Encyclopedia
Scholarly Community
Encyclopedia
Entry
Video
Image
Journal
Book
News
About
Entry
Entry
Video
Image
Log in/Sign up
Submit
Entry
Video
Image
Subject:
All Disciplines
Arts & Humanities
Biology & Life Sciences
Business & Economics
Chemistry & Materials Science
Computer Science & Mathematics
Engineering
Environmental & Earth Sciences
Medicine & Pharmacology
Physical Sciences
Public Health & Healthcare
Social Sciences
Sort:
Hottest
Latest
Alphabetical (A-Z)
Alphabetical (Z-A)
Type:
All
Topic Review
Biography
Topic Review
The Role of Immune Cells in Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an underlying excessive immune response directed against resident microbiota and/or dietary antigens. The condition is diagnosed mostly between the ages of 20 to 40, however it can occur at every age. Characteristic of UC are alternating periods of clinical relapse and remission.
896
29 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy. It is principally associated with liver cirrhosis and chronic liver disease. The major risk factors for the development of HCC include viral infections (HBV, HCV), alcoholic liver disease (ALD,) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The optimal treatment choice is dictated by multiple variables such as tumor burden, liver function, and patient’s health status. Surgical resection, transplantation, ablation, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), and systemic therapy are potentially useful treatment strategies. TACE is considered the first-line treatment for patients with intermediate stage HCC.
893
24 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Pathophysiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) encompasses a group of heterogeneous diseases that entail chronic, relapsing gastrointestinal tract inflammation of inexactly known etiology and pathogenesis. IBD is clinically classified as Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) based on symptoms, disease location, and histopathological characteristics.
877
28 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Esophageal Vagal afferent C-fibers' Functions
Heartburn and non-cardiac chest pain are the predominant symptoms in many esophageal disorders, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), non-erosive reflux disease (NERD), functional heartburn and chest pain, and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). At present, neuronal mechanisms underlying the process of interoceptive signals in the esophagus are still less clear. Noxious stimuli can activate a subpopulation of primary afferent neurons at their nerve terminals in the esophagus. The evoked action potentials are transmitted through both the spinal and vagal pathways to their central terminals, which synapse with the neurons in the central nervous system to induce esophageal nociception. Over the last few decades, progress has been made in our understanding on the peripheral and central neuronal mechanisms of esophageal nociception. In this review, we focus on the roles of capsaicin-sensitive vagal primary afferent nodose and jugular C-fiber neurons in processing nociceptive signals in the esophagus. We briefly compare their distinctive phenotypic features and functional responses to mechanical and chemical stimulations in the esophagus. Then, we summarize activation and/or sensitization effects of acid, inflammatory cells (eosinophils and mast cells), and mediators (ATP, 5-HT, bradykinin, adenosine, S1P) on these two nociceptive C-fiber subtypes. Lastly, we discuss the potential roles of capsaicin-sensitive esophageal afferent nerves in processing esophageal sensation and nociception. A better knowledge of the mechanism of nociceptive signal processes in primary afferent nerves in the esophagus will help to develop novel treatment approaches to relieve esophageal nociceptive symptoms, especially those that are refractory to proton pump inhibitors.
875
16 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Alcohol Consumption and Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is a common inflammatory disorder of the pancreas, associated with high mortality and healthcare burdens worldwide. It mainly consists of two forms: acute pancreatitis (AP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP). Alcohol exposure is a known etiological factor for both AP and CP.
866
19 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Microbial Metabolites in Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading cancers that cause cancer-related deaths worldwide. The gut microbiota has been proved to show relevance with colorectal tumorigenesis through microbial metabolites. By decomposing various dietary residues in the intestinal tract, gut microbiota harvest energy and produce a variety of metabolites to affect the host physiology. However, some of these metabolites are oncogenic factors for CRC.
857
27 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Targeting Chemosensitive Channels for Dysphagia
Swallowing is a physiological process that transports ingested foods, liquids, and saliva from the oral cavity into the stomach. Difficulty in the oropharyngeal swallowing process or oropharyngeal dysphagia is a major health problem. There is no established pharmacological therapy for the management of oropharyngeal dysphagia. Studies have suggested that the current clinical management of oropharyngeal dysphagia has limited effectiveness for recovering swallowing physiology and for promoting neuroplasticity in swallowing-related neuronal networks. The peripheral chemical neurostimulation strategy is one of the innovative strategies, and targets chemosensory ion channels expressed in peripheral swallowing-related regions. A considerable number of animal and human studies, including randomized clinical trials in patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia, have reported improvements in the efficacy, safety, and physiology of swallowing using this strategy. There is also evidence that neuroplasticity is promoted in swallowing-related neuronal networks with this strategy. The targeting of chemosensory ion channels in peripheral swallowing-related regions may therefore be a promising pharmacological treatment strategy for the management of oropharyngeal dysphagia.
849
27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Gut Microbiome and Liver Diseases
The important role of human gut microbiota in liver diseases has long been recognized as dysbiosis and the translocation of certain microbes from the gut to liver. With the development of high-throughput DNA sequencing, the complexity and integrity of the gut microbiome in the whole spectrum of liver diseases is emerging. Specific patterns of gut microbiota have been identified in liver diseases with different causes, including alcoholic, non-alcoholic, and virus induced liver diseases, or even at different stages, ranging from steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, to hepatocellular carcinoma. At the same time, the mechanism of how microbiota contributes to liver diseases goes beyond the traditional function of the gut–liver axis which could lead to liver injury and inflammation.
847
11 May 2021
Topic Review
NAFLD
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and may progress to cirrhosis or even hepatocellular carcinoma. A number of steroid hormones are important regulators of lipid homeostasis through fine tuning the expression of genes related to lipid synthesis, export, and metabolism. Dysregulation of such pathways has been implicated in the pathogenesis of NAFLD.
844
12 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Molecular Pathology and Biomarkers of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has an extremely poor prognosis due to the lack of methods or biomarkers for early diagnosis and its resistance to conventional treatment modalities, targeted therapies, and immunotherapies. PDACs are a heterogenous group of malignant epithelial neoplasms with various histomorphological patterns and complex, heterogenous genetic/molecular landscapes. The newly proposed molecular classifications of PDAC based on extensive genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and epigenetic data have provided significant insights into the molecular heterogeneity and aggressive biology of this deadly disease. Studies characterizing the tumor microenvironment (TME) have shed light on the dynamic interplays between the tumor cells and the immunosuppressive TME of PDAC, which is essential to disease progression, as well as its resistance to chemotherapy, newly developed targeted therapy and immunotherapy. There is a critical need for the development of predictive markers that can be clinically utilized to select effective personalized therapies for PDAC patients.
841
02 Dec 2022
Page
of
66
Featured Entry Collections
>>
Featured Books
>>
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Chief Editor:
Michael McAleer
Encyclopedia of COVID-19
Chief Editor:
Stephen Bustin
Encyclopedia of Fungi
Chief Editor:
Luis V. Lopez-Llorca
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Chief Editor:
Sandro Serpa
Entry
Video
Image
Journal
Book
News
About
Log in/Sign up
New Entry
New Video
New Images
About
Terms and Conditions
Privacy Policy
Advisory Board
Contact
Partner
ScholarVision Creations
Feedback
Top
Feedback
×
Help Center
Browse our user manual, common Q&A, author guidelines, etc.
Rate your experience
Let us know your experience and what we could improve.
Report an error
Is something wrong? Please let us know!
Other feedback
Other feedback you would like to report.
×
Did you find what you were looking for?
Love
Like
Neutral
Dislike
Hate
0
/500
Email
Do you agree to share your valuable feedback publicly on
Encyclopedia
’s homepage?
Yes, I agree. Encyclopedia can post it.
No, I do not agree. I would not like to post my testimonial.
Webpage
Upload a screenshot
(Max file size 2MB)
Submit
Back
Close
×