Diabetes mellitus is a global health concern, and one of its most common complications is diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene, which influences not only blood vessels but also neurons, has been studied in the occurrence of DPN. Polymorphism of the VEGF gene may affect the VEGF expression. This study aimed to identify, evaluate, and summarize all relevant studies about VEGF gene polymorphisms in DPN.

We performed a systematic review of the association of VEGF gene polymorphisms in patients with diabetic neuropathy based on a comprehensive search of PubMed, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, and EBSCOhost. A meta-analysis was performed on the most studied gene to clarify its association. Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) was used to verify the quality of the evidence. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and six other items were used to determine whether the study was eligible for meta-analysis. Odds ratios and standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were used to determine the association.

The systematic review included five case-control and three cross-sectional studies with six VEGF gene polymorphisms (VEGF 936C/T, VEGF −7C/T, VEGF −1001G/C, VEGF −1154G/A, VEGF −2678C/A, and VEGF 405G/C) and the final meta-analysis included four studies with a highly studied gene (VEGF 936C/T). Newcastle-Ottawa scale quality appraisal resulted in six good/high quality and two moderate quality studies. Meta-analysis showed that VEGF 936 C/T polymorphism was associated with a decreased risk of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (odd ratio 0.63; 95% confidence interval: 0.49–0.81; p = 0.0004).

Our meta-analysis suggests that the VEGF 936C/T gene polymorphism is linked to a decreased risk of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. This gene has the potential to be a predictive biomarker for determining who is at a lower risk of developing diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Early preventive efforts should be addressed in patients bearing the 936C allele.

Due to the increased demand for food for the growing population, pesticides are widely used to control diseases and boost productivity. This study was designed to evaluate the toxic effects of the fungicide, Mancozeb (MZ), in the liver of the fish strain Channa punctatus.

Fifty-four healthy C. punctatus fish (24 ± 4.0 g, 11.0 ± 2.0 cm) were divided into three groups (n = 18 per group): control, T1 (20% of 96 h-LC50 – 2.068 mg/L) and T2 (40% of 96 h-LC50 − 4.136 mg/L). Reactive oxygen species, redox imbalance, and liver biomarkers were measured after 20, 40, and 60 d of MZ exposure. Transcriptional profiling of XBP1s and NOX4 genes was performed after 60 d.

There were significant (p < 0.05) increases in reactive oxygen species induction, oxidative stress biomarkers (lactate dehydrogenase enzyme activity, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase), and liver biomarkers (alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin) after 20, 40, and 60 d of MZ exposure. However, there were significant (p < 0.05) decreases in superoxide dismutase and catalase after 40 d. There was a significant (p < 0.05) upregulation in XBP1s (5.1-fold) and NOX4 (3.3-fold) gene expression in the T2 group after 60 d. These results collectively evinces the inflammatory response triggered by MZ. It may serve as early bio-indicators of endoplasmic reticulum stress and in prevention and treatment of liver diseases.

The present study established that MZ is an oxidative stress inducer that may lead to liver diseases like liver steatohepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and non-alcoholic liver steatohepatitis. Further studies are required to elucidate the different mechanisms and signaling pathways that can minimize liver injury.

Breast cancer remains a significant global health concern, warranting further exploration into its genetic basis and potential therapeutic targets. This study aimed to elucidate the genetic associations of seven pivotal genes with breast cancer and discern their potential role in disease prognosis.

The genes VEGFA, BRCA1, RAD51, CCNB1, CHEK1, CDK1, and XRCC4 were curated from over 30 articles. Their association with breast cancer was analyzed using both in silico and in vitro techniques. The in silico assessment involved constructing a protein-protein interaction network, accompanied by Gene Ontology and pathway enrichment analysis. Further, survival and expression analysis were conducted using Kaplan-Meier Plotter and the UALCAN database respectively. At the protein level, expression was observed using the Human Protein Atlas database. The in vitro validation involved analyzing mRNA expression levels in 10 breast cancer tissue samples.

The study revealed that all seven genes are significantly upregulated in breast cancer tissues compared to normal tissues, highlighting their critical role in tumor development and progression. Protein-protein interaction analysis confirmed their central involvement in vital biological processes related to breast cancer. Survival analysis showed that high expressions of these genes are associated with poorer patient prognosis, with hazard ratios indicating their potential as prognostic markers. In vitro validation further supported their overexpression in breast cancer, suggesting their importance in molecular landscape of the disease and their value as targets for therapeutic intervention.

This study provides a profound understanding of the genetic landscape of breast cancer, emphasizing the significance of the selected seven genes in the pathology of the disease. These findings suggest potential avenues for therapeutic targeting and the advancement of personalized medicine in breast cancer treatment.

While the incidence rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are increasing, there are limited comprehensive data on demographic-specific incidence and mortality trends in the USA. We aimed to evaluate recent trends in HCC incidence and mortality among different demographic groups in the USA.

Age-adjusted HCC incidence rates were calculated from the Centers for Disease Control’s United States Cancer Statistics database, which combines incidence data on newly diagnosed cancer cases and covers approximately 98% of the population in the USA. Additionally, age-adjusted HCC mortality rates were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics database, which offers comprehensive coverage spanning nearly 100% of deaths attributed to HCC in the USA. Rates were stratified by sex, age (older [≥55 years] and younger [<55 years] adults), race and ethnicity (Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander, and Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native), and tumor stage at diagnosis (early and late). Annual and average annual percentage change (AAPC) were calculated using joinpoint regression. A sex-specific pairwise comparison was conducted.

Between 2001 and 2020, there were 467,346 patients diagnosed with HCC (26.0% women), with increasing incidence in both sexes without significant difference (p=0.65). In younger adults (78,169 patients), the incidence decreased in men but not in women (AAPC difference=−2.39, p=0.002). This was seen in various racial and ethnic groups, mostly driven by early-stage tumors (AAPC difference=−2.65, p=0.02). There were 329,973 deaths attributed to HCC between 2000 and 2020 (28.4% women). In younger adults (43,093 deaths), mortality decreased in men at a greater rate than in women (AAPC difference=1.61, p=0.007). This was seen in various racial and ethnic groups, most notably in non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives (AAPC difference=−4.51, p=0.01).

Nationwide USA data, covering nearly all HCC cases, show an increasing incidence and mortality over the last two decades. In younger adults, there was a decreasing incidence in men but not in women, due to early-stage tumors. Mortality improved in younger men at a greater rate than in women, especially in Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Natives. Future studies are warranted to identify the risk factors associated with the occurrence and outcomes of HCC in demographic-specific populations, especially younger women.

Fracture is a common large-organ traumatic injury and usually leads to complications in other systems. Multiple fractures are often associated with gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction. However, no study has evaluated the treatment of GI dysfunction. The purpose of the study is to explore the efficacy and mechanism based on ICC pathway of Banxia-Houpu decoction on GI.

Male Sprague-Dawley mice were randomly divided according to the fracture modeling method and intervention. We detected the "GI residual rate" and motility. Gastric antrum and jejunum tissues were dissected for hematoxylin and eosin staining to observe the structural integrity of the GI tract, and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of c-kit protein.

Compared with the fracture group the GI residual rates in the Banxia Houpu decoction and mosapride groups were significantly low, while GI motility was significantly high. HE staining revealed significant GI tissue necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltrations in the fracture groups. The Banxia Houpu decoction and mosapride groups, exhibited less pathology. Immunohistochemical staining showed upregulated c-kit protein expression in the fracture groups. The c-kit protein level was decreased in the mosapride group. Additionally, c-kit protein expression in the Banxia Houpu decoction groups was significantly decreased in a concentration-dependent manner.

Banxia Houpu decoction improves GI dysfunction after multiple fractures, reduces inflammation and necrosis of gastric epithelial cells, and inhibits c-kit protein expression in GI tissues of mice. Results showed revealed one of the mechanisms underlying the effects of this decoction on the GI dysfunction in mice after multiple fractures.

Multiple factors are responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV 2)-associated liver dysfunction. The impact of variants of concern (VoCs) on liver function is less clear. The aims were to determine (1) the prevalence and risk of abnormal liver biochemistry (ALB) and liver injury (LI) and (2) differences in ALB and LI with the Delta variant compared with wild-type and VoCs before Delta variant coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) infections in Malaysian adults.

This prospective single-center, observational study enrolled adults hospitalized for COVID-19 infection between 1 February 2020 and 30 October 2021 using a convenience sampling method. Patients with COVID-19 confirmed by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction of nasal and pharyngeal swabs and having at least one liver function test were recruited and assigned to cohort A (wild-type strain and all VoCs before the Delta variant) or cohort B (Delta variant).

Of 1,246 patients with COVID-19 infection, 58.7% developed ALB and 26.6% developed LI. Multivariate analysis showed that men, moderate and severe disease, and underlying chronic liver disease (CLD) were associated with ALB and LI. Patients with the Delta variant had a significantly higher risk of developing both ALB (71.6% vs. 48.5%, p < 0.001) and LI (38.8% vs. 17.1%, p < 0.001) compared with previous strains.

ALB was more common than LI, but LI was more frequent in men with underlying CLD, and in those with moderate or severe COVID-19 infections. Patients with Delta variant infections were more likely to have ALB and LI than those with precedent strains.

Pediatric melanoma is a rare skin cancer in children. Among the various subtypes, Spitz melanoma is particularly difficult to diagnose and poses a significant challenge in the fields of pediatric dermatopathology and surgical pathology. Due to the uncertainty surrounding this diagnosis, a diverse approach is necessary for both diagnosing and treating these rare lesions. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the clinical presentation, histopathology, and ancillary studies associated with pediatric Spitz melanoma, with the goal of formulating more uniform diagnostic criteria and work-up algorithms for these challenging lesions.

therapy, Inflammatory bowel disease, MSC-derived exosomes, mesenchymal stem cells, therapeutic mechanisms, mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles, prospects

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also known as MAFLD, is a chronic liver disease characterized by dyslipidemia and excessive steatosis in hepatocytes[1]. With the acceleration of urbanization, the problems of physical activity reduction and nutritional imbalance are becoming increasingly prominent. The prevalence of NAFLD has reached 25% globally[2], and it is also showing a trend of continuous growth and younger onset age[3]. Although numerous studies have confirmed that the pathogenesis of NAFLD may be related to genetic susceptibility, gene polymorphism, intestinal microenvironment disorder, insulin resistance, and other factors[4], the "two-hit" theory also reveals the mechanism of the occurrence of some NAFLD, there is still a lack of effective and stable drugs that can inhibit the progression of NAFLD to liver fibrosis and even liver cancer in the treatment of NAFLD[5], which poses a serious threat to human health and imposes a heavy burden on the socio-economy[6]. It is particularly important to further explore the etiology and pathogenesis of NAFLD, providing ideas and directions for the development of new drugs against NAFLD[7].

Pediatric endoscopy has become an essential diagnostic and therapeutic tool for a range of gastrointestinal conditions in children, according to published guidelines. This study aimed to assess the indications, outcomes, and complications of therapeutic endoscopy in children at King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH) in Jordan.

This study conducted a retrospective chart review of therapeutic endoscopic procedures, including esophageal dilation, variceal and non-variceal hemostasis, foreign body retrieval, and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) Tube insertion, performed between January 2014 and December 2020 at the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit (a mixed adult and pediatric unit) at KAUH. Demographic data, indications for intervention, comorbidities, procedural outcomes, postprocedural treatment, complications, readmission, and patient follow-up data were extracted from the patient's medical records.

During the study period, 185 patients underwent 260 therapeutic endoscopic procedures. 110 (60%) of the patients were boys. The average age of the patients was 81.8 ± 51.46 (standard deviation) months. Foreign body retrieval was the most common procedure, with accidental ingestion being the primary cause and coins being the most commonly impacted foreign body. Followed by esophageal dilatation and PEG tube insertion. Complications were mild and rare.

The success rates and post-procedural complications of pediatric endoscopy procedures are similar between low- and high-volume hospitals worldwide, and procedural volume is not the only factor contributing to procedural outcomes and complication rates.

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics and principles of acupoints applied for treating chronic hepatitis B infection.

The published clinical studies on acupuncture for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection were gathered from various databases, including SinoMed, Chongqing Vip, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science and Embase. Excel 2019 was utilized to establish a database of acupuncture prescriptions and conduct statistics on the frequency, meridian application, distribution and specific points, as well as SPSS Modeler 18.0 and SPSS Statistics 26.0 to conduct association rule analysis and cluster analysis to investigate the characteristics and patterns of acupoint selection.

A total of 42 studies containing 47 acupoints were included, with a total frequency of 286 acupoints. The top five acupoints used were Zusanli (ST36), Ganshu (BL18), Yanglingquan (GB34), Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Taichong (LR3), and the most commonly used meridians was the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Taiyang. The majority of acupuncture points are located in the lower limbs, back, and lumbar regions, with a significant percentage of them being Five-Shu acupoints. The strongest acupoint combination identified was Zusanli (ST36)–Ganshu (BL18), in addition to which 13 association rules and 4 valid clusters were obtained.

Zusanli (ST36)–Ganshu (BL18) could be considered a relatively reasonable prescription for treating chronic hepatitis B infection in clinical practice. However, further high-quality studies are needed.

The consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the perceived workload of health care professionals and remaining mental symptomatology are becoming increasingly visible. Increasing waiting lists and workload and decreasing employee capacity in mental health services will contribute to the problem of health care availability. In several studies, many of the responding mental health care workers (MHCWs) reported stress-related complaints and depression. Moreover, more clients with complaints, as a direct and indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic, requested mental health care. Support for mental health care staff is needed to prevent further escalation. These insights trigger an appeal to government and mental health institutions to take responsibility for protecting MHCWs. This requires the right decisions and investment in the prevention and mental health support for MHCWs! Preparing health care professionals for future challenges by focusing on interventions early in their career, which improve mental stability to enhance resilience, seems to be important to prioritize.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily member 15 (TNFSF15) may have the potential to control vascular homeostasis and inflammation. Through binding to death receptor 3 (TNFRSF25), TNFSF15 promotes T-cell activation, proliferation, and the generation of multiple cytokines. TNFSF15-TNFRSF25 signaling is essential for effective T-cell immune responses in T-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Our goal is to study the role of the (TNFSF15) rs4979462 gene variant and TNFSF15 serum levels in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Egyptian patients.

A total of 118 patients with SLE and 102 age- and sex-matched healthy control volunteers were genotyped for the TNFSF15 rs4979462 variant by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and verified by direct sequencing. TNFSF15 serum levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Regarding the TNFSF15 rs4979462 gene variant, there was a significant increase in the frequencies of combined genotypes (CT + TT) and T-allele among female patients with SLE compared with the healthy female subjects (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.1–6.3, p = 0.027; OR = 2.7, 95% CI = 1.2–6.3, p = 0.015, respectively). The T-variant was significantly associated with serositis and thrombotic manifestations (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.1–7.1, p = 0.032; OR = 2.9, 95% CI = 1.1–7.8, p = 0.023, respectively). The median serum TNFSF15 concentration was significantly higher in patients with SLE compared to the healthy control group and was correlated with the disease activity (p = 0.023, 0.012, respectively).

The TNFSF15 rs4979462 gene variant increases the risk of SLE in female subjects and modulates the clinical outcome of the disease. TNFSF15 serum level could be a biological marker of SLE disease activity.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy worldwide. The average age at diagnosis of CRC is around 70 years old. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic CRC and premalignant lesions in the colon in OSI Araba.

This study included individuals aged 50–69 who were admitted to OSI Araba Health Centers. It spanned from the start of CRC screening through fecal occult blood test immunological analysis in 2009 to the publication of the latest updated data in 2021.

An average of 90.98% of participants obtained a definitive result. Specifically, 31.71% were normal, 1.22% had relevant non-neoplastic pathology, 5.49% had non-neoplastic polyps, 15.93% had low-risk adenomas, 22.26% had medium-risk adenomas, 17.65% had high-risk adenomas and 5.02% had CRC.

CRC screening is an effective strategy for reducing incidence and mortality rates, preventing new cases, and minimizing disease burden in the future.

Neuroblastoma is a heterogeneous solid tumor that originates extracranially from neuroblasts. Previous research has demonstrated that miR-492 polymorphisms can contribute to cancer susceptibility. However, their specific involvement in susceptibility to neuroblastoma has yet to be fully clarified.

To address this question, we used the TaqMan method to genotype miR-492 rs2289030 G>C in a cohort of 402 neuroblastoma children and 473 control individuals from Jiangsu Province, China.

Our study showed that there was no significant association between miR-492 rs2289030 G>C and the risk of neuroblastoma in children, as assessed by combined odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (P > 0.05).

Further validation of these findings requires well-designed studies with large sample sizes.