Volume 17 Issue 7, 15 July 2020

Details about IgE-producing B cells in the gut in the context of food allergy are scarce, despite the frequent exposure of the gut and its associated lymphoid tissues to dietary antigens. A new study finds that IgE-producing B cells are enriched in gut tissues and are probably generated from local antibody isotype switching.

Two new position papers convincingly propose that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease needs a new name — metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). A new name for this disease affecting nearly one billion people globally is overdue, as knowledge gained from the past decades has assuringly demonstrated that MAFLD is a purely metabolic disorder.

Most patients who undergo curative intent surgery for pancreatic cancer will still die of recurrent disease. A new study shows that pancreatic tumours that pass through the genetic bottlenecks of surgery and additional chemoradiotherapy have altered mutational signatures, driver genes and subclonal architecture.

Mammalian livers are characterized by an alteration of chromosome numbers, or polyploidy. In this Review, Desdouets and collaborators describe the regulation of polyploidy in liver development and pathophysiology, and discuss the mechanisms of hepatocyte polyploidization and its role in liver tumorigenesis.

Exclusion diets are popular in the management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This Review outlines the mechanisms by which food might lead to symptoms in IBS and discusses different approaches to how exclusion diets can be evaluated in randomized controlled trials.

Rectal cancer treatment has evolved towards a multidisciplinary approach to disease management. This Review examines the essential components of rectal cancer management through a multidisciplinary team, with a focus on the effect of this approach and the elements used for staging and developing the treatment plan.

The evidence base for robotic gastrointestinal surgery does not yet support its widespread adoption. Here, Kinross et al. discuss this evidence base and the principles on which future gastrointestinal surgical trials should be based, as well as emerging technologies.