Serum metabolic profiling of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome

Objective:The clinical symptoms of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome(IBS-D)can be effectively improved by traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)treatment,based on the usage of specific therapies for different TCM syndromes.However,in the stage of diagnosis,the standard criteria for the classification of TCM syndrome were still deficient.Through serum metabolic profiling,this study aimed to explore potential biomarkers in IBS-D patients with different TCM syndromes,which can assist in diagnosis of the disease.Methods:Serum samples were collected from healthy controls(30 cases),IBS-D patients with LiverStagnation and Spleen-Deficiency syndrome(LSSD,30 cases),Yang Deficiency of Spleen and Kidney syndrome(YDSK,11 cases)and Damp Abundance due to Spleen-Deficiency syndrome(DASD,22 cases).Serum metabolic profiling was conducted by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.The potential biomarkers were screened by orthogonal partial least square-discriminate analysis,while metabolic pathways undergoing alterations were identified by pathway enrichment analysis in Metabo Analyst 4.0.Results:Overall,34 potential biomarkers were identified in LSSD group,36 in YDSK group and 31 in DASD group.And the 13 metabolites shared by three groups were determined as the potential biomarkers of IBS-D.Glycerophospholipid metabolism was disturbed significantly in IBS-D patients,which may play a role in IBS-D through inflammation.What’s more,three TCM syndromes have the specific potential biomarkers in glycerophospholipid metabolism.Conclusion:The serum metabolomics revealed that different TCM syndrome types in IBS-D may have different metabolic patterns during disease progression and glycerophospholipid metabolism was one of the pathways,whose metabolism was disturbed differently among three TCM syndromes in IBS-D.Therefore,the specific potential biomarkers in glycerophospholipid metabolism of three TCM syndromes in IBS-D can serve as the objective indicators,which can facilitate the TCM-syndrome objective classification of IBS-D.

Treatment-related gastrointestinal toxicities and advanced colorectal or pancreatic cancer:A critical update

Gastrointestinal toxicities(GIT), including oral mucositis,nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea, are common side effects of chemotherapy and targeted agents in patients with advanced colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. Being often underreported, it is still difficult to precisely establish their burden in terms of both patient's quality of life and cancer care costs. Moreover, with the use of more intensive upfront combination regimens, the frequency of these toxicities is rapidly growing with a potential negative effect also on patient's outcome, as a result of dose reductions, delays or even discontinuation of active treatments. Thus, identifying patients at higher risk of developing GIT as well as an optimal management are paramount in order to improve patient's compliance and outcome. After the description of the main treatment-induced GIT, we discuss the current knowledge on the pathophysiology of these side effects and comment the scales commonly used to assess and grade them. We then provide a critical update on GIT incidence based on the results of key randomized trials conducted in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and advanced pancreatic cancer.

Gastrointestinal dysbiosis and the use of fecal microbial transplantation in Clostridium difficile infection

The impact of antibiotics on the human gut microbiota is a significant concern. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea has been on the rise for the past few decades with the increasing usage of antibiotics. Clostridium difficile infections(CDI) have become one of the most prominent types of infectious diarrheal disease, with dramatically increased incidence in both the hospital and community setting worldwide. Studies show that variability in the innate host response may in part impact upon CDI severity in patients. That being said, CDI is a disease that shows the most prominent links to alterations to the gut microbiota, in both cause and treatment. With recurrence rates still relatively high, it is important to explore alternative therapies to CDI. Fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT) and other types of bacteriotherapy have become exciting avenues of treatment for CDI. Recent clinical trials have generated excitement for the use of FMT as a therapeutic option for CDI; however, the exact components of the human gut microbiota needed for protection against CDI have remained elusive. Additional investigations on the effects of antibiotics on the human gut microbiota and subsequent CDI will help reduce the socioeconomic burden of CDI and potentially lead to new therapeutic modalities.

Post Cholecystectomy Diarrhoea—A Systematic Review

Introduction: Post-cholecystectomy diarrhoea (PCD) is probably the most distressing postoperative non-pain symptom. Its nature is not fully understood. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the prevalence, aetiology, predisposing factors and management of PCD from the past study reports. Methods: We conducted a wide ranged review of published literature on PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane library without any time limitation. Results: Twenty five studies were included. The prevalence of PCD was 9.1% (302/3306) with no significant difference between genders. The prevalence of bile acid malabsorption (BAM), the most important suggested aetiological factor, was seen in 65.5% (36/55) patients with PCD. There were no obvious predisposing factors. We found 92% (23/25) of patients with PCD responded to cholestyramine therapy. The cure rate for cholecystectomy on preoperative cholegenic diarrhoea was 54.5% (121/222). The prevalence of post-cholecystectomy new onset constipation was 7.9% (78/987). Conclusion: The aetiology of PCD is unknown and appears to be multifactorial. The BAM prevalence was only 65.5%, however 92% of PCD patients responded to cholestyramine therapy suggesting that cholestyramine therapy could also have curative effect on other unknown aetiological factors related to bile metabolism. The complexity of the aetiology of PCD is more projected by considering the curative effect of cholecystectomy on preoperative cholegenic diarrhoea, and the occurrence of post-cholecystectomy new onset constipation. However, the relationship between cholecystectomy and PCD is an undeniable fact.