Detecting Portal Venous Blood Flow in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease Using Non-Invasive Doppler Ultrasound.

Introduction Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is the most common liver disease and is associated with metabolic syndrome, obesity, and insulin resistance. MAFLD has been shown to produce changes in portal venous blood velocity and portal pressure before the development of cirrhosis. Accurate measurement of portal venous blood flow is essential for early detection of portal hypertension and assessing fibrosis risk.

Phenotypic Divergence of JAG1- and NOTCH2-Associated Alagille Syndrome & Disease-Specific NOTCH2 Variant Classification Guidelines.

Background & Aims: Alagille syndrome (ALGS) is a rare, autosomal dominant disorder with high phenotypic heterogeneity. Disease-causing variants are primarily identified in Jagged1 (JAG1), with fewer reported in NOTCH2. JAG1 variants cause disease through a mechanism of haploinsufficiency, but the mechanism for NOTCH2 variants is not completely understood, making classification of variants more challenging.

Legume lectin phytohemagglutinin reduces transepithelial electrical resistance by counteracting the chaperone function of heat shock protein-70.

Legume lectins represent a broad class of environmental toxicants that bind to cell surface glycoproteins. Raw red kidney beans (RRKB), a widely consumed common source of dietary protein, are rich in the lectin phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Consumption of improperly cooked (which may require overnight presoaking and boiling at least at 100°C for 45 min) red kidney beans causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms.

Genome-wide association study of angiotensinogen levels and key single nucleotide polymorphism associations with blood pressure.

Objective: The renin angiotensin aldosterone system plays a key role in circulatory homeostasis. We sought to identify genetic determinants of measured plasma angiotensinogen levels and subsequently evaluate the association of these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension in a multiethnic population.

Methods: Genome-wide association study (GWAS) of plasma angiotensinogen levels, measured using an enzyme-linked immunoassay, was conducted in 4899 Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants (self-identified as White, n = 1865; Hispanic, n  = 1113; Black, n  = 1224; and Chinese, n  = 629).

A pathological phosphorylation pattern enhances tau cooperativity on microtubules and facilitates tau filament assembly.

Phosphorylation plays a crucial role in both normal and disease processes involving the microtubule-associated protein tau. Physiologically, phosphorylation regulates tau's subcellular localization within neurons and is involved in fetal development and animal hibernation. However, abnormal phosphorylation of tau is linked to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in various human tauopathies.

Catecholamine exposure and the gut microbiota in obstructive sleep apnea.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have increased mortality from chronic inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases. Excess catecholamine exposure contributes to the disease associations of OSA, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that increased catecholamine exposure is associated with Enterobacteriaceae abundance in OSA.

The Role of Bacteria-Derived Hydrogen Sulfide in Multiple Axes of Disease.

In this review article, we discuss and explore the role of bacteria-derived hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is a signaling molecule produced endogenously that plays an important role in health and disease. It is also produced by the gut microbiome.

A large-scale genome-wide study of gene-sleep duration interactions for blood pressure in 811,405 individuals from diverse populations.

Although both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discovered 22 novel gene-sleep duration interaction loci for blood pressure, mapped to 23 genes.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide associations and polygenic risk prediction for atrial fibrillation in more than 180,000 cases.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm abnormality and is a leading cause of heart failure and stroke. This large-scale meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies increased the power to detect single-nucleotide variant associations and found more than 350 AF-associated genetic loci. We identified candidate genes related to muscle contractility, cardiac muscle development and cell-cell communication at 139 loci.

A pathological phosphorylation pattern enhances tau cooperativity on microtubules and facilitates tau filament assembly.

Phosphorylation plays a crucial role in both normal and disease processes involving the microtubule-associated protein tau. Physiologically, phosphorylation regulates tau's subcellular localization within neurons and is involved in fetal development and animal hibernation. However, abnormal phosphorylation of tau is linked to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in various human tauopathies.

American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: postoperative care pathway guidelines for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Background: Clinical care pathways and guidelines help guide and provide structure to clinicians and providers to improve healthcare delivery and quality. The Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (QIPS) Committee of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) has previously published care pathways for the performance of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), preoperative care of patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), and most recently, intraoperative care of patients undergoing RYGB.

Objectives: This current RYGB care pathway guideline was created to address postoperative care guidance.

Transcytosis of T4 Bacteriophage Through Intestinal Cells Enhances Its Immune Activation.

Interactions between bacteriophages with mammalian immune cells are of great interest and most phages possess at least one molecular pattern (nucleic acid, sugar residue, or protein structure) that is recognizable to the immune system through pathogen associated molecular pattern (PAMP) receptors (i.e., TLRs).

Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria Induce Pro-Inflammatory TNF-α and iNOS via PI3K/Akt Pathway in a TLR 2-Dependent Manner.

, resident gut sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), are found to overgrow in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and Parkinson's disease. They activate a pro-inflammatory response, suggesting that may play a causal role in inflammation. Class I phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway regulates key events in the inflammatory response to infection.

Diffusion magnetic resonance spectroscopy captures microglial reactivity related to gut-derived systemic lipopolysaccharide: A preliminary study.

Neuroinflammation is a key component underlying multiple neurological disorders, yet non-invasive and cost-effective assessment of in vivo neuroinflammatory processes in the central nervous system remains challenging. Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance spectroscopy (dMRS) has shown promise in addressing these challenges by measuring diffusivity properties of different neurometabolites, which can reflect cell-specific morphologies. Prior work has demonstrated dMRS utility in capturing microglial reactivity in the context of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenges and serious neurological disorders, detected as changes of microglial metabolite diffusivity properties.

Patient perspective on exercise practices, preferences, and barriers in pediatric nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: A multicenter survey.

Background/aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is prevalent among children, and lifestyle modification is the primary treatment approach. However, the optimal exercise duration, frequency, and intensity for managing NAFLD remain undefined. This study aimed to gain insights from the patient perspective by examining exercise behaviors, preferences, and barriers in children with NAFLD.

American society for metabolic and bariatric surgery: intra-operative care pathway for minimally invasive Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.

Background: Clinical care pathways help guide and provide structure to clinicians and providers to improve healthcare delivery and quality. The Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Committee (QIPS) of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) has previously published care pathways for the performance of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) and pre-operative care of patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).

Objective: This current RYGB care pathway was created to address intraoperative care, defined as care occurring on the day of surgery from the preoperative holding area, through the operating room, and into the postanesthesia care unit (PACU).

A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Study of Gene-Sleep Duration Interactions for Blood Pressure in 811,405 Individuals from Diverse Populations.

Although both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discover 22 novel gene-sleep duration interaction loci for blood pressure, mapped to 23 genes.

Magnesium Oxide Reduces Anxiety-like Behavior in Mice by Inhibiting Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria.

The gut microbiota-brain axis allows for bidirectional communication between the microbes in our gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the central nervous system. Psychological stress has been known to disrupt the gut microbiome (dysbiosis) leading to anxiety-like behavior. Pathogens administered into the gut have been reported to cause anxiety.

Abnormal Cerebrovascular Activity, Perfusion, and Glymphatic Clearance in Lewy Body Diseases.

Cerebrovascular activity is not only crucial to optimal cerebral perfusion, but also plays an important role in the glymphatic clearance of interstitial waste, including α-synuclein. This highlights a need to evaluate how cerebrovascular activity is altered in Lewy body diseases. This review begins by discussing how vascular risk factors and cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction may serve as upstream or direct influences on cerebrovascular activity.

Improving Image Segmentation with Contextual and Structural Similarity.

Deep learning models for medical image segmentation are usually trained with voxel-wise losses, e.g., cross-entropy loss, focusing on unary supervision without considering inter-voxel relationships.

Assessment of dietary interventions including low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols diet as management for fructose intolerance.

Objectives: Abdominal pain remains one of the most common referral reasons to pediatric gastroenterology. Dietary intolerances are often considered but due to various factors are hardly pursued. We observed that diet review in large number of children with abdominal pain was high in sugary foods which led to food intolerance investigation and dietary intervention.