Assessment of Urinary Dopamine and Serotonin Metabolites in Relation to Dysbiosis Indicators in Patients with Functional Constipation.

Background: The causes of functional constipation (FC) in adults are unclear, but changes in the gut microbiome may play an important role. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between urinary metabolites of dopamine and serotonin and some dysbiosis indicators in patients with FC. The study included 40 healthy women and 40 women with FC aged 21-46 years.

The Variability of Tryptophan Metabolism in Patients with Mixed Type of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Patients with a mixed type of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-M) experience constipation and diarrhea, which alternate between weeks or months. The pathogenesis of this syndrome is still little understood. The aim of the study was mainly to evaluate the urinary excretion of selected tryptophan (TRP) metabolites during the constipation and diarrhea periods of this syndrome.

Real-world effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab induction therapy for ulcerative colitis: A prospective nationwide Polish observational study.

Background: Vedolizumab is recommended as a first-line biological treatment, along with other biological drugs, in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients in whom conventional therapy failed and as a second-line biological treatment following a failure of a tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) antagonist.

Objectives: We aimed to assess the real-world effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab induction therapy in UC patients treated in the scope of the National Drug Program (NDP) in Poland.

Material And Methods: The endpoints were the proportions of patients who reached clinical response, clinical remission and mucosal healing at week 14.

Real-world outcomes of 54-week vedolizumab therapy and response durability after treatment discontinuation in ulcerative colitis: results from a multicenter prospective POLONEZ study.

Background: Vedolizumab is a gut-selective anti-lymphocyte trafficking agent used to treat ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and durability of the therapeutic effect of vedolizumab after treatment discontinuation in a real-world cohort of patients with UC treated in Poland.

Design: This was a multicenter, prospective study involving patients with moderate to severely active UC from 12 centers in Poland who qualified for reimbursed treatment with vedolizumab between February and November 2019.

Effects of Microencapsulated Sodium Butyrate, Probiotics and Short Chain Fructooligosaccharides in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Study Protocol of a Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disease in the pathogenesis of which gut dysbiosis may play an important role. Thus, probiotics, prebiotics, or microbiota metabolites, such as butyric acid, are considered to be effective therapy for IBS. However, there are still no trials presenting the efficacy of these three biotic components administered simultaneously.

The role of serotonin in pathogenesis of unclassified irritable bowel syndrome.

Unlabelled: The pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has not been clearly understood. Numerous factors, including neurotransmitters, can interfere with the functions of the digestive tract.

Aim: The aim of present study was to determine the secretion and metabolism of serotonin in patients with unclassified irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-U).

Altered tryptophan metabolism in patients with recurrent functional abdominal pain.

Unlabelled: The causes of functional abdominal pain are still unclear. The role of food factors in their pathogenesis has been assessed by many researches, but the obtained results are varied.

Aim: The aim of present study was to evaluate metabolism of tryptophan, which is substrate for serotonin synthesis and other bioactive compounds, in patients with recurrent functional abdominal pain.

Characteristics of patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis treated with vedolizumab: results from a Polish multicenter, prospective, observational real-life study (the POLONEZ study).

Background: Vedolizumab, a humanized antibody targeting the αβ integrin, was proven to be effective in the treatment of moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC) in randomized clinical trials. The aim of the POLONEZ study is to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients with UC treated with vedolizumab within the scope of the National Drug Program in Poland and to assess the real-world effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab in the study population. Here we report the demographic and clinical characteristics of these patients.

Social Distancing during COVID-19 Pandemic among Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients.

(1) Background: Social distancing rules have been widely introduced in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. So far, the effectiveness of these methods has not been assessed in the group of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. (2) Methods: The study included 473 patients with IBD who made 1180 hospital visits from 1 May to 30 September 2020.

[The role of intraepithelial lymphocytes in pathogenesis of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth syndrome].

Unlabelled: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a frequent cause of chronic abdominal complaints. So far, a lot information has been gathered on its pathogenesis but are still doubts that raise question why its causes chronic diarrhea in some and constipation in other patients.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the number of endothelial lymphocytes (IELs) in the duodenal and ileum mucosa in patients with SIBO with dominant diarrhea (SIBO-D) and dominant constipation (SIBO-C).

Diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Recommendations of the Working Group of the Polish Pancreatic Club.

These recommendations refer to the current management in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a neoplasia characterised by an aggressive course and extremely poor prognosis. The recommendations regard diagnosis, surgical, adjuvant and palliative treatment, with consideration given to endoscopic and surgical methods. A vast majority of the statements are based on data obtained in clinical studies and experts' recommendations on PDAC management, including the following guidelines: International Association of Pancreatology/European Pancreatic Club (IAP/EPC), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and Polish Society of Gastroenterology (PSG) and The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) All recommendations were voted on by members of the Working Group of the Polish Pancreatic Club.

Vitamins D and K as Factors Associated with Osteopathy in Chronic Pancreatitis: A Prospective Multicentre Study (P-BONE Study).

Background: Osteopathy is common in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), but previous studies carry several limitations. Vitamin K is essential for bone metabolism, but its role in this setting has never been investigated. Our aim is to assess the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in CP patients, and to investigate the association between osteopathy and CP features and nutritional parameters, especially vitamin D and K levels.

Therapeutic efficacy of amoxicillin and rifaximin in patients with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and infection.

Introduction: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) may coexist with infection, which can be the cause of chronic gastrointestinal complaints.

Aim: Evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of amoxicillin and rifaximin in the treatment of these diseases.

Material And Methods: The lactulose hydrogen breath test (LHBT) and the urea breath test (C-UBT) were performed in 116 patients.

[Thyroid dysfunction in patients with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth].

Unlabelled: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), similarly as thyroid diseases, is characterized by chronic diarrhea or constipation, but it is not known whether there is a causal relationship between these disorders.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess thyroid function indices in different clinical forms of SIBO.

Materials And Methods: The study was performed in 34 patients with diarrhea predominant SIBO (group I), 30 with constipation predominant SIBO (group II) and 30 clinically healthy subjects (control group - K).

Deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins in chronic pancreatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients are at risk for fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) deficiency, but available studies are small and heterogeneous. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of fat-soluble vitamins deficiency in CP patients.

Methods: Medline was searched up to January 2016 for case series and case-control studies reporting prevalence of fat-soluble vitamin deficiency in CP patients.

Utility of different serum fibrosis markers in diagnosing patients with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Aim: To estimate the levels of serum cytokines in chronic pancreatitis (CP) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients in order to evaluate their usefulness as possible biomarkers.

Methods: The study included 167 Caucasian patients: 74 with PDAC (28 men and 42 women, aged 30-88 years), 78 with CP (50 men and 21 women, aged 20-79 years) and 15 age-matched healthy controls hospitalized in the Department of Digestive Tract Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, Poland between 2006 and 2013. Serum MCP-1, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, HA and s-Fr were measured in patients with CP (n = 78), PDAC (n = 74) and healthy controls (n = 15) using ELISA (Corgenix United Kingdom Ltd R and D Systems).

Insulinoma--rare, but important clinical problem. Analysis of a series of 530 patients who underwent surgical treatment for the pancreatic tumor.

Unlabelled: Insulinomas are rare tumors, accounting for 1-2% of all neoplasms of the pancreas. Usually their treatment is not associated with any problems; however there is a small subset of problematic clinical cases. The authors present their own clinical experience with surgical treatment of insulinomas of the pancreas.

Role of adipocytokines and its correlation with endocrine pancreatic function in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Introduction: Some authors suggest that adipocytokines contribute to the induction of pancreatic carcinogenesis as well as the development of endocrine insufficiency.

Aims: We evaluate the circulating concentrations of leptin, resistin and visfatin in patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer (PC) and relationship between serum adipocytokines level and clinicopathological features of PC. Moreover the usefulness of those adipocytokines as possible biomarkers of endocrine pancreatic function in PC has been assessed.

[Serum concentration of insulin, C-peptide and insulin-like growth factor I in patients with colon adenomas and colorectal cancer].

Unlabelled: Colon carcinogenesis is a multi-steps process in which many growth factors are involved. In some studies the increased risk of colon cancer development was observed in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 with accompanying hyperinsulinemia. It is also known that insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) plays an important role in proliferation, growth, differentiation and inhibiting apoptosis of both epithelial and carcinoma cells.