Advances in the isolation, cultivation, and identification of gut microbes.

The gut microbiome is closely associated with human health and the development of diseases. Isolating, characterizing, and identifying gut microbes are crucial for research on the gut microbiome and essential for advancing our understanding and utilization of it. Although culture-independent approaches have been developed, a pure culture is required for in-depth analysis of disease mechanisms and the development of biotherapy strategies.

Development and validation of a scoring system to predict esophagogastroduodenoscopy necessity.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a scoring system for predicting the need for esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in clinical practice to enhance accuracy and reduce misapplications.

Methods: From February 2021 to April 2022, outpatients scheduled for EGD at the Department of Gastroenterology in our hospital were recruited. Patients completed the system evaluation by providing clinical symptoms, relevant medical history, and endoscopic findings.

Gastrointestinal microbiome and cholelithiasis: Current status and perspectives.

Cholelithiasis is a common digestive disease affecting 10% to 15% of adults. It imposes significant global health and financial burdens. However, the pathogenesis of cholelithiasis involves several factors and is incompletely elucidated.

FAM122A Is Required for Mesendodermal and Cardiac Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells.

Mesendodermal specification and cardiac differentiation are key issues for developmental biology and heart regeneration medicine. Previously, we demonstrated that FAM122A, a highly conserved housekeeping gene, is an endogenous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and participates in multifaceted physiological and pathological processes. However, the in vivo function of FAM122A is largely unknown.

Effects of salinity acclimation on histological characteristics and miRNA expression profiles of scales in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Background: The scales serve as an ideal model for studying the regulatory mechanism of bone homeostasis in fish. To explore the effect of salinity acclimation on bone metabolism of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), three sampling time points during salinity acclimation (7D, 14D and 21D) were selected to detect variations in histological characteristics. In the histological analysis, osteoblast marker enzymes alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteoclast marker tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAcP) and calcium salt deposit areas (Von Kossa's) were detected.

Efficacy and safety of linaclotide in patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation: Chinese sub-cohort analysis of a phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: To conduct a sub-cohort analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of linaclotide in Chinese patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) using data from a completed trial (NCT01880424).

Methods: In this phase III, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, IBS-C patients were randomized to receive linaclotide (290 μg/d) or placebo for 12 weeks. Efficacy was assessed with two co-primary responder end-points (12-wk abdominal pain/discomfort: ≥30% reduction in either score with neither deteriorating from baseline for ≥6 wks; 12-wk IBS degree of relief: score ≤2 for ≥ 6 wks), seven secondary endpoints and several additional end-points.

Chinese Consensus Report on Family-Based Infection Control and Management (2021 Edition).

Objective: infection is mostly a family-based infectious disease. To facilitate its prevention and management, a national consensus meeting was held to review current evidence and propose strategies for population-wide and family-based infection control and management to reduce the related disease burden.

Methods: Fifty-seven experts from 41 major universities and institutions in 20 provinces/regions of mainland China were invited to review evidence and modify statements using Delphi process and grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation system.

Characteristics of Gut Microbiota in Children With Biliary Atresia After Liver Transplantation.

Background And Aims: Biliary atresia (BA) is an idiopathic neonatal cholestasis and is the most common indication in pediatric liver transplantation (LT). Previous studies have suggested that the gut microbiota (GM) in BA is disordered. However, the effect of LT on gut dysbiosis in patients with BA has not yet been elucidated.

Fecal Fusobacterium nucleatum harbored virulence gene fadA are associated with ulcerative colitis and clinical outcomes.

Object: Fusobacterium nucleatum (F.nucleatum), a gram-negative, obligately anaerobe of oral commensal，has been regarded as culprit of periodontal diseases previously and is being unveiled as possible pathogen of gastrointestinal disorders. The key virulence factor of F.

The Efficacy of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Children With Tourette Syndrome: A Preliminary Study.

Therapies for Tourette syndrome (TS) are insufficient, and novel therapies are needed. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been a potential therapy for several neurological diseases. Here, we report a preliminary study to investigate the effects of FMT on patients with TS.

Coronaviruses and gastrointestinal diseases.

The effects of coronaviruses on the respiratory system are of great concern, but their effects on the digestive system receive much less attention. Coronaviruses that infect mammals have shown gastrointestinal pathogenicity and caused symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting. Available data have shown that human coronaviruses, including the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2, mainly infect the respiratory system and cause symptoms such as cough and fever, while they may generate gastrointestinal symptoms.

FAM122A maintains DNA stability possibly through the regulation of topoisomerase IIα expression.

FAM122A is a housekeeping gene and highly conserved in mammals. More recently, we have demonstrated that FAM122A is essential for maintaining the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells, in which we unexpectedly found that FAM122A deletion increases γH2AX protein level, suggesting that FAM122A may participate in the regulation of DNA homeostasis or stability. In this study, we continued to investigate the potential role of FAM122A in DNA damage and/or repair.

FAM122A Inhibits Erythroid Differentiation through GATA1.

FAM122A is a highly conserved housekeeping gene, but its physiological and pathophysiological roles remain greatly elusive. Based on the fact that FAM122A is highly expressed in human CD71 early erythroid cells, herein we report that FAM122A is downregulated during erythroid differentiation, while its overexpression significantly inhibits erythrocytic differentiation in primary human hematopoietic progenitor cells and erythroleukemia cells. Mechanistically, FAM122A directly interacts with the C-terminal zinc finger domain of GATA1, a critical transcriptional factor for erythropoiesis, and reduces GATA1 chromatin occupancy on the promoters of its target genes, thus resulting in the decrease of GATA1 transcriptional activity.

FAM122A supports the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and its deletion enhances Doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity.

FAM122A is a highly conserved protein in mammals, however its function is still largely unknown so far. In this study, we investigated the potential role of FAM122A in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). By analyzing HCC patient cohorts from RNA sequencing datasets, we found the expression level of FAM122A mRNA is significantly upregulated in HCC patients.

Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors on the Gastrointestinal Microbiota in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly used to lessen symptoms in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, the effects of PPI therapy on the gastrointestinal microbiota in GERD patients remain unclear. We examined the association between the PPI usage and the microbiota present in gastric mucosal and fecal samples from GERD patients and healthy controls (HCs) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Close association between abnormal expressed enzymes of energy metabolism and diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common functional intestinal diseases, but its pathogenesis is still unknown. The present study aimed to screen the differentially expressed proteins in the mucosa of colon between IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D) patients and the healthy controls.

Methods: Forty-two IBS-D patients meeting the Rome III diagnostic criteria and 40 control subjects from July 2007 to June 2009 in Chinese PLA General Hospital were enrolled in the present study.

Peptic Ulcer Is the Most Common Cause of Non-Variceal Upper-Gastrointestinal Bleeding (NVUGIB) in China.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to discover the common cause of non-variceal upper-gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) by conducting a multi-center retrospective study from 2008 to 2012. MATERIAL AND METHODS Hospitalized patients ages ≥18 years old, from 8 hospitals in China, diagnosed with NVUGIB by endoscopy from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012 were enrolled. Questionnaires were developed and a data-entry graphical user interface was designed by using EpiData software.

Gender, Age, and Concomitant Diseases of Colorectal Diverticulum in China: A Study of 7,964 Cases.

Aim: To analyze the epidemiological features of colorectal diverticulum (CRD) in China.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed CRD patients in 8 tertiary hospitals located in 5 regions of China from 2000 to 2016. The detection rates, number and distribution, demographic information, concomitant disorders, and their associations were investigated.

Association of mitochondrial displacement loop polymorphisms with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: A preliminary study.

Objectives: To investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the mitochondrial displacement loop (D-loop) were associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Methods: Altogether 40 participants were recruited and classified into three groups, including 20 that fulfilled the Rome III criteria for diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D), 10 with constipation-predominant IBS (IBS-C), and 10 healthy volunteers (controls). DNA was extracted from biopsy specimens of the colon obtained during routine colonoscopies.

Initial meconium microbiome in Chinese neonates delivered naturally or by cesarean section.

Previous studies have revealed significant differences in microbiome compositions between infants delivered via cesarean section (C-section) and natural vaginal birth. However, the importance of the delivery mode in the first days of life remains unclear. Importantly, this stage is minimally affected by infant feeding.

Alcoholization of pyogenichepatic abscess with absolute alcohol in Bama minipigs.

Pyogenic hepatic abscess (PHA) is a rare, but potentially serious disease. At present, ultrasound-guided or computed tomography-guided percutaneous needle aspiration or catheter drainage is appropriate as a first-line treatment. However, it is difficult to aspirate or drain pus and to select the appropriate antibiotic therapy if the abscess consists of thick pus and polymicrobial confections, or its pathogenic bacterium is multidrug resistant and cryptogenic.