Tfh1/Tfh2/Tfh17/Tf regulatory [Tfr]), Foxp3 regulatory T cells, Type 1 regulatory T cells (Tr1), T helper 3 regulatory cells (Th3), IL-10-producing regulatory B cells (Bregs), IL-10-expressing regulatory plasmacytoid dendritic (pDC IL-10) cells, and M1 and M2 monocytes were determined by flow cytometry in 43 IgG4-RD patients and 12 controls.

Is the Sars-CoV-2 virus a possible trigger agent for the development of achalasia?

Background: Achalasia is an autoimmune disease whose probable causal agent is a neurotropic virus that chronically infects the myenteric plexus of the esophagus and induces the disease in a genetically susceptible host. The association between achalasia and coronaviruses has not been reported.

Aims: To evaluate the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the ACE2 expression, the tissue architecture, and immune response in the lower esophageal sphincter muscle (LESm) of achalasia patients who posteriorly had SARS-CoV-2 (achalasia-COVID-19) infection before laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) and compare the findings with type II achalasia patients and transplant donors (controls) without COVID-19.

Predictive factors associated with the persistence of chest pain in post-laparoscopic myotomy and fundoplication in patients with achalasia.

Background: Episodic angina-like retrosternal pain is a prevalent symptom for achalasia patients pre- and post-treatment. The cause of postoperative chest pain remains poorly understood. Moreover, there are no reports on their predictive value for chest pain in the long-term post-treatment.

Dendritic cells drive profibrotic inflammation and aberrant T cell polarization in systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: SSc is a devastating autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis and obliterative vasculopathy affecting the skin and visceral organs. While the processes mediating excessive extracellular matrix deposition and fibroblast proliferation are clear, the exact link between autoimmunity and fibrosis remains elusive. Th17 cells have been proposed as critical drivers of profibrotic inflammation during SSc, but little is known about the immune components supporting their pathogenic role.

Autoantigen characterization in the lower esophageal sphincter muscle of patients with achalasia.

Background: Serum anti-myenteric autoantibodies define autoimmune achalasia and tissue MMP-9 activity may locally process autoantigenic proteins in the muscle of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) of achalasia patients.

Methods: Biopsies of the LES muscle from 36 achalasia patients, 6 esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction (EGJOO) patients, and 16 transplant donors (TD) were compared in a blind cross-sectional study. Histological characteristics such as inflammation, fibrosis, presence of ganglion cells, cells of Cajal, GAD65, PNMA2, S-100, P substance, and MMP-9 proteoforms in tissue were assessed by H&E and Picrosirius Red staining and immunohistochemistry analysis.

Differential Th follicular cell subsets in minor salivary glands of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus associated with Sjögren's syndrome.

Objectives: T follicular helper cells (Tfh) have been recognised in minor salivary glands (MSG) of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Nevertheless, if the Tfh1, Tfh2, Tfh17, Tfr phenotype is different when comparing pSS and associated SS in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is unknown.

Methods: We included MSG biopsies from 8 pSS, 8 SLE/SS patients, 7 SLE patients, and 2 non-SS sicca patients.

AKAP12/Gravin is over-expressed in patients with ulcerative colitis.

The gene of A-kinase anchor protein 12 (AKAP12) regulates cell cycle progression, cell motility, and morphology through its multiple scaffolding domains. However, the role of AKAP12 expression in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients has not been yet described. The aim of the study was to describe the gene and protein of AKAP12 expression in patients with UC and its association regarding the disease severity.

Intestinal production of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory disease of the intestine. The genetics factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of UC. SPARC exacerbates colonic inflammatory symptoms in dextran sodium sulphate-induced murine colitis.

More fuel to the fire: some patients with non-celiac self-reported wheat sensitivity exhibit adaptive immunological responses in duodenal mucosa.

Background: In contrast to the well-characterized Celiac Disease (CD), the clinical scenarios encompassed by the non-celiac self-reported wheat sensitivity (NCSRWS) might be related to different antigens that trigger distinct immune-inflammatory reactions. Although an increased number of intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes is observed at the inception of both diseases, the subsequent immunopathogenic pathways seem to be different. We aimed to describe the cytokine profile observed in the duodenal mucosa of patients with NCSRWS.

Expression of TOB/BTG family members in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

In recent years, the role of anti-proliferative TOB proteins in the regulation of immune response by inhibiting T cell activation has been demonstrated. Nevertheless, no previous studies have explored their expression in patients with IBD. The aim of the study was to characterize the gene and protein expression of the TOB/BTG family in intestinal tissue of patients with IBD.

Does laparoscopic reoperation yield symptomatic improvements similar to those of primary laparoscopic Heller myotomy in achalasia patients?

Background: Laparoscopic Heller myotomy fails in approximately 3.5% to 15% of patients. Evidence of successful laparoscopic reoperation is limited to a few studies.