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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous cancer with variable outcomes after treatment. Prognosis of HCC cannot be accurately predicted by current clinical staging systems. Development of prognostic biomarkers is critical to improve treatment outcome. Recent studies indicate that inflammatory and immunological markers might provide reliable prognostic classification in HCC.
In an attempt to better characterize mucosal healing in ulcerative colitis, various endoscopic scoring systems have been introduced. However, most have limited interobserver agreement. A recent study has validated the ulcerative colitis colonoscopic index of severity and found that this new scoring system provides reproducible results among gastroenterologists.
Novel findings draw attention to the adverse effect that neoplastic transformation of epithelial cells has on intestinal barrier function and cancer progression. An impaired intestinal barrier facilitated the translocation of microbial products, which promoted cytokine production and subsequent tumour progression in mice. The findings could open new therapeutic avenues for patients with early stage colorectal cancer.
The incidence of eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) has been increasing since it was defined as a distinct disease entity in the 1990s. In this Review, Alex Straumann and Alain Schoepfer define EoE and describe its aetiology and pathogenesis. They also discuss strengths and limitations of existing therapeutic approaches.
This Review focuses on several of the hormones released by the gastrointestinal tract prior to or during nutrient ingestion that have key roles in maintaining energy balance. These hormones include the gastric orexigenic hormone, ghrelin, and the distal L cell anorex-igenic and metabolic hormones, glucagon-like peptide (GLP) 1, GLP 2, oxyntomodulin and peptide YY. Their biological actions are outlined, as well as potential or actual uses as treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) largely affects patients >75 years old, yet no evidence-based guidelines are available for this age group. In this article, Riccardo Audisio and Demetris Papamichael discuss the various treatment options available for older patients with CRC and suggest that treatment should be tailored to the individual patient.
Targets for the medical management of NAFLD remain elusive and no medications have been approved by the FDA to date. Instead, lifestyle modification via diet and exercise is most commonly recommended. The optimal physical activity regimen in terms of both effectiveness and compliance remains to be determined and is the focus of this Review.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy in the world, yet consensus is lacking on whether to treat patients with resection or transplantation. In this Perspectives, Sheung Tat Fan discusses the treatment outcome of HCC by transplantation or resection and the future development of surgical treatment of HCC.
Whole-organ tissue engineering could help address the shortage of donor livers by using damaged organs that would otherwise be rejected for transplantation. In this Perspectives article, Uygun and colleagues outline progress in the decellularization and recellularization of damaged livers and describe the next steps needed for whole-organ tissue engineering to be applied in a clinical setting.
