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Oncolytic viruses have made headlines owing to increasing numbers of reports of clinical success. Compelling data now indicate that small anticancer molecules can serve as potent sensitizers of tumour cells in hepatocellular carcinoma to enhance the oncolytic potential of systemically applied viruses.
Although Helicobacter pylori is associated with gastric cancer, bacterial communities that reside in the stomach are mostly unacknowledged. A new study shows that some gastric bacterial communities have emigrated from our mouth, prefer certain neighbours and prefer certain environments. By understanding the interactions of these bacteria, we hope to understand the environment most conducive to gastric cancer carcinogenesis.
Ileocaecal resection has traditionally been reserved for the treatment of biologic-refractory inflammatory, fibrostenotic or fistulizing Crohn's disease of the terminal ileum. Now, for the first time, this surgical approach has been investigated as an initial treatment for steroid or immunomodulator-refractory Crohn's ileitis, in comparison with anti-TNF therapy.
A wide variety of environmental triggers have been associated with IBD pathogenesis, including the gut microbiota, diet, pollution and early-life factors. This Review discusses the latest evidence and progress towards better understanding the environmental factors associated with IBD.
Traditionally, biopsy has been a mainstay and gold standard for the diagnosis of coeliac disease, but a biopsy-sparing approach has been suggested and adopted for the assessment of children in some countries. Here, the authors outline the current diagnostic methods for coeliac disease, discussing the pros and cons of a no-biopsy approach for both adults and children.
Bile acids link the gut microbiota to both hepatic and intestinal metabolism, and this tripartite relationship has been implicated in gastrointestinal disease. In this Review, the authors outline the mechanistic links between bile acid–microbiota crosstalk and gastrointestinal inflammation and carcinogenesis, with a specific emphasis on the major bile-acid-sensing receptors.