Diseases Of Digestive System Research Articles

Corrigendum to “An assessment of consumer demand for medicinal plants: A case of Istanbul” Eurasian Journal of Forest Science , 11 (1) , 1-13 . DOI: 10.31195/ejejfs.1243329

Non-wood forest products (NWFPs) are collected or harvested for commercial and medical purposes from forests. These plants can be diversified into wild food plants, medicinal and aromatic plants, bulbous plants, mushrooms, dye plants and honey. The aim of this study is to assess the demand of consumers who buy medicinal plants in Istanbul and to reveal the relationships between the variables affecting the demand. For this purpose, face-to-face interviews were conducted with consumers (n=384) who purchased medicinal plants in 20 randomly selected districts of Istanbul. Descriptive analysis, correlation analysis and Chi-square independence test were used in data analysis. These analyses were carried out with the SPSS 22.0 statistical package program. According to the results, the most demanded medicinal plants are linden, mint and ginger, respectively. People buy medicinal plants mostly for the treatment of respiratory system and digestive system diseases and the demand is generally high in winter and autumn. The most important factor affecting the purchasing preferences of consumers is freshness. The consumers mostly buy the medicinal plants from herbalists. According to the Chi-square analysis findings, there is a significant relationship between the gender of consumers and the purpose of using medicinal plants. In addition, while there was no relationship between gender and price, brand, quality, there was a statistically significant relationship between expiration date and visuality.

Effect of Bacillus sp. application on the germination of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) under salt stress

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), one of the annual herbaceous plants widely used as a medicinal and aromatic herb, is used as flavor and aroma, to treat digestive system diseases, as antipyretic, etc. Salinity, which is one of the soil quality index parameters, is one of the most important abiotic stress factors limiting the production of agricultural products. This study examined the effect of Bacillus sp. application on germination rate (%), germination speed (days), average daily germination (days), peak and germination values of coriander at different salt (NaCl) concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150, 200 mM). It was determined that the Bacillus sp. and salt application were significant at the level of 1% in the investigated parameters and that the bacterial application minimized the negative effects of increasing salt concentrations on the germination biology. The germination rate (67%), germination speed (8.4 days), average daily germination (4.5 days), peak (2.33%), and germination values (10.5%) were obtained. It was determined that no Bacillus sp. + 50 mM salt application provided the best germination values in coriander seeds.

SARS-COV 2 pandemisi sonrası Hatay (Türkiye) ilinde kedilerin son sağlık durumu nedir? ikinci bölüm

The current study, as episode two, focused on the latest status of gastrointestinal, urinary tract, and hepatobiliary diseases, which might be induced by stress in cats following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Hatay province in Türkiye. The study looked at post-pandemic (June 2021–June 2022) diagnosis data of cats with gastrointestinal, urinary tract, and hepatobiliary diseases (n: 147), admitted to Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Veterinary Health, Practice, and Research Center. The average age of the cats admitted to the clinic was 33.04 ± 2.77 months in post-pandemic period. The ages of the cats diagnosed with gastrointestinal, urinary tract and hepatobiliary diseases were 27.78 ± 4.33, 38.04 ± 3.95, and 40.12 ± 6.27, respectively. There were no breed and sex difference for diseases diagnosed in post-pandemic duration. Distributions of gastrointestinal, urinary, and hepatobiliary diseases were determined as 51.0%, 37.4%, and 11.6%, respectively. There was no statistical difference between the cat breeds that presented to the clinic in terms of gastrointestinal, urinary, and hepatobiliary diseases. Gastroenteritis (40%), gastritis (17.33%), and unconfirmed and suspected Feline inflammatory bowel disease (13.33%) are more diagnosed digestive system diseases. Cystitis (54.54%) and hemorrhagic cystitis (32.72%) were commonly diagnosed in urinary diseases. Besides, cholangiohepatitis was commonly diagnosed either alone (41.17%) or accompanied by hepatic lipidosis (23.52%) or cholecystitis (17.65%) in cats following the pandemic. Consequentially, although restrictions implemented during the pandemic that caused stress on cats were ended, the chronic impacts of stress seem to be continuing on cats, especially in terms of the gastrointestinal system, following the pandemic.

Surgical treatment strategy of pulmonary artery sling: a series of 110 cases

Objective: To examine the effect of surgical treatment in children with pulmonary artery sling and the surgical treatment strategy. Methods: Relevant data of 110 children with pulmonary artery sling admitted to the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University from February 2017 to July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 55 males and 55 females, aging (M(IQR)) 9.0 (10.6) months (range: 1 to 96 months). The weight was 7.8 (3.5) kg (range: 2.5 to 25.0 kg). Of the 110 patients, 108 had different degrees of tracheal stenosis and 2 had normal trachea. Left pulmonary artery transplantation and tracheoplasty were performed in 78 patients. Left pulmonary artery transplantation was performed in 30 patients (11 in our hospital and 19 in other hospitals) due to the lack of an early tracheoplasty technique, in which 24 patients needed stage Ⅱ tracheoplasty due to obvious respiratory symptoms and limited activity endurance, and 6 cases did not intervene. Two children with normal trachea only underwent left pulmonary artery transplantation. Results: Among the 78 children who underwent surgery in the same period, 70 cases recovered smoothly after surgery, of whom respiratory symptoms were significantly reduced or disappeared during the 1 to 65 months follow-up, with similar activity endurance to normal children of the same age. Eight cases died, including 4 cases of postoperative multi-drug resistant bacteria infection, died from tracheal anastomotic opening or septic shock, 1 cases with severe congenital heart disease died from postoperative low cardiac output syndrome difficult to correct, 1 case died from blood pressure could not be maintained due to the compressed left pulmonary artery after transplantation, 2 cases of postoperative digestive system diseases (adhesive intestinal obstruction, gastrointestinal bleeding, etc.). The 24 patients in the staging group were followed for 1 to 84 months. All patients needed stage Ⅱ tracheoplasty due to respiratory symptoms and decreased endurance to activity. Eight cases of the non-intervention tracheal group were successfully separated from the ventilator, cured and discharged in a short period of time. Conclusions: Most children with pulmonary artery sling have tracheal stenosis. Children with low degree of tracheal stenosis and inconspicuous respiratory symptoms can only undergo left pulmonary artery transplantation by lateral thoracotomy. For patients combined with severe tracheal stenosis or obvious respiratory symptoms, a simultaneous left pulmonary artery transplantat and tracheoplasty is recommended.

Exploring the Integration of Ideological and Political Construction in Curriculum into the Teaching Practice of Digestive System Diseases for Clinical Medical Students

Exploring the Integration of Ideological and Political Construction in Curriculum into the Teaching Practice of Digestive System Diseases for Clinical Medical Students

Treatment of Chronic Gastritis with Traditional Chinese Medicine: Pharmacological Activities and Mechanisms.

Chronic gastritis (CG) is a common clinical digestive system disease, which is not easyily cured and is prone to recurrence. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a significant role in the treatment of CG and has attracted increasing attention for clinical applications. In recent years, a large number of reports have shown that TCM has good therapeutic effect on CG. The aim of this paper is to investigate the pharmacological activities and mechanism of action of TCM in the treatment of CAG. Therefore, by searching the databases of Pubmed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and Baidu academic databases, this paper has summarized the molecular mechanisms of TCM in improving CG. The results show that the improvement of GC by TCM is closely related to a variety of molecular mechanisms, including the inhibition of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection, alleviation of oxidative stress, improvement of gastric function, repair of gastric mucosa, inhibition of inflammatory response, and apoptosis. More importantly, IRF8-IFN-γ, IL-4-STAT6, Hedgehog, pERK1/2, MAPK, PI3K-Akt, NF-κB, TNFR-c-Src-ERK1/2-c-Fos, Nrf2/HO-1, and HIF-1α/VEGF signaling pathways are considered as important molecular targets for TCM in the treatment of GC. These important findings will provide a direction and a basis for further exploring the pathogenesis of GC and tapping the potential of TCM in clinical treatment. This review also puts forward a bright prospect for future research of TCM in the treatment of CG.

Periodontitis is associated with multimorbidity in a large dental school population.

To investigate whether and which diseases co-occur with periodontitis (PD) to assess the prevalence of comorbidities and multimorbidity and to identify patterns and profiles of comorbidity and multimorbidity and the influence of demographic and lifestyle factors to identify distinct groups of multimorbid patients. A database from the Academic Centre of Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) with 37,801 adult individuals containing information about demographic (age, sex, socio-economic position [SEP]) and lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol use and addictive substance use) and PD and systemic diseases was constructed. PD assessment was based on clinical information by the use of claim codes and systemic diseases data were derived from self-reported medical history. For analyses, univariable and multivariable (adjusted for age, sex, SEP, smoking, alcohol use and addictive substance use) logistic regression analyses and cluster analysis were used. Individuals with PD more often had one or multiple diseases. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for PD patients having up to four systemic diseases ranged from 1.46 to 1.20. Co-occurrence of PD with several systemic diseases and a higher prevalence of multimorbidity was found (adjusted OR comorbidity = 1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30-1.43; multimorbidity = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.11-1.25). Four clusters existed: cluster 1 was defined as a periodontal and systemically healthy group and cluster 4 as burdened with PD but not containing any systemic diseases. Individuals in cluster 1 were of the lowest age (44.9 [SD: 15.5]) and had the lowest prevalence of the lifestyle factors of smoking (13.6%) and alcohol use (3.9%). Clusters 2 and 3 contained both PD and had several systemic diseases but were different from each other. Cluster 2 contained 34.5% of PD individuals and had mainly respiratory tract, immune system and digestive system diseases. Cluster 3 contained 45.9% of PD individuals and had mainly cardiometabolic diseases. Cluster 2 had the highest prevalence of females (63.1%) and the highest prevalence of smokers (23.8%) and addictive substance users (8.9%). Cluster 3 included individuals of the highest age (63.5 [SD: 11.9]), and had highest prevalence of alcohol users (17.7%) and lowest prevalence of addictive substance users (3.8%). This study shows that individuals with PD are more often burdened with comorbidity and multimorbidity. Presence of distinct clusters suggests overlap in pathophysiology between certain types of PD and specific systemic diseases. Therefore, PD can be considered as part of multimorbidity, as one of the systemic diseases co-occurring in certain groups of individuals.

Epidemiological and clinical analysis of polish short-term and long-term travelers returning from tropical countries

BackgroundThere is a lack of information about health problems after returning from tropical countries among travelers from Poland. The aim was to create characteristics of diseases imported to Poland from tropical regions and to determine the changes in the travel trends. MethodThis retrospective study is based on medical records of 2391 Polish patients >18 years old, hospitalized between 2006 and 2016 after returning from tropical areas. The analysis covered purpose, duration and travel destination, and health problems related to the travel. 1098 patients (short travel, <1 month, n = 345 vs long travel, >6 months, n = 753) were selected for further analysis. ResultsThe most frequently visited region was Sub-Saharan Africa. Tourists dominated among short-term and missionaries among long-term travelers. The most popular health problems in both groups were digestive system disease and febrile diseases. Diarrhoea of undetermined aetiology, dengue fever, malaria, fever of unknown aetiology and infectious mononucleosis were more likely to occur among short-term travelers whereas blastocystosis, giardiasis, schistosomiasis among long-term travelers. In the group of long-term travelers 363/753 (47,8%) were diagnosed with an infectious or parasitic disease in relation to a trip to a country with a hot climate. ConclusionsTropical diseases occur among Polish travelers so they should be taken into account in the context of prophylaxis when preparing for travel and in the diagnosis of diseases that occur after returning from a tropical zone. This first analysis of disease incidence among Polish travelers indicates a strong need for more research in this area.

Analysis of marketed orphan drugs in China.

In recent years, China has increased attention on the issue of rare diseases, and the government has promulgated rare disease-related policies to gradually improve rare disease diagnosis, treatment, drug marketing, and patient burden. Orphan drugs were added to the medical insurance directory in 7 batches, of which 22 drugs were first included in the 2004 medical insurance directory and 8, 16, 12, 7, 8, and 7 were included in the 2009, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 versions, respectively. Currently, 106 orphan drugs are marketed in China, which are suitable for treating 53 rare diseases such as hematologic diseases, congenital metabolism disorders, neuropathies, and digestive system diseases and for other treatment fields. The drugs are mainly manufactured in 15 countries such as China, Switzerland, and the USA, of which 10 drugs can be used to treat different rare diseases. At the same time, there are multiple treatments available for 25 rare diseases. In this paper, we examined the manufacturers, marketing status, indications, and inclusion of orphan drugs in the National Basic Medical Insurance Directory to describe and analyze the current status of 106 orphan drugs that are currently marketed in China to provide a reference for rare disease policy formulation and drug development.

Evaluation of the causes of chest pain and its relationship with the cardiovascular system in COVID-19 patients

Aim: Chest pain is one of the most common complaints of patients in the emergency departments during the pandemic and non-pandemic period. Because the cause of chest pain can range, from an ordinary, harmless muscle pull to serious cardiac complication ultimately leading to cardiac arrest. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects host cells through angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptors, leading to coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related pneumonia, and also causing acute cardiac injury and chronic damage to the cardiovascular system. COVID-19 contributes to the development of serious cardiovascular complications such as acute coronary syndrome, myocarditis, stress-cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest. In this study, it was aimed to determine the effects of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system by evaluating the causes of chest pain in COVID-19 patients who applied to the emergency department with chest pain. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted by examining the files of COVID-19 patients who applied to a district emergency department with chest pain. Results: The files of 102 COVID-19 patients were reviewed. The most common causes of CP were musculoskeletal system (39.2%), respiratory system (23.5%), CVS diseases (20.6%), idiopathic causes (8.8%), gastrointestinal system diseases (7%, 9). Cardiac causes are non ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTMI), arrhythmia, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and unstable angina pectoris (USAP), respectively. Troponin value was higher in patients with cardiac chest pain (p=0.02), and ferritin value was higher in patients with pneumonia (p=0.01). Conclusions: Chest pain or chest tightness is common in patients with active COVID-19. Although the causes of chest pain are due to musculoskeletal pathologies, both COVID-19 and cardiac origin chest pains due to direct cardiovascular system pathologies should be kept in mind.

Domestic researchers who have made important contributions to the study of digestive system diseases: images in art. Maks Moiseyevich Gubergrits

A few main directions can be distinguished in the scientific and practical activities of M. M. Gubergrits. Even his first studies contributed to the history of the development of domestic cardiology. He continued the work started by V. P. Obraztsov on the III normal heart sound, studied changes in heart tones and the formation of a gallop rhythm, the rhythm of a neurasthenic quail, was one of the first to evaluate the clinical significance of the electrocardiographic technique, and tried to use it for better understanding the effect of certain drugs on the heart. He described disorders of the cardiovascular system in severe infectious diseases (epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, and typhoid fever) and thrombosis of the splenic vein. An important part of the scientific activity of M. M. Gubergrits was the pain problem. An outstanding humanist scientist could not ignore this human suffering from various diseases. He was interested not only in the origin of pain in diseases of the heart, liver, and kidneys but also in pain as a general problem of physiology and pathology. However, he most clearly revealed himself as a talented clinician in gastroenterology by constantly combining thoughtful observation at the patient’s bedside with clinical and physiological experimentation. Back in 1929, in his work on the mechanism of gastric secretion, he established the effect of mechanical irritation of the gastric mucosa on the secretion of gastric juice. He described a unique palpatory symptom of a bigastric stomach (changes in the position of the lower border of the stomach, re‑determined by splashing noise). He had a keen interest in peptic ulcer disease. His studies on pancreatic physiology and pathology have retained their value to the present day: data on excretory function, the adaptability of exocrine function to different diets, the possibility of a partial violation of this function (dyspancreatism), as well as the organ’s functional study technique developed in his clinic. M. M. Gubergrits described the pain zone in the pathology of the head and body of the pancreas. In addition, he described concomitant diseases of the liver and pancreas and the liver’s involvement in the pathological process in gastric, duodenal, and large intestinal diseases. The studies by M. M. Gubergrits on the clinical picture of pancreatic diseases played a significant role in the further research. To a large extent, his statements on the diagnosis of pancreatitis have retained their significance. He emphasized the importance of such symptoms as pathological hunger, thirst, polyuria, weight loss, pain in the epigastric area, sometimes jaundice, diarrhea with creatorrhea and steatorrhea, and changes in the blood and urine.

Applications and Prospects of Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Endoscopic Ultrasound in Digestive System Diseases.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has emerged as a widely utilized tool in the diagnosis of digestive diseases. In recent years, the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has been gradually recognized, and its superiority in the field of EUS is becoming apparent. Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) are the two main AI algorithms. This paper aims to outline the applications and prospects of artificial intelligence-assisted endoscopic ultrasound (EUS-AI) in digestive diseases over the past decade. The results demonstrated that EUS-AI has shown superiority or at least equivalence to traditional methods in the diagnosis, prognosis, and quality control of subepithelial lesions, early esophageal cancer, early gastric cancer, and pancreatic diseases including pancreatic cystic lesions, autoimmune pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer. The implementation of EUS-AI has opened up new avenues for individualized precision medicine and has introduced novel diagnostic and treatment approaches for digestive diseases.

Rutaecarpine Ameliorates Murine N-Methyl-N'-Nitro-N-Nitrosoguanidine-Induced Chronic Atrophic Gastritis by Sonic Hedgehog Pathway.

CAG is a burdensome and progressive disease. Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of RUT in digestive system diseases. The therapeutic effects of RUT on MNNG-induced CAG and the potential mechanisms were probed. MNNG administration was employed to establish a CAG model. The HE and ELISA methods were applied to detect the treatment effects. WB, qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, TUNEL, and GES-1 cell flow cytometry approaches were employed to probe the mechanisms. The CAG model was successfully established. The ELISA and HE staining data showed that the RUT treatment effects on CAG rats were reflected by the amelioration of histological damage. The qRT-PCR and WB analyses indicated that the protective effect of RUT is related to the upregulation of the SHH pathway and downregulation of the downstream of apoptosis to improve gastric cellular survival. Our data suggest that RUT induces a gastroprotective effect by upregulating the SHH signaling pathway and stimulating anti-apoptosis downstream.

Total and cause-specific mortality attributable to cold spells in China: A multicity and multicounty study

Climate change has resulted in an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme cold weather events, but few multicity or multicounty researches have explored the association between cold spells and mortality risk and burden. We collected daily data on climate, sociodemographic factors and mortality in 18 cities/counties across 11 geographical regions for the period of November to March 2014–2018. A distributed lag nonlinear model was used to examine the association between cold spells and mortality after adjustment for confounding factors. Twelve definitions of cold spells were used. Multi-meta regression analysis was applied to pool the impacts over different regions. Cold spells were significantly associated with all-cause mortality at lag 0–21 (CRR:1.38, 95%CI:1.21,1.57). In addition to respiratory diseases and circulatory system diseases, digestive, endocrine and nervous system diseases and injury were also affected by cold spells. The magnitude of the impacts of cold spells on mortality varied among the diseases investigated, with the highest risk estimate found for influenza and pneumonia (CRR: 2.00, 95%CI: 1.45, 2.76) and the lowest estimate found for injury (CRR: 1.26, 95%CI: 1.09,1.46). The fraction of all-cause mortality attributable to cold spells was 2.31% (95%CI: 0.90%, 3.46%). Among the regional differences, the attributable burden of all-cause mortality was higher in rural areas and subtropical monsoon climate zone, with attributable fractions of 2.85% (95%CI: 1.23%, 4.11%) and 3.36% (95%CI: 0.55%, 5.35%), respectively. Cold spells increased mortality from a range of diseases. Women, older adults and residents of rural areas and subtropical monsoon climate zone were more vulnerable to cold spells impacts. The findings may help to formulate preventive strategies and early warning response plans to reduce mortality burden of extreme cold events.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Association of milk consumption with the incidence of cholelithiasis disease in the US adult population

BackgroundCholelithiasis is a common digestive system disease that imposes major burden on patients and society. Investigating the relationship between dietary factors and cholelithiasis risk can provide a basis for disease prevention. Previous studies on milk intake and cholelithiasis incidence have been limited.Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the association between milk consumption and the incidence of cholelithiasis in males and females.MethodsWe selected 14,722 adults (≥ 18 years old) from National Center for Health Statistics (NHANSE) 2017–2020, and collected general characteristics of patients in the database, such as age, gender, race and body mass index (BMI), as well as dietary information (milk consumption). The occurrence of cholelithiasis was used as the outcome event, and the group was divided into cholelithiasis and non-cholelithiasis groups according to the outcome event. We used logistic regression models in generalized linear model (GLM) functions, controlling for demographic, lifestyle, and dietary factors, to estimate the association between milk intake and the incidence of cholelithiasis in males and females.ResultsA total of 14,722 adults were included. In the present study, the overall weighted prevalence of cholelithiasis was 10.96%, with 15.18% and 6.48% prevalence in females and males, respectively. Compared to infrequent milk intake, frequent milk intake (once a week or more) in females was associated with reduced cholelithiasis risk (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.61–0.90). Daily milk intake in males was also related to lower cholelithiasis risk (OR 0.69–0.82). As adjusted variables increased in the models, predictive performance was improved (AUC 0.711 in females, 0.730 in males).ConclusionsAppropriate milk intake may correlate with decreased cholelithiasis risk. Our study provides a basis for dietary interventions against gallstones, but prospective studies are needed to verify the results.

Coumarins of Ferulopsis hystrix: LC–MS Profiling and Gastroprotective and Antioxidant Activities of Skimmin and Peucenidin

Ferulopsis hystrix is a perennial plant of the Apiaceae family. In Buryat and Mongolian medicine, it is used as a substitute for Costus speciosus roots (ru rta), and in Tibetan medicine, it is used to cure digestive system diseases and used as a wound-healing agent. However, its metabolites and their bioactivities are still poorly understood. High-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass-spectrometric detection (HPLC–PDA–ESI–tQ–MS/MS) were used to identify approximately 42 phenolic compounds in F. hystrix, and 30 coumarins were characterized and quantified. The major compounds in F. hystrix roots were skimmin (umbelliferone 7-O-glucoside) and peucenidin (vaginidiol 3′-O-acetyl-4′-O-senecioyl ester), of which, gastroprotective and antioxidant effects were found for the first time. The abovementioned compounds exhibit a gastroprotective effect against indomethacin and steroid gastropathy by reducing the amount of damage (point, large, and strip-like erosions) in the gastric mucosa and lowering the corresponding Paul’s index. The most pronounced gastroprotective effect was exhibited by skimmin at a dose of 1 mg/kg and by peucenidin at doses of 16 and 48 mg/kg; these compounds help to limit the development of pronounced erosive–necrotic processes in the gastric mucosa. In pathological conditions, these compounds reduce malondialdehyde, increase the activity of catalase, and increase the content of reduced glutathione in the blood. Thus, this study demonstrates that F. hystrix roots are a good source of bioactive coumarins with gastroprotective potential, which supports earlier ethnopharmacological studies.

Lactobacillus reuteri in digestive system diseases: focus on clinical trials and mechanisms.

Digestive system diseases have evolved into a growing global burden without sufficient therapeutic measures. Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) is considered as a new potential economical therapy for its probiotic effects in the gastrointestinal system. We have provided an overview of the researches supporting various L. reuteri strains' application in treating common digestive system diseases, including infantile colic, diarrhea, constipation, functional abdominal pain, Helicobacter pylori infection, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, colorectal cancer and liver diseases. The summarized literature in this review was derived from databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The therapeutic effects of L. reuteri in digestive system diseases may depend on various direct and indirect mechanisms, including metabolite production as well as modulation of the intestinal microbiome, preservation of the gut barrier function, and regulation of the host immune system. These actions are largely strain-specific and depend on the activation or inhibition of various certain signal pathways. It is well evidenced that L. reuteri can be effective both as a prophylactic measure and as a preferred therapy for infantile colic, and it can also be recommended as an adjuvant strategy to diarrhea, constipation, Helicobacter pylori infection in therapeutic settings. While preclinical studies have shown the probiotic potential of L. reuteri in the management of functional abdominal pain, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, colorectal cancer and liver diseases, its application in these disease settings still needs further study. This review focuses on the probiotic effects of L. reuteri on gut homeostasis via certain signaling pathways, and emphasizes the importance of these probiotics as a prospective treatment against several digestive system diseases.

Dementia and the history of disease in older adults in community

IntroductionMany studies have revealed the effect of medical history on dementia. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the history of disease and onset of dementia.MethodsThis was a multi-center, cross-sectional study, with 2595 older adults enrolled. The onset of dementia was evaluated with Revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale (HDS-R). The diagnosed diseases after the age of 40 of the participants were investigated, including respiratory system diseases, digestive system diseases, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine disorders, genitourinary system diseases, nervous system disease, sensory system diseases, dental/oral diseases, bone/joint diseases and mental illnesses.ResultsData of 2458 older adults were analyzed. Univariate analysis showed that diabetes, thyroid disease, mental illness, hearing loss, stroke, dental/oral disease, Denture use, fracture/osteoporosis, kidney disease and number of diseases were risk factors for dementia. After controlling for demographic sociological variables, diabetes, dental/oral disease, and denture use were independent risk factors for dementia. Thyroid disease (P = 0.313), mental illnesses (P = 0.067), hearing loss (P = 0.595), stroke (P = 0.538), fractures/osteoporosis (P = 0.069), kidney disease (P = 0.168) were no longer significant to dementia.ConclusionDiabetes, dental/oral disease and denture use were main risk factors for dementia.

Reverse genetics of parrot bornavirus 4 reveals a unique splicing of the glycoprotein gene that affects viral propagation.

Viruses can utilize host splicing machinery to enable the expression of multiple genes from a limited-sized genome. Orthobornaviruses use alternative splicing to regulate the expression level of viral proteins and achieve efficient viral replication in the nucleus. Although more than 20 orthobornaviruses have been identified belonging to eight different viral species, virus-specific splicing has not been demonstrated. Here, we demonstrate that the glycoprotein (G) transcript of parrot bornavirus 4 (PaBV-4; species Orthobornavirus alphapsittaciforme), a highly virulent virus in psittacines, undergoes mRNA splicing and expresses a soluble isoform termed sGP. Interestingly, the splicing donor for sGP is not conserved in other orthobornaviruses, including those belonging to the same orthobornavirus species, suggesting that this splicing has evolved as a PaBV-4-specific event. We have also shown that exogenous expression of sGP does not affect PaBV-4 replication or de novo virion infectivity. In this study, to investigate the role of sGP in viral replication, we established a reverse genetics system for PaBV-4 by using avian cell lines and generated a recombinant virus lacking the spliced mRNA for sGP. Using the recombinant viruses, we show that the replication of the sGP-deficient virus is significantly slower than that of the wild-type virus and that the exogenous expression of sGP cannot restore its propagation efficiency. These results suggest that autologous or controlled expression of sGP by splicing may be important for PaBV-4 propagation. The reverse genetics system for avian bornaviruses developed here will be a powerful tool for understanding the replication strategies and pathogenesis of avian orthobornaviruses. IMPORTANCE Parrot bornavirus 4 (PaBV-4) is the dominant cause of proventricular dilatation disease, a severe gastrointestinal and central nervous system disease among avian bornaviruses. In this study, we discovered that PaBV-4 expresses a soluble isoform of glycoprotein (G), called sGP, through alternative splicing of the G mRNA, which is unique to this virus. To understand the role of sGP in viral replication, we generated recombinant PaBV-4 lacking the newly identified splicing donor site for sGP using a reverse genetics system and found that its propagation was significantly slower than that of the wild-type virus, suggesting that sGP plays an essential role in PaBV-4 infection. Our results provide important insights not only into the replication strategy but also into the pathogenesis of PaBV-4, which is the most prevalent bornavirus in captive psittacines worldwide.

Diagnostic value of conventional endoscopic ultrasound for lymph node metastasis in upper gastrointestinal neoplasia: A meta-analysis.

Upper gastrointestinal neoplasia mainly includes esophageal cancer and gastric cancer, both of which have high morbidity and mortality. Lymph node metastasis (LNM), as the most common metastasis mode of both diseases, is an important factor affecting tumor stage, treatment strategy and clinical prognosis. As a new fusion technology, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is becoming increasingly used in the diagnosis and treatment of digestive system diseases, but its use in detecting LNM in clinical practice remains limited. To evaluate the diagnostic value of conventional EUS for LNM in upper gastrointestinal neoplasia. Using the search mode of "MeSH + Entry Terms" and according to the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, we conducted a comprehensive search and screening of the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases from January 1, 2000 to October 1, 2022. Study data were extracted according to the predetermined data extraction form. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool, and the results of the quality assessment were presented using Review Manager 5.3.5 software. Finally, Stata14.0 software was used for a series of statistical analyses. A total of 22 studies were included in our study, including 2986 patients. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic score and diagnostic odds ratio of conventional EUS in the diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal neoplasia LNM were 0.62 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50-0.73], 0.80 (95%CI: 0.73-0.86), 3.15 (95%CI: 2.46-4.03), 0.47 (95%CI: 0.36-0.61), 1.90 (95%CI: 1.51-2.29) and 6.67 (95%CI: 4.52-9.84), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.80 (95%CI: 0.76-0.83). Sensitivity analysis indicated that the results of the meta-analysis were stable. There was considerable heterogeneity among the included studies, and the threshold effect was an important source of heterogeneity. Univariable meta-regression and subgroup analysis showed that tumor type, sample size and EUS diagnostic criteria were significant sources of heterogeneity in specificity (P < 0.05). No significant publication bias was found. Conventional EUS has certain clinical value and can assist in the detection of LNM in upper gastrointestinal neoplasia, but it cannot be used as a confirmatory or exclusionary test.