Artificial intelligence: A new tool in the pathologist's armamentarium for the diagnosis of IBD.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are classified into two entities, namely Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), which differ in disease trajectories, genetics, epidemiological, clinical, endoscopic, and histopathological aspects. As no single golden standard modality for diagnosing IBD exists, the differential diagnosis among UC, CD, and non-IBD involves a multidisciplinary approach, considering professional groups that include gastroenterologists, endoscopists, radiologists, and pathologists. In this context, histological examination of endoscopic or surgical specimens plays a fundamental role.

Focus on Achalasia in the Omics Era.

Achalasia is a rare and complex esophageal disease of unknown etiology characterized by difficulty in swallowing due to the lack of opening of the lower esophageal sphincter and the absence of esophageal peristalsis. Recent advancements in technology for analyzing DNA, RNA and biomolecules in high-throughput techniques are offering new opportunities to better understand the etiology and the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying achalasia. Through this narrative review of the scientific literature, we aim to provide a comprehensive assessment of the state-of-the-art knowledge on omics of achalasia, with particular attention to those considered relevant to the pathogenesis of the disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metagenomics meet artificial intelligence.

Various extrinsic and intrinsic factors such as drug exposures, antibiotic treatments, smoking, lifestyle, genetics, immune responses, and the gut microbiome characterize ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, collectively called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). All these factors contribute to the complexity and heterogeneity of the disease etiology and pathogenesis leading to major challenges for the scientific community in improving management, medical treatments, genetic risk, and exposome impact. Understanding the interaction(s) among these factors and their effects on the immune system in IBD patients has prompted advances in multi-omics research, the development of new tools as part of system biology, and more recently, artificial intelligence (AI) approaches.

Deciphering Microbial Composition in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Implications for Therapeutic Response to Biologic Agents.

Growing evidence suggests that alterations in the gut microbiome impact the development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Although IBD often requires the use of immunosuppressant drugs and biologic therapies to facilitate clinical remission and mucosal healing, some patients do not benefit from these drugs, and the reasons for this remain poorly understood. Despite advancements, there is still a need to develop biomarkers to help predict prognosis and guide treatment decisions.

Clostridioides difficile Infection in the Neurorehabilitation Setting: Importance of a Multidisciplinary Approach and Impact of the Fecal Microbiota Transplantation.

infection (CDI) is considered to be one of the most frequent causes of bacterial infectious diarrhea in nosocomial settings. The prolonged hospitalization in bed-ridden conditions and the frequent administration of antibiotic therapy are usually encountered among the risk factors for CDI. Therefore, it is not surprising that CDI rates among rehabilitation hospitals are higher in neurologic facilities.

Mucosal Microbiota from Colorectal Cancer, Adenoma and Normal Epithelium Reveals the Imprint of in Cancerogenesis.

Unlabelled: An increasing amount of evidence suggests the emerging role of the gut microbiota in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to elucidate the architecture of microbial communities within normal and neoplastic colonic mucosa.

Methods: Microbiota were analyzed by NGS and by an ensemble of metagenomics analysis tools in a total of 69 tissues from 9 patients with synchronous colorectal neoplasia and adenomas (27 specimens: 9 from normal tissues, 9 adenomas, and 9 tumours), 16 patients with only colonic adenomas (32 specimens: 16 from normal tissues and 16 adenomas), and from healthy subjects (10 specimens of normal mucosa).

Downexpression of miR-200c-3p Contributes to Achalasia Disease by Targeting the Gene.

Achalasia is an esophageal smooth muscle motility disorder with unknown pathogenesis. Taking into account our previous results on the downexpression of miR-200c-3p in tissues of patients with achalasia correlated with an increased expression of , , and genes, our aim was to explore the unknown biological interaction between these genes and human miR-200c-3p and if this relation could unravel their functional role in the etiology of achalasia. To search for putative miR-200c-3p binding sites in the 3'-UTR of , and , a bioinformatics tool was used.

Adherence to Gluten-Free Diet Restores Alpha Diversity in Celiac People but the Microbiome Composition Is Different to Healthy People.

Unlabelled: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease with the destruction of small intestinal villi, which occurs in genetically predisposed individuals. At the present moment, a gluten-free diet (GFD) is the only way to restore the functionality of gut mucosa. However, there is an open debate on the effects of long-term supplementation through a GFD, because some authors report an unbalance in microbial taxa composition.

Real-time, computer-aided, detection-assisted colonoscopy eliminates differences in adenoma detection rate between trainee and experienced endoscopists.

Adenoma detection rate (ADR) is a well-accepted quality indicator of screening colonoscopy. In recent years, the added value of artificial intelligence (AI) has been demonstrated in terms of ADR and adenoma miss rate (AMR). To date, there are no studies evaluating the impact of AI on the performance of trainee endoscopists (TEs).

Microbiome Analysis of Mucosal Ileoanal Pouch in Ulcerative Colitis Patients Revealed Impairment of the Pouches Immunometabolites.

Unlabelled: The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) is unknown, although genetic loci and altered gut microbiota have been implicated. Up to a third of patients with moderate to severe UC require proctocolectomy with ileal pouch ano-anastomosis (IPAA). We aimed to explore the mucosal microbiota of UC patients who underwent IPAA.

Circulating levels of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors in patients with achalasia.

Idiopathic achalasia is a disease that is characterized by the absence of peristalsis and incomplete relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter, which is accompanied by dysphagia, regurgitation, chest pain and weight loss. The role of inflammatory infiltrates in the pathogenesis of achalasia remains controversial, although the infiltrating cell profile in the tissue has been previously characterized histologically and immunohistochemically. The present study aimed to evaluate the serum levels of 27 protein biomarkers to determine their association with achalasia and the clinical disease characteristics.

One-year effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in ulcerative colitis: a multicenter real-world study from Italy.

Background: Efficacy and safety of ustekinumab for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) has been demonstrated in clinical trials, but few real-world data are available so far. The aim of this study was to assess effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in a cohort of refractory UC patients.

Methods: Data of patients with moderate to severe UC treated with ustekinumab were retrospectively collected.

Germline Alterations in Patients With IBD-associated Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), are at risk of developing a colorectal cancer (CRC). No information is available on the contribution of patients' genetic background to CRC occurrence. This study investigates germline alterations in patients with IBD-associated CRC.

Inverted colonic diverticulum (ICD): report of two cases and literature review of a not that unusual endoscopic challenge.

Inverted colonic diverticulum (ICD) is a rare intraluminal lesion occurring in about 0.7-1.7% of people, often endoscopically indistinguishable from polyps.

False-positive results of SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG antibody tests in sera stored before the 2020 pandemic in Italy.

Objectives: Aside from the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), serological tests are not well known for their diagnostic value. We assessed the performance of serological tests using stored sera from patients with a variety of pathologic conditions, collected before the 2020 pandemic in Italy.

Methods: Rapid lateral flow tests and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) that detect Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were carried out using 1150 stored human serum samples that had been collected in 2018 and 2019.

Safety and efficacy of switching from infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 to infliximab biosimilar SB2 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Introduction: For patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, switching from infliximab originator to biosimilars is effective and safe. Few data on single switch have been published, and data on multiple switches of different infliximab are unavailable.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients who switched from CT-P13 to SB2, and of those with multiple switches among different infliximab compounds was conducted.

Transcriptome and Gene Fusion Analysis of Synchronous Lesions Reveals lncMRPS31P5 as a Novel Transcript Involved in Colorectal Cancer.

Fusion genes and epigenetic regulators (i.e., miRNAs and long non-coding RNAs) constitute essential pieces of the puzzle of the tumor genomic landscape, in particular in mechanisms behind the adenoma-to-carcinoma progression of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Landmarks for dual biological therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: lesson from two case reports of vedolizumab in combination with ustekinumab.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic and disabling disorder. Severity of IBD is prominent among refractory with patients with concomitant immune-mediated disorders. Among those patients, dual biological therapy (DBT) has been suggested as an alternative approach to spare steroids and avoid surgery.

Real-Life Effectiveness and Safety of Golimumab and Its Predictors of Response in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis.

Background: Golimumab is a new anti-TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody for patients with ulcerative colitis.

Aims: To assess the short- and long-term effectiveness and safety of golimumab in daily clinical practice and to identify predictors of response.

Methods: Consecutive patients treated with golimumab in 22 Italian centers were enrolled.

Functional Implications of MicroRNAs in Crohn's Disease Revealed by Integrating MicroRNA and Messenger RNA Expression Profiling.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a debilitating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that emerges due to the influence of genetic and environmental factors. microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified in the tissue and sera of IBD patients and may play an important role in the induction of IBD. Our study aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs and miRNAs with the ability to alter transcriptome activity by comparing inflamed tissue samples with their non-inflamed counterparts.

Crohn's Disease Localization Displays Different Predisposing Genetic Variants.

Background: Crohn's disease (CD) is a pathologic condition with different clinical expressions that may reflect an interplay between genetics and environmental factors. Recently, it has been highlighted that three genetic markers, NOD2, MHC and MST1, were associated to distinct CD sites, supporting the concept that genetic variations may contribute to localize CD. Genetic markers, previously shown to be associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), were tested in CD patients with the aim to better dissect the genetic relationship between ileal, ileocolonic and colonic CD and ascertain whether a different genetic background would support the three disease sites as independent entities.

Transperineal ultrasonography: First level exam in IBD patients with perianal disease.

Background: A pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represents the front-line method for evaluating perianal disease in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recently, transperineal ultrasonography (TPUS) has been proposed as a simple, safe, time-sparing and useful diagnostic technique to assess different pathological conditions of the pelvic floor.

Aim: The aim of this prospective single centre study was to evaluate the accuracy of TPUS versus MRI for the detection and classification of perineal disease in IBD patients.