Background Magnifying endoscopy with narrow band imaging (M-NBI) has been applied to examine early gastric cancer by observing microvascular architecture and microsurface structure of gastric mucosal lesions. However, the diagnostic efficacy of non-experts in differentiating early gastric cancer from non-cancerous lesions by M-NBI remained far from satisfactory. In this study, we developed a new system based on convolutional neural network (CNN) to analyze gastric mucosal lesions observed by M-NBI. Methods A total of 386 images of non-cancerous lesions and 1702 images of early gastric cancer were collected to train and establish a CNN model (Inception-v3). Then a total of 341 endoscopic images (171 non-cancerous lesions and 170 early gastric cancer) were selected to evaluate the diagnostic capabilities of CNN and endoscopists. Primary outcome measures included diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Results The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of CNN system in the diagnosis of early gastric cancer were 91.18%, 90.64%, and 90.91%, respectively. No significant difference was spotted in the specificity and accuracy of diagnosis between CNN and experts. However, the diagnostic sensitivity of CNN was significantly higher than that of the experts. Furthermore, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of CNN were significantly higher than those of the non-experts. Conclusions Our CNN system showed high accuracy, sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of early gastric cancer. It is anticipated that more progress will be made in optimization of the CNN diagnostic system and further development of artificial intelligence in the medical field.

Background and Aim Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has gradually become one of the most common chronic liver diseases in the world. More and more evidence shows that low skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) may play a role in the development of NAFLD. Our aim was to quantify the association between SMI, sarcopenia and the presence and severity of NAFLD. Methods We systematically searched English relevant studies from PubMed, Embase, the Web of Science and the Cochrane Library updated to December 20th, 2018. Studies in which SMI was compared between NAFLD cases and controls were included. So were studies concerning the odds ratio (OR) of NAFLD, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and significant fibrosis in sarcopenia patients. Pooled weighted mean differences and ORs were calculated. Results Of the 1331 retrieved studies, 19 articles were included. SMI level in NAFLD patients was 1.77 (95% CI 1.15, 2.39) lower than that in normal controls. We also found a significantly higher occurrence risk of NAFLD (OR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.48), NASH (OR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.27 to 3.57) and NAFLD-related significant fibrosis (OR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.34, 1.78) in sarcopenia subjects. Conclusions SMI level in patients with NAFLD was lower than healthy people, and patients with sarcopenia have higher occurrence risk of NAFLD, as well as its advanced stages including NASH or NAFLD-related significant fibrosis. Further well-designed prospective studies are required to strengthen the arguments.

Parkinson disease autosomal recessive, early onset 7 (PARK7 or DJ-1) is involved in multiple physiological processes and exerts anti-apoptotic effects on multiple cell types. Increased intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) apoptosis and excessive activation of the p53 signaling pathway is a hallmark of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). However, whether DJ-1 plays a role in colitis is unclear. To determine whether DJ-1 deficiency is involved in the p53 activation that results in IEC apoptosis in colitis, here we performed immunostaining, real-time PCR, and immunoblotting analyses to assess DJ-1 expression in human UC and CD samples. In the inflamed intestines of individuals with IBD, DJ-1 expression was decreased and negatively correlated with p53 expression. DJ-1 deficiency significantly aggravated colitis, evidenced by increased intestinal inflammation and exacerbated IEC apoptosis. Moreover, DJ-1 directly interacted with p53, and reduced DJ-1 levels increased p53 levels both in vivo and in vitro and were associated with decreased p53 degradation via the lysosomal pathway. We also induced experimental colitis with dextran sulfate sodium in mice and found that compared with DJ-1−/− mice, DJ-1−/−p53−/− mice have reduced apoptosis and inflammation and increased epithelial barrier integrity. Furthermore, pharmacological inhibition of p53 relieved inflammation in the DJ-1−/− mice. In conclusion, reduced DJ-1 expression promotes inflammation and IEC apoptosis via p53 in colitis, suggesting that the modulation of DJ-1 expression may be a potential therapeutic strategy for managing colitis.

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Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), whose pathogenesis remains unelucidated, has become an increasingly prevalent disease globally requiring novel treatment strategies. This study aims to explore the role of leukocyte cell‐derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2), one of the known hepatokines, in the development of NAFLD. Methods The serum LECT2 level was evaluated in patients with NAFLD and male C57BL/6 mice fed a high‐fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks. Tail intravenous injection of adeno‐associated virus that contained Lect2 short hairpin RNA or Lect2 overexpression plasmid was administered to mice to inhibit or increase hepatic Lect2 expression. Hepatic steatosis was evaluated by histological staining with haematoxylin and eosin and Oil Red O, and also by quantitative hepatic triglyceride measurements. RNA‐seq was performed to discover the specific targets of LECT2 on NAFLD. Results Serum and hepatic LECT2 levels were elevated in NAFLD patients and HFD‐fed mice. Inhibition of hepatic Lect2 expression alleviated HFD‐induced hepatic steatosis and inflammation, whereas hepatic overexpression of Lect2 aggravated HFD‐induced hepatic steatosis and inflammation. RNA‐seq and bioinformatical analysis suggested that the signal transducers and activators of transcription‐1 (STAT‐1) pathway might play an indispensable role in the interaction between LECT2 and NAFLD. A STAT‐1 inhibitor could reverse the accumulation of hepatic lipids caused by Lect2 overexpression. Conclusion LECT2 expression is significantly elevated in NAFLD. LECT2 induces the occurrence and development of NAFLD through the STAT‐1 pathway. LECT2 may be a potential therapeutic target for NAFLD.

PurposeThe aim of this study was to compare the serum levels of one-carbon metabolism (OCM) nutrients (e.g., folate, homocysteine and vitamin B12) and peripheral blood DNA methylation in epileptic patients under treatment with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and in healthy controls.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 60 patients with epilepsy who were receiving valproate (VPA) (n = 30) or lamotrigine (LTG) (n = 30) monotherapy were enrolled. Thirty age and sex matched healthy subjects served as the controls. Serum concentrations of OCM nutrients and peripheral blood DNA methylation status were measured.ResultsCompared to the control group, the VPA group had higher serum levels of homocysteine (p<0.05). No difference in homocysteine concentration was observed in the LTG group. Patients receiving VPA or LTG had significantly lower serum folate levels in comparison with controls (p<0.001). The level of methylation of long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) in peripheral blood was not significantly different between the AED monotherapy group and healthy controls. A difference in the methylation levels of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) amplicon was observed between AED-treated patients with epilepsy and controls (p<0.01). A positive correlation between serum folate levels and peripheral blood MTHFR amplicon methylation status was also observed (r = 0.25, p = 0.023).ConclusionOur findings suggest that the effects of AED monotherapy on OCM may induce specific regions of DNA hypomethylation.

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Context Elevated serum remnant cholesterol independently predicts risks of cardiovascular diseases. However, the association between remnant cholesterol and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) remains unclear. Objectives This study aimed to explore the association of remnant cholesterol with MAFLD and its long-term mortality. Methods We extracted data from the NHANES Ⅲ, 1988−1994 and the linked mortality data till December 31, 2015. The association between remnant cholesterol and MAFLD was analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to assess whether elevated remnant cholesterol increased all-cause and cause-specific mortalities in MAFLD patients. Results At baseline, 28.6% (1474/5156) of participants had MAFLD. In multivariate logistic regression, the fourth quartile of remnant cholesterol was associated with an increased risk of MAFLD compared with the first quartile (OR: 1.714, 95% CI: 1.586–1.971; P &lt;0.001). In participants with normal levels of triglyceride, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol, the relationship between remnant cholesterol and MAFLD risk remained significant (OR: 1.346, 95% CI: 1.248–1.761; P &lt;0.001). During a median follow-up of 307 months, MAFLD patients with serum remnant cholesterol in the fourth quartile were associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 2.183, 95% CI: 1.825–2.407; P &lt;0.001), as well as a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality (HR: 2.346, 95% CI: 2.046–2.885; P &lt;0.001) and cancer-related mortality (HR: 2.366, 95% CI: 1.864–2.932; P &lt;0.001) compared with MAFLD patients in the first quartile. Conclusions Remnant cholesterol was independently associated with the risk of MAFLD and predicted all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer-related mortalities in MAFLD patients.