Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), lacks a known etiology. Although clinical symptoms, imaging, and colonoscopy are common diagnostic tools, fecal calprotectin (FC) serves as a widely used biomarker to track disease activity. Metabolomics, within the omics sciences, holds promise for identifying disease progression biomarkers. This approach involves studying metabolites in biological media to uncover pathological factors.
The purpose of this study was to explore fecal metabolomics in IBD patients, evaluate its potential in differentiating subtypes, and assess disease activity using FC.
Cross-sectional study including IBD patients, clinical data, and FC measurements (=200 μg/g as an indicator of active disease).
Fecal metabolomics utilized chromatography mass spectrometry/solid phase microextraction with MetaboAnalyst 5.0 software for analysis. Of 52 patients (29 UC, 23 CD), 36 (69.2%) exhibited inflammatory activity. We identified 56 fecal metabolites, with hexadecanoic acid, squalene, and octadecanoic acid notably distinguishing CD from UC. For UC, octadecanoic and hexadecanoic acids correlated with disease activity, whereas octadecanoic acid was most relevant in CD.
These findings highlight the potential of metabolomics as a noninvasive complement for evaluating IBD, aiding diagnosis, and assessing disease activity.
New therapies have revolutionized the treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD), but in some countries, the surgery rate has not changed, the frequency of emergency surgery is underestimated, and surgical risk is poorly studied.
The aim of this study was to identify risk factors and clinical indications for primary surgery in CD patients at the tertiary hospital.
This was a retrospective cohort of a prospectively collected database of 107 patients with CD from 2015 to 2021. The main outcomes were the incidence of surgery treatment, types of procedures performed, surgical recurrence, surgery free time, and risk factors for surgery.
Surgical intervention was performed in 54.2% of the patients, and most of the procedures were emergency surgeries (68.9%). The elective procedures (31.1%) were performed over 11 years after diagnosis. The main indications for surgery were ileal stricture (34.5%) and anorectal fistulas (20.7%). The most frequent procedure was enterectomy (24.1%). Recurrence surgery was most common in emergency procedures (OR 2.1; 95%CI 1.6–6.6). Montreal phenotype L1 stricture behavior (RR 1.3; 95%CI 1.0–1.8, p=0.04) and perianal disease (RR 1.43; 95%CI 1.2–1.7) increased the risk of emergency surgeries. The multiple linear regression showed age at diagnosis as a risk factor for surgery (p=0.004). The study of surgery free time showed no difference in the Kaplan-Meier curve for Montreal classification (p=0.73).
The risk factors for operative intervention were strictures in ileal and jejunal diseases, age at diagnosis, perianal disease, and emergency indications.
Inflammatory bowel diseases present progressive and potentially debilitating characteristics with an impact on health-related quality of life (QoL) throughout the course of the disease, and this parameter may even be used as a method of evaluating response to treatment.
The aim of this study was to analyze epidemiological data, medications in use, previous surgeries, and hospitalizations in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, and to determine the impairment in QoL of these patients.
This is a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study in patients with inflammatory bowel disease followed up in a tertiary hospital in São Paulo-SP, Brazil. General and disease-related, evolution, and quality-of-life data were analyzed using a validated quality-of-life questionnaire, namely, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ).
Fifty-six individuals were evaluated, with an equal number of patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. A higher prevalence of previous surgeries (p=0.001) and hospitalizations (p=0.003) for clinical-surgical complications was observed in patients with Crohn’s disease. In addition, the impairment of QoL also occurred more significantly in these patients (p=0.022), and there was a greater impact on females in both forms of inflammatory bowel disease (p=0.005).
Patients with Crohn’s disease are more commonly submitted to surgeries and hospitalizations. Patients affected by both forms of inflammatory bowel disease present impairments in QoL, which are mainly related to intestinal symptoms, and females are more affected than men.
Crohn’s disease is a pathological condition that has different options of treatment, but there are patients who need other therapeutic approach, such as the use of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells.
Systematic literature review to determine the different ways of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells administration in humans with luminal refractory and perianal fistulizing Crohn’s disease.
It was conducted a search for articles (from 2008 to 2018) on PubMed and ScienceDirect databases using the keywords Crohn’s disease, fistulizing Crohn’s disease, luminal Crohn’s disease and transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells or mesenchymal stem cells or stromal cells. Thirteen publications were selected for analysis.
Only one study referred to the luminal Crohn´s disease. The number of cells administered was variable, occurring mainly through subcutaneous adipose tissue by liposuction. It could be highlighted the autologous transplant with exclusive infusion of mesenchymal stem cells. The procedures involved in pre-transplant were mainly curettage, setons placement and stitching with absorbable suture, and conducting tests and drug treatment for luminal Crohn´s disease. During transplant, the injection of mesenchymal stem cells across the fistula path during the transplant was mainly on the intestinal tract wall.
Although the use of mesenchymal stem cells is promising, the transplant on the luminal region should be more investigated. The injection of mesenchymal stem cells, exclusively, is more explored when compared to treatment with other products. The preparation of the fistulizing tract and the location of cell transplantation involve standardized health care in most studies.
The small-bowel is the most difficult segment to be visualized by traditional endoscopic methods. The need for its exploration led to the development of capsule endoscopy. The percentage of the complete examination varies and still remains uncertain the factors that influence the complete and incomplete examination.
Evaluate the factors that interfere with the completeness of the endoscopic evaluation by the capsule.
A prospective study in which were included 939 patients divided into two groups: complete group (CG) and incomplete group (IG). The studied variables that could interfere were: age, gender, comorbidities, diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, previous abdominal surgery, inadequate preparation to compare the groups reached and did not reach the cecum.
Of the 939 patients included 879 (93.3%) reached the cecum (CG) and 63 (6.7%) IG no. The IG was composed of 29 (46.0%) men and 34 (54.0%) women with a mean age of 49.7 years; comorbidities this group accounted for 46% of which 15.9% was Crohn’s disease, previous abdominal surgery 22.2% and 17.5% inadequate preparation.
Factors associated with complete or incomplete outcome of the examination with capsule endoscopy were: associated comorbidities, Crohn’s disease, previous abdominal surgery and inadequate preparation.
Anti-TNF drugs are a fundamental part of the treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD), so identifying factors related to loss of response is of great importance in clinical practice.
Identify potential factors related to loss of response to anti-TNF agents in Crohn’s disease patients.
This is a prospective study of CD patients attending a specialized outpatient clinic using a specific form, including patients with more than one year of follow-up on anti-TNF (Infliximab, Adalimumab or Certolizumab pegol). The information obtained was tabulated and analyzed to identify possible reasons for the loss of response to anti-TNF agents; results were submitted to statistical analysis by chi-square teste considering significant p<0.05.
Sixty-four patients were included, most of them females (56.3%), predominant age group between 26 and 55 years, of whom 25 required optimization, 23 remained in remission with the usual dose and interval, and 16 required switch; most of those who needed switch had hematological problems such as anemia and/or had already undergone surgical treatment for CD.
Anemia and prior CD surgery have been linked to loss of anti-TNF response.
Desenvolvido por Surya MKT