Recently, the role of gut microbiota in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been highlighted. We performed an 8-week administration protocol on T2DM (C57BL/6J db-/db-) mice and fecal samples were collected. Comparisons of fecal bacterial communities were performed between db-/db- mice and normal mice (DB/DB) and between the db-/db mice treated and untreated with AOE using next-generation sequencing technology. Our results showed that the db-/db-AOE group had improved glycemic control and renal function compared with the db-/db-H2O group. Compared with the db-/db-H2O group, AOE administration resulted in significantly increased ratio of Bacteroidetes-to-Firmicutes in db-/db- mice. In addition, the abundance of Akkermansia was significantly increased, while Helicobacter was significantly suppressed in the db-/db-AOE group compared with the db-/db-H2O group. Our data suggest that AOE treatment decreased blood glucose levels and significantly reduced damage of renal pathology in the T2DM mice by modulating gut microbiota composition.

This retrospective, hospital-based study shows that the number of patients with Crohn's disease in China has steadily increased over a period of 14 years. Further population-based epidemiological studies specifically focusing on risk factors are needed. The diagnosis of Crohn's disease and therapeutic strategy require improvement.

Significance of the Study• The effect of transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block on postoperative pain remains uncertain. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the analgesic efficacy of TAP block in patients undergoing colorectal surgery (CRS). Based on 7 clinical trials, we found that TAP block reduced postoperative acute pain and morphine consumption. This study provides evidence for the application of TAP block in patients who undergo CRS.

Background: Esophageal cancer (EC) and gastric cancer (GC) are common cancers and leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Many studies have investigated the association between dietary flavonols intake and the risk of EC and GC, but the results are inconsistent. Hence, we conducted a systematic analysis of relevant population-based studies to assess the association and derive a more precise estimation. Methods: The Cochrane, PubMed and Embase databases were searched to identify articles published through January 2016 that met the predetermined inclusion criterion. Twelve studies involving 4593 patients and 519,378 controls were included. Results: The summary odds ratios (ORs) of EC, GC and the two combined were respectively 0.88 (95% CI: 0.73–1.08), 0.80 (95% CI: 0.70–0.91) and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.74–0.92) for the highest category of dietary flavonols intake compared with the lowest. No significant heterogeneities were observed in these studies. Further analysis showed that the pooled ORs of EC and GC for cohort, population-based case-control and hospital-based case-control studies were 0.90 (95% CI: 0.61–1.34), 0.92 (95% CI: 0.72–1.18), 0.68 (95% CI: 0.38–1.24) and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.65–1.06), 0.84 (95% CI: 0.45–1.59), 0.70 (95% CI: 0.56–0.88). The subgroup analyses revealed a significant association of flavonol intake with a reduced risk of noncardia gastric adenocarcinoma but not gastric cardia adenocarcinoma. Moreover, significant inverse associations of flavonol intake with GC risk were observed in women but not in men, in smokers but not in nonsmokers, in European populations but not in American populations. Similarly, a significant inverse association of flavonols intake with EC risk was also observed in smokers but not in nonsmokers. Conclusion: High intake of dietary flavonols is significantly related to a reduced risk of GC, especially in women and smokers.

BACKGROUND Considerable efforts have been dedicated to developing strategies to prevent and treat recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (rCDI); however, evidence of the impact of rCDI on patient healthcare utilization and outcomes is limited. OBJECTIVE To compare healthcare utilization and 1-year mortality among adults who had rCDI, nonrecurrent CDI, or no CDI. METHODS We performed a nested case-control study among adult Kaiser Foundation Health Plan members from September 1, 2001, through December 31, 2013. We identified CDI through the presence of a positive laboratory test result and divided patients into 3 groups: patients with rCDI, defined as CDI in the 14–57 days after initial CDI; patients with nonrecurrent CDI; and patients who never had CDI. We conducted 3 matched comparisons: (1) rCDI vs no CDI; (2) rCDI vs nonrecurrent CDI; (3) nonrecurrent CDI vs no CDI. We followed patients for 1 year and compared healthcare utilization between groups, after matching patients on age, sex, and comorbidity. RESULTS We found that patients with rCDI consistently have substantially higher levels of healthcare utilization in various settings and greater 1-year mortality risk than both patients who had nonrecurrent CDI and patients who never had CDI. CONCLUSIONS Patients who develop an initial CDI are generally characterized by excess underlying, severe illness and utilization. However, patients with rCDI experience even greater adverse consequences of their disease than patients who do not experience rCDI. Our results further support the need for continued emphasis on identifying and using novel approaches to prevent and treat rCDI.

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG3 has been shown to play oncogenic roles in several cancer types, but the mechanisms underlying its activity are poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to explore the clinical relevance and mechanistic role of SNHG3 in gastric cancer (GC). We found that SNHG3 expression in GC cell lines and tissues was significantly increased, and the upregulation of this lncRNA was correlated with tumor clinical stage and decreased patient survival. Knocking down SNHG3 in GC cells impaired the proliferative, migratory, and invasive activity in vitro and constrained in vivo GC xenograft tumor growth. Mechanistically, SNHG3 was found to bind and sequester miR-139-5p, thereby indirectly promoting the upregulation of the miR-139-5p target gene MYB. These data demonstrated that SNHG3 functions in an oncogenic manner to drive GC proliferation, migration, and invasion by regulating the miR-139-5p/MYB axis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease, with multiple genetic and environmental factors involving in its etiology. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) gene was reported to have important roles in the development and progression of SLE. In this study, a case-control study was carried out to investigate the effects of seven SNPs and I/D in ACE gene in the development of SLE in Northern China. Seven SNPs including A5466C, T3892C, A240T, C1237T, G2215A, A2350G and C3409T were genotyped by PCR-RFLP method, and I/D was examined by agarose gel electrophoresis followed PCR directly. 314 SLE patients were compared to 320 normal controls in the study. Data were analyzed by SPSS 13.0 and HaploView software. The frequency distribution of SNP A2350G and Alu I/D and five haplotypes (AAAACCCI, AGAACCTD, AAAATCTI, TAAATTTI and TAAATCTI) were demonstrated to be different between case and control groups significantly. Whereas other SNPs and haplotypes had no differences in two cohorts. The results revealed that variations of ACE gene had association with SLE, which indicated ACE gene may play an important role in pathogenesis of SLE in Northern Chinese Han population.

No abstract