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Topic Review
MRI-Based Assessment of Rectal Cancer Post-Neoadjuvant Therapy
Rectal cancer presents significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges, with neoadjuvant therapy playing a pivotal role in improving resectability and patient outcomes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) serves as a critical tool in assessing treatment response.
  • 727
  • 12 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Treatment Strategy for Intermediate-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been standard treatment for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, all intermediate-stage HCC patients did not benefit from TACE treatment because intermediate-stage HCC encompasses a wide variety of HCCs. Owing to remarkable progress in systemic therapy, including molecular-targeted therapy for advanced-stage HCC, the standard treatment of HCC has recently shifted to systemic therapy.
  • 725
  • 19 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Clostridioides difficile Mouse Model
Clostridioides difficile is an anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium associated with intestinal infection, manifesting a broad spectrum of gastrointestinal symptoms, ranging from mild diarrhea to severe colitis. A primary risk factor for the development of C. difficile infection (CDI) is antibiotic exposure. Elderly and immunocompromised individuals are particularly vulnerable to CDI. A pivotal aspect for comprehending the complexities of this infection relies on the utilization of experimental models that mimic human CDI transmission, pathogenesis, and progression. These models offer invaluable insights into host–pathogen interactions and disease dynamics, and serve as essential tools for testing potential therapeutic approaches.
  • 725
  • 23 Feb 2024
Topic Review
TGF-β, Activin and Follistatin in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an immune-mediated inflammatory condition predominantly affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. An increasing prevalence of IBD has been observed globally. The pathogenesis of IBD includes a complex interplay between the intestinal microbiome, diet, genetic factors and immune responses. The consequent imbalance of inflammatory mediators ultimately leads to intestinal mucosal damage and defective repair. Growth factors, given their specific roles in maintaining the homeostasis and integrity of the intestinal epithelium, are of particular interest in the setting of IBD. Furthermore, direct targeting of growth factor signalling pathways involved in the regeneration of the damaged epithelium and the regulation of inflammation could be considered as therapeutic options for individuals with IBD. Several members of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β superfamily, particularly TGF-β, activin and follistatin, are key candidates as they exhibit various roles in inflammatory processes and contribute to maintenance and homeostasis in the GI tract. 
  • 725
  • 05 May 2023
Topic Review
Nutritional Factors Benefit Postmenopausal Women with NAFLD
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent condition among postmenopausal women that can lead to severe liver dysfunction and increased mortality. There is also growing evidence that specific nutritional factors may help to prevent or treat NAFLD. For example, supplementation with vitamins C, D, and E may exert beneficial effects on liver health or related metabolic features, primarily through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Coffee consumption is inversely associated with a number of liver-related conditions, including slower progression of fibrosis, lower transaminase levels, and decreased liver-related mortality, and some of these positive effects may be due to caffeine. Caffeine has also been shown to improve features of metabolic syndrome, including hepatic injury in high carbohydrate, high-fat-diet-fed rat; increase energy expenditure; and reduce total body, trunk, and visceral fat or fat mass. 
  • 724
  • 21 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Angiogenesis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy. The hypervascular nature of the majority of HCCs and the peculiar vascular derangement occurring during liver carcinogenesis underscore the importance of angiogenesis in the development and progression of these tumors. Indeed, several angiogenic molecular pathways have been identified as deregulated in HCC. The hypervascular nature and the peculiar vascularization of HCC, as well as deregulated angiogenic pathways, represent major therapeutic targets.
  • 722
  • 26 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Dietitian for Insulin Resistance and Urolithiasis
Many obesity and diet-related diseases have been observed. Insulin resistance (IR), a state of tissue resistance to insulin due to its impaired function, is a common coexisting condition. The most important predisposing factors are excessive visceral fat and chronic low-grade inflammatory response. An additional disease that is often associated with IR is urolithiasis. The common feature of these two conditions is metabolic acidosis and mild inflammation. A patient diagnosed with IR and urolithiasis is a big challenge for a dietitian.
  • 722
  • 30 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Flavonoids’ Dual Benefits in Gastrointestinal Cancer and Diabetes
Diabetes and gastrointestinal cancers (GI) are global health conditions with a massive burden on patients’ lives worldwide. The development of both conditions is influenced by several factors, such as diet, genetics, environment, and infection, which shows a potential link between them. Flavonoids are naturally occurring phenolic compounds present in fruits and vegetables. Once ingested, unabsorbed flavonoids reaching the colon undergo enzymatic modification by the gut microbiome to facilitate absorption and produce ring fission products. The metabolized flavonoids exert antidiabetic and anti-GI cancer properties, targeting major impaired pathways such as apoptosis and cellular proliferation in both conditions, suggesting the potentially dual effects of flavonoids on diabetes and GI cancers. Herein, the knowledge on the impact of flavonoids on diabetes and GI cancers in four significant pathways is summarized. It also addresses the synergistic effects of selected flavonoids on both conditions. While this is an intriguing approach, more studies are required to better understand the mechanism of how flavonoids can influence the same impaired pathways with different outcomes depending on the disease.
  • 719
  • 19 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Mechanisms of Relationship between NAFLD and Arterial Hypertension
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and arterial hypertension (AH) are widespread noncommunicable diseases in the global population. Since hypertension and NAFLD are diseases associated with metabolic syndrome, they are often comorbid. In fact, many contemporary published studies confirm the association of these diseases with each other, regardless of whether other metabolic factors, such as obesity, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes mellites, are present.
  • 716
  • 13 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Immune-Focused Pathophysiology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
The emerging field of immuno-oncology has brought exciting developments in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It has also raised urgent questions about the role of immunotherapy in the setting of liver transplantation, both before and after transplant. A growing body of evidence points to the safety and efficacy of immunotherapeutic agents as potential adjuncts for successful down-staging of advanced HCCs to allow successful transplant in carefully selected patients. For patients with recurrent HCC post-transplant, immunotherapy has a limited, yet growing role.
  • 714
  • 17 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Gastrointestinal Microbiome in Liver Disease
Liver disease is a major global health problem leading to approximately two million deaths a year. This is the consequence of a number of aetiologies, including alcohol-related, metabolic-related, viral infection, cholestatic and immune disease, leading to fibrosis and, eventually, cirrhosis. No specific registered antifibrotic therapies exist to reverse liver injury, so treatment aims at managing the underlying factors to mitigate the development of liver disease. There are bidirectional feedback loops between the liver and the rest of the gastrointestinal tract via the portal venous and biliary systems, which are mediated by microbial metabolites, specifically short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and secondary bile acids.
  • 714
  • 14 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Molecular Mechanisms of Antiviral Protease Inhibitor-induced Liver Injury
Antiviral protease inhibitors (PIs) are peptidomimetic molecules that block the active catalytic center of viral proteases and, thereby, prevent the cleavage of viral polyprotein precursors into maturation. They continue to be a key class of antiviral drugs that can be used either as boosters for other classes of antivirals or as major components of current regimens in therapies for the treatment of infections with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and/or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, sustained/lifelong treatment with the drugs or drugs combined with other substance(s) often leads to severe hepatic side effects such as lipid abnormalities, insulin resistance, and steatohepatitis. Molecular mechanisms underlying the PI-induced liver injury and potential therapeutic/pharmaceutical solutions are systemically reviewed here. 
  • 712
  • 15 May 2023
Topic Review
TDM optimize anti-TNF biologic treatment
The goal of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is to optimize anti-TNF (tumor necrosis factor) biologic treatment in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although commercial assays are readily available for both ustekinumab and vedolizumab, the use of TDM with these newer biologic medications is at its infancy. 
  • 711
  • 30 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Surgical Options for PSM from Colorectal Carcinoma
Peritoneal dissemination is proven to worsen the prognosis of these patients. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS), along with systemic chemotherapy, have been shown to constitute a survival benefit in selected patients with PSM. Furthermore, the association of CRS with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) seems to significantly improve the prognosis of patients with certain types of digestive malignancies associated with PSM. 
  • 711
  • 17 May 2023
Topic Review
Imaging in Gastric Cancer
Gastric cancer represents one of the most common oncological causes of death worldwide. In order to treat patients in the best possible way, the staging of gastric cancer should be accurate. In this regard, endoscopy ultrasound (EUS) has been considered the reference standard for tumor (T) and nodal (N) statuses. However, thanks to technological improvements, computed tomography (CT) has gained an important role, not only in the assessment of distant metastases (M status) but also in T and N staging.
  • 710
  • 20 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Role of Methionine Restriction in Gastric Cancer
Gastric cancer is ranked as the fifth most prevalent cancer globally and has long been a topic of passionate discussion among numerous individuals. However, the incidence of gastric cancer in society has not decreased, but instead has shown a gradual increase in recent years. For more than a decade, the treatment effect of gastric cancer has not been significantly improved. This is attributed to the heterogeneity of cancer, which makes popular targeted therapies ineffective. Methionine is an essential amino acid, and many studies have shown that it is involved in the development of gastric cancer. Our study aimed to review the literature on methionine and gastric cancer, describing its mechanism of action to show that tumor heterogeneity in gastric cancer does not hinder the effectiveness of methionine-restricted therapies. This research also aimed to provide insight into the inhibition of gastric cancer through metabolic reprogramming with methionine-restricted therapies, thereby demonstrating their potential as adjuvant treatments for gastric cancer.
  • 710
  • 18 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Protective Role of Natural Compounds under Radiation-Induced Injury
Evidence has shown the potential therapeutic effects of different natural compounds for the prevention and treatment of radiotherapy-induced mucositis (RIOM). RIOM represents one of the most frequent side effects associated with anti-neoplastic treatments affecting patients’ quality of life and treatment response due to radiation therapy discontinuation. The innate radio-protective ability of natural products obtained from plants is in part due to the numerous antioxidants possessed as a part of their normal secondary metabolic processes. However, oxygen presence is a key point for radiation efficacy on cancer cells. Here, it is to describe the most recent evidence on radiation-induced injury and the emerging protective role of natural compounds in preventing and treating this specific damage without compromising treatment efficacy.
  • 709
  • 26 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Phytochemicals for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mainly comprises Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) and is a group of chronic relapsing disorders characterized by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract with variable phenotypic expression. Multiple factors have been implicated in the etiology of IBD, including environmental, genetic, microbiological and immunological interactions. However, the exact reasons remain unclear, although substantial progress in elucidating the complexity of IBD manifestation has been made in the past decades. There is clinical overlap of symptoms of CD and UC, including bloody or watery diarrhea, recurrent abdominal pain, tenesmus as well as non-specific systemic symptoms such as fatigue, fever and weight loss. CD can affect various parts of the intestine, i.e., both small and large intestine, while UC is known to affect only the colon. IBD usually follows a lifelong pattern of remissions and flare-ups that impacts the quality of life of patients. The inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract during flare-ups is mediated by neutrophils that release cytokines, enzymes and reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to damage and even ulceration of the mucosa.
  • 709
  • 19 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Diet–Microbiota Interplay in Macrophage Plasticity and Intestinal Health
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract with an increasing prevalence worldwide. Macrophages, innate immune cells that exhibit high plasticity, perpetuate inflammatory signalling in IBD through excessive release of inflammatory mediators. In recent years, pioneering research has revealed the importance of the interplay between macrophages and gut microbiota in maintaining intestinal homeostasis. Particular attention is focusing on microbiota-derived metabolites, believed to possess immunomodulatory properties capable of manipulating macrophage plasticity. Microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and indole compounds, along with dietary sourced omega-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), exert anti-inflammatory effects, attributable to interactions with macrophages.
  • 707
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Vitamin D Signaling in Gastro-Rheumatology
Vitamin D has been recently pointed out, and abnormalities of the vitamin D axis have been described in both in vitro and in vivo models of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and arthritis.
  • 706
  • 29 Apr 2021
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