The presence of NAFLD in nonobese subjects increased the risk of metabolic abnormalities than obese subjects without NAFLD: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Background: With lifestyle modification and over-nutrition, the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been increasing annually. Here we aimed to assess the updated prevalence of NAFLD, and to evaluate the association of NAFLD with metabolic abnormalities according to gender, body mass index and age.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Shanghai from December 2016 to July 2017.

Treatment of patients with Covid-19 with a high dose of ulinastatin.

Currently, there are no specific therapeutic agents available for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). The present study aimed to assess the efficacy of high-dose ulinastatin for the treatment of patients with Covid-19. A total of 12 patients hospitalized with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection were treated with a high dose of ulinastatin alongside standard care.

Symptomatic features and prognosis of 932 hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Wuhan.

Objective: To discern the symptomatic features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to evaluate the severity and prognosis of the disease.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 932 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan were enrolled, including 52 severe and 880 non-severe cases. All patients were followed up for 3 months after discharge.

SHP-1 ameliorates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokine production.

Inflammation is the main contributor for the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase 1 (SHP-1, also known as PTPN6) is regarded as a negative regulator of inflammation, but its role in NASH remains unknown. Here, hepatocyte-specific Ptpn6 knockout mice (Ptpn6 ) and adenovirus vector-mediated ectopic expression of SHP-1 (AdSHP1) were used to evaluate the role of SHP-1 in a methionine- and choline-deficient diet-induced NASH model.

Prevalence and risk factors for gallstone disease: A population-based cross-sectional study.

Objective: To explore the prevalence of and risk factors for gallstone disease in Shanghai, China.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Shanghai between 2016 and 2017. Using a three-stage stratified sampling strategy, 4009 participants (1753 men and 2256 women) from 10 districts were enrolled.

Small intestinal hemangioma: Endoscopic or surgical intervention? A case report and review of literature.

Background: Hemangioma of the small intestine is a rare vascular malformation. Before the advent of capsule endoscopy (CE) and balloon-assisted enteroscopy (BAE), preoperative diagnosis of this disease was extremely difficult.

Case Summary: In this study, we report a 24-year-old female with a large transmural small bowel cavernous hemangioma, which was diagnosed with CE and BAE preoperatively and removed successfully using minimally invasive surgery.

Corticosteroid therapy in drug-induced liver injury: Pros and cons.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a liver toxicity induced by a drug or its metabolite. The incidence of DILI continues to increase and it has been an enormous challenge worldwide, while the prognosis is not optimistic. Currently, the most effective treatment for DILI is to suspend the offending drug(s) and to avoid re-exposure, with no definitive therapy available for idiosyncratic DILI with or without acute liver failure.

Long noncoding RNA C21orf121/bone morphogenetic protein 2/microRNA-140-5p gene network promotes directed differentiation of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth to neuronal cells.

Previous studies have revealed that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and microRNA play a crucial role in autism, which is a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder with complicated genetic origins. Hence, the study concerns whether lncRNA C21orf121/bone morphogenetic proteins 2 (BMP2)/miR-140-5p gene network affects directed differentiation of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) to neuronal cells in rats with autism. Autism models were successfully established.

Beneficial effect of corticosteroids for patients with severe drug-induced liver injury.

Objective: The efficacy of corticosteroids in drug-induced liver injury (DILI) remains controversial. We aimed to determine whether corticosteroids were beneficial for severe DILI.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study of patients with DILI enrolled between January 2010 and May 2015.

FOXA2 suppresses the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma partially through matrix metalloproteinase-9 inhibition.

The forkhead box transcription factor A2 (FOXA2) is a member of the hepatocyte nuclear factor family and plays an important role in liver development and metabolic homeostasis, but its role in the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been evaluated. In this study, we found that the expression of FOXA2 was decreased in 68.1% (49/72) of human HCC tissues compared with their paired non-cancerous adjacent tissues.

The transcription factor FOXA2 suppresses gastric tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo.

Background And Aims: The transcription factor forkhead box A2 (FOXA2) plays a central role in the development of endoderm-derived organs. It has been reported that FOXA2 acts as a suppressor in many kinds of tumor. However, little is known about the role of FOXA2 in gastric cancer.

Regression effect of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α on liver cirrhosis in rats.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether cirrhosis could be reversed after treated with hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α), a key transcriptional regulator of hepatocyte differentiation and function.

Methods: Early and advanced stages of liver cirrhosis were induced by thioacetamide (TAA) administration. The adenovirus carrying HNF4α gene was injected into cirrhotic rats via the tail vein.

Sophocarpine alleviates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in rats.

Background And Aim: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is one entity in the spectrum of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to explore the prevention and therapeutic effect of sophocarpine on experimental rat NASH.

Methods: Sophocarpine with the dosage of 20 mg/kg/day was injected into NASH rats.

The effects of hydrogen-rich saline on the contractile and structural changes of intestine induced by ischemia-reperfusion in rats.

Background: Hydrogen has been considered as a novel antioxidant that prevents injuries resulted from ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in various tissues. The study was designed to determine the effect of hydrogen-rich saline on the smooth muscle contractile response to KCl, and on epithelial proliferation and apoptosis of intestine subjected to I/R.

Methods: Intestinal I/R injury was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats using bulldog clamps in superior mesenteric artery by 45 min ischemia followed by 1 h reperfusion.

Inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 by adenovirus mediated small interfering RNA attenuates hepatic fibrosis in rats.

Unlabelled: Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) is a critical part of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction pathway, which is involved in hepatic fibrosis. However, the effect of down-regulation of ERK1 on hepatic fibrosis has not been reported. Here, we induced hepatic fibrosis in rats with dimethylnitrosamine administration or bile duct ligation.

Targeted RNA interference for hepatic fibrosis.

Hepatic fibrosis is a common consequence in patients with chronic liver damage. To date, no agent has been approved for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis. RNA interference (RNAi) is known to be a powerful tool for post-transcriptional gene silencing and has opened new avenues in gene therapy.

Adenovirus-mediated transfer of siRNA against PAI-1 mRNA ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in rats.

Background/aims: Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a potential profibrotic molecule. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of PAI-1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) on experimental hepatic fibrosis and investigate the intrinsic mechanisms.

Methods: Hepatic fibrosis in rats was induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) administration or bile duct ligation (BDL).

Inhibition of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 expression by siRNA in rat hepatic stellate cells.

Background And Aim: The plasminogen activator/plasmin system is known to regulate the extracellular matrix turnover. The aim of this study was to detect the role of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) during liver fibrogenesis and investigate the functional effects of PAI-1 gene silencing in rat hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) using small interfering RNA (siRNA).

Methods: Hepatic fibrosis in rats was induced through serial subcutaneously injections of CCl(4) and the expression of PAI-1 was detected by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR).