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Topic Review
Magnetic-Assisted Treatment of Liver Fibrosis
Chronic liver injury can be induced by viruses, toxins, cellular activation, and metabolic dysregulation and can lead to liver fibrosis. Hepatic fibrosis still remains a major burden on the global health systems. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are considered the main cause of liver fibrosis. Hepatic stellate cells are key targets in antifibrotic treatment, but selective engagement of these cells is an unresolved issue. 
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Major Genetic Factors Involved in Liver Diseases Pathogenesis
Over the past century, our genetic background has not changed, but chronic diseases are on the rise globally. In addition to the genetic component, the critical factors for many diseases are lifestyle, eating changes, exposure to drugs, xenobiotics, alcohol, smoking, polluted air, etc. These techniques include genome-wide association studies (GWAS) that allow the identification of unknown genetic risk factors, positional cloning of unknown genes associated with different diseases, the gene tests for single nucleotide variants (SNVs), and next-generation sequencing (NGS) of selected genes or/and the entire genome. Gut microbiome composition and its metabolites are not only regulating factors in carcinogenesis (including de novo after liver transplantation) but also in xenobiotics and anticancer treatment failure, observations that may be related to the genetic background of the individuals.
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Nov 2023
Topic Review
The Microbiome in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal cancer and less than 10% of patients survive the 5-year mark. The molecular and biological underpinnings leading to this dismal prognosis are well-described, however, translation of these findings with subsequent improvement of the poor prognosis has been slow. The complex and dynamic accumulation of microbes, also called the microbiome, has attracted scientific interest in the pathogenesis of several diseases including pancreatic cancer. Since then, a limited number of significant findings were published pointing towards an important role of the microbiome in cancer, in particular pancreatic cancer.
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Enteric Glial Cells
 At first, enteric glial cells were considered to be just a structural support for neurons, but recent findings emphasized more on their functions, and they turned out to be equally as important as neural cells, due to their involvement in all aspects of neural functions for both the central and peripheral nervous system, including the ENS.They have been mostly underestimated, particularly regarding the modulation of their functions by nutraceuticals.
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Oral Manifestations of IBD
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises chronic heterogeneous disorders of unknown etiology, resulting from multifactorial environmental precipitants in genetically susceptible individuals. IBD are distinguished in two main phenotypes, Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), characterized by inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. While UC affects the rectum and a variable extent of the colon, CD can involve any location of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from the oral cavity to the anus. Furthermore, up to 36% of patients with IBD may have extra-intestinal manifestations (EIM) which can affect almost any organ of the body (eyes, joints, liver, pancreas, skin, blood, and mouth).
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Dersimelagon in the Treatment of Erythropoietic Protoporphyria
Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a genetic disorder stemming from reduced ferrochelatase expression, the final enzyme in the pathway of heme biosynthesis. A closely related condition, X-linked protoporphyria (XLP), bears similar clinical features although it arises from the heightened activity of δ-aminolevulinic acid synthase 2 (ALAS2), the first and normally rate-controlling enzyme in heme biosynthesis in developing red blood cells. Both of these abnormalities result in the buildup of protoporphyrin IX, leading to excruciating light sensitivity and, in a minority of cases, potentially fatal liver complications. Traditionally, managing EPP and XLP involved sun avoidance. However, the emergence of innovative therapies, such as dersimelagon, is reshaping the therapeutic landscape for these conditions.
  • 1.2K
  • 05 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Gut Microbiota Alteration and HCV
The gut–liver-axis is a bidirectional coordination between the gut, including microbial residents, the gut microbiota, from one side and the liver on the other side. Any disturbance in this crosstalk may lead to a disease status that impacts the functionality of both the gut and the liver. A major cause of liver disorders is hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection that has been illustrated to be associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis at different stages of the disease progression. This dysbiosis may start a cycle of inflammation and metabolic disturbance that impacts the gut and liver health and contributes to the disease progression. This review discusses the latest literature addressing this interplay between the gut microbiota and the liver in HCV infection from both directions. Additionally, we highlight the contribution of gut microbiota to the metabolism of antivirals used in HCV treatment regimens and the impact of these medications on the microbiota composition.
  • 1.2K
  • 09 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Acute Pancreatitis
The incidence of acute and chronic pancreatitis is increasing in the United States. Rates of acute pancreatitis (AP) are similar in both sexes, but chronic pancreatitis (CP) is more common in males. When stratified by etiology, women have higher rates of gallstone AP, while men have higher rates of alcohol- and tobacco-related AP and CP, hypercalcemic AP, hypertriglyceridemic AP, malignancy-related AP, and type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). 
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Jan 2021
Topic Review
ICI-Based Combination Therapy for HCC
Advanced, unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma has a dismal outcome. Multiple immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting the programmed-cell death 1 pathway (PD-1/L1) have been approved for the treatment of advanced HCC. However, outcomes remain undesirable and unpredictable on a patient-to-patient basis. The combination of anti-PD-1/L1 with alternative agents, chiefly cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) ICIs or agents targeting other oncogenic pathways such as the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway and the c-MET pathway, has, in addition to the benefit of directly targeting alterative oncogenic pathways, in vitro evidence of synergism through altering the genomic and function signatures of T cells and expression of immune checkpoints. Several trials have been completed or are underway evaluating such combinations. Finally, studies utilizing transcriptomics and organoids are underway to establish biomarkers to predict ICI response. 
  • 1.2K
  • 06 May 2021
Topic Review
White-Light Endoscopy for Gastric Cancer
Gastric cancer is an aggressive disease with low long-term survival rates. An early diagnosis is essential to offer a better prognosis and curative treatment. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is the main tool for the screening and diagnosis of patients with gastric pre-neoplastic conditions and early lesions. Under white-light endoscopy (WLE), early gastric cancer (EGC) should be suspected in the presence of mucosal surface irregularity and/or mucosal coloration changes.
  • 1.2K
  • 13 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Cytotoxicity of Thiopurine Drugs in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
As the principal representatives of thiopurines, 6-mercaptopurine (6MP) and its prodrug azathioprine (AZA) are primary immunomodulating agents. They are used for example to manage inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Thiopurines were used to treat CD in the late 1960s and they are currently applied in around 60% of IBD patients.
  • 1.2K
  • 31 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Phytosterols in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now recognized as the most common cause of chronic liver disease with an increasing prevalence in both adults and children. Although the symptoms are absent or poorly expressed in most cases, some patients may progress to end-stage liver disease. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is known to be multifactorial. Therapeutic recommendations focus on lifestyle changes in order to reduce the incidence of risk factors and drugs targeting major molecular pathways potentially involved in the development of this disease. Given that a pharmacological treatment, completely safe and effective, is not currently known more research has been done on the effects that some bio-active natural compounds, derived from plants, have in preventing the onset and progression of NAFLD. Numerous studies, in animals and humans, have shown that phytosterols (PSs) play an important role in this pathology. Phytosterols are natural products that are found naturally in plant. More than 250 phytosterols have been identified, but the most common in the diet are stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, and campesterol. Consumption of dietary PSs can reduce serum cholesterol levels. Due to these properties, most studies have focused on their action on lipid metabolism and the evolution of NAFLD. PSs may reduce steatosis, cytotoxicity oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis.
  • 1.2K
  • 17 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Liver disease is one of the most common extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD cause chronic inflammation and can affect various sections of the gastrointestinal tract. A particular form of inflammatory bowel disease is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Paediatric and Adult Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer affecting adults and the second most common primary liver cancer affecting children. 
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Sep 2022
Topic Review
PD-1/PD-L1 Therapy in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by an enhanced activation of the immune system, which predispose the evolution to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Resident macrophages and leukocytes exert a key role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. In particular, CD4+ effector T cells are activated during the early stages of liver inflammation and are followed by the increase of natural killer T cells and of CD8+ T cytotoxic lymphocytes which contribute to auto-aggressive tissue damage. To counteract T cells activation, programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PDL-1 are exposed respectively on lymphocytes and liver cells’ surface and can be targeted for therapy by using specific monoclonal antibodies, such as of Nivolumab, Pembrolizumab and Atezolizumab.
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Endoscopic Ultrasound in Liver Disease
Endoscopic ultrasound is a reliable diagnostic and therapeutic method that has an established role, foremost in pancreatobiliary pathology. 
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Gut Microbiota and Gut–Liver Axis in Liver Disease
The gut microbiota composition is important for nutrient metabolism, mucosal barrier function, immunomodulation, and defense against pathogens. Alterations in the gut microbiome can disturb the gut ecosystem. These changes may lead to the loss of beneficial bacteria or an increase in potentially pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, these have been shown to contribute to the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal diseases. Pathologies of the liver, such as non-alcoholic liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, autoimmune hepatitis, viral hepatitis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis have all been linked to changes in the gut microbiome composition.
  • 1.2K
  • 08 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Biliary Atresia
Biliary atresia is an aggressive liver disease of infancy and can cause death without timely surgical intervention. Early diagnosis of biliary atresia is critical to the recovery of bile drainage and long-term transplant-free survival. Ultrasound is recommended as the initial imaging strategy for the diagnosis of biliary atresia. Numerous ultrasound features have been proved helpful for the diagnosis of biliary atresia. In recent years, with the help of new technologies such as elastography ultrasound, contrast-enhanced ultrasound and artificial intelligence, the diagnostic performance of ultrasound has been significantly improved.
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Polyphenols in Tea
A diet high in polyphenols is associated with a diversified gut microbiome. Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water. The health benefits of tea might be attributed to the presence of polyphenol compounds such as flavonoids (e.g., catechins and epicatechins), theaflavins, and tannins. 
  • 1.2K
  • 18 May 2021
Topic Review
Gut Microbial Modulation
Gut microbial composition codevelops with the host from birth and is influenced by several factors, including drug use, radiation, psychological stress, dietary changes and physical stress. Importantly, gut microbial dysbiosis has been clearly associated with several diseases, including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea, and is known to affect human health and performance.
  • 1.2K
  • 12 Oct 2022
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