The N(6)-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most pervasive modification of human RNAs. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have suggested that m6A likely plays important roles in cancers. Many studies have demonstrated that m6A is involved in the biological functions of cancer cells, such as proliferation, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. In addition, m6A is closely related to the prognosis of cancer patients. In this review, we highlight recent advances in understanding the function of m6A in various cancers. We emphasize the importance of m6A to cancer progression and look forward to describe future research directions.

BackgroundDrug-induced pancreatitis is a rare cause of acute pancreatitis. Tacrolimus has been used as an immunosuppressant agent in patients after organ transplantation. However, only a few case reports of tacrolimus-induced acute pancreatitis in kidney transplantation have been reported. The purpose of this case report is to alert clinicians that tacrolimus-induced acute pancreatitis may occur during tacrolimus therapy in kidney transplant patients.Case PresentationWe present the case of a 38-year-old woman who underwent kidney transplantation and received immunosuppressive therapy with tacrolimus; on day 20 post-transplantation, she presented with acute abdominal pain in the middle and left areas of the abdomen accompanied by diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. We excluded gallstone disease, alcohol, hypertriglyceridemia, and other possible causes, and speculated that tacrolimus was the probable cause of pancreatitis because of the extremely high blood concentration of tacrolimus. After tacrolimus was changed to cyclosporine, her symptoms were gradually improved, and she was discharged home without relapse.ConclusionTacrolimus is a rare cause of pancreatitis after kidney transplantation. It is important to note that tacrolimus-induced acute pancreatitis may occur during tacrolimus therapy in kidney transplantation patients.

Objective To clarify the incidence of colonic complications in patients with NP and their impact on prognosis. Methods The clinical data of NP patients admitted to the Department of General Surgery of Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2014 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of colonic complications, and the clinical prognosis of the two groups was analyzed after matching using a 1:1 propensity score, The primary study endpoint was patient mortality during hospitalization. Data are reported as median (range) or percentage of patients (%). Results A total of 306 patients with NP were included in this study, and the incidence of colonic complications was 12.4%, including 15 cases of colonic obstruction, 17 cases of colonic fistula, and 9 cases of colonic hemorrhage. Before matching, patients in the colonic group had severe admissions and poor clinical outcomes ( P <0.05). After matching, the baseline data and clinical characteristics at admission were comparable between the two groups of patients. In terms of clinical outcomes, although the mortality was similar in the two groups ( P >0.05), but patients in the colonic group were more likely to have multiorgan failure, length of nutrition support, number of minimally invasive interventions, number of extra-pancreatic infections, length of ICU stay and total length of stay were significantly higher than those of patients in the group without colonic complications ( P <0.05). During long-term follow-up, patients in the colonic group were more likely to develop recurrent pancreatitis. Conclusion About 12.4% of NP patients developed colonic complications, and after PSM it was found that colonic complications only led to a longer hospital stay and an increased number of clinical interventions in NP patients and did not increase the mortality.

Objective The incidence of acute pancreatitis (AP) is increasing. Twenty percent of AP patients with developing necrotizing pancreatitis (NP), while ~40–70% of NP patients develop potentially fatal infectious complications. When patients are suspected or confirmed infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN), antibiotics should be administered timeously to control the infection, but long-term use of antibiotics can lead to multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) infection and eventually to increased mortality. Our study aimed to determine the incidence of MDRB infection and evaluate the risk factors for MDRB infection in IPN patients. Methods Clinical data of IPN patients admitted to the general surgery department of Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2021, were retrospectively analyzed. Results IPN patients (n = 267) were assigned to MDRB infection (n = 124) and non-MDRB infection (n = 143) groups. On admission, patients in the MDRB group had a higher modified computer tomography severity index (CTSI) score ( P < 0.05), pancreatic necrosis degree, and PCT level ( P < 0.05) than those in the non-MDRB group, and the prognosis of patients in MDRB group was poor. The most common gram-negative bacteria were Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 117), the most common gram-positive bacteria were Enterococcus faecium (n = 98), and the most common fungal infection was Candida albicans (n = 47). Multivariable analysis showed that complications of EPI (OR: 4.116, 95% CI: 1.381–12.271, P = 0.011), procalcitonin (PCT) level at admission (OR: 2.728, 95% CI: 1.502–4.954, P = 0.001), and degree of pancreatic necrosis (OR: 2.741, 95% CI: 1.109–6.775, P = 0.029) were independent risk factors for MDRB infection in IPN patients. Conclusion We identified common infectious strains and risk factors for MDRB infection in IPN patients.

Objective The immune response is a double-edged sword, and COVID-19 shares similarities with pancreatitis in terms of natural immune response, immune storm, and multi-organ involvement. However, whether a causal association between them remained unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential causal association between COVID-19 and pancreatitis using a bidirectional Mendelian Randomization (MR) approach. Methods The study analyzed three variables related to COVID-19 (severity, hospitalization, and susceptibility) with a sample size ranging from approximately 1,059,456 to 1,557,411. Additionally, four types of pancreatitis (acute, chronic, alcohol-induced acute, and chronic) were examined, with a sample size ranging from 337,126 to 377,277. Causal associations were estimated using inverse-variance weighted (IVW), median weighted, and MR-Egger methods. Results The IVW model indicated potential causal associations between genetic susceptibility to severe and hospitalized COVID-19 and a decreased risk of acute pancreatitis (OR = 0.914, p = 0.01; OR = 0.884, p = 0.008) and alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis (OR = 0.852, p = 0.013; OR = 0.768, p = 0.002), including chronic pancreatitis. Inconsistent associations were observed between IVW and sensitivity analyses in acute and chronic pancreatitis of severe and hospitalized COVID-19. Conversely, no significant associations were found between pancreatitis traits and COVID-19-related variables in reverse MR analysis. No heterogeneity or pleiotropy was found. Conclusions Host genetic liability to severe and hospitalized COVID-19 was causally associated with declining risk of alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis, while no significant association was observed for pancreatitis on COVID-19 outcomes. This study has significant implications for unraveling their pathogenesis and guiding clinical management.