Intestinal fibrosis is a common and debilitating complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly Crohn's disease (CD). Fibrotic remodeling can also occur in ulcerative colitis (UC). Despite its clinical significance, there are currently no approved antifibrotic therapies, largely due to an incomplete understanding of the fibrogenic mechanisms and a lack of effective translational models. In this review, we examine several categories of animal models, including chemical-induced, microbial/biologic, immune cell-mediated, mechanical damage repair, genetically susceptible and cytokine-driven, and innovative models such as radiation-induced and organoid models. We evaluate the utility of these models in recapitulating key features of fibrotic IBD, including ECM remodeling, fibroblast activation, chronic inflammation, tissue stiffening, muscularis propria remodeling, and—in selected systems—fixed luminal narrowing/stricture. By outlining the advantages and limitations of each model, we aim to provide researchers with a practical, application-oriented framework that links each model to its optimal research use, thereby supporting the development of targeted, pathophysiologically-driven therapeutic strategies for IBD-associated fibrosis and fibrostenosis.
Salvage esophagectomy is considered the standard curative treatment for localized residual or recurrent esophageal cancer after definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT), but it is associated with substantial morbidity. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a less invasive alternative. We compared the outcomes of salvage esophagectomy and PDT for localized residual or recurrent esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after definitive CRT or radiotherapy (RT). We retrospectively reviewed 91 patients with cT1–2N0M0 residual or recurrent ESCC after definitive CRT or RT who underwent salvage esophagectomy (n = 33) or PDT (n = 58) at a single institution. Overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and treatment-related outcomes were evaluated. Patients treated with PDT were significantly older and had a higher comorbidity burden than those undergoing salvage esophagectomy. Salvage esophagectomy achieved an R0 resection rate of 94.0
Red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with adverse outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but whether this association reflects an HCC-associated erythrocyte injury phenotype remains unclear. We investigated whether phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization identifies an HCC-associated erythrocyte injury phenotype and is associated with tumor burden and early recurrence or progression. This prospective two-center clinical study included 97 patients with newly diagnosed HCC, 30 healthy donors, 13 patients with chronic hepatitis B, and 17 patients with HBV-related cirrhosis as disease controls. Erythrocyte injury phenotypes were characterized by flow cytometry, metabolomics, and proteomics. Findings were examined in orthotopic HCC mouse models and erythrocyte-HCC co-culture systems. PS externalization was elevated in patients with HCC and correlated with tumor diameter, multiplicity, metastasis, and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage. HCC also showed higher PS levels than chronic hepatitis B and HBV-related cirrhosis controls. Higher PS externalization remained independently associated with early recurrence or progression within 6 months after adjustment for maximum tumor diameter, tumor number, and lymph-node and/or distant metastasis (OR = 1.382; 95
Several case series have noted an association between Barrett’s esophagus (BE) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study to examine the association between baseline BE status, particularly ultra-short-segment BE (USSBE; BE <1 cm), and subsequent ESCC development, focusing on the presence or absence of extensive gastric atrophy (GA). Consecutive male participants who underwent endoscopy at 17 health check-up institutes in Japan between 2013 and 2017 and had follow-up endoscopy by December 2022 were enrolled. Baseline endoscopic images were reviewed to assess GA and BE status. The primary outcome was ESCC development during follow-up. The association between BE status and ESCC was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression. Among 20,402 male subjects, 7161 (35.1
