The human gut microbiota plays a critical role in maintaining host homeostasis through metabolic activities. Among these, amino acid (AA) metabolism by the microbiota in the large intestine is highly heterogeneous and relevant to host health. Despite increasing interest, microbial AA metabolism remains relatively unexplored. This review highlights recent advances in colonic microbial AA metabolism, including auxotrophies, AA synthesis, and dissimilatory AA metabolites, and their implications in gut health, focusing on major gastrointestinal diseases including colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Background: Triglyceride glycemic (TyG) index is a novel tool for assessing insulin resistance (IR). Recently, TyG index as a potential biomarker for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been studied, but its performance is yet inconclusive. Thus, we performed this systemic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the performance of TyG index in predicting GDM. Methods: Studies published before March 1, 2021, with comparison of TyG index between GDM patients and healthy controls were retrieved from multiple databases (PubMed, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, and Embase). The mean difference (MD) of TyG index in GDM patients and healthy controls was pooled using random-effect models. Results: Differentiation of TyG index between patients with GDM and controls showed significant results. Overall, there is a four-fold increase in TyG index in GDM patients compared with controls (MD: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.07–0.36, P = 0.003; I² = 71%, P = 0.009). In subgroup analyses according to gestational time, TyG index in the second trimester predicted GDM with low heterogeneity (MD: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.15–0.37, P < 0.001; I² = 0%, P = 0.54), while no such correlation was found in the first trimester. Conclusion: TyG index, especially in the second trimester, could be a promising biomarker for predicting GDM.

To provide the most up-to-date data on the burden of malignant mesothelioma (MM) and the projections through 2029 in China. Data on patients diagnosed with MM from China during 1990-2019 were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 database, including annual cases and deaths data and age-standardized rates of incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) associated with MM among different age groups. Temporal trends during 1990-2019 were analyzed by the Joinpoint regression models using 95% confidence interval (CI), while the projections through 2029 were calculated by the Bayesian age-period-cohort model. Data on the production and consumption of asbestos in China were obtained from the United States Geological Survey on Mineral Commodity Summaries during 1996-2023. We observed a significant elevation in incident new cases and deaths over the last 3 decades, increasing from 1193 in 1990 to 2815 in 2019 for incident cases and from 1134 in 1990 to 2773 in 2019 for death cases. We found a roughly 6% increase in the proportion of incident cases for those aged >70 years (30% in 2019 versus 24% in 1990), while for the proportion of deaths similar elevation for those aged >70 years was found. Additionally, men had significantly higher DALYs due to MM across age groups compared with women. Asbestos consumption in China dramatically dropped since 2012 and reached the bottom in 2017 with 230 kilotons. By 2029, the projected age-standardized rate for incidence and mortality is expected to reach 1.2 per million for both. We found, for the first time using GBD data on the Chinese population, that the burden of MM has been significantly increasing in China over the last three decades and will continue to increase in the upcoming decade, suggesting an urgent need for a complete ban on chrysotile asbestos in China.

Background: Research indicates the adverse impacts of perceived discrimination on health, and discrimination inflamed by the COVID-19 pandemic, a type of social exclusion, could affect the well-being of the Chinese diaspora. We analyzed the relationship and pathways of perceived discrimination’s effect on health among the Chinese diaspora in the context of the pandemic to contribute to the literature on discrimination in this population under the global public health crisis. Methods: We analyzed data from 705 individuals of Chinese descent residing in countries outside of China who participated in a cross-sectional online survey between April 22 and May 9, 2020. This study utilized a structural equation model (SEM) to evaluate both direct and indirect effects of perceived discrimination on self-rated health (SRH) and to assess the mediating roles of psychological distress (namely, anxiety and depression) and social support from family and friends. Results: This online sample comprised predominantly young adults and those of relatively high socioeconomic status. This study confirmed the total and direct effect of recently perceived discrimination on SRH and found the indirect effect was mainly mediated by depression. Mediating roles of anxiety and social support on the discrimination-health relationship were found insignificant in this SEM. Conclusions: Our findings suggest discrimination negatively affected the well-being of the Chinese diaspora, and depression acted as a major mediator between the discrimination-health relationship. Therefore, interventions for reducing discrimination to preserve the well-being of the Chinese diaspora are necessary. Prompt intervention to address depression may partially relieve the disease burden caused by the surge of discrimination.

New endoscopic approaches for the prevention of delayed bleeding (DB) after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) have been reported in recent years, and endoscopic delivery of biodegradable polymers for iatrogenic ulcer hemostasis and coverage has emerged as one of the most promising techniques for post-ESD management. However, the comparative efficacy of these techniques remains uncertain. We performed a systematic search of multiple databases up to May 2022 to identify studies reporting DB rates as outcomes in patients undergoing gastric ESD who were treated with subsequent endoscopic management, including endoscopic closure (clip-based methods and suturing), PGA sheet tissue shielding, and hemostatic powder/gel spray (including polymeric sealants and other adhesives). The risk ratios (RRs) of delayed bleeding in treatment groups and control groups were pooled, and the Bayesian framework was used to perform a network meta-analysis (NMA). Among these studies, 16 head-to-head comparisons that covered 2742 lesions were included in the NMA. Tissue shielding using PGA sheets significantly reduced the risk of DB by nearly two thirds in high-risk patients, while hemostatic spray systems, primarily polymer-based, reduced DB in low-risk patients nine-fold. Researchers should recognize the essential role of polymers in the management of ESD-induced ulcers, and develop and validate clinical application strategies for promising materials.