Blood-derived lysophospholipid sustains hepatic phospholipids and fat storage necessary for hepatoprotection in overnutrition.

The liver has a high demand for phosphatidylcholine (PC), particularly in overnutrition, where reduced phospholipid levels have been implicated in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Whether other pathways exist in addition to de novo PC synthesis that contribute to hepatic PC pools remains unknown. Here, we identified the lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) transporter major facilitator superfamily domain containing 2A (Mfsd2a) as critical for maintaining hepatic phospholipid pools.

A quality improvement project reduces time spent at an inflammatory bowel disease infusion center with accelerated infliximab infusion protocol.

Background And Aim: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) requiring infliximab frequently spend hours to attend treatment. Through quality improvement (QI) methodology, we aimed to shorten the time spent in the biologics infusion center using the accelerated infusion protocol and describe patient outcomes, safety, and associated cost savings.

Methods: From September 2018 through December 2019, eligible IBD patients receiving infliximab were recruited.

A study of 3013 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma: Etiology and therapy before and during the current decade.

Background And Aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant global problem. With advances in HCC diagnosis and therapy, our hypothesis is that there are significant differences in the clinical characteristics and treatment of HCC over the years.

Methods: Patients with HCC between 1980 and 2018 from three major tertiary hospitals in Singapore were enrolled into a Research Electronic Data Capture database.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression are independently associated with inflammatory bowel disease-related disability.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently results in disability. The relevance of psychological effects in causing disability, and whether disability occurs similarly in non-Western cohorts is as yet unknown.

Aim: We assessed the relationship between symptoms of anxiety and depression, quality of life and disability in a Singaporean IBD cohort and their predictors.

Critical role of free cytosolic calcium, but not uncoupling, in mitochondrial permeability transition and cell death induced by diclofenac oxidative metabolites in immortalized human hepatocytes.

Diclofenac is a widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that has been associated with rare but serious hepatotoxicity. Experimental evidence indicates that diclofenac targets mitochondria and induces the permeability transition (mPT) which leads to apoptotic cell death in hepatocytes. While the downstream effector mechanisms have been well characterized, the more proximal pathways leading to the mPT are not known.