by Gregor Reid  , Azza A. Gadir  , Scarlett Puebla Barragan  and Raja Dhir

Received: 11 December 2020;  Published: 01 February 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2101055

The human intestinal microbiota represents a complex microbial community that plays an essential role in the maintenance of host health. Over the last decade, metagenomic and metabolomic analyses have revealed the influence of intestinal microbial diversity and composition on a range of biological functions in the host. While overall taxonomic composition of the intestinal microbiome is informative, changes in spatial dynamics within the community also have profound biological significance as microbial functions ar [...]

by OBM Hepatology and Gastroenterology

Received: 04 January 2021;  Published: 05 January 2021;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2101054

The editors of OBM Hepatology and Gastroenterology would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2020. We greatly appreciate the contribution of expert reviewers, which is crucial to the journal's editorial process. We aim to recognize reviewer contributions through several mechanisms, of which the annual publication of reviewer names is one. Reviewers receive a voucher entitling them to a discount on their next LIDSEN publication and can download a certificat [...]

by Meir Djaldetti  , Chiya Moshe Leibovitch  and Hanna Bessler

Received: 28 June 2020;  Published: 19 November 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2004053

The current study aimed to investigate the effect of a multi-species probiotic (MSP) on cytokine production by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and their immune dialogue with HT-29 colon cancer cells. PBMCs were incubated with MSP and their effect on cell proliferation and TNFα, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IFNγ, IL-10, and IL-1ra production was evaluated. The impact of MSP on the cytokine production by PBMC stimulated by HT-29 cells was detected. Not-stimulated PBMC incubated with MSP showed increased produc [...]

by Ivan M. Lang

Received: 17 August 2020;  Published: 02 November 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2004052

Several digestive tract reflexes involving the esophagus and its sphincter muscles have been identified, but to date, no comprehensive review has addressed most of these reflexes. The current review presents the known physiology of different esophageal reflexes in which either the esophagus or its sensory or motor portion of the reflex response is elaborated. The current review comprehensively examines the known and possible mechanisms underlying major esophageal reflexes, highlights the huge gaps in current knowle [...]

by Richard A. Manfready  , Jack Husney  , Swan Thung  and Ilan S. Weisberg

Received: 04 March 2020;  Published: 25 September 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2003051

Patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy for inflammatory bowel disease may be susceptible to non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, now referred to as porto-sinusoidal vascular disease. Here we describe a patient treated with long-term azathioprine for Crohn’s disease who developed porto-sinusoidal vascular disease with obliterative portal venopathy without nodular regenerative hyperplasia on histology. Specific signs of portal hypertension were present, including porto-systemic collaterals on imaging. Histopathol [...]

by Monika Pliszka  and Leszek Szablewski

Received: 06 March 2020;  Published: 07 August 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2003050

The human gut is a house to approximately 1,000 different species of bacteria. The bacterial composition of gut microbiota is influenced by several factors, including age, sex, mode of delivery, geographical location, ethnicity, diet, drugs, and administration of prebiotics and/or probiotics. Similarly, human health depends on the composition of gut microbiome, with gut bacteria playing a crucial role in human physiology. For instance, gut microbiota synthesizes vitamins and amino acids, and affects the biotransfor [...]

by Brett W. Sadowski  and Coleman I. Smith

Received: 14 May 2020;  Published: 20 July 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2003049

The combination of broad screening initiatives and development of effective antiviral therapies have led to a revolution in the treatment of hepatitis C virus and has reduced the proportion of patients with the virus who develop a need for liver transplantation in favor of other etiologies, such as alcohol-related liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. However, the opioid epidemic and rise in injection drug use in the United States has simultaneously led to otherwise healthy hepatitis C viremic patients d [...]

by Katsuhisa Omagari  , Risa Kumamoto  , Yuko Koyama  , Masako Suzuta  , Asami Taniguchu  , Ayumi Fukuda  , Momoe Iwami  , Kazunori Koba  , Asako Kawaguchi  and Kazunori Otsuka

Received: 10 April 2020;  Published: 19 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2002048

Chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are two of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders, both of which negatively affect the quality of life of the patients. Since people may have co-existing symptoms of multiple disorders, chronic constipation and IBS with predominant constipation cannot be clearly distinguished. In this cross-sectional study, data were obtained from self-administered questionnaires to assess the prevalence of chronic constipation and IBS, and their overlap, among [...]

by Srinivasan Periasamy  , Se-Ping Chien  , Chen Hsu  , Dur-Zong Hsu  and Ming-Yie Liu

Received: 10 March 2020;  Published: 18 May 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2002047

Metformin has been widely used as a therapeutic drug for hyperglycemia and diabetes. Sleep is a vital and restorative process that is necessary for the proper functioning of organs. Sleep deprivation can induce multi-organ injury, including damage to the pancreas and liver that may result in hyperglycemia and diabetes. We studied the role of metformin in reversing sleep deprivation-induced hyperglycemia and pancreatic and liver dysfunction in mice. Mice were kept in cages and fed water and food ad libitum. Mice wer [...]

by Haris Muhammad  , Muhammad Hammami  , Peng-sheng Ting  , Cem Simsek  , Behnam Saberi  and Ahmet Gurakar

Received: 02 February 2020;  Published: 24 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/obm.hg.2002046

Liver transplantation has steadily increased worldwide resulting in a large number of patients on the waiting list. Due to the opioid epidemic in the US, the pool of Hepatitis C seropositive donors increased significantly in recent years. Direct acting antivirals played an instrumental role in making liver transplantation with hepatitis C positive allograft an acceptable option. Although hepatitis C positive liver transplantation to hepatitis C positive recipients is a common practice, there is limited data and agr [...]