Gut mycobiome: A promising target for colorectal cancer.

The human gut is mainly habited by a staggering amount and abundance of bacteria as well as fungi. Gut dysbiosis is believed as a pivotal factor in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. Lately increasing evidence from animal or clinical studies suggested that fungal disturbance also contributed to CRC development.

A self-reported Frailty Index predicts long-term mortality in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis.

Background: Frailty is a syndrome that diminishes the potential for functional recovery in liver cirrhosis (LC). However, its utility is limited due to sole reliance on physical performance, especially in hospitalized patients. We investigate the predictive value of a modified self-reported Frailty Index in cirrhotics, and identify which health deficits play more important roles.

Salidroside can target both P4HB-mediated inflammation and melanogenesis of the skin.

Many external factors can induce the melanogenesis and inflammation of the skin. Salidroside (SAL) is the main active ingredient of , which is a perennial grass plant of the Family Crassulaceae. This study evaluated the effect and molecular mechanism of SAL on skin inflammation and melanin production.

Myopenic obesity determined by visceral fat area strongly predicts long-term mortality in cirrhosis.

Background: The impact of changes in body composition has proved to correlate with outcomes in cirrhosis, however, numerous issues remain elusive. The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of myopenic obesity (MO) on long-term mortality in cirrhosis.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 200 patients with cirrhosis.

Deglycosylated Azithromycin Targets Transgelin to Enhance Intestinal Smooth Muscle Function.

Azithromycin (AZM) has been widely used as an antibacterial drug for many years. It has also been used to treat delayed gastric emptying. However, it exerts several side effects.

Scoparone as a therapeutic drug in liver diseases: Pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and molecular mechanisms of action.

Scoparone is an active and efficious ingredient of herbal medicine Artemisia capillaris Thunb, which has been used clinically in traditional Chinese medicine formula (e.g. Yin-Chen-Hao decoction) for the treatment of hepatic dysfunction, cholestasis and jaundice for over thousand years.

Lentinan-functionalized Selenium Nanoparticles target Tumor Cell Mitochondria via TLR4/TRAF3/MFN1 pathway.

Malignant ascites caused by cancer cells results in poor prognosis and short average survival time. No effective treatment is currently available for malignant ascites. In this study, the effects of lentinan (LNT)-functionalized selenium nanoparticles (Selene) on malignant ascites were evaluated.

Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition by interacting with Transgelin in Colorectal Cancer.

The role of the cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in tumor progression has been studied, but its exact regulatory mechanism remains unknown. The interaction between COMP and the actin-binding protein transgelin (TAGLN) was identified by interaction protein prediction and co-immunoprecipitation and verified through the stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) and duolink experiments. Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses were conducted to detect the changes in EMT-related markers after COMP overexpression and knockdown.

The emerging role of ferroptosis in non-cancer liver diseases: hype or increasing hope?

Ferroptosis is an iron- and lipotoxicity-dependent form of regulated cell death (RCD). It is morphologically and biochemically distinct from characteristics of other cell death. This modality has been intensively investigated in recent years due to its involvement in a wide array of pathologies, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and acute kidney injury.

Therapeutic potential of genipin in various acute liver injury, fulminant hepatitis, NAFLD and other non-cancer liver diseases: More friend than foe.

Genipin is an aglycone derived from the geniposide, the most abundant iridoid glucoside constituent of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis. For decades, genipin is the focus of studies as a versatile compound in the treatment of various pathogenic conditions. In particularly, Gardenia jasminoides Ellis has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the prevention and treatment of liver disease.

Bicyclol Attenuates Acute Liver Injury by Activating Autophagy, Anti-Oxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Capabilities in Mice.

Bicyclol, a novel synthetic antihepatitis drug, has been shown to protect against liver injury various pharmacological activities. The purpose of the current study was to further investigate the protective effect of bicyclol against carbon tetrachloride (CCl)-induced acute liver injury (ALI) and its underlying molecular mechanism, particularly autophagic machinery, anti-oxidative, and anti-inflammatory potentials. Our results found that treatment with bicyclol significantly reduced CCl-induced hepatotoxicity by alleviating histopathological liver changes, decreasing the alanine transaminase levels, promoting autophagic flux, attenuating the expression of inflammatory cytokines, and modulating oxidative markers.

A Sex-Stratified Prognostic Nomogram Incorporating Body Compositions for Long-Term Mortality in Cirrhosis.

Background: Alterations in body compositions are related to poor outcomes and the presence of complications in cirrhosis. However, no predictive tools combining all these anthropometric parameters are applicable in the clinical setting. We aimed to clarify the potential utility of body compositions and develop a nomogram incorporating any independent factor for prognosticating long-term mortality in cirrhosis.

Low psoas muscle index associates with long-term mortality in cirrhosis: construction of a nomogram.

Background: To develop a nomogram incorporating indicator of muscle waste to prognosticate long-term mortality in liver cirrhosis (LC), and identify the prognostic impact of psoas muscle index (PMI).

Methods: A total of 251 LC patients who underwent computed tomography were included in this study. Multiple Cox regression was performed, and sex-specific nomogram models incorporating PMI were developed.

Current Sampling Methods for Gut Microbiota: A Call for More Precise Devices.

The development of next-generation sequencing technology has enabled researchers to explore and understand the gut microbiome from a broader and deeper perspective. However, the results of different studies on gut microbiota are highly variable even in the same disease, which makes it difficult to guide clinical diagnosis and treatment. The ideal sampling method should be non-invasive, involve little cross-contamination or bowel preparation, and collect gut microbiota at different sites.

The Enlargement of Abdominal Lymph Nodes Is a Characteristic of Autoimmune Liver Disease.

Background: The enlargement of lymph nodes is a common clinical sign in connective tissue disease (CTD) and viral hepatitis. In this research, we evaluated the incidence of enlarged lymph nodes in autoimmune liver diseases (AILD). Moreover, we identified the clinical significance of abdominal lymph node enlargement in AILD.

High-fat diet-induced dysbiosis mediates MCP-1/CCR2 axis-dependent M2 macrophage polarization and promotes intestinal adenoma-adenocarcinoma sequence.

High-fat diet (HFD) is a well-known risk factor for gut microbiota dysbiosis and colorectal cancer (CRC). However, evidence relating HFD, gut microbiota and carcinogenesis is limited. Our study aimed to demonstrate that HFD-induced gut dysbiosis promoted intestinal adenoma-adenocarcinoma sequence.

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Novel Enterovirus 71 Inhibitors as Therapeutic Drug Leads for the Treatment of Human Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease.

Human hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a serious public health threat with high infection rates in children and infants who reside in Asia and the Pacific regions, and no effective drugs are currently available. Enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 are the major etiological pathogens. Based on an essential hydrophobic pocket on the viral capsid protein VP1, we designed and synthesized a series of small molecular weight compounds as inhibitors of EV71.

Genipin Ameliorates Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Injury in Mice via the Concomitant Inhibition of Inflammation and Induction of Autophagy.

Genipin, as the most effective ingredient of various traditional medications, encompasses antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial capacities. More recently, it is suggested that genipin protects against septic liver damage by restoring autophagy. The purpose of the current study was to explore the protective effect of genipin against carbon tetrachloride- (CCl-) induced acute liver injury (ALI) and its underlying molecular machinery.

Clostridium butyricum, a butyrate-producing probiotic, inhibits intestinal tumor development through modulating Wnt signaling and gut microbiota.

Gut microbiota dysbiosis is closely involved in intestinal carcinogenesis. A marked reduction in butyrate-producing bacteria has been observed in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC); nevertheless, the potential benefit of butyrate-producing bacteria against intestinal tumor development has not been fully investigated. We found that Clostridium butyricum (C.

Targeted Drug-Loaded Chemical Probe Staining Assay to Predict Therapy Response and Function as an Independent Pathological Marker.

Multi-targeted kinase inhibitors, such as sorafenib, have been used in various malignancies, but their efficacy in clinical applications varies among individuals and lacks pretherapeutic prediction measures. We applied the concept of "click chemistry" to pathological staining and established a drug-loaded probe staining assay. We stained the cells and different types of pathological sections and demonstrated that the assay was reliable.

Prognostic impact of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in cirrhosis: A propensity score matching analysis with a prespecified cut-point.

Background & Aims: An elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has received attention as a prognostic surrogate across chronic liver diseases. However, an exact threshold has not been fully elucidated.

Methods: A total number of 589 patients with cirrhosis (LC) were included.

Reevaluation of a rightward shift in colorectal cancer: A single-center retrospective study in Tianjin.

Objectives: Some Western reports have shown a proximal shift in colorectal cancer (CRC), but there are few studies in China. This study aimed to provide more information for the management and screening of CRC by investigating trends in the anatomic distribution of CRC among the Chinese population in recent years.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients with CRC admitted to the Digestive Endoscopy Center of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital between January 2000 and December 2017.

6-Gingerol stabilized the p-VEGFR2/VE-cadherin/β-catenin/actin complex promotes microvessel normalization and suppresses tumor progression.

Background: Anti-angiogenic therapies demonstrate anti-tumor effects by decreasing blood supply to tumors and inhibiting tumor growth. However, anti-angiogenic therapy may leads to changes in tumor microenvironment and increased invasiveness of tumor cells, which in turn promotes distant metastasis and increased drug resistance.

Methods: The CO-IP assays, N-STORM and cytoskeleton analysis were used to confirm the mechanism that p-VEGFR2/VE-cadherin/β-catenin/actin complex regulates vascular remodeling and improves the tumor microenvironment.

Prognostic nomogram for acute pancreatitis patients: An analysis of publicly electronic healthcare records in intensive care unit.

Purpose: The mortality rate of severe acute pancreatitis (AP) is 20-30% even after admission to intensive care unit (ICU). Thus we aimed to develop a laboratory-based nomogram to identify AP patients at high risk for mortality.

Materials And Methods: The primary and validation cohorts were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database (MIMIC-III).