Reporting quality in clinical research is critical for evidence-based medicine and reproducibility of clinical studies. Previous work has mostly focused on the reporting quality of clinical trials and observational longitudinal studies. However, few studies have examined the reporting quality of trend analyses. Moreover, the reporting of recommended statistical metrics in trend analyses remains largely unclear. Therefore, we assessed the reporting quality of trend analyses based on reporting of recommended statistical metrics. We systematically searched the PubMed for the trend-analysis articles published in 10 leading medicine and oncology journals over an 11-year period (2008–2018). Studies published after 2019 were excluded due to a sudden, significant increase in publication numbers during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic. Only original articles, research letters, and meta-analyses/systematic reviews were included. We scored the reporting quality of these articles based on whether they reported p-values, effect sizes, beta/coefficient/slope/annual-percentage-change (APC). 297 articles met the inclusion criteria. Among these, 193 (66.0%) reported p-values and 216 (72.7%) reported effect sizes. Only 13 (5.8%) analyses reported neither p-values/effect sizes nor beta/coefficient/slope/APC. In multivariable regression models, authors affiliated with epidemiology departments were less likely to report effect sizes, whereas those from statistics departments were more likely to do so. Interestingly, U.S.-based senior authors (versus non-U.S.) more likely reported p-values. No factors were independently associated with reporting APC. Overall, the reporting quality of trend analyses in leading medicine and oncology journals appears moderate and warrants improvement. We thus call for increased awareness and further research on reporting quality in trend analyses in oncology research and beyond.

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a significant complication of cirrhosis, but its progression and underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate dynamic changes in cardiac function, pathology, inflammation, and mitochondrial damage in a mouse model of CCM, and to compare echocardiographic characteristics in patients with cirrhosis.

Bile duct ligation was performed in male C57BL/6J mice to induce cirrhosis. Longitudinal analyses were conducted over eight weeks. Cardiac function was assessed using serum biomarkers, echocardiography, and electrocardiography. Pathology was examined with hematoxylin and eosin, Masson’s trichrome, Sirius Red, and wheat germ agglutinin staining. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect markers of inflammation, fibrosis, apoptosis, and mitochondrial function. Cardiac and liver function markers were also evaluated in patients with cirrhosis.

Mice subjected to bile duct ligation developed progressive cardiac dysfunction, including reduced cardiac output and diastolic dysfunction (end-diastolic interventricular septal thickness, left ventricular internal diameters, stroke volume, and left ventricular end-diastolic volume decreased, whereas ejection fraction and fractional shortening increased), as well as cardiac atrophy. Myocardial apoptosis, inflammation (elevated tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, and p65), and fibrosis worsened over time. Mitochondrial injury was characterized by reduced carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha, with increased hexokinase 2, pyruvate kinase M2, and lactate dehydrogenase A. In patients with cirrhosis, impaired cardiac function and elevated brain natriuretic peptide levels correlated with total bilirubin.

The progression of CCM is closely associated with cirrhosis severity and appears to be driven by myocardial atrophy, apoptosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Cholelithiasis and gallstone-related complications remain one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal diseases globally. Age, gender, body mass index, physical activity, dietary factors, and genetics play a role in the development of gallstones. More than 20% of patients with gallstones will develop symptomatic disease during their lifetime, which can often lead to complications and significant morbidity. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is considered the standard of care for symptomatic gallstone disease. Still, in select patient populations and in those who are non-surgical candidates, medical management, with bile acid therapy such as ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) or mechanical therapy such as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, is preferred. UDCA is a hydrophilic bile acid that lowers biliary cholesterol saturation and aids in dissolving small, cholesterol-rich gallstones. UDCA appears to be well tolerated in the populations studied. While serious adverse events were uncommon in the available literature, UDCA’s efficacy is limited by a high recurrence rate. The aim of this review is to summarize the current evidence and developments regarding the role of UDCA therapy in the management of cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis.

Preclinical studies of the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) antagonist deramciclane suggested an anxiolytic profile, which has not been unequivocally established in the clinic. The same receptor profile also indicated that the compound may exhibit antidepressant potential. However, evidence for these effects remains inconclusive. The present study examined the effect of the drug in two preclinical tests with predictive validity for antidepressant activity.

The antidepressant-like activity of deramciclane was assessed in male Sprague-Dawley rats by measuring immobility time in the forced swim test (doses: 1, 5 mg/kg) and ambulation scores in the bilateral olfactory bulbectomized (doses: 5, 10 mg/kg) rat model. In both tests, the clinically effective antidepressant imipramine served as the control condition.

In the forced swim test, there was a statistically significant effect of treatment on immobility time (F2,34 = 5.77; p < 0.01; analysis of variance), which was attributable to the effect of the 5 mg/kg dose (p < 0.01; Bonferroni post-hoc test). Deramciclane at 1 mg/kg was not significantly different from vehicle-treated animals. By contrast, neither dose of deramciclane (5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg) reversed the hyperactivity of olfactory bulbectomized rats, whereas imipramine was active in both tests.

Deramciclane demonstrates contradictory evidence for antidepressant-like activity in two validated pharmacological tools that identify such potential. The agent is clearly active in the forced swim test but not in the bulbectomized rat model. Further evaluation of the antidepressant-like potential of deramciclane in pharmacological models with predictive validity is warranted, and a more detailed examination of the dose-response relationship may be informative.