Functional magnetic resonance imaging study reveals differences in the habituation to psychological stress in patients with Crohn's disease versus healthy controls.

In patients with Crohn's disease (CD) stress is believed to increase the incidence of disease relapse. The brain processes stressful stimuli and triggers the stress-evoked responses. Habituation to stress is an adaptive process that allows minimizing these responses.

The role of antibiotics and probiotics in pouchitis.

Pouchitis is a non-specific inflammation of the ileal reservoir and the most common complication of proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) in patients with ulcerative colitis. Its frequency is related to the duration of the follow up, occurring in up to 50% of patients 10 years after IPAA in large series from major referral centers. Treatment of pouchitis is largely empirical and only small placebo-controlled trials have been conducted.

Role of conventional therapies in the era of biological treatment in Crohn's disease.

Outstanding progress regarding the pathophysiology of Crohn's disease (CD) has led to the development of innovative therapeutic concepts. Numerous controlled trials have been performed in CD. This review concentrates on the results of randomized, placebo-controlled trials, and meta-analyses when available, that provide the highest degree of evidence.