CD248 (endosialin) is a stromal cell marker expressed on fibroblasts and pericytes. During liver injury, myofibroblasts are the main source of fibrotic matrix.

Psychological factors increase the risk to develop postinfectious IBS (PI-IBS), but the mechanisms involved are unclear. As stress affects the immune system, we investigated the potential interaction between psychological factors, the immune response against infectious gastroenteritis (IGE) and the development of IGE and PI-IBS in a large cohort exposed to contaminated drinking water.

We found that carbonic anhydrase IV (CA4), a member of the carbonic anhydrases, is silenced in colorectal cancer (CRC). We analysed its epigenetic inactivation, biological effects and prognostic significance in CRC.

Acute pancreatitis is caused by toxins that induce acinar cell calcium overload, zymogen activation, cytokine release and cell death, yet is without specific drug therapy. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated but the mechanism not established.

The assessment of potentially confounding factors affecting colon microbiota composition is essential to the identification of robust microbiome based disease markers. Here, we investigate the link between gut microbiota variation and stool consistency using Bristol Stool Scale classification, which reflects faecal water content and activity, and is considered a proxy for intestinal colon transit time.

In May 2011, the Dutch government decided to implement a national programme for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening using biennial faecal immunochemical test screening between ages 55 and 75. Decision modelling played an important role in informing this decision, as well as in the planning and implementation of the programme afterwards. In this overview, we illustrate the value of models in informing resource allocation in CRC screening using the role that decision modelling has played in the Dutch CRC screening programme as an example.

New-onset diabetes and concomitant weight loss occurring several months before the clinical presentation of pancreatic cancer (PC) appear to be paraneoplastic phenomena caused by tumour-secreted products. Our recent findings have shown exosomal adrenomedullin (AM) is important in development of diabetes in PC. Adipose tissue lipolysis might explain early onset weight loss in PC. We hypothesise that lipolysis-inducing cargo is carried in exosomes shed by PC and is responsible for the paraneoplastic effects. Therefore, in this study we investigate if exosomes secreted by PC induce lipolysis in adipocytes and explore the role of AM in PC-exosomes as the mediator of this lipolysis.

The study aims to review available evidence concerning effective interventions to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening acceptance. We performed a literature search of randomised trials designed to increase individuals' use of CRC screening on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. Small (≤ 100 subjects per arm) studies and those reporting results of interventions implemented before publication of the large faecal occult blood test trials were excluded. Interventions were categorised following the Continuum of Cancer Care and the PRECEDE-PROCEED models and studies were grouped by screening model (opportunistic vs organised). Multifactor interventions targeting multiple levels of care and considering factors outside the individual clinician control, represent the most effective strategy to enhance CRC screening acceptance. Removing financial barriers, implementing methods allowing a systematic contact of the whole target population, using personal invitation letters, preferably signed by the reference care provider, and reminders mailed to all non-attendees are highly effective in enhancing CRC screening acceptance. Physician reminders may support the diffusion of screening, but they can be effective only for individuals who have access to and make use of healthcare services. Educational interventions for patients and providers are effective, but the implementation of organisational measures may be necessary to favour their impact. Available evidence indicates that organised programmes allow to achieve an extensive coverage and to enhance equity of access, while maximising the health impact of screening. They provide at the same time an infrastructure allowing to achieve a more favourable cost-effectiveness profile of potentially effective strategies, which would not be sustainable in opportunistic settings.

At least 250 million people worldwide are chronically infected with HBV, a small hepatotropic DNA virus that replicates through reverse transcription. Chronic infection greatly increases the risk for terminal liver disease. Current therapies rarely achieve a cure due to the refractory nature of an intracellular viral replication intermediate termed covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA. Upon infection, cccDNA is generated as a plasmid-like episome in the host cell nucleus from the protein-linked relaxed circular (RC) DNA genome in incoming virions. Its fundamental role is that as template for all viral RNAs, and in consequence new virions. Biosynthesis of RC-DNA by reverse transcription of the viral pregenomic RNA is now understood in considerable detail, yet conversion of RC-DNA to cccDNA is still obscure, foremostly due to the lack of feasible, cccDNA-dependent assay systems. Conceptual and recent experimental data link cccDNA formation to cellular DNA repair, which is increasingly appreciated as a critical interface between cells and viruses. Together with new in vitro HBV infection systems, based on the identification of the bile acid transporter sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide as an HBV entry receptor, this offers novel opportunities to decipher, and eventually interfere with, formation of the HBV persistence reservoir. After a brief overview of the role of cccDNA in the HBV infectious cycle, this review aims to summarise current knowledge on cccDNA molecular biology, to highlight the experimental restrictions that have hitherto hampered faster progress and to discuss cccDNA as target for new, potentially curative therapies of chronic hepatitis B.

Serous cystic neoplasm (SCN) is a cystic neoplasm of the pancreas whose natural history is poorly known. The purpose of the study was to attempt to describe the natural history of SCN, including the specific mortality.

HBV has two forms of genomic DNA, relaxed-circular DNA (rcDNA) and duplex-linear DNA (dlDNA). Compared to rcDNA, dlDNA has been demonstrated to integrate more frequently into host cellular chromosomes, which may have oncogenic consequences. However, the dlDNA proportion relative to total HBV DNA and its clinical significance in patients remain to be investigated.

Antibiotic use is associated with an increased risk of developing multiple inflammatory disorders, which in turn are linked to alterations in the intestinal microbiota. How these alterations in the intestinal microbiota translate into an increased risk for inflammatory responses is largely unknown. Here we investigated whether and how antibiotics promote inflammation via the translocation of live native gut commensal bacteria.

We used an informatics approach to identify and validate genes whose expression is unique to hepatic stellate cells and assessed the prognostic capability of their expression in cirrhosis.

Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (iDILI) is a frequent cause of acute liver injury and a serious problem in late stage drug-development. Its diagnosis is one of the most challenging in hepatology, since it is done by exclusion and relies on expert opinion. Until now no reliable in vitro test exists to support the diagnosis of iDILI. In some instances it is impossible to determine the causative drug in polymedicated patients.

Crohn's disease (CD)-associated dysbiosis is characterised by a loss of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, whose culture supernatant exerts an anti-inflammatory effect both in vitro and in vivo. However, the chemical nature of the anti-inflammatory compounds has not yet been determined.