Objective. To investigate the Th17/Treg immune balance in the ulcerative colitis (UC) patients in a Chinese Han population. Methods. Ninety UC patients and 30 healthy subjects were enrolled. The serum IL-17 and TGF-β1 levels of these participants were measured with ELISA; the percentage of Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood was determined with flow cytometry. Results. In UC patients, the levels of IL-17 and Th17 were significantly higher compared with healthy subjects; the percentage of Th17 and IL-17 level in moderate and severe subgroup was significantly higher than in mild subgroup; a positive correlation existed between these two indexes and clinical activity index and endoscopic evaluation. TGF-β1 level and Treg cells in UC patients were lower than healthy subjects. TGF-β1 level in moderate and severe subgroup was lower than in mild subgroup. There was a negative linear correlation between Treg cells and clinical activity index, endoscopic evaluation. A positive correlation was detected between Treg cells and TGF-β1 level. Conclusions. Th17/Treg immune imbalance might play a crucial role in the development of UC. To induce the production of Treg cells and TGF-β1, inhibit the level of Th17 and IL-17, and thus recover the Th17/Treg immune balance might imply new therapeutic targets in UC management.

Liver cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for the greatest proportion of these deaths. Baicalein, a flavonoid isolated from the root of Scutellariae radix, is considered a potential candidate to treat HCC. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In the present study, a network pharmacological approach was combined with microarray data (GSE95504) acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus database to reveal the therapeutic mechanisms of action of baicalein at a systemic level. We identified 38 baicalein targets and 76 differently expressed genes (DEGs) following treatment with baicalein, including 55 upregulated and 21 downregulated genes. The DEGs were significantly enriched in the biological functions of apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and PERK-mediated unfolded protein response. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction and topological screening revealed a core module of PPIs including two baicalein targets, TP53 and CDK1, and two downregulated DEGs, HSPA1A and HSPA1B. Expression and survival data for these genes in the module derived from Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) were subjected to Kaplan–Meier analysis of overall survival and disease-free survival. Overexpression of CDK1, BRCA1, TUBB, HSPA1A, HSPA1B, and HSPA4 was associated with significantly worse overall survival, while overexpression of CDK1, CLU7, BRCA1, and TUBB was associated with significantly worse disease-free survival. These data suggest that baicalein exerts therapeutic effects against HCC via a PPI network involving TP53, CDK1, HSPA1A, and HSPA1B.

Background: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common functional gastrointestinal disease. Acupuncture, including electroacupuncture (EA) is widely used as a complementary and alternative treatment for patients with FD. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of EA for the treatment of FD. Methods: We searched Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Cochrane Library) for randomized controlled trials of FD treated by EA from inception to February 3, 2020. Two reviewers will independently screen studies for data extraction and assess the quality and risk of bias. The Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool, RevMan 5.3 software were used for meta-analysis. Data were pooled to calculate relative risk and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of substantial improvement after treatment for dichotomous data and mean differences (SMDs) and 95% CIs for continuous data. Results: Seven randomized clinical trials included 853 patients. This meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of EA alone in the treatment of FD relative to sham-EA or pharmacologic medication (PM). The results showed that EA could significantly improve clinical symptoms. Compared with sham-EA, EA was more effective in reducing symptom scores (SMD −3.44, 95% CI −4.21 to −2.67) and increasing normal slow waves of electrogastrogram (SMD 0.93, 95% CI −0.30 to1.55). When EA was combined with PM, there was no significant difference in reducing symptom scores (SMD −0.18, 95% CI −0.51 to 0.16), increasing the effective rate of clinical symptoms (risk ratio 1.04, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.13), enhancing the level of plasma motilin (SMD 0.93, 95% CI −0.30 to1.55), and reducing gastric half-emptying time (SMD 0.02, 95% CI −0.16 to 0.20). The results also showed that there were very few adverse events reported. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that EA is better than the placebo (sham-EA) in treating FD, and the therapeutic effect of EA on FD is equivalent to that of PM on FD. Compared with PM, EA for FD is safer and has fewer adverse reactions. Despite limitations due to the quality and number of the included studies, EA might be used as an effective and safe treatment for FD.

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal metaplasia (IM) is an independent risk factor for gastric cancer (GC). However, the subtypes of IM as a risk factor for GC remain controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between IM subtypes and GC risk. METHODS: Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for published cohort studies of patients with complete IM (type I) or incomplete IM (type II or type III) from inception to May 15, 2021. We extracted relevant data and calculated pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing the GC risk with IM subtypes. RESULTS: Twelve cohort studies comprising 6,498 individuals were included in the study. Compared with complete IM, the pooled relative risk of GC risk of patients with incomplete IM was 5.16 (95% CI, 3.28–8.12), and the GC risk of type III IM was the highest, with a pooled relative risk of 2.88 (95% CI, 1.37–6.04) compared with that of type II. Compared with complete IM, the pooled relative risk of dysplasia risk in patients with incomplete IM was 3.72 (95% CI, 1.42–9.72), and the dysplasia risk of type III IM was 11.73 (95% CI, 2.08–66.08) compared with that of type I. DISCUSSION: Patients with incomplete IM, especially type III, were at a higher risk of GC and dysplasia than those with complete IM. The current evidence indicates a potential correlation between IM subtypes and GC risk, which may support the use of IM subtypes in GC surveillance.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of gut-brain interaction with challenging treatment. According to evidence-based studies, acupuncture is likely to be a promising therapy and subservient adjunct for IBS. Mechanism study of acupuncture based on related clinical trials of high quality, nevertheless, is still vacant.Aim: This study aims to assess the results and qualities of current clinical evidence and conclude the relevant pathophysiological mechanisms and therapeutic effects of acupuncture on IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D).Methods: Literature from four databases, namely, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science, was systematically searched to obtain eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which contained mechanism research of acupuncture treatment in IBS-D patients. Two independent reviewers completed data extraction and quality evaluation using the RevMan 5.4.1 software.Results: Ten trials that covered 19 items related to mechanism research were included in this review. Acupuncture was reported to improve IBS-D symptoms and quality of life, with positive effects in regulating brain-gut peptides, cerebral activities, neuroendocrine functions, psychological state, and inflammatory GI and hypersensitive intestinal tracts.Conclusion: Acupuncture has potential influence on pathophysiology alterations such as regulating brain-gut peptides, altering cerebral connectivity and activity, promoting neuroendocrine functions and mental state, and mitigating inflammation as well as hypersensitivity of bowels in IBS-D patients, but further studies of high quality are still necessary.Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO], identifier [CRD42022320331].