Hepatic Expression of ACBP Is a Prognostic Marker for Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery.

The incidence and prevalence of obesity and related cardio-metabolic diseases are on the rise, posing a critical health care challenge to systems across the globe. Bariatric surgery is a therapeutic cornerstone for morbidly obese patients, besides novel medical treatments, partly by ameliorating metabolic inflammation, a hallmark of metabolic diseases. Acyl-CoA Binding Protein (ACBP), also known as diazepam-binding inhibitor (DBI), is a regulator of autophagy and metabolism, and has recently been shown to increase in individuals undergoing voluntary fasting and in patients with cancer cachexia-induced malnutrition.

Fecal metaproteomics enables functional characterization of remission in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

The gut microbiome is an important contributor to the development and the course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While changes in the gut microbiome composition were observed in response to IBD therapy using biologics, studies elucidating human and microbial proteins and pathways in dependence on therapy success are sparse. Fecal samples of a cohort of IBD patients were collected before and after 14 weeks of treatment with three different biologics.

The Intestine in Acute and Long COVID: Pathophysiological Insights and Key Lessons.

Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), commonly known as Long COVID, represents a significant and complex health challenge with a wide range of symptoms affecting multiple organ systems. This review examines the emerging evidence suggesting a critical role of the gut and gut-brain axis in the pathophysiology of Long COVID. It explores how changes in the gut microbiome, disruption of gut barrier integrity, and the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 antigens within the gastrointestinal tract may contribute to the prolonged and varied symptoms seen in Long COVID, including chronic inflammation and neuropsychiatric disturbances.

Heavy arch: from inflammatory bowel diseases to metabolic disorders.

Background: Metabolic disorders and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have captured the globe during Westernisation of lifestyle and related dietary habits over the last decades. Both disease entities are characterised by complex and heterogeneous clinical spectra linked to distinct symptoms and organ systems which, on a first glimpse, do not have many commonalities in clinical practice. However, experimental studies indicate a common backbone of inflammatory mechanisms in metabolic diseases and gut inflammation, and emerging clinical evidence suggests an intricate interplay between metabolic disorders and IBD.

Innate Immunity and MASLD.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has emerged as the most common liver disease worldwide in recent years. MASLD commonly presents as simple hepatic steatosis, but ~25% of patients develop liver inflammation, progressive fibrosis, liver cirrhosis and related hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver inflammation and the degree of fibrosis are key determinants of the prognosis.

24-Norursodeoxycholic acid ameliorates experimental alcohol-related liver disease and activates hepatic PPARγ.

Background & Aims: Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) is a global healthcare challenge with limited treatment options. 24-Norursodeoxycholic acid (NorUDCA) is a synthetic bile acid with anti-inflammatory properties in experimental and human cholestatic liver diseases. In the present study, we explored the efficacy of norUDCA in experimental ALD.

Postacute COVID-19 is Characterized by Gut Viral Antigen Persistence in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Background & Aims: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected populations, societies, and lives for more than 2 years. Long-term sequelae of COVID-19, collectively termed the postacute COVID-19 syndrome, are rapidly emerging across the globe. Here, we investigated whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigen persistence underlies the postacute COVID-19 syndrome.

PUFA-Induced Metabolic Enteritis as a Fuel for Crohn's Disease.

Background & Aims: Crohn's disease (CD) globally emerges with Westernization of lifestyle and nutritional habits. However, a specific dietary constituent that comprehensively evokes gut inflammation in human inflammatory bowel diseases remains elusive. We aimed to delineate how increased intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in a Western diet, known to impart risk for developing CD, affects gut inflammation and disease course.

Calprotectin: from biomarker to biological function.

The incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) emerged with Westernisation of dietary habits worldwide. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic debilitating conditions that afflict individuals with substantial morbidity and challenge healthcare systems across the globe. Since identification and characterisation of calprotectin (CP) in the 1980s, faecal CP emerged as significantly validated, non-invasive biomarker that allows evaluation of gut inflammation.

SAFB2 Enables the Processing of Suboptimal Stem-Loop Structures in Clustered Primary miRNA Transcripts.

Many microRNAs (miRNAs) are generated from primary transcripts containing multiple clustered stem-loop structures that are thought to be recognized and cleaved by the Microprocessor complex as independent units. Here, we uncover an unexpected mode of processing of the bicistronic miR-15a-16-1 cluster. We find that the primary miR-15a stem-loop is not processed on its own but that the presence of the neighboring primary miR-16-1 stem-loop on the same transcript can compensate for this deficiency in cis.