Long-Term Course and Prognostic Factors in Pediatric Ulcerative Proctitis: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background: Although ulcerative proctitis (UP) in children is considered relatively mild, some patients have proximal disease extension and require immunosuppressive treatment. We investigated clinical characteristics and course of refractory UP in a multicenter pediatric cohort.

Methods: Analyzing data obtained between 2013 and 2022 at 10 institutions specializing in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease, we elucidated natural history and factors predicting a need for immunosuppressive UP treatment.

Usefulness of ultrasonography for small intestinal evaluations in pediatric Crohn's disease.

Background: Small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) for Crohn's disease is useful; however, its use has some limitations, such as invasiveness when endoscopic assistance is required in patients who cannot swallow the capsule, and the burden of interpretation on a physician. In contrast, intestinal ultrasonography (IUS) is a non-invasive modality for children. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of IUS for pediatric patients with established Crohn's disease.

Helicobacter pylori test-and-treat strategy for second-year junior high school students aimed at the prevention of gastric cancer in Takatsuki City.

Background: More than 90% of gastric cancer cases are caused by Helicobacter pylori infections. To prevent gastric cancer, an H pylori test-and-treat strategy targeting young people has been implemented in various places in Japan. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of an H pylori test-and-treat strategy for second-year junior high school students in Takatsuki City.

Correlation of the endoscopic findings for small and large bowels in pediatric patients with established Crohn's disease.

Small bowel capsule endoscopy can detect subtle mucosal lesions in pediatric patients with Crohn's disease, and our aim was to evaluate its application in established ileocolonic Crohn's disease. Colonic inflammation was evaluated with the colonic Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease (SES-CD) (excluding the score of the terminal ileum). Small bowel inflammation was evaluated with the Lewis score and/or Capsule Endoscopy Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CECDAI).

Usefulness of a novel and rapid assay system for fecal calprotectin in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Background And Aim: Fecal calprotectin (FC) has become a reliable biomarker for intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). However, a simple and rapid assay to replace conventional ELISA is necessary for wider use in clinical practice. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of a novel method for measuring FC using a colloidal gold aggregation (CGA) assay for assessing mucosal inflammation in pediatric IBDs.