Epidemiology and Natural History of Elderly-onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results From a Territory-wide Hong Kong IBD Registry.

Background: Elderly-onset inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], defined as age ≥60 at diagnosis, is increasing worldwide. We aimed to compare clinical characteristics and natural history of elderly-onset IBD patients with those of adult-onset IBD patients.

Methods: Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of IBD from 1981 to 2016 were identified from a territory-wide Hong Kong IBD registry involving 13 hospitals.

Cancer risk and chemoprevention in Chinese inflammatory bowel disease patients: a population-based cohort study.

Role of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), statin and aspirin in reducing cancer risks in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains controversial. We aimed to examine chemo-preventive effects of these drugs in all cancers in IBD in population-based setting. IBD patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2016 were identified from the Hong Kong IBD Registry and followed from IBD diagnosis until first cancer occurrence.

Stopping anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in patients with perianal Crohn's disease.

Background: Little is known of the outcome of patients with perianal Crohn's disease after stopping anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy.

Aim: To evaluate the rate of relapse in perianal Crohn's disease (CD) after stopping anti-TNF therapy.

Methods: Consecutive perianal CD patients treated with anti-TNF therapy with subsequent discontinuation were retrieved from prospective inflammatory bowel disease database of institutes in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore from 1997 to June 2019.

The current management of acute uncomplicated appendicitis: should there be a change in paradigm? A systematic review of the literatures and analysis of treatment performance.

Introduction: Appendectomy has long been the mainstay of intervention for acute appendicitis, aiming at preventing perforation, peritonitis, abscess formation and recurrence. With better understanding of the disease process, non-operative management (NOM) with antibiotics alone has been proved a feasible treatment for uncomplicated appendicitis. This article aimed at systematically reviewing the available literatures and discussing the question whether NOM should replace appendectomy as the standard first-line treatment for uncomplicated appendicitis.

Frequent epigenetic silencing of the folate-metabolising gene cystathionine-beta-synthase in gastrointestinal cancer.

Background: Both gastric and colorectal cancers (CRC) are the most frequently occurring malignancies worldwide with the overall survival of these patients remains unsatisfied. Identification of tumor suppressor genes (TSG) silenced by promoter CpG methylation uncovers mechanisms of tumorigenesis and identifies new epigenetic biomarkers for early cancer detection and prognosis assessment. Cystathionine-beta-synthase (CBS) functions in the folate metabolism pathway, which is intricately linked to methylation of genomic DNA.

A novel 19q13 nucleolar zinc finger protein suppresses tumor cell growth through inhibiting ribosome biogenesis and inducing apoptosis but is frequently silenced in multiple carcinomas.

Epigenetic disruption of tumor suppressor genes is frequently involved in tumorigenesis. We identified a novel 19q13 KRAB domain-containing zinc finger protein, ZNF545/ZFP82, broadly expressed in normal tissues but downregulated in multiple tumor cell lines. The ZNF545 promoter contains a CpG island, which is frequently methylated in cell lines.

Epigenetic silencing of a proapoptotic cell adhesion molecule, the immunoglobulin superfamily member IGSF4, by promoter CpG methylation protects Hodgkin lymphoma cells from apoptosis.

The malignant Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) are believed to derive from germinal center (GC) B cells, but lack expression of a functional B cell receptor. As apoptosis is the normal fate of B-cell receptor-negative GC B cells, mechanisms that abrogate apoptosis are thus critical in HL development, such as epigenetic disruption of certain pro-apoptotic cancer genes including tumor suppressor genes. Identifying methylated genes elucidates oncogenic mechanisms and provides valuable biomarkers; therefore, we performed a chemical epigenetic screening for methylated genes in HL through pharmacological demethylation and expression profiling.

Aberrant promoter methylation of DLEC1, a critical 3p22 tumor suppressor for renal cell carcinoma, is associated with more advanced tumor stage.

Purpose: Identifying tumor suppressor genes silenced by promoter CpG methylation uncovers mechanisms of tumorigenesis and identifies new epigenetic biomarkers for early cancer detection. DLEC1 is located at 3p22.3, a critical tumor suppressor gene locus for renal cell carcinoma.

Dexamethasone inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha-stimulated gastric epithelial cell migration.

Background: Cell migration (restitution) occurs in the early phase of gastric ulcer healing. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is overexpressed at the ulcer margin and plays a physiologic role in gastric ulcer healing. Dexamethasone, which is a potent corticosteroid, delays rat gastric ulcer healing.

CMTM3, located at the critical tumor suppressor locus 16q22.1, is silenced by CpG methylation in carcinomas and inhibits tumor cell growth through inducing apoptosis.

Closely located at the tumor suppressor locus 16q22.1, CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing member 3 and 4 (CMTM3 and CMTM4) encode two CMTM family proteins, which link chemokines and the transmembrane-4 superfamily. In contrast to the broad expression of both CMTM3 and CMTM4 in normal human adult tissues, only CMTM3 is silenced or down-regulated in common carcinoma (gastric, breast, nasopharyngeal, esophageal, and colon) cell lines and primary tumors.

Management and outcome of peptic ulcers or erosions in patients receiving a combination of aspirin plus clopidogrel.

Background: This multicenter retrospective study investigated the management and outcome of patients with peptic ulcer/erosion-related aspirin and clopidogrel (A + C) cotherapy.

Methods: From January 2002 to September 2006, patients with endoscopically proven peptic ulcers/erosions after receiving A + C cotherapy were analyzed.

Results: This group consisted of 106 patients (age, 69.

OPCML is a broad tumor suppressor for multiple carcinomas and lymphomas with frequently epigenetic inactivation.

Background: Identification of tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) silenced by CpG methylation uncovers the molecular mechanism of tumorigenesis and potential tumor biomarkers. Loss of heterozygosity at 11q25 is common in multiple tumors including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). OPCML, located at 11q25, is one of the downregulated genes we identified through digital expression subtraction.

Dexamethasone inhibits basic fibroblast growth factor-stimulated gastric epithelial cell proliferation.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is essential for gastric ulcer healing, whereas glucocorticoids delay gastric ulcer healing. We found that dexamethasone inhibited bFGF-stimulated rat gastric epithelial RGM-1 cells proliferation and attempted to elucidate the possible mechanistic pathway. Flowcytometry was used to determine cell proliferation.

Omeprazole promotes gastric epithelial cell migration.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are effective at preventing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced gastric ulcers. They are also superior to histamine H(2)-receptor antagonists and misoprostol in treating NSAID-induced gastric ulcer healing. This study explored whether omeprazole, a PPI, can modulate ulcer healing through epithelial cell proliferation and/or cell migration using a rat normal gastric epithelial cell line (RGM-1).

WNT5A exhibits tumor-suppressive activity through antagonizing the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling, and is frequently methylated in colorectal cancer.

Purpose: Aberrant activation of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway is associated with multiple tumors including colorectal cancer (CRC). WNT5A is a member of the nontransforming Wnt protein family, whose role in tumorigenesis is still ambiguous. We investigated its epigenetic alteration in CRCs.

CMTM5 exhibits tumor suppressor activities and is frequently silenced by methylation in carcinoma cell lines.

Purpose: CMTM5 (CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domain containing member 5) is located at 14q11.2, a locus associated with multiple cancers. It has six RNA splicing variants with CMTM5-v1 as the major one.

Aberrant methylation of the 8p22 tumor suppressor gene DLC1 in renal cell carcinoma.

Epigenetic mechanisms involving DNA methylation and chromatin remodeling are important in silencing tumor suppressor genes (TSG) in various malignancies, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). DLC1 (deleted in liver cancer 1)/ARHGAP7 is a recently identified 8p22 candidate TSG. Frequent methylation of the DLC1 promoter with resultant gene silencing has been reported in several tumors, but not in RCC yet.