Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a complex immune-mediated chronic inflammatory bowel disease. It is mainly characterized by diffuse inflammation of the colonic and rectal mucosa with barrier function impairment. Identifying new biomarkers for the development of more effective UC therapies remains a pressing task for current research. Ferroptosis is a newly identified form of regulated cell death characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. As research deepens, ferroptosis has been demonstrated to be involved in the pathological processes of numerous diseases. A growing body of evidence suggests that the pathogenesis of UC is associated with ferroptosis, and the regulation of ferroptosis provides new opportunities for UC treatment. However, the specific mechanisms by which ferroptosis participates in the development of UC remain to be more fully and thoroughly investigated. Therefore, in this review, we focus on the research advances in the mechanism of ferroptosis in recent years and describe the potential role of ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of UC. In addition, we explore the underlying role of the crosslinked pathway between ferroptosis and other mechanisms such as macrophages, neutrophils, autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and gut microbiota in UC. Finally, we also summarize the potential compounds that may act as ferroptosis inhibitors in UC in the future.

A growing number of studies have shown that gut microbiota (GM) plays an essential role in the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer (CRC). The current body of research exploring the relationship between CRC and GM is vast. Nevertheless, bibliometric studies in this area have not yet been reported. This study aimed to explore the hotspots and frontiers of research on GM and CRC in the past 20 years, which may provide a reference for researchers in this field. The Web of Science Core Collection database was searched for publications on CRC and GM from 2002 to 2022. The scientometric softwares CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to visually analyze the countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords involved in the literature. Keywords co-occurrence, cluster, and burst analysis were utilized to further explore the current state and development trends of research on GM and CRC. A total of 2158 publications were included in this study, with a noticeably rising annual publication trend. The majority of these papers are from 80 nations, primarily China and the USA. J Yu was the most active author and WS Garrett has the highest citation. Among all institutions, Shanghai Jiao Tong University has the largest number of papers. Most of the publications were published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, with Science being the most frequently cited journal. The 4 main clusters mainly involved probiotics, inflammation, molecular mechanisms, and research methods. Current research hotspots included “Fusobacterium nucleatum,” “Escherichia coli,” etc. Newly emerging research has focused predominantly on immune response, gene expression, and recent strategies for the treatment of CRC with GM. The relationship between GM and CRC will continue to be a hot research area. Changes in the composition of GM in patients with CRC, the potential molecular mechanisms as well as probiotics and natural products used in the treatment of CRC have been the focus of current research and hotspots for future studies.

Background: Mounting research suggests that insulin resistance (IR) is associated with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has received widespread attention due to its high sensitivity in assessing IR. This study examined the association between H. pylori infection and TyG index.Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999 - 2000. Participants were categorized into quartile groups (Q1–Q4) based on their TyG index. Weighted multivariable-adjusted logistic regression and subgroup analysis were used to explore the correlation between TyG index and H. pylori infection. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the robustness of our findings.Results: This study included 2,918 participants, 1,101 of whom were infected with H. pylori. The mean TyG index for all participants was 8.56 ± 0.67. Patients who were H. pylori positive had higher levels of TyG index compared with H. pylori seronegative participants (8.74 ± 0.03 vs. 8.57 ± 0.03, P < 0.05). The fourth quartile of the TyG index showed the highest odds of H. pylori infection compared to Q1 (OR = 2.37, 95%CI: 1.52 to 3.71, P < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis indicated that the association between TyG index and H. pylori infection remained strong even after excluding participants with cardiovascular diseases or taking lipid-lowering medications, as well as patients with diabetes or taking glucose-lowering medications.Conclusions: In this study, a stable and strong positive association was found between TyG index and H. pylori infection. IR may be significantly associated with H. pylori infection. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and potential clinical implications of these findings.