Gut microbiota play many important roles, such as the regulation of immunity and barrier function in the intestine, and are crucial for maintaining homeostasis in living organisms. The disruption in microbiota is called dysbiosis, which has been associated with various chronic inflammatory conditions, food allergies, colorectal cancer, etc. The gut microbiota is also affected by several other factors such as diet, antibiotics and other medications, or bacterial and viral infections. Moreover, there are some reports on the oral-gut-liver axis indicating that the disruption of oral microbiota affects the intestinal biota. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the systemic diseases caused due to the dysregulation of the oral-gut-liver axis. NAFLD is the most common liver disease reported in the developed countries. It includes liver damage ranging from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, and cancer. Recently, accumulating evidence supports an association between NAFLD and dysbiosis of oral and gut microbiota. Periodontopathic bacteria, especially Porphyromonas gingivalis, have been correlated with the pathogenesis and development of NAFLD based on the clinical and basic research, and immunology. P. gingivalis was detected in the liver, and lipopolysaccharide from this bacteria has been shown to be involved in the progression of NAFLD, thereby indicating a direct role of P. gingivalis in NAFLD. Moreover, P. gingivalis induces dysbiosis of gut microbiota, which promotes the progression of NAFLD, through disrupting both metabolic and immunologic pathways. Here, we review the roles of microbial dysbiosis in NAFLD. Focusing on P. gingivalis, we evaluate and summarize the most recent advances in our understanding of the relationship between oral-gut microbiome symbiosis and the pathogenesis and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as discuss novel strategies targeting both P. gingivalis and microbial dysbiosis.

Peer reviewed article authored by (Chiba T, Yamamoto K, Sato S, Suzuki K). Read article or submit your manuscript for publishing.

Colonic mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas are rare and a definitive treatment has not been established. Solitary or multiple, elevated or polypoid lesions are the usual appearances of MALT lymphoma in the colon and sometimes the surface may reveal abnormal vascularity. In this paper we report our experience with four cases of colonic MALT lymphoma and review the relevant literature. The first patient had a smooth elevated lesion in the rectum and histopathologic examination of the biopsy from the lesion showed centrocyte-like cells infiltrating the lamina propria. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) revealed thickening of the submucosa and muscularis propria. The patient underwent radiation therapy, and 9 months later a repeat colonoscopy showed complete resolution of the lesion. In case 2, colonoscopy showed a polyp in the cecum; the biopsy was diagnostic of MALT lymphoma. EUS detected a hypoechoic lesion confined to the mucosal layer of the colonic wall. The patient underwent endoscopic mucosal resection of the lesion and after 6 years of follow-up there was no evidence of recurrence. The third patient had a sessile elevated lesion in the sigmoid colon for which she underwent sigmoidectomy. Pathological examination of the surgical specimen was suggestive of MALT lymphoma. The last patient had a smooth elevated lesion in the rectum and magnification endoscopy showed irregular vascular pattern. The patient underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection, and biopsy examination showed the tumor to be MALT lymphoma. Although rare, awareness of MALT lymphoma of the colon is important to evaluate the patient appropriately and to plan further management.

This study aimed to clarify the advantages and disadvantages of conventional visual inspection (CVI), endoscopic white light imaging (WLI), and narrow-band imaging (NBI) and to examine the diagnostic accuracy of intraepithelial papillary capillary loops (IPCL) for the detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This cross-sectional study included 60 participants with oral mucosal diseases suspected of having oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) or OSCC. The patients underwent CVI, WLI, NBI, and incisional biopsy. Images were evaluated to assess the lesion size, color, texture, and IPCL. Oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral leukoplakia lesions were observed in larger areas with NBI than with WLI; 75.0% were associated with low-grade (Type 0–II) IPCL. Various types of oral leukoplakia were seen; however, all OSCC cases showed high-grade (Type III–IV) IPCL. The diagnostic accuracy of high-grade IPCL for OSCC showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of 100%, 80.9%, 59.1%, 100%, and 85.0%, respectively. A non-homogeneous lesion with high-grade IPCL strongly suggested malignancy. Overall, our results indicate that WLI and NBI are powerful tools for detecting precancerous and cancerous lesions using IPCL. However, NBI is influenced by mucosal thickness; therefore, image interpretation is important for accurate diagnosis.