Clinical Significance of Isolated Peri-Appendiceal Lesions in Patients With Left Sided Ulcerative Colitis.

Background: Ulcerative colitis is classically described as a condition originating in the rectum and extending proximally towards the cecum. In recent years, a discontinuous peri-appendiceal lesion has been described. Our aim was to evaluate the risk of progression to pancolitis in patients presenting with an isolated peri-appendiceal lesion on ileocolonoscopy.

The safety of biologic agents in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

In the last decade, a new class of drugs referred to as biologics has been used successfully for treating patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Drugs such as infliximab, adalimumab, and certolizumab have been important treatment advancements because they allow the direct targeting of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), which is elevated in the blood, stool, and tissue of patients with IBD. Evidence about the benefits of these drugs is accumulating.

Mechanism of glucocorticoid regulation of the intestinal tight junction barrier.

A defective intestinal epithelial tight junction (TJ) barrier has been proposed as an important pathogenic factor contributing to the intestinal inflammation of Crohn's disease. Glucocorticoids are first-line therapeutic agents for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease. Glucocorticoid treatment has been shown to induce retightening of the intestinal TJ barrier defect in Crohn's disease patients.