In 2017, the World Journal of Gastroenterology (WJG) has published the 44^th issue which containing 14 articles including 1 editorial, 9 original articles, 2 meta-analysis and 2 case report contributed by scientists worldwide. Among these comprehensive articles are (1) “Advances in endoscopic balloon therapy for weight loss and its limitations”, an editorial by Dinesh Vyas, MD, FACS, et al from Department of Surgery, Texas Tech University, United States; (2) “Prediction of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma using OncoScan chromosomal copy number aberration data”, a basic study by Chi-Neu Tsai, PhD, et al from Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taiwan; and (3) “Short-term clinical outcomes of laparoscopic vs open rectal excision for rectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis”, a meta-analysis by Nicola de’Angelis, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, et al from Department of Digestive, Hepato-biliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation, Henri Mondor University Hospital, AP-HP, Université Paris Est - UPEC, France, etc. We invite you to peruse all 14 articles in this issue, as they present the latest research progress/findings and provide insightful comments in gastroenterology and hepatology that will guide basic research and clinical practice in these fields.

Figure 1 The cover of the issue. Editorial board member of World Journal of Gastroenterology , Vitaly Skoropad, DSc, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Abdominal Oncology, Federal State Institution "Medical Radiological Research Center" of the Russian Ministry of Health, Obninsk 249036, Kaluga region, Russia

We encourage gastroenterologists and hepatologists worldwide to submit manuscripts to the WJG describing their original basic or clinical research findings that are of high academic value and which report new diagnostic techniques or summarize their treatment experiences.

We invited the readers to download and read the E-Journal of this issue.