Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics

OBJECTIVE: Under the assumption of irreversibility, the Montreal classification provides a unidirectional assessment of the complications and behaviour of Crohn's disease (CD) that does not allow for downstaging. We examined the use of a bidirectional Montreal classification system that can capture disease regression. DESIGN: From the BioCrohn Registry, an inception cohort of patients with CD for ≤12 months duration was defined and followed up for 5-years...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Lifestyle factors are well associated with risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the impact of reducing adverse lifestyle behaviours on population-level burden of HCC is uncertain. METHODS: We conducted prospective analysis of the population-based multi-ethnic cohort (MEC) with linkage to cancer registries. The association of lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol, diet quality assessed by alternate Mediterranean diet score, coffee drinking, physical activity and body mass index) with HCC incidence was examined using Cox regression...

INTRODUCTION: The burden of post-COVID-19 functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains unclear. The aim of this meta-analysis was to estimate the rate of post-COVID-19 FD and IBS. METHODS: MEDLINE, Scopus and Embase were searched through 17 December 2022. Studies reporting the incidence of FD and/or IBS in COVID-19 survivors and controls (without COVID-19), when available, according to the Rome criteria, were included. Estimated incidence with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was pooled...

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence and mortality continue to rise worldwide. Society guidelines recommend HCC screening for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) or cirrhosis. Unfortunately, HCC screening rates remain relatively low, and the performance characteristics of current screening modalities are suboptimal. AIM: The aim of the study was to discuss the current state of HCC screening and imaging diagnosis utilising standard and emerging imaging modalities in addition to outlining areas of need and ongoing study...

BACKGROUND: In the context of an ageing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) population, cardiovascular comorbidities become particularly relevant. Novel small molecule drugs (SMDs) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe IBD have been recently approved, including Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor (S1P) modulators. Data from rheumatoid arthritis population have raised concerns about the risk of cardiovascular events with the use of tofacitinib, which was extrapolated to other immune-mediated diseases and other JAK inhibitors...

BACKGROUND: Hyponatremia has prognostic implications in patients with cirrhosis, and thus, has been incorporated in the 2016 MELD-UNOS update. Changes in serum chloride (Cl) are commonly perceived as 'just' parallel to changes in serum sodium, however, are less well-studied in the context of cirrhosis. AIMS: To investigate whether serum chloride independently predicts outcomes in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) and stable clinical course or with critical illness...

BACKGROUND: Despite advances in ulcerative colitis (UC) therapies, a relatively undefined proportion of patients experience faecal incontinence (FI) in the absence of active inflammation. For this group, there remains a significant unmet need with a limited evidence base. AIMS: We aimed to estimate the prevalence and impact of FI in UC. METHODS: In a prospective cross-sectional study, patients with UC completed a series of validated questionnaires, including Rome IV FI criteria, an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-specific FI questionnaire (ICIQ-IBD), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and IBD-Control...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: While post-inflammatory polyps (PIPs) have historically been a risk factor for colorectal neoplasia (CRN), histologic activity may explain this association. We aimed to assess the impact of histologic activity on CRN occurrence in IBD patients with colonic PIPs. METHODS: Patients with PIPs on surveillance colonoscopy at Saint-Antoine hospital between 1 January 1996 and 31 December 2020 were included and subsequent colonoscopies were assessed...

BACKGROUND: Long-term administration of TDF/ETV in patients with HBV-related compensated cirrhosis reduces HCC and decompensation events but the effect of this regimen on development/regression of oesophageal varices (EV) is currently unknown. AIM: To assess the risk of EV development/progression in this population. METHODS: A total of 186 Caucasian HBV-monoinfected compensated cirrhotics were enrolled in a long-term cohort study from TDF/ETV introduction...

BACKGROUND: Gastric non-Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter (NHPH) species naturally associated with animals have been linked with gastric disease in human patients. AIM: The prevalence and clinical significance of zoonotic gastric NHPHs was determined in large and well-defined, H. pylori-negative, gastric patient populations. METHODS: Patients were retrospectively (n = 464) and prospectively (n = 65) included for gastric biopsy collection: chronic gastritis (CG), peptic ulcer disease and gastric MALT lymphoma, without identified aetiology...

BACKGROUND: The presence of fibrosis in NAFLD is the most significant risk factor for adverse outcomes. We determined the cutoff scores of two non-invasive te sts (NITs) to rule in and rule out significant fibrosis among NAFLD patients. METHODS: Clinical data and liver biopsies were used for NAFLD patients included in this analysis (2001-2020). The enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) and FIB-4 NITs were calculated. Liver biopsies were read by a single hematopathologist and scored by the NASH CRN criteria...

BACKGROUND: The PNPLA3 p.I148M variant is the main genetic determinant of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and PNPLA3 silencing is being evaluated to treat this liver condition. Data suggest that the p.I148M variant predisposes to kidney damage, but the relative contribution to kidney function, compared to overall genetic susceptibility, is not defined. AIMS: We aimed to assess the effect of PNPLA3 p.I148M on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in individuals with metabolic dysfunction...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Microscopic colitis (MC) is a colonic inflammatory condition associated with autoimmune dysfunction. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic disease induced by autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β-cells. We aimed to examine the association between T1D and MC. METHODS: A matched case-control study was conducted using the nationwide ESPRESSO cohort as study base. All biopsy-confirmed MC patients born after 1940 were identified and compared to biopsy-free individuals matched from the general population for T1D diagnosis using the Swedish National Patient Register...

BACKGROUND: Adiposity amplifies the genetic risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). AIM: We evaluated the association between overweight-years, a cumulative exposure based on the product of the duration and severity of excess body weight (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 ), and genetic risk on liver fat and fibrosis. METHODS: This is a longitudinal analysis derived from a prospective cohort of adults in the Framingham Heart Study who underwent genotyping and vibration-controlled-transient-elastography with controlled attenuation parameter...

BACKGROUND: Drugs which can inhibit nausea/vomiting and/or increase gastric emptying are used to treat gastroparesis, mostly 'off-label'. Within each category, they act at different targets and modulate different physiological mechanisms. AIMS: Address the questions: In gastroparesis, why should blocking one pathway causing vomiting, be more appropriate than another? Why might increasing gastric emptying via one mechanism be more appropriate than another? METHODS: Drugs used clinically were identified via consensus opinions and reviews, excluding the poorly characterised...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) constitutes a significant unmet medical need with a burgeoning field of clinical research and drug development. Platform trials (PT) might help accelerate drug development while lowering overall costs and creating a more patient-centric environment. This review provides a comprehensive and nuanced assessment of the NASH clinical development landscape. METHODS: Narrative review and expert opinion with insight gained during the EU Patient-cEntric clinicAl tRial pLatforms (EU-PEARL) project...

BACKGROUND: There is still controversy about whether tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and entecavir (ETV) have different effects on the outcomes of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare the prognoses between ETV and TDF treatment among patients with HBV-related HCC after hepatectomy. METHODS: An analysis was done on data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry, which was linked to Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, for the years 2011-2016...

BACKGROUND: 5-aminosalicylates (5-ASA) are widely used in Crohn's disease (CD) despite guidelines advising otherwise. We aimed to assess in nationwide study the outcomes of first-line 5-ASA maintenance therapy (5-ASA-MT) compared with no maintenance treatment (no-MT) in patients with newly diagnosed CD. METHODS: We utilised data from the epi-IIRN cohort, including all patients with CD diagnosed in Israel between 2005 and 2020. Propensity score (PS) matching was utilised to compare outcomes in the 5-ASA-MT versus no-MT groups...

BACKGROUND: Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) induces remission and mucosal healing in patients with Crohn's disease, but the mechanism of action remains unknown. AIM: To outline current understanding of the mechanisms of action of EEN. METHODS: From a comprehensive literature search, published data were critically examined in a narrative review. RESULTS: Multiple potential mechanisms of action have been identified. EEN optimises nutritional status...

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