overexpressing-long-noncoding-rnas-using-gene-activating-crispr

Overexpressing Long Noncoding RNAs Using Gene-activating CRISPR

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) biology is a new and exciting field of research, with the number of publications from this field growing exponentially since ...

specimen-collection-and-analysis-of-the-duodenal-microbiome

Specimen Collection and Analysis of the Duodenal Microbiome

Shifts in the microbiome have been correlated with the physiology and pathophysiology of many organ systems both in humans and in mouse models. The gut ...

University of California, Los Angeles

Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California

To determine how sustained virological response at 12 wk (SVR12) with direct acting antivirals (DAAs) for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression.

Impact of sustained virologic response on chronic kidney disease progression in hepatitis C.

The global obesity epidemic is driving the concomitant rise in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To identify new genes involved in central liver functions, we examined liver RNA-sequence data from 259 patients who underwent morbidly obese bariatric surgery. Of these patients, 84 had normal liver histology, 40 simple steatosis, 43 nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and the remaining 92 patients had varying degrees of NAFLD based on liver histology. We discovered oligodendrocyte maturation-associated long intergenic noncoding RNA () a long intervening noncoding RNA (lincRNA) in a human liver co-expression network (n = 75 genes) that was strongly associated with statin use and serum triglycerides (TGs).  liver expression was highly correlated with the expression of known cholesterol biosynthesis genes and stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase ().  is the rate-limiting enzyme in monounsaturated fatty acids and a key TG gene that is known to be up-regulated in liver steatosis and NAFLD and resides adjacent to  on the human chromosome 10q24.31. Next, we functionally demonstrated that  regulates  as an enhancer-RNA (eRNA), thus describing the first lincRNA that functions as an eRNA to regulate lipid metabolism. Specifically, we show that  promotes liver expression of  in  through regional chromosomal DNA-DNA looping interactions.  The primate-specific lincRNA  is a novel epigenetic regulator of the key TG and NAFLD gene .

Novel Lipid Long Intervening Noncoding RNA, Oligodendrocyte Maturation-Associated Long Intergenic Noncoding RNA, Regulates the Liver Steatosis Gene Stearoyl-Coenzyme A Desaturase As an Enhancer RNA.

 The gut microbiome is a key factor in chronic liver disease progression. In prior research, we found that the duodenal microbiome was associated with sex, ethnicity, and cirrhosis complications. Here, we examined the association between diet and the duodenal microbiome in patients with liver cirrhosis. This study included 51 participants who completed a detailed food frequency questionnaire and donated duodenal biopsies for microbiome characterization by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Data were analyzed for alpha diversity, beta diversity, and association of taxa abundance with diet quality and components using QIIME 2 pipelines. Diet quality was assessed through calculation of the Healthy Eating Index 2010. Participants with higher adherence to protein recommendations exhibited increased microbial richness and evenness ( = 0.03) and a different microbial profile compared to those with lower adherence ( = 0.03).  and  were increased in association with increased protein adherence. Fiber consumption was also associated with the duodenal microbial profile ( = 0.01), with several taxa exhibiting significantly decreased or increased abundance in association with fiber intake. Coffee drinking was associated with microbial richness and evenness ( = 0.001), and there was a dose-response association between coffee drinking and relative abundance of  ( = 0.01). We conclude that protein, fiber, and coffee are associated with diversity and composition of the duodenal microbiome in liver cirrhosis.

Dietary Protein, Fiber and Coffee Are Associated with Small Intestine Microbiome Composition and Diversity in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis.

Worldwide, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has reached epidemic proportions and in parallel, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become one of the fastest growing cancers. Despite the rise in these disease entities, detailed long-term outcomes of large NAFLD-associated HCC cohorts are lacking. In this report, we compared the overall and recurrence-free survival rates of NAFLD HCC cases to patients with HBV and HCV-associated HCC cases. Distinguishing features of NAFLD-associated HCC patients in the cirrhosis and non-cirrhosis setting were also identified. We conducted a retrospective study of 125 NAFLD, 170 HBV and 159 HCV HCC patients, utilizing clinical, pathological and radiographic data. Multivariate regression models were used to study the overall and recurrence-free survival. The overall survival rates were significantly higher in the NAFLD-HCC cases compared to HBV-HCC (HR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.15-0.80) and HCV-HCC (HR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.17-0.77) cases. The NAFLD-HCC patients had a trend for higher recurrence-free survival rates compared to HBV and HCV-HCC cases. Within the NAFLD group, 18% did not have cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis; Hispanic ethnicity (OR = 12.34, 95% CI 2.59-58.82) and high BMI (OR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.07-1.33) were significantly associated with having cirrhosis. NAFLD-HCC cases were less likely to exhibit elevated serum AFP (p < 0.0001). After treatments, NAFLD-related HCC patients had longer overall but not recurrence-free survival rates compared to patients with viral-associated HCC. Non-Hispanic ethnicity and normal BMI differentiated non-cirrhosis versus cirrhosis NAFLD HCC. Further studies are warranted to identify additional biomarkers to stratify NAFLD patients without cirrhosis who are at risk for HCC.

Improved survival after treatments of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease associated hepatocellular carcinoma.

In hepatitis C (HCV) patients, obesity and/or diabetes may increase the risk of liver-related outcomes. We aimed to determine whether diabetes and/or obesity are associated with adverse outcomes in direct-acting antiviral (DAA)-treated HCV patients.

Article Total : 2	Year
Publication title	2019
Publication title	2021

Article	Year
Impact of sustained virologic response on chronic kidney disease progression in hepatitis C. World journal of hepatology\| PubMed ID: 29359019	2017
Novel Lipid Long Intervening Noncoding RNA, Oligodendrocyte Maturation-Associated Long Intergenic Noncoding RNA, Regulates the Liver Steatosis Gene Stearoyl-Coenzyme A Desaturase As an Enhan... Hepatology communications\| PubMed ID: 31592021	2019
Dietary Protein, Fiber and Coffee Are Associated with Small Intestine Microbiome Composition and Diversity in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis. Nutrients\| PubMed ID: 32414035	2020
Improved survival after treatments of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease associated hepatocellular carcinoma. Scientific reports\| PubMed ID: 32555268	2020
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Risk Factors Affect Liver-Related Outcomes After Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment for Hepatitis C. Digestive diseases and sciences\| PubMed ID: 32654086	2020

Jihane Benhammou

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