Gastroenterology
Background & Aims: The epithelial zinc-finger transcription factor Klf4 (formerly GKLF) regulates cellular proliferation and differentiation in vitro. Klf4 null mice die by postnatal day 1 and show changes in epithelial differentiation of skin and colon. Methods: We used tissue-specific gene ablation to generate mice lacking Klf4 in their gastric epithelia. Klf4 mutant mice and controls were killed...
Background & Aims:: Increased serotonin levels have been implicated in the pathophysiology of diarrhea associated with celiac and inflammatory diseases. However, the effects of serotonin on Na + /H + exchange (NHE) activity in the human intestine have not been investigated fully. The present studies examined the acute effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on NHE activity using...
Background & Aims: Infliximab is effective in closing fistulas in patients with Crohn’s disease. We examined the effect of infliximab maintenance treatment on hospitalizations, surgeries, and procedures in patients with fistulizing Crohn’s disease enrolled in the ACCENT II study. Methods: After 5 mg/kg infliximab at weeks 0, 2, and 6, a total of 282 patients were separately randomized at week...
Background & Aims: The molecular mechanisms by which hepatitis C virus (HCV) antagonizes the antiviral actions of interferon (IFN) have not been fully characterized. Specifically, how HCV proteins impact on IFN signaling components has yet to be elucidated. We used an HCV cell-based expression model to examine the interaction between HCV protein expression and host type I IFN signaling components...
Background & Aims: To explore the hypothesis that selective immune responses to distinct components of the intestinal microflora induce intestinal inflammation, we characterized disease kinetics and bacterial antigen–specific T-cell responses in ex germ-free interleukin 10 −/− and wild-type control mice monoassociated with Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, or Pseudomonas fluorescens...
Background & Aims: Tumor desmoplasia is one of the representative histopathologic findings in ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The aims of this study were to examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms of fibrogenesis associated with pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Methods: Immunostainings were performed with human pancreatic adenocarcinomas (n = 27) and tumors induced in nude mice (n = 36) by...