Nutritional problems in patients with anorectal malformation (ARM) after anorectoplasty have not received sufficient attention. This study aimed to establish prediction model of postoperative undernutrition for patients with complex ARM.

The alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) is a novel inflammatory biomarker, and inflammation has been implicated in hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between AGP and hepatic steatosis and hepatic fibrosis and to assess its value as a potential biomarker.

Acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (ANVUGIB) is a common clinical emergency disease with high morbidity and mortality. H. pylori (HP) testing during hospitalization increases the eradication rate of HP and improves the prognosis of patients. The use of stool samples to detect HP has potential clinical application value in ANVUGIB patients, but its accuracy has yet to be verified.

Malnutrition detrimentally impacts the prognosis of patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension (CPH). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria, and its effect on post-transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) hepatic encephalopathy (HE) occurrence and mortality in patients with CPH.

PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) is involved in mitochondrial quality control via mitophagy, and recent studies have reported that its overexpression is associated with chemoresistance and poor prognosis in multiple malignant tumors. However, the clinical significance of PINK1 expression in colorectal cancer remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the association among PINK1 protein expression, clinicopathological factors, and prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer who underwent adjuvant chemotherapy after curative surgery.

Global plastic waste production remains a critical environmental issue. Microplastics (MPs), plastic particles less than 5 mm, are now pervasive across ecosystems. Humans are exposed to MPs via ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact raising concerns about their health impacts. This systematic review investigates the influence of MPs on the human gut microbiome, focusing on changes in microbial composition, diversity, and metabolic pathways based on 12 studies identified through Scopus and PubMed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Findings show that exposure to MPs such as polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polylactic acid (PLA), induces gut dysbiosis, marked by a loss of beneficial genera, and enrichment of pathogenic species. MPs also impair short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, alter metabolic functions, and modulate immune pathways, contributing to intestinal diseases, metabolic syndrome, and chronic inflammation. The extent of disruption is influenced by MP-specific properties such as type, size, and concentration. These results suggest that MPs are emerging environmental risk factors with tangible implications for human health. To fully understand the health concerns associated with MPs long-term, human-relevant studies with standardized methodologies are urgently needed to define safe exposure levels and guide policies aimed at reducing MP-related health risks.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, and researchers continue to explore its underlying factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis study aimed to clarify the prevalence and potential association between intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) and CRC.

Exploring the prognostic value of systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) for 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) in stage II colon cancer patients after radical surgery.

Protein Kinase C iota (PKCι) has been implicated in cancer progression and chemoresistance, but its prognostic significance in solid tumors remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of PKCι in tumor tissues and its association with clinicopathological features, survival outcomes, and chemotherapy response in patients with cancer.

Systemic inflammation is recognized as a key driver in the development of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). While emerging evidence suggests that the Aggregate Index of Systemic Inflammation (AISI) may reflect overall inflammatory burden, its association with MASLD prevalence remains poorly understood, especially in large population-based studies.

Despite the increased irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) risk associated with hepatic steatosis demonstrated in prior evidence, it is still unclear whether the newly coined metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), could in reverse impact IBS development. We prospectively assessed the association of MASLD, MASLD type and different cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) with incident IBS in a nationwide population-based cohort.

Antiviral treatment reduces, but does not eliminate, the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Predicting HCC risk in this population remains challenging. This study aimed to use dynamic changes in liver stiffness measurement (LSM) obtained using two-dimensional (2D) shear-wave elastography (SWE) to predict HCC in patients with non-cirrhotic and cirrhotic CHB who had well-controlled viremia.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a fundamental treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma despite its tendency to induce postembolization syndrome (PES), which can negatively impact the quality of life and treatment outcomes of patients. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic dexamethasone in reducing PES following TACE.

Disulfidptosis—a newly characterised mode of regulated cell death implicated in tumorigenesis—exhibits undefined prognostic utility in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly concerning disulfidptosis-related long non-coding RNAs (DRLs). Integrating transcriptomic and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we identified 807 DRLs and constructed a prognostic signature via univariate Cox regression, LASSO-Cox penalisation, and multivariate Cox analysis. The resulting four-DRL signature (AL031985.3, TMCC1-AS1, AL590705.3, AC026412.3) stratified patients into distinct risk cohorts, with high-risk groups demonstrating significantly reduced overall survival (OS; log-rank P < 0.001) and hazard ratios independent of conventional clinicopathological variables. Model discrimination was robust across multiple metrics: time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves yielded AUCs of 0.750 (95% CI: 0.676–0.817) at 1 year, 0.709 (0.637–0.781) at 3 years, and 0.720 (0.641–0.799) at 5 years, outperforming established staging systems. Concordance indices (C-index: 0.681) and principal component analysis further validated stratification efficacy. Functional annotation linked the signature to extracellular matrix dysregulation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and immunosuppressive microenvironments. High-risk patients exhibited elevated tumour mutational burden (P = 0.04), increased M0 macrophage infiltration, and heightened tumour immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) scores (P < 0.001)—indicating impaired immunotherapy response. Pharmacogenomic profiling revealed enhanced sensitivity to five agents in high-risk subgroups (BDP-00009066, GDC0810, Osimertinib, Paclitaxel, YK-4-279; all P < 0.01). Critical experimental validation confirmed AC026412.3 as an oncogenic driver: significantly overexpressed in HCC tissues (P < 0.001) and cell lines, its knockdown suppressed proliferation, invasion, and migration in vitro. In vivo models demonstrated its necessity for angiogenesis (chorioallantoic membrane assay), primary tumour growth (orthotopic implantation), pulmonary metastasis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition activation. This molecularly annotated signature enables precise prognostic stratification and guides personalised therapeutic strategies in HCC.

Esophageal varices (EV) bleeding in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis is a life-threatening complication. We investigated whether features on multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) could predict recurrent EV hemorrhage.

Colon cancer (CC) is the third most diagnosed malignancy and second leading cause of cancer mortality globally, with ~ 1.9 million new cases and 903,859 deaths annually (Bray et al. in CA Cancer J Clin 68(6):394-424, 2018). Diet represents a key modifiable risk factor for CC pathogenesis (Herr and Buchler in Cancer Treat Rev 36:377-383, 2010). Cruciferous vegetables (CV)-rich in glucosinolates that hydrolyze into bioactive isothiocyanates (Willett in Cancer Epidem Biomar 10:3-8, 2001; Murillo and Mehta in Nutr Cancer. 41(1-2):17-28, 2001; Higdon et al. in Pharmacol Res 55:224-36, 2007)-exhibit chemopreventive properties through carcinogen detoxification, apoptosis induction, and cell cycle arrest (Zhang et al. in Proc Nutr Soc 65:68-75, 2006). While prior meta-analyses report an inverse association between CV intake and CC risk (Tse and Eslick in Nutr Cancer 66(1):128-39, 2014), the quantitative dose-response relationship remains uncharacterized, limiting translational insights for dietary guidance.

While the international normalized ratio-to-albumin ratio (PTAR) is an established independent prognostic indicator for various diseases, its predictive value for clinical outcomes in critically ill patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) has not been systematically evaluated. The present study aims to examine the correlation between PTAR levels and clinical outcomes in critically ill patients with GIB.