Subclinical bowel inflammation increases healthcare resources utilization and steroid use before diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: Previous data support that the inflammatory process underlying ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) can start years before the diagnosis. The aim of this study was to determine if patients with an incidental diagnosis of UC or CD demonstrate an increase in healthcare utilization in the years preceding the symptomatic onset of the disease.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, retrospective, hospital-based, case-control study.

Adalimumab treatment of anti-TNF-naïve patients with ulcerative colitis: Deep remission and response factors.

Background: Adalimumab is the second tumour necrosis factor antagonist (anti-TNF) adopted for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Clinical data from naïve patients are scarce.

Aim: Examine the response to adalimumab in TNF-antagonist-naïve patients.

Diagnosis of Whipple's disease using molecular biology techniques.

The diagnosis of Whipple's disease (WD) is based on the existence of clinical signs and symptoms compatible with the disease and in the presence of PAS-positive diastase-resistant granules in the macrophages of the small intestine. If there is suspicion of the disease but no histological findings or only isolated extraintestinal manifestations, species-specific PCR using different sequences of the T. whippleii genome from different tissue types and biological fluids is recommended.