Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology最新文献

Background: Viral hepatitis is a global public health problem that affects millions of people each year, causing disability and death. Hepatitis B and C viruses are the most common causes of viral hepatitis and are associated with chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The primary site of infection for these viruses is the liver, the primary site of hormone and glucose metabolism closely linked to diabetes mellitus (DM), which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. As a result, assessing the coexistence of viral hepatitis and DM could be important in disease management, prevention, and control measures in DM patients.

Objective: The aim of our study is to assess the prevalence and associated factors of HBV and HCV among diabetes patients attending Debre Tabor Referral Hospital.

Methods: An institutional-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from December 1, 2021, to February 30, 2021. A systematic sampling technique was used for selecting study participants. Serum samples were screened with a rapid test kit for hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) infections. A pretested structured questionnaire was constructed to collect the data, which were later analyzed using SPSS version 23. Inferential statistics were used to evaluate the associated risk factors for the outcome variable. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Result: A total of 152 diabetes patients were included in this study, with 78 (51.3%) males and 74 (48.7%) females, with a mean age of 39.24 ± 17.90 years. The prevalence of HBV and HCV was 6 (3.9%) and 2 (1.3%), respectively. Most of potential risk factors such as, histories of surgical procedures, tooth extraction, hepatitis infection in the family, blood transfusion, alcohol consumption, body tattooing, and multiple sexual partners were not statistically significant for HBV and HCV infections.

Conclusion: In this study, no association was obtained between sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioural factors and the prevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses. Furthermore, there is no significant association detected between HBV or potential HCV infection and DM. Despite these results, continuing professional training programs on HBV and HCV infection, including increased vaccination coverage rates for HBV, are required.

Studies have established a correlation between α2-macroglobulin-like 1 (A2ML1) and the prognosis of lung, pancreatic, and breast cancers; however, research on its involvement in the pathogenesis of esophageal carcinoma remains limited. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the role of A2ML1 in the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Immunohistochemical staining was employed to assess the expression level of A2ML1 protein in both tumor and adjacent normal tissues of patients with ESCC. The Kaplan-Meier method, along with univariate and multivariate Cox risk ratio analyses, was used to determine survival rates and prognostic factors. Furthermore, two human ESCC cell lines, KYSE30 and KYSE150, were used to assess the effect of A2ML1 overexpression on cell proliferation and apoptosis. A human apoptosis antibody kit was also used to analyze the downstream action proteins of A2ML1, and a nude mouse xenotransplantation model was used to evaluate the effect of A2ML1 on ESCC tumorigenesis in vivo. The protein level of A2ML1 in ESCC tissues was significantly lower than that in normal esophageal tissues, and higher A2ML1 protein levels were associated with smaller ESCC tumor sizes and improved tumor-specific survival rates. Multivariate analysis established A2ML1 as a novel independent prognostic factor for ESCC. Moreover, A2ML1 overexpression significantly inhibited ESCC cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. A2ML1 consistently inhibited tumor growth in mouse models. Furthermore, the human apoptotic antibody kit results showed increased expression of the proliferation-inhibiting protein p21 downstream of KYSE150 cells overexpressing A2ML1. Our findings demonstrate that a correlation exists between A2ML1 and ESCC prognosis and that A2ML1 plays an antitumor role in ESCC progression. This study underscores the potential of A2ML1 as a novel biomarker for predicting the prognosis of ESCC.

Human antigen R (HuR), also known as ELAVL1, is a widely expressed RNA-binding protein (RBP) that has a significant impact on the development and advancement of tumors. Our previous study found that 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) may impede the proliferation and increase apoptosis in gastric cancer cells by reducing the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of HuR. However, how posttranscriptional regulation influences HuR functions in gastric cancer remains to be elucidated. Here, we demonstrated that miR-325-3p has the potential to regulate the expression level of HuR by directly binding to its 3'UTR, which in turn led to a significant reduction in proliferation and an increase in apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. In addition, xenograft experiment showed that knockdown of HuR or overexpression of miR-325-3p group exhibited smaller tumor sizes after transplant of gastric cancer cells into zebrafish larvae. Thus, our findings offer new insights into the pathogenesis of gastric cancer and may potentially assist in identifying novel targets for drug therapy.