{"title":"Efficacy analysis of folic acid in chronic atrophic gastritis with Helicobacter pylori infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Hui Li, Jincheng Li, Mingyu Lai","doi":"10.1186/s12876-025-03644-1","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12876-025-03644-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Current data indicate that supplements such as folic acid play a significant role in treating chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG). However, no meta-analysis article evaluates its efficacy comprehensively. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to compare the effectiveness and safety of folic acid in the treatment of CAG with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a systematic review method, consider randomized controlled trials (RCT), including clinical trial reports, unpublished clinical trial data, and conference papers. A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted from all years up to June 2024. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Vip, and Wanfang databases. Data were extracted using a pre-designed extraction tool and analysis was undertaken using RevMan5.4 and STAT15.1. Efficacy and safety outcomes were evaluated using risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>16 randomized controlled trials with 1364 patients were included. Compared with conventional therapy, folic acid therapy had a higher total effective rate (95.09% vs.79.06%, pooled RR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.12-1.26, p < 0.00001) and lower incidence of adverse events (11.64% vs. 14.04%, RR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.46-1.60, p = 0.64). Moreover, folic acid can better improve gastric function and repair gastric mucosa (MD = 27.20, 95%CI:23.84-30.56, p < 0.00001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>For HP-related CAG, anti-HP treatment and folic acid supplementation should be started as early as possible. Gastric mucosal protective agents can improve the curative effect and can be selected according to the condition of patients with obvious adverse reactions. Our study provided evidence for their potential clinical use in the management of CAG. However, CAG-related studies in other countries and regions need to be further studied.</p><p><strong>Registration: </strong>The logn number of our Meta-analysis on PROSPERO is 42,024,571,785.</p>","PeriodicalId":9129,"journal":{"name":"BMC Gastroenterology","volume":"25 1","pages":"69"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11806780/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143370213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Blood pressure, gallstones, and age at first cholecystectomy in U.S. adults: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Yue Zhang, Ruifeng Duan, Xin Chen, Lijuan Wei","doi":"10.1186/s12876-025-03641-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12876-025-03641-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Gallstones are a prevalent health issue. Recent studies have revealed that blood pressure (BP) may affect gallstone formation. This study assessed the association between hypertension (HTN) and both the prevalence of gallstones and the age at first cholecystectomy among U.S. adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database from 2017 to 2020. Weighted logistic and linear regression analyses and subgroup analyses were employed to investigate the relationships between HTN, gallstone disease (GD), and age at first cholecystectomy. Additionally, this study employed generalized additive models (GAM) and smooth-fitting curves to delineate the relationships. The two-piecewise linear regression model and logarithmic likelihood ratio test elucidated the inflection point of systolic blood pressure (SBP) on the age at first cholecystectomy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study included 7,532 participants aged over 20 years. Of these, 817 reported a history of cholecystectomy, and 781 reported a history of gallstones. After adjustment for age, gender, race, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia, HTN was significantly associated with gallstones in individuals aged 48 years (OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.88). SBP was positively correlated with the age at first cholecystectomy (β = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.26). When examining the correlation between SBP and age at surgery, age was first positively and then negatively correlated with BP, with 170 as an inflection point. We carried out subgroup analyses to evaluate the robustness of the link between HTN and cholecystectomy. The results revealed a consistent positive association between HTN and cholecystectomy across these variables (p > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study found a correlation between BP and the prevalence of gallstones in individuals aged 42 years and older and a positive association between SBP and the age at first cholecystectomy. While causality cannot be confirmed, these findings may assist in identifying early risk groups for GD and early cholecystectomy, thereby enhancing risk stratification and potentially reducing screening costs.</p>","PeriodicalId":9129,"journal":{"name":"BMC Gastroenterology","volume":"25 1","pages":"65"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11806608/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143370206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Boglarka Rethy, Anna Schandl, Caroline Nordenvall, Gabriella Jansson Palmer, Charlotta Bergström, Maria Williamson, Emil Pieniowski, Asif Johar, Pernilla Lagergren, Mirna Abraham-Nordling
{"title":"The patient perspective on transanal irrigation treatment for low anterior resection syndrome after rectal cancer surgery - a qualitative and quantitative study.","authors":"Boglarka Rethy, Anna Schandl, Caroline Nordenvall, Gabriella Jansson Palmer, Charlotta Bergström, Maria Williamson, Emil Pieniowski, Asif Johar, Pernilla Lagergren, Mirna Abraham-Nordling","doi":"10.1186/s12876-025-03633-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12876-025-03633-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The aim of the study was to explore long-term experiences of transanal irrigation (TAI) in patients with major low anterior resection syndrome (LARS).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study included a qualitative and quantitative analysis of patients who developed major LARS after rectal cancer surgery between 2016 and 2019 and have undergone treatment with TAI. The patients received questionnaires. Mean scores were calculated with time-to-deterioration. Individual semi-structured interviews were performed and analyzed, according to Graneheim and Lundman with patients who performed TAI regularly for more than one year.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total 28 out of 39 patients responded to the questionnaires and 16 patients participated in the interviews. At mean 6-years follow-up, a 9.4 points difference in mean LARS score was obtained, (21.2 vs. 30.7) indicating less LARS symptoms in favor of the TAI treatment. Patients in the TAI group used less loperamide compared to the control group (36% vs. 79%). The use of bulky agents was similar. The interview text rendered into three main categories: regaining control in everyday life, need for structure and planning and becoming familiar with the procedure.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Treatment with TAI showed the potential to improve the quality of life of patients with major LARS. The improvements in their general well-being were valued over adjustments and time spent on TAI.</p><p><strong>Implications for cancer survivors: </strong>Bowel dysfunction remains after 6-years with lower LARS scores favoring the TAI treatment. In the absence of a definitive treatment, survivors of rectal cancer coping with LARS have shown appreciation of the TAI treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":9129,"journal":{"name":"BMC Gastroenterology","volume":"25 1","pages":"64"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11804026/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143370316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A comprehensive analysis of percutaneous liver biopsy characteristics and pathological manifestations in a large patient cohort (2009-2024).","authors":"Minling Cao, Jiayi Zeng, Jiayu Wang, Junmin Jiang","doi":"10.1186/s12876-025-03646-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12876-025-03646-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of patients undergoing percutaneous liver biopsies and investigate the pathological manifestations of four major liver diseases across different age groups.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective analysis was conducted of 4,717 liver pathology reports from 2009 to 2024. The study population comprised 4,188 patients who underwent liver biopsies, with 408 patients receiving two biopsies and 50 patients who underwent three or more procedures. Most of biopsies (4,171) were performed between 2013 and 2023. Disease categorization, temporal distribution, and pathological manifestations across different age groups were assessed employed descriptive statistics, trend analyses, and graphical representations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Since 2020, a gradual increase has been observed in the proportion of cases involving concurrent hepatitis B complicated by metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASLD), along with an elevation in the incidence of MASLD alone. Pathological manifestations varied considerably across different age groups. Patients with hepatitis B complicated by MASLD exhibited disease exacerbation in middle age, with both liver inflammation and fibrosis grading worsening as age advanced. Furthermore, within the same age bracket, the severity of inflammation and the extent of fibrosis were more pronounced in cases where chronic hepatitis B was combined with MASLD compared to those with isolated chronic hepatitis B or MASLD.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics and pathological manifestations of patients who underwent percutaneous liver biopsies over a 15-year period. The findings underscore the varying pathological manifestations across different age groups for the four major liver diseases and emphasize the necessity for tailored therapeutic interventions, particularly for patients with concurrent hepatitis B and MASLD, as antiviral therapy alone may be inadequate. Further research is warranted to explore optimal management strategies for these patient subpopulations.</p>","PeriodicalId":9129,"journal":{"name":"BMC Gastroenterology","volume":"25 1","pages":"67"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11806597/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143370317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Therapeutic effects of reduced glutathione on liver function, fibrosis, and HBV DNA clearance in chronic hepatitis B patients.","authors":"Qiyao Wei, Jing Zhao","doi":"10.1186/s12876-025-03600-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12876-025-03600-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the therapeutic impact of reduced glutathione combined with entecavir on liver function, fibrosis, and HBV-DNA clearance in chronic hepatitis B patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a randomized controlled trial. This study included 90 patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B, who were randomly divided into two groups (observation group and control group) using a random number table, with 45 patients in each group. The control group received standard entecavir treatment (0.5 mg/time, once a day, continuous treatment for 3 months), while the observation group received a combination therapy of reduced glutathione and the standard entecavir treatment. Liver function markers (ALT, TBIL, AST, ALB), fibrosis markers (HA, PC III, LN), and liver fibrosis grades were assessed pre-and post-treatment. HBV-DNA negative conversion rates were recorded at 4, 12, 24, and 48 weeks. The incidence of adverse reactions, including nausea, vomiting, headache, and mild gastric discomfort, was recorded and compared between the two groups during the treatment period.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ALT decreased from 348.96 ± 31.47 U/L to 31.11 ± 9.78 U/L in the observation group and from 347.90 ± 31.40 U/L to 56.90 ± 16.32 U/L in the control group (P < 0.05). TBIL decreased from 61.78 ± 4.94 µmol/L to 18.82 ± 2.93 µmol/L in the observation group and from 61.32 ± 4.93 µmol/L to 26.70 ± 4.44 µmol/L in the control group (P < 0.05). ALB increased from 29.65 ± 0.94 g/L to 48.76 ± 4.85 g/L in the observation group and from 29.77 ± 0.90 g/L to 34.12 ± 0.84 g/L in the control group (P < 0.05). The observation group showed greater reductions in HA, PC III, and LN, and improved liver fibrosis grades (P < 0.05). HBV-DNA negative conversion rates in the observation group were 15.56%, 35.56%, 60.00%, and 68.89% at 4, 12, 24, and 48 weeks, respectively, compared to 2.22%, 6.67%, 17.78%, and 42.22% in the control group (P < 0.05). Adverse reaction rates were 8.89% in the observation group and 20.00% in the control group (P > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Reduced glutathione combined with entecavir significantly improves liver function, reduces liver fibrosis, and enhances HBV-DNA clearance in chronic hepatitis B patients without increasing adverse reactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":9129,"journal":{"name":"BMC Gastroenterology","volume":"25 1","pages":"68"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11806808/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143370318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jingru Song, Ziwei Gao, Liqun Lai, Jie Zhang, Binbin Liu, Yi Sang, Siqi Chen, Jiachen Qi, Yujun Zhang, Huang Kai, Wei Ye
{"title":"Machine learning-based plasma metabolomics for improved cirrhosis risk stratification.","authors":"Jingru Song, Ziwei Gao, Liqun Lai, Jie Zhang, Binbin Liu, Yi Sang, Siqi Chen, Jiachen Qi, Yujun Zhang, Huang Kai, Wei Ye","doi":"10.1186/s12876-025-03655-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12876-025-03655-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cirrhosis is a leading cause of mortality in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). The rapid development of metabolomic technologies has enabled the capture of metabolic changes related to the progression of cirrhosis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study used proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H-NMR) serum metabolomics data from the UK Biobank (UKB) and employed elastic net-regularized Cox proportional hazards models to explore the role of metabolomics in cirrhosis risk stratification in patients with CLD. Metabolomic data were integrated with aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4) to construct predictive models for cirrhosis risk. The model performance was assessed in both the derivation and validation cohorts.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 2,738 eligible patients were included in the analysis. Several metabolites showed an independent association with cirrhosis events (68 out of 168 metabolites after adjustment for age and sex, and 21 out of 168 metabolites after full adjustment). The integration of metabolomics with FIB-4 improved the predictive performance compared to FIB-4 alone (Harrell's C: 0.717 vs. 0.696, ΔC = 0.021, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.014-0.028, Net Reclassification Improvement [NRI]: 0.504 [0.488-0.520]). Similarly, the combination of metabolomics with APRI also improved predictive performance compared to APRI alone (Harrell's C: 0.747 vs. 0.718, ΔC = 0.029, 95% CI 0.022-0.035, NRI: 0.378 [0.366-0.389]). Key metabolites, including branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), lipids, and markers of oxidative stress, were identified as significant predictors. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that disruptions in lipid and amino acid metabolism play a central role in the progression of cirrhosis.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>1 H-NMR serum metabolomics significantly improves the prediction of cirrhosis risk in patients with CLD. The APRI + Metabolomics model demonstrated strong discriminatory power, with key metabolites involved in fatty acid and amino acid metabolism, providing a promising tool for the early screening of cirrhosis risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":9129,"journal":{"name":"BMC Gastroenterology","volume":"25 1","pages":"61"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11800577/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143363574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mitchell L Ramsey, Andrew Lu, Kristyn Gumpper-Fedus, Stacey Culp, David Bradley, Darwin L Conwell, Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate, J Royce Groce, Samuel Han, Somashekar G Krishna, Peter Lee, Thomas Mace, Georgios I Papachristou, Kristen M Roberts, Zarine K Shah, Phil A Hart
{"title":"Clinical risk factors for sarcopenia in acute and chronic pancreatitis.","authors":"Mitchell L Ramsey, Andrew Lu, Kristyn Gumpper-Fedus, Stacey Culp, David Bradley, Darwin L Conwell, Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate, J Royce Groce, Samuel Han, Somashekar G Krishna, Peter Lee, Thomas Mace, Georgios I Papachristou, Kristen M Roberts, Zarine K Shah, Phil A Hart","doi":"10.1186/s12876-025-03609-4","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12876-025-03609-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sarcopenia is common in chronic pancreatitis (CP) and has been associated with unfavorable outcomes; however, it is not well studied in acute pancreatitis (AP).</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To evaluate risk factors for sarcopenia among individuals with AP or CP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross sectional analysis was performed among subjects with AP or CP seen in a tertiary care Pancreas Clinic. TeraRecon software was used to calculate the cross-sectional area of skeletal muscle, visceral fat, and subcutaneous fat at the level of the L3 vertebrae. Sarcopenia was classified using sex-specific skeletal muscle index. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to assess differences between groups and associations with sarcopenia.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 49 subjects with AP and 54 subjects with CP were included. Sarcopenia was more frequently observed in CP compared to AP (83.3% vs. 46.9%, p < 0.001). The multivariate logistic regression demonstrated CP, male sex, increased age, and decreased subcutaneous fat were independently associated with sarcopenia.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Sarcopenia is observed in both CP and AP. In addition to traditional risk factors (including male sex, older age, and decreased subcutaneous fat), CP is independently associated with sarcopenia. Further investigations are necessary to gain deeper insights into sarcopenia pathogenesis, which could inform potential intervention strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":9129,"journal":{"name":"BMC Gastroenterology","volume":"25 1","pages":"60"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11800437/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143363647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Short-term endoscopic alterations of early gastric cancer after successful eradication of Helicobacter pylori.","authors":"Xiaohan Yan, Jingze Li, Zehua Zhang, Bensong Duan, Meidong Xu, Qinwei Xu","doi":"10.1186/s12876-025-03651-2","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12876-025-03651-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Detecting and demarcating early gastric cancers (EGC) after eradication therapy of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a challenging task due to the fact that the lesion's surface is covered with gastritis-like tissue (non-neoplastic epithelium covering the cancerous tissue). However, our study aimed to investigate the endoscopic alterations of EGC within 3 months after eradication, which has not been reported clearly yet.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Consecutive EGC patients who underwent two gastroscopies (one with H. pylori infection and another within 3 months after successful H. pylori eradication) were enrolled. The endoscopic photographs were evaluated for the endoscopic features and confidence level of demarcation line (DL), invasion depth, and histopathological classification by three highly experienced endoscopists. The DL estimated by endoscopy was compared with that of postoperative pathological examination.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>45 pairs of EGC cases before and after eradication were enrolled. All the confidence level of DL (High confidence: 15.6% vs. 93.3%, p value = 0.000) and invasion depth (High confidence: 37.8% vs. 80.0%, p value = 0.000) and histopathological classification (High confidence: 31.1% vs. 91.1%, p value = 0.000) were significantly improved after eradication. A higher confidence level of DL before eradication was correlated with severe atrophy score (p value = 0.036). The inter-observer agreements for DL, invasion depth, and histopathological classification were 0.85 and 0.75 and 0.78, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>DL of EGC becomes much more apparent after eradication in the short-term. Eradication therapy is necessary even shortly prior to the procedure of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) to help precise pre-procedure diagnosis and avoid incomplete resection.</p>","PeriodicalId":9129,"journal":{"name":"BMC Gastroenterology","volume":"25 1","pages":"59"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11800400/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143363590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Matthew Stammers, Balasubramanian Ramgopal, Abigail Owusu Nimako, Anand Vyas, Reza Nouraei, Cheryl Metcalf, James Batchelor, Jonathan Shepherd, Markus Gwiggner
{"title":"A foundation systematic review of natural language processing applied to gastroenterology & hepatology.","authors":"Matthew Stammers, Balasubramanian Ramgopal, Abigail Owusu Nimako, Anand Vyas, Reza Nouraei, Cheryl Metcalf, James Batchelor, Jonathan Shepherd, Markus Gwiggner","doi":"10.1186/s12876-025-03608-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12876-025-03608-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This review assesses the progress of NLP in gastroenterology to date, grades the robustness of the methodology, exposes the field to a new generation of authors, and highlights opportunities for future research.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Seven scholarly databases (ACM Digital Library, Arxiv, Embase, IEEE Explore, Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar) were searched for studies published between 2015 and 2023 that met the inclusion criteria. Studies lacking a description of appropriate validation or NLP methods were excluded, as were studies ufinavailable in English, those focused on non-gastrointestinal diseases and those that were duplicates. Two independent reviewers extracted study information, clinical/algorithm details, and relevant outcome data. Methodological quality and bias risks were appraised using a checklist of quality indicators for NLP studies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fifty-three studies were identified utilising NLP in endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, liver and pancreatic disease. Colonoscopy was the focus of 21 (38.9%) studies; 13 (24.1%) focused on liver disease, 7 (13.0%) on inflammatory bowel disease, 4 (7.4%) on gastroscopy, 4 (7.4%) on pancreatic disease and 2 (3.7%) on endoscopic sedation/ERCP and gastrointestinal bleeding. Only 30 (56.6%) of the studies reported patient demographics, and only 13 (24.5%) had a low risk of validation bias. Thirty-five (66%) studies mentioned generalisability, but only 5 (9.4%) mentioned explainability or shared code/models.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>NLP can unlock substantial clinical information from free-text notes stored in EPRs and is already being used, particularly to interpret colonoscopy and radiology reports. However, the models we have thus far lack transparency, leading to duplication, bias, and doubts about generalisability. Therefore, greater clinical engagement, collaboration, and open sharing of appropriate datasets and code are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":9129,"journal":{"name":"BMC Gastroenterology","volume":"25 1","pages":"58"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11800601/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143363644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The serum hepcidin and the hepcidin/ferritin ratio in NAFLD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Jingmin Song, Heqing Wang, Xiaolian Gao, Fen Yang, Xinhong Zhu, Guiyuan Qiao, Ting Gan, Junxiu Tao","doi":"10.1186/s12876-025-03620-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12876-025-03620-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a spectrum of chronic liver diseases characterized by hepatic steatosis exceeding 5% in the absence of alcohol and other liver-damaging factors. Clinical studies have identified a potential link between abnormal iron metabolism and the high incidence of NAFLD; however, the results from clinical trials remain inconsistent. This meta-analysis aims to compare serum hepcidin levels and the hepcidin/ferritin ratio between adults with NAFLD and those without to explore their potential relationship with NAFLD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A systematic search was conducted across the Web of Science platform, Cochrane, Scopus, Embase, and PubMed databases from their inception until December 18, 2024. The analysis primarily focused on serum hepcidin levels and the hepcidin/ferritin ratio. Observational studies comparing serum hepcidin levels and the hepcidin/ferritin ratio between individuals with NAFLD and control groups were included. A random-effects model was employed to calculate effect estimates, and outcomes were reported as standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Following the systematic review, a total of 19 studies, comprising 2216 patients and 2125 controls, were included. The findings revealed a statistically significant difference in both hepcidin levels (SMD = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.49 to 1.56, p < 0.001) and the hepcidin/ferritin ratio (SMD = -1.13, 95% CI: -1.79 to -0.46, p < 0.001) between NAFLD and controls. Significant heterogeneity was observed across studies for both hepcidin (I² = 98.2%) and the hepcidin/ferritin ratio (I² = 93.3%), and the limited number of studies on hepcidin/ferritin were acknowledged as key limitations. Subgroup analysis revealed that patients with obesity exhibited higher levels of hepcidin (SMD = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.40 to 1.97) than overweight (SMD = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.05 to 1.72). Meta-regression analysis identified the hepcidin measurement method (p < 0.01), male-to-female ratio (p < 0.01), and study quality (p < 0.01) as significant moderators of the observed heterogeneity.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This meta-analysis revealed a significant association between hepcidin levels, the hepcidin/ferritin ratio and NAFLD in adults. Further investigations are needed to fully elucidate the role of these variables in iron metabolism and their potential impact on the diagnosis, prevention, and management of NAFLD.</p>","PeriodicalId":9129,"journal":{"name":"BMC Gastroenterology","volume":"25 1","pages":"62"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11804044/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143363596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}