Translational Gastroenterology and Hepatology

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO)'s Essential Medicines List (EML) plays an important role in advocating for access to key treatments for conditions affecting people in all geographic settings. We applied our established drug repurposing methods to one EML agent, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), to identify additional uses of relevance to the global health community beyond its existing EML indication (acetaminophen toxicity). METHODS: We undertook a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) of a variant in the glutathione synthetase ( GSS ) gene in approximately 35,000 patients to explore novel indications for use of NAC, which targets glutathione...

BACKGROUND: Disconnected pancreatic duct syndrome (DPDS) is a common cause of recurrent pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs), often requiring repeat drainage. Following initial drainage with lumen apposing metal stents (LAMS), replacement with transmural double pigtail stents (DPS) has been shown to be a viable drainage modality mitigating the risk of recurrence. The sparsity of literature on the consequences of this strategy requires further investigation. We analyze our outcomes of long-term transmural drainage with DPS in patients with DPDS and assess the safety and efficacy of this technique...

BACKGROUND: Multiple pharmacological interventions and modalities are available for managing chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC), with variable efficacy. Vibrating capsule (VC) is a device that has shown variable results in alleviating constipation by tactile stimulation of the colonic wall and inducing peristalsis. This meta-analysis is to investigate the efficacy and safety of this modality. METHODS: Comprehensive literature search was performed through June 14th, 2023, on databases including Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, Global Index Medicus, and Google Scholar...

BACKGROUND: Transmembrane protein 43 ( TMEM43 ), a member of the TMEM subfamily, is encoded by a highly conserved gene and widely expressed in most species from bacteria to humans. In previous studies, TMEM43 has been found to play an important role in a variety of tumors. However, the role of TMEM43 in cancer remains unclear. METHODS: We utilized the RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TGCA) databases to explore and identify genes that may play an important role in the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), such as TMEM43 ...

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in China at the end of 2019. Several case studies have documented a probable association between infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and acute pancreatitis (AP). The objective of this study was to provide a complete analysis of existing literature that compares the clinical outcomes of AP in patients with COVID-19 and those without COVID-19. The intention was to further our understanding of the involvement of SARS-CoV-2 in the development of pancreatitis...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: As life expectancy in cystic fibrosis (CF) has increased over the years, a shift in focus toward extra-pulmonary comorbidities such as gastrointestinal (GI) disease has become a topic of particular importance. Although not well-defined in the current literature, GI dysmotility is thought to significantly contribute to GI symptomatology in the CF population. The objective of this article was to provide a comprehensive review of diagnostic modalities at the disposal of the clinician in the evaluation of patients with CF (pwCF) presenting with GI complaints...

BACKGROUND: The role of cytoreductive surgery for patients with recurrent or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (mGISTs) responding to imatinib (IM) has not yet been established. We carried out a retrospective analysis of the outcomes of patients with mGISTs in two Russian cancer centers. We compared two cohorts: treated (Group S) or not treated with surgery (Group NS) after a partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD) while on IM. METHODS: A total 44 patients treated by IM as first line treatment were included in our analysis...

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have significant clinical benefit for a subset of patients with gastrointestinal cancers (GICs) including esophageal cancer, gastric cancer and colorectal cancer. However, it is difficult to predict which patients will respond favorably to immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Thus, this study was initiated to determine if peripheral T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire profiling could predict the clinical efficacy of anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) treatment...

BACKGROUND: Liver transplantation (LT) is a therapeutic option in multiple inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs), including methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), as LT reduces the risk of acute metabolic decompensations and long-term complications associated with these diseases. In certain IMDs, such as maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), domino liver transplant (DLT) is an accepted and safe method which expands the donor pool. However, only one adult case of DLT using an MMA donor liver has been reported; outcome and safety are still unknown and questioned...

BACKGROUND: Robotic cholecystectomy (RC) has shown promising outcomes in multiple studies when compared with the gold standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). The objective of this study is to compare the postoperative surgical outcomes and cost in patients undergoing RC versus LC. METHODS: Studies reporting postoperative outcomes and costs in patients undergoing RC versus LC were selected from medical electronic databases and analysis was conducted by the values of systematic review on the statistical software RevMan version 5...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common in obese individuals, but its occurrence in lean individuals and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the genetic and epigenetic factors influencing NAFLD in lean individuals. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted on April 2nd , 2023, in seven databases using specific criteria. Only peer-reviewed studies in English, focusing on genetic or epigenetic effects on NAFLD in lean individuals, were included for qualitative synthesis...

Identification and recognition of the ubiquitous environmental factor are prerequisite for treatment and prevention of the disease. The biggest problem with current practice in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the lack of a widely appreciated ubiquitous environmental factor for the disease. The incidence of IBD is associated with dietary transition from a traditional diet to the current (westernized) diet. Prospective cohort studies and case-control studies indicate that the current diet is a risk factor for IBD...

BACKGROUND: The endoscopic nasojejunal (NJ) placement plays a pivotal role in the nutritional support of critically ill patients. However, the conventional endoscopy-guided tube insertion method presents issues of excessive procedural duration. We have enhanced the traditional endoscopy-guided catheter placement method, enabling a faster and more convenient catheter insertion. METHODS: We improved the traditional endoscopically guided technique by incorporating an extra silk thread knot at the 25 cm mark on the jejunal segment of the NJ tube to assist endoscopists in accurate tube placement...

The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) has declined over time, though it remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. It has the third highest incidence in incidence among all cancers and is the second leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. Screening reduces the incidence and mortality from CRC. There are several modalities for CRC screening, but the most common ones are a choice between a non-invasive stool-based test, such as fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) or an invasive endoscopic modality, such as colonoscopy...

BACKGROUND: Surgical resection is a part of the treatment pathways for the management of pancreatic cancer with arterial involvement. Arterial resection in this context is however not widely supported due to the paucity and diversity of the reported evidence in the literature. The aim of this systematic review is the presentation and analysis of the current evidence in the field. METHODS: A systematic literature search of PubMed, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library was performed for eligible studies, following the PRISMA guidelines...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported increased risk of second cancer in both esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) survivors. This study aimed to examine the risk and influential factors of second cancer in ESCC and EAC patients. METHODS: This population-based cohort study included 7,297 ESCC patients and 11,812 EAC patients who were in 1992-2019 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program in the United States...

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in patients admitted with acute cholecystitis is considered the preferred, feasible and safe mode of managing gallstone disease. The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of single-dose pre-operative prophylactic antibiotics in patients undergoing emergency LC for mild to moderate acute cholecystitis. METHODS: All randomized control trials (RCTs) reporting the use of single-dose pre-operative prophylactic antibiotics in patients undergoing acute cholecystectomy were retrieved from the search of standard medical electronic databases and analysis was conducted by using the principles of meta-analysis on the statistical software RevMan version 5...

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is an inevitable problem in older patients. After gastrectomy, patients often have an inadequate dietary intake and easily fall into sarcopenia. However, the impact of preoperative sarcopenia on long-term outcomes after gastrectomy has not been analyzed. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted for all relevant articles identified on PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov until April 2023. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the fixed or random effects model according to the heterogeneity...