Short-term efficacy and safety of endoscopic injection of low dose of sclerotherapy and cyanoacrylate injection for type GOV1 gastric varices combined with endoscopic variceal ligation for esophageal varices.

Background: To explore the short-term efficacy and safety of endoscopic low dose injection of sclerotherapy and cyanoacrylate for gastric varices (GVs) combined with endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) for esophageal varices (EVs) in cirrhosis with type GOV1 varices.

Methods: A total of 521 patients with cirrhosis and GOV1 varices, who were divided into emergence endoscopy treatment layer and secondary prophylaxis for rebleeding layer, were selected. All patients underwent combined therapy or EVL alone (ligation therapy) for the treatment of type GOV1 varices.

Paeoniae Decoction restores intestinal barrier dysfunction by promoting the interaction between ILC3 and gut flora.

Background: Intestinal barrier dysfunction is a significant contributor to the recurrence and refractory of ulcerative colitis (UC). Promoting the interaction between group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) and gut flora is a valuable strategy for mucosal repair. Paeoniae decoction (PD) is a compound commonly used in clinical treatment of UC, but its exact mechanism remains unclear.

Wogonin improves colitis by activating the AhR pathway to regulate the plasticity of ILC3/ILC1.

Background: Intestinal barrier dysfunction caused by the disrupted balance of group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3)/group 1 innate lymphoid cells (ILC1) is a significant feature in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signaling contributes to the maintenance of ILC3/ILC1 balance. Wogonin, a natural flavonoid from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, can repair intestinal mucosal damage of IBD.

Association of alpha-fetoprotein and metastasis for small hepatocellular carcinoma: A propensity-matched analysis.

Metastasis is crucial for the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Distinguishing the potential risk factors for distant metastasis in small HCC (diameter ≤ 5 cm) is of great significance for improving the prognosis. HCC patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry with tumors ≤ 5 cm in diameter between January 2010 and December 2015 were retrieved.

A new finding in the key prognosis-related proto-oncogene FYN in hepatocellular carcinoma based on the WGCNA hub-gene screening trategy.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third-most deadly cancer worldwide. More breakthroughs are needed in the clinical practice for liver cancer are needed, and new treatment strategies are required. This study aims to determine the significant differences in genes associated with LIHC and further analyze its prognostic value further.

Efficacy and Safety of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists in the Treatment of Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Clinical trials examining the therapeutic benefits of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) on patients with metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) have reported inconsistent results. The aim of this meta-analysis was to verify the role of GLP-1RA in the treatment of MAFLD patients.

Materials And Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Medline, and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials published that compared GLP-1RA with the control treatment in patients with MAFLD till to July 30, 2020.

[Down-regulation of IL-25 accompanied by a decrease in the number of M2 macrophages in patients of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with significant liver fibrosis].

Objective To observe and analyze the relationships among the level of interleukin 25 (IL-25), the stage of liver fibrosis and the polarization of hepatic M2 macrophages in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods A total of 36 patients with NAFLD and 20 control patients were enrolled. Fibrotouch, HE staining, and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate the stage of liver fibrosis.

Cap-Assisted Endoscopic Sclerotherapy vs Ligation in the Long-Term Management of Medium Esophageal Varices: A Randomized Trial.

Introduction: Compared with endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL), cap-assisted endoscopic sclerotherapy (CAES) improves efficacy in the treatment of small esophageal varices (EVs) but has not been evaluated in the management of medium EVs. The aim of this study was to compare CAES with EVL in the long-term management of patients exhibiting cirrhosis with medium EVs and a history of esophageal variceal bleeding (EVB), with respect to variceal eradication and recurrence, adverse events, rebleeding, and survival.

Methods: Cirrhotic patients with medium EVs and a history of EVB were divided randomly into EVL and CAES groups.

Clinical characteristics and efficacy of endoscopic treatment of gastrointestinal ectopic varices: A single-center study.

Background: Ectopic varices (EcVs) may cause massive bleeding, which can be difficult to control, with a high rate of mortality. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of EcVs and the efficacy of endoscopic treatment.

Methods: From January 2008 to July 2017, the clinical data of 150 patients with EcVs in our center were retrospectively collected and analyzed.

Cannulation procedure optimization for patients with duodenal papillary tumors.

Background: The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of needle-knife fistulotomy (NKF) to that of conventional cannulation methods (CCMs) when used for primary biliary access in patients with duodenal papillary tumors.

Methods: Consecutive patients who had duodenal papillary tumors and who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) were retrospectively enrolled. Successful cannulation rates, cannulation and procedure times, and the prevalence of adverse events were compared between the NKF and CCM groups.

Efficacy and safety of ERCP in patients with gastroesophageal varices.

Addressing pancreaticobiliary disorders concomitant with gastroesophageal varices remains challenging. The goal of this study was to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in cirrhotic and noncirrhotic patients with gastroesophageal varices.We retrospectively analyzed the data of consecutive patients with gastroesophageal varices who underwent ERCP.

Bedside Biliary Drainage without Fluoroscopy for Critically Ill Patients.

Background: Bedside biliary drainage by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) without fluoroscopy for critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) remains challenging for endoscopists. The present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of radiation-free ERCP for these patients.

Methods: Consecutive ICU patients with severe pancreaticobiliary disorders who underwent bedside radiation-free ERCP were retrospectively analyzed.

Effectiveness and safety of endoscopic treatment for duodenal variceal bleeding: a systematic review.

Duodenal varix is a rare condition that involves massive bleeding, diagnostic difficulties, and a high rate of rebleeding and mortality. The purpose of this study was to systematically review endoscopic treatment for duodenal variceal bleeding to evaluate its effectiveness and safety. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library up to 21 November 2019.

Ursolic acid improves the bacterial community mapping of the intestinal tract in liver fibrosis mice.

Liver fibrosis often appears in chronic liver disease, with extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition as the main feature. Due to the presence of the liver-gut axis, the destruction of intestinal homeostasis is often accompanied by the development of liver fibrosis. The inconsistent ecological environment of different intestinal sites may lead to differences in the microbiota.

Efficacy and safety of therapeutic ERCP in patients with ectopic papilla of Vater.

It remains challenging for endoscopists to manage pancreaticobiliary diseases in patients with ectopic papilla of Vater by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The present study sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ERCP for this issue.Consecutive patients with ectopic papilla of Vater who underwent initial ERCP due to pancreaticobiliary diseases were retrospectively analyzed.

Protective Effect of Ursolic Acid on the Intestinal Mucosal Barrier in a Rat Model of Liver Fibrosis.

Oxidative stress mediated by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (NOX) plays an important role in intestinal mucosal barrier damage in various disease states. Recent evidence suggests that intestinal mucosal barrier damage and intestinal dysbiosis occur in mice with hepatic fibrosis induced by CCl4 or bile duct ligation. Another study showed that ursolic acid (UA) attenuates experimental colitis via its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities.

Interaction Mechanisms Between the NOX4/ROS and RhoA/ROCK1 Signaling Pathways as New Anti- fibrosis Targets of Ursolic Acid in Hepatic Stellate Cells.

Background: Studies have shown that both NOX4 and RhoA play essential roles in fibrosis and that they regulate each other. In lung fibrosis, NOX4/ROS is located upstream of the RhoA/ROCK1 signaling pathway, and the two molecules are oppositely located in renal fibrosis. Currently, no reports have indicated whether the above mechanisms or other regulatory mechanisms exist in liver fibrosis.

Duodenal variceal bleeding secondary to idiopathic portal hypertension treated with transjugular intra-hepatic porto-systemic shunt plus embolization: A case report.

Background: Duodenal varices are a lesser-known complication with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension. We report a circuitous route from missed diagnosis of duodenal varices to correction. An extremely rare case of duodenal variceal bleeding secondary to idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH) is expounded in this study, which was controlled by transjugular intra-hepatic porto-systemic shunt (TIPS) plus embolization.

IL-25 protects against high-fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis in mice by inducing IL-25 and M2a macrophage production.

Interleukin (IL)-25 is a cytokine that has previously been shown to have a protective role against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is associated with the induction of M2 macrophage differentiation. However, the direct relationships between IL-25 expression regulation, M2 induction and NAFLD remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that IL-25 promotes hepatic macrophage differentiation into M2a macrophages both in vivo and in vitro via the IL-13/STAT6 pathway.

Ursolic acid ameliorates CCl4-induced liver fibrosis through the NOXs/ROS pathway.

Liver fibrosis is a reversible wound-healing response that occurs after liver injury. NADPH oxidases (NOXs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) which are expressed in hepatocytes (HCs), hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and Kupffer cells (KCs) play an important role in the development of hepatic fibrosis. In in vitro studies, we had shown that ursolic acid (UA) could reverse liver fibrosis by inhibiting the activation of NOX-mediated fibrotic signaling networks in HSCs.

Ursolic acid suppresses TGF-β1-induced quiescent HSC activation and transformation by inhibiting NADPH oxidase expression and Hedgehog signaling.

Activation of quiescent hepatic stellate cells (q-HSCs) and their transformation to myofibroblasts (MFBs) is a key event in liver fibrosis. Hedgehog (Hh) signaling stimulates q-HSCs to differentiate into MFBs, and NADPH oxidase (NOX) may be involved in regulating Hh signaling. The author's preliminary study demonstrated that ursolic acid (UA) selectively induces apoptosis in activated HSCs and inhibits their proliferation via negative regulation of NOX activity and expression.

Natural history of covert hepatic encephalopathy: An observational study of 366 cirrhotic patients.

Aim: To explore the natural history of covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) in absence of medication intervention.

Methods: Consecutive outpatient cirrhotic patients in a Chinese tertiary care hospital were enrolled and evaluated for CHE diagnosis. They were followed up for a mean of 11.