Chinese medical journal
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Chinese medical journal · May 2022
ReviewBile acids and sphingolipids in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the fastest-growing diseases, and its global prevalence is estimated to increase >50% by 2030. NAFLD is comorbid with metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance. Despite extensive research efforts, there are no pharmacologic or biological therapeutics for the treatment of NAFLD. ⋯ Moreover, the identification of bile acids as activators of sphingolipid-mediated signaling pathways established a novel theory for bile acid and sphingolipid biology. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the understanding of bile acid and sphingolipid-mediated signaling pathways as potential contributors to NAFLD. A better understanding of the pathologic effects mediated by bile acids and sphingolipids will facilitate the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for NAFLD.
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Chinese medical journal · May 2022
ReviewUpdate on lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) in cancers: from biological properties to clinical applications.
Immunotherapy that targets checkpoints, especially programmed cell death protein 1 and programmed cell death ligand 1, has revolutionized cancer therapy regimens. The overall response rate to mono-immunotherapy, however, is limited, emphasizing the need to potentiate the efficacy of these regimens. ⋯ Increasing evidence, particularly in the last 5 years, has shown the potential of LAG-3 blockade in anti-tumor immunity. This review provides an update on the biological properties and clinical applications of LAG-3 in cancers.
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Chinese medical journal · May 2022
Effects on physiologic measures of appetite from intragastric balloon and endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty: results of a prospective study.
Endoscopic bariatric therapies can help address widening management gaps in obesity. Their ability to facilitate weight loss is largely tied to influences on appetite through perturbations of gastric emptying and accommodation. As these tools gain traction in obesity therapy, their physiologic underpinnings require exploration, which may enhance efficacy, tolerance, and patient-tailored care. ⋯ IGB and ESG both induce weight loss but likely through distinct gastric motor function phenotypes, and gastric emptying may predict future weight loss in patients with IGB.
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Over the last 20 years, it has become possible to use a precision medicine approach to the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Clinical and physiological features as well as a blood biomarker can be used to target treatments to patients most likely to benefit and avoid treatment in patients less likely to benefit. Future advances in a precision medicine approach to COPD will depend on more precise characterization of individual patients, possibly using quantitative imaging, new physiological techniques, novel biomarkers and genetic profiling. Precision medicine has led to significant improvements in the management of COPD and clinicians should use all available information to optimize the treatment of individual patients.
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Chinese medical journal · May 2022
Functional mutations of SARS-CoV-2: implications to viral transmission, pathogenicity and immune escape.
The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to major public health challenges globally. The increasing viral lineages identified indicate that the SARS-CoV-2 genome is evolving at a rapid rate. Viral genomic mutations may cause antigenic drift or shift, which are important ways by which SARS-CoV-2 escapes the human immune system and changes its transmissibility and virulence. Herein, we summarize the functional mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genomes to characterize its adaptive evolution to inform the development of vaccination, treatment as well as control and intervention measures.