Ancestral Diversity in Pharmacogenomics Affects Treatment for Hispanic/Latine Populations With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background And Aims: The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease among Hispanic/Latine communities is increasing. Pharmacogenomic studies reveal genetic markers that influence treatment decisions. The aim of our study was to examine the frequency and impact of genetic polymorphisms on thiopurine-associated leukopenia (NUDT15, TPMT) and anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) immunogenicity (HLA-DQA1∗05) in a cohort of Hispanic patients of diverse ancestral backgrounds.

Prevalences of Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, and Cardiovascular Disease in a Cohort of Puerto Ricans with Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background & Objectives: Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have high prevalences of hypertension (HTN), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and vice versa. The mechanism of this development is unknown but appears to be related to an underlying metabolic derangement that affects multiple organs. This study aimed to determine the prevalences of these conditions in patients with diagnosed NAFLD.

Gynecologic Conditions in a Cohort with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Descriptive Analysis.

Objective: Past studies have demonstrated that women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have a higher risk of gynecological conditions than do women without it. We aimed to characterize the gynecological histories of Hispanic Women living in Puerto Rico with IBD.

Methods: We identified women, aged 21 to 55 years, with a confirmed IBD diagnosis and receiving follow-up care from the University of Puerto Rico IBD clinics from 2017 through 2020.

: A Crohn's disease management strategy tailored for Puerto Ricans.

Diet has been increasingly shown to be of therapeutic benefit for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), especially Crohn's disease (CD). Yet dietary guidelines are nonexistent. Moreover, diets tailored to Puerto Ricans with IBD living on the island, have not been developed and tested.

Ostomy-Related Quality of Life in Puerto Ricans Living With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine ostomy-related quality of life (QOL) in Hispanic Puerto Ricans living with an enteral stoma and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We analyzed possible associations between QOL and sex, diagnosis, and type and duration of stoma.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

A Survey of Cannabis Use among Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic conditions of unknown cause or cure. Treatment seeks to reduce symptoms and induce and maintain remission. Many patients have turned to alternatives, such as cannabis, to alleviate living with IBD.

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome type 1 causes impaired anti-microbial immunity and inflammation due to dysregulated immunometabolism.

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) types 1 and 4 are caused by defective vesicle trafficking. The mechanism for Crohn's disease-like inflammation, lung fibrosis, and macrophage lipid accumulation in these patients remains enigmatic. The aim of this study is to understand the cellular basis of inflammation in HPS-1.

Clinical differentiation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including medical and surgical treatments, in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.IBD is recognized as a global health problem because its incidence and prevalence have increased significantly over the last few years.This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 4714 patients with IBD diagnosed from 9 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Knowledge, Perception, and Use of Cannabis Therapy in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Objective: In 2017, the government of Puerto Rico legalized medical cannabis for several conditions including Crohn's disease (CD). There is little information about cannabis use in this population. This study aimed to develop a demographic characterization and evaluate patient perception on cannabis use for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) at the University of Puerto Rico Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in Puerto Rico: A Health Care Claims Analysis of an Insured Population.

Objective: Inflammatory Bowel Disease has increased in Hispanics. This study estimates its prevalence in Puerto Rico for 2013 and compares it with prior reports.

Methods: The database of commercial and government insurance claims of the Department of Health for 2013 was used.

Early immunologic response to mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in patients receiving biologics and/or immunomodulators.

Unlabelled: Patients with immune conditions and immune-modifying therapies were excluded from the Covid-19 vaccine trials. Studies have shown conflicting response to different vaccines in persons receiving immune suppressors or biologics. The aim of this study is to evaluate humoral and cellular response to Covid-19 vaccines in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) using biologic and/or immunomodulatory (IMM) therapies.

Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome among Medical Students of Puerto Rico.

Objective: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. A high prevalence has been reported in medical students around the globe. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of IBS and associated risk factors in medical students in Puerto Rico (PR).

Transethnic analysis of the human leukocyte antigen region for ulcerative colitis reveals not only shared but also ethnicity-specific disease associations.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gut. Genetic association studies have identified the highly variable human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region as the strongest susceptibility locus for IBD and specifically DRB1*01:03 as a determining factor for ulcerative colitis (UC). However, for most of the association signal such as delineation could not be made because of tight structures of linkage disequilibrium within the HLA.

Sexual Dysfunction in Puerto Rican Women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Objective: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) negatively impacts quality of life-related issues including intimacy, body image, and sexual activity. Sexual dysfunction in patients with IBD is often unrecognized. In this study, we aimed to describe sexual function in Puerto Rican women with IBD.

A Clinical Study on Cadaveric Kidney Donors in Puerto Rico and the Survival outcome of the grafts: a retrospective study of 187 kidneys from 2009-2011.

Objective: In this study, we assessed the Kidney Donor Risk Index (KDRI) in Puerto Rican deceased kidney donors whose donations took place from 2009 to 2011 and evaluated short-term graft survival in the recipients of those kidneys. The results highlight differences between the distributions of KDRI values in the populations of the 48 contiguous states of the United States, Alaska, and Hawaii and that of Puerto Rico. Additionally, we evaluated the impacts of polyomavirus (BKV) infection and anti-donor HLA antibodies on the recipients.

Serum vitamin D and colonic vitamin D receptor in inflammatory bowel disease.

Aim: To determine serum vitamin D levels and colonic vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and non-IBD patients and correlate these with histopathology.

Methods: Puerto Rican IBD (n = 10) and non-IBD (n = 10) patients ≥ 21 years old scheduled for colonoscopy were recruited. Each patient completed a questionnaire and provided a serum sample and a colonic biopsy of normal-appearing mucosa.

Human Papilloma Virus Awareness Among Hispanic Females with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be at increased risk of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and HPV-related malignancies, as many are immunocompromised secondary to the use of immunosuppressant agents. Several studies have addressed the knowledge about cervical cancer risk factors in different populations, particularly HPV infection and its association with cervical malignancies; most of these studies show poor patient knowledge. The purpose of this study is to describe the knowledge of females with IBD about HPV infection and the HPV vaccine.

Rejection, Recurrence, or Something Else?

Since the introduction of liver transplant as treatment for end-stage liver disease, thousands of lives have been saved. To prevent organ rejection, immunosuppression is given chronically and hence, patients are at increased risk for opportunistic infections related to immunosuppression, especially within the first year after the transplant. However, opportunistic infections can occur years after the transplantation.

Tackling the Health Challenge posed by Hepatitis C in Puerto Rico: A Call for Immediate Public Health Actions.

Within the past decade, researchers and hepatitis C specialists in Puerto Rico have highlighted the burden of hepatitis C and associated disease outcomes in the island to raise public awareness about this problem and set out a call to action to tackle prevention and control efforts, yet so far no concrete actions have taken place. The population-based studies on hepatitis C have documented that the main risk factor is the sharing of syringes and drug paraphernalia to inject drugs, that most seropositive individuals are unaware of their infection status, and that there are large knowledge deficits about the disease, its risk factors, and measures of prevention and control. The subject is further complicated by the fact that despite hepatitis C reporting is mandatory, there is no effective epidemiological surveillance system to provide the information needed for planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of intervention strategies for this infection and access to medical and other existing therapies is limited.

Presence of tissue transglutaminase IgA antibody as a celiac disease marker in a sample of patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

Recent medical literature agrees that celiac disease (CD) is much more prevalent in western civilization than it was thought to be in the past. Given the potential complications and consequences of untreated CD, screening programs have been considered. Symptoms of celiac disease may resemble those of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Immunohistochemical expression of SP-NK-1R-EGFR pathway and VDR in colonic inflammation and neoplasia.

Aim: To determine the expression of neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R), phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (pEGFR), cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in normal, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and colorectal neoplasia tissues from Puerto Ricans.

Methods: Tissues from patients with IBD, colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC), sporadic dysplasia, and sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC), as well as normal controls, were identified at several centers in Puerto Rico. Archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues were de-identified and processed by immunohistochemistry for NK-1R, pEGFR, Cox-2, and VDR.