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Topic Review
Future Modulation of Gut Microbiota
The human gut is inhabited by a multitude of bacteria, yeasts, and viruses. A dynamic balance among these microorganisms is associated with the well-being of the human being, and a large body of evidence supports a role of dysbiosis in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Given the importance of the gut microbiota in the preservation of human health, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and postbiotics have been classically used as strategies to modulate the gut microbiota and achieve beneficial effects for the host. Besides, several molecules not typically included in these categories have demonstrated a role in restoring the equilibrium among the components of the gut microbiota.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 May 2023
Topic Review
ICIs for HCC treatment
Immunotherapies are promising approaches for treating hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) refractory to conventional therapies. However, a recent clinical trial of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) revealed that anti-tumor responses to ICIs are not satisfactory in HCC cases. Therefore, it is critical to identify molecular markers to predict outcome and develop novel combination therapies that enhance the efficacy of ICIs. Recently, several attempts have been made to classify HCC based on genome, epigenome, and transcriptome analyses. These molecular classifications are characterized by unique clinical and histological features of HCC, as well immune phenotype. For example, HCCs exhibiting gene expression patterns with proliferation signals and stem cell markers are associated with the enrichment of immune infiltrates in tumors, suggesting immune-proficient characteristics for this type of HCC. However, the presence of activating mutations in β-catenin represents a lack of immune infiltrates and refractoriness to ICIs. Although the precise mechanism that links the immunological phenotype with molecular features remains controversial, it is conceivable that alterations of oncogenic cellular signaling in cancer may lead to the expression of immune-regulatory molecules and result in the acquisition of specific immunological microenvironments for each case of HCC. Therefore, these molecular and immune characteristics should be considered for the management of HCC using immunotherapy.
  • 1.1K
  • 02 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Serum Visfatin Levels in NAFLD
Adipokines, including visfatin, have been studied in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Several studies evaluated visfatin levels in NAFLD, the presence and severity of hepatic steatosis, liver fibrosis, lobar inflammation, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and gender differences. 
  • 1.0K
  • 23 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Vitamin D Metabolism in Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune disorder involving the small intestine, characterized by villous atrophy, crypt hyperplasia and an increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes. Due to both calcium malabsorption and immune activation, a high prevalence of bone mass derangement is evident in this condition, regardless of the presence of overt malabsorption. In untreated patients, secondary hyperparathyroidism is responsible for the hyperconversion of 25-vitamin D into 1,25-vitamin D making mandatory the determination of serum levels of both vitamin metabolites to avoid a wrong diagnosis of vitamin D deficit. A gluten-free diet allows for a normalization of bone and mineral metabolism, reverting these abnormalities and raising some doubts on the need for vitamin supplementation in all the patients. 
  • 1.0K
  • 19 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Gallstone Disease
Gallstone disease (GSD) has, for many years, remained a high-cost, socially significant public health problem. Over the past decade, a number of studies have been carried out—both in humans and in animal models—confirming the role of the microbiota in various sections of the gastrointestinal tract as a new link in the etiopathogenesis of GSD. The microbiome of bile correlates with the bacterial composition of saliva, and the microbiome of the biliary tract has a high similarity with the microbiota of the duodenum. Pathogenic microflora of the oral cavity, through mechanisms of immunomodulation, can affect the motility of the gallbladder and the expression of mucin genes (Muc3, MUC4), and represent one of the promoters of stone formation in the gallbladder. The presence of H. pylori infection contributes to the formation of gallstones and affects the occurrence of complications of GSD, including acute and chronic cholecystitis, cholangitis, pancreatitis. Intestinal bacteria (Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, Peptostreptococcus, Bacteroides, Eubacterium, and Escherichia coli) participating in the oxidation and epimerization of bile acids can disrupt enterohepatic circulation and lead to the formation of gallstones. At the same time, cholecystectomy due to GSD leads to the further transformation of the composition of the microbiota in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, increasing the risk of developing stomach cancer and colorectal cancer. Further research is required to determine the possibility of using the evaluation of the composition of the microbiota of the gastrointestinal and biliary tracts as an early diagnostic marker of various gastroenterological diseases.
  • 1.0K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Eating Disorders and Gastrointestinal Diseases
Eating disorders (ED) are frequently associated with a wide range of psychiatric or somatic comorbidities. The most relevant ED are anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorders (BED). Patients with ED exhibit both upper and lower gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Evidence of alterations throughout the GI tract in ED will be analyzed given the role of the GI tract in food intake and its regulation. It remains a matter of debate whether GI disorders are inherent manifestations of ED or the results of malnutrition occurring from ED. Moreover, recent clinical studies have highlighted the growing role of intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of ED, making it possible to hypothesize a modulation of intestinal microbiota as a co-adjuvant to standard therapy. 
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Chemerin in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Chemerin belongs to the adipokines—proteins secreted by white adipose tissue. It plays an important role in angiogenesis and metabolism and its levels correlate with inflammation severity in many clinical states. 
  • 1.0K
  • 26 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Hepatic Encephalopathy
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a major complication of cirrhosis, which is associated with gut microbial composition and functional alterations.
  • 1.0K
  • 12 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Anti-TNFs in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic immune-mediated condition that affects the gastrointestinal tract. The incidence of the disease in children is increasing. However, most clinical trials in this disease have been carried out in adults, and the results have been extrapolated with minimal changes to determine treatment in children. Pediatric IBD (pIBD) is characterized by various factors, including a more severe phenotype than adult diseas. Since IBD is a chronic autoimmune disease, patients diagnosed during childhood live longer with the illness and consequently need treatment for longer. Biological drugs and, more specifically, anti-TNF drugs such as infliximab and adalimumab have proven efficient for treatment of IBD in adults and in children. However, the use of biological drugs differs between children and adults with IBD. For instance, the time between diagnosis and initiation of biological treatment is shorter in children than in adults. In addition, not all the biological drugs approved for adult IBD are approved for children. 
  • 1.0K
  • 17 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Pig in Pediatric Drug Discovery
Drug therapy in pediatric patients is challenging in view of the maturation of organ systems and processes that affect pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Especially for the youngest age groups and for pediatric-only indications, neonatal and juvenile animal models can be useful to assess drug safety and to better understand the mechanisms of diseases or conditions. In this respect, the use of neonatal and juvenile pigs in the field of pediatric drug discovery and development is promising, although still limited at this point. This study summarizes the comparative postnatal development of pigs and humans and discusses the advantages of the juvenile pig in view of developmental pharmacology, pediatric diseases, drug discovery and drug safety testing. Furthermore, limitations and unexplored aspects of this large animal model are covered. At this point in time, the potential of the neonatal and juvenile pig as nonclinical safety models for pediatric drug development is underexplored.
  • 1.0K
  • 19 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Chitosan and Chitosan Derivatives in Enteric Infections Treatment
Chitosan is a nontoxic natural antimicrobial polymer and is approved by GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration). Chitosan and chitosan derivatives can kill microbes by neutralizing negative charges on the microbial surface. Besides, chemical modifications give chitosan derivatives better water solubility and antimicrobial property. 
  • 1.0K
  • 08 Dec 2021
Topic Review
H. pylori Marker Detection
The Gram-negative bacterium Helicobacter pylori colonizes c.a. 50% of human stomachs worldwide and is the major risk factor for gastric adenocarcinoma. Its high genetic variability makes it difficult to identify biomarkers of early stages of infection that can reliably predict its outcome. 
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Gastrointestinal Disorders Involving ICCs and the ENS
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is organized into two plexuses—submucosal and myenteric—which regulate smooth muscle contraction, secretion, and blood flow along the gastrointestinal tract under the influence of the rest of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) are mainly located in the submucosa between the two muscle layers and at the intramuscular level. They communicate with neurons of the enteric nerve plexuses and smooth muscle fibers and generate slow waves that contribute to the control of gastrointestinal motility. They are also involved in enteric neurotransmission and exhibit mechanoreceptor activity. A close relationship appears to exist between oxidative stress and gastrointestinal diseases, in which ICCs can play a prominent role. Thus, gastrointestinal motility disorders in patients with neurological diseases may have a common ENS and central nervous system (CNS) nexus. In fact, the deleterious effects of free radicals could affect the fine interactions between ICCs and the ENS, as well as between the ENS and the CNS.
  • 1.0K
  • 25 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Genetic Markers of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Cholangiocarcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer with an increasing worldwide mortality rate. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most common primary liver cancer. In both types of cancers, early detection is very important. Biomarkers are a relevant part of diagnosis, enabling non-invasive detection and control of cancer recurrence, as well as in the application of screening tests in high-risk groups. Furthermore, some of these biomarkers are useful in controlling therapy and treatment selection. Detection of some markers presents higher sensitivity and specificity in combination with other markers when compared with a single detection. Some gene aberrations are also prognostic markers in the two types of cancers.
  • 1.0K
  • 19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Tumor Stroma Ratio in Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death, and its incidence is rising in the younger patient population.  In the past decade, research has unveiled several processes (underlying tumorigenesis, many of which involve interactions between tumor cells and the surrounding tissue or tumor microenvironment (TME). Interactions between components of the TME are mediated at a sub-microscopic level. 
  • 1.0K
  • 19 May 2022
Topic Review
Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) have been recognized as occidentalized diseases, due to their higher rates of incidence and prevalence in occidental countries. CD mostly presents between 20 and 30 years, whereas UC mostly presents between 30 and 40 years, as well as from 60 to 70 years. 
  • 1.0K
  • 20 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Multiple Sclerosis Therapies and Drug-Induced Liver Injury
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and the association with other autoimmune diseases is well-documented. There are many therapeutic options for the treatment of MS. Most of the available drugs cause drug-induced liver injury (DILI) to variable extents with heterogeneous clinical and biological manifestations, including liver injury with or without signs of hypersensitivity and autoimmunity. The different disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) and immunomodulating treatments used in the management of MS include interferon beta (IFN-β), glatiramer acetate (GA), natalizumab, fingolimod, mitoxantrone, teriflunomide, dimethyl fumarate, alemtuzumab, daclizumab, and ocrelizumab. These drugs are largely available in the USA and Europe, but with some differences in indications.
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Pancreatitis in Pregnancy
Acute and chronic pancreatitis, until observed incidentally in pregnancy. Particularly severe complications for the mother and fetus may be a consequence of acute pancreatitis. Therefore, it is important to know more about the diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities of pancreatic diseases in the course of pregnancy.
  • 1.0K
  • 23 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) affects around 300 million people worldwide and is a significant risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nucleos(t)ide analog therapy has aided in decreasing mortality from HBV.
  • 1.0K
  • 21 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Insulin Resistance and NAFLD development
Insulin resistance (IR) is a condition in which insulin action is altered. In metabolic terms, IR represents the inability of a fixed amount of insulin to metabolize a known amount of glucose in an individual as compared to the general population. 
  • 1.0K
  • 12 Oct 2021
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