Inter-Rater Disagreements in Applying the Montreal Classification for Crohn's Disease: The Five-Nations Survey Study.

Background: The Montreal classification has been widely used in Crohn's disease since 2005 to categorize patients by the age of onset (A), disease location (L), behavior (B), and upper gastrointestinal tract and perianal involvement. With evolving management paradigms in Crohn's disease, we aimed to assess the performance of gastroenterologists in applying the Montreal classification.

Methods: An online survey was conducted among participants at an international educational conference on inflammatory bowel diseases.

Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Diet Quality in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Single-Center, Observational, Case-Control Study.

The nutritional status in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is often impaired, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) remains under-investigated. The aim of this study was to assess diet quality (DQ) and adherence to MedDiet in a cohort of Sardinian IBD patients. We conducted a case-control study in which 50 Crohn's disease (CD) and 50 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients were matched with 100 healthy controls each.

GPR120/FFAR4: A Potential New Therapeutic Target for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease, whose major forms are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is characterized by chronic inflammation of the gut due to the loss of tolerance toward antigens normally contained in the gut lumen. G protein-coupled receptor (GPR) 120 has gained considerable attention as a potential therapeutic target for metabolic disorders due to its implication in the production of the incretin hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 and the secretion of cholecystokinin. Recent studies have also highlighted the role of GPR120 in regulating immune system activity and inflammation.

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patient-reported outcomes signs and symptoms for the remote management of inflammatory bowel disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background And Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a deep reorganization of hospital services including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) units. In this situation, conversion of in-person routine follow-up visits into phone consultations might be necessary. Here we explored the feasibility of using the validated Crohn's Disease (CD) or Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Patient-Reported Outcomes Signs and Symptoms (CD- and UC-PRO/SS) to collect data about abdominal symptoms (abdominal/S) and bowel signs and symptoms (bowel/SS) remotely.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV2 in IBD Patients Treated with Biologic Therapy.

Background And Aims: A similar course of COVID-19 in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] and in the general population has been reported. However, disease prevalence in IBD patients is presently unknown. In this prospective observational study, we aimed at determining SARS-CoV2 infection prevalence in IBD patients treated with biologic therapy.

Tumor Infiltrating Regulatory T Cells in Sporadic and Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer: The Red Little Riding Hood and the Wolf.

Regulatory T cells represent a class of specialized T lymphocytes that suppress unwanted immune responses and size the activation of the immune system whereby limiting collateral damages in tissues involved by inflammation. In cancer, the accumulation of Tregs is generally associated with poor prognosis. Many lines of evidence indicate that Tregs accumulation in the tumor microenvironment (TME) suppresses the immune response against tumor-associated antigens (TAA), thus promoting tumor progression in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSLC), breast carcinoma and melanoma.

Tbet Expression in Regulatory T Cells Is Required to Initiate Th1-Mediated Colitis.

In normal conditions gut homeostasis is maintained by the suppressive activity of regulatory T cells (Tregs), characterized by the expression of the transcription factor FoxP3. In human inflammatory bowel disease, which is believed to be the consequence of the loss of tolerance toward antigens normally contained in the gut lumen, Tregs have been found to be increased and functionally active, thus pointing against their possible role in the pathogenesis of this immune-mediated disease. Though, in inflammatory conditions, Tregs have been shown to upregulate the T helper (Th) type 1-related transcription factor Tbet and to express the pro-inflammatory cytokine IFNγ, thus suggesting that at a certain point of the inflammatory process, Tregs might contribute to inflammation rather than suppress it.

The Resolution of Intestinal Inflammation: The Peace-Keeper's Perspective.

The uncontrolled activation of the immune system toward antigens contained in the gut lumen in genetically predisposed subjects is believed to be the leading cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Two not mutually exclusive hypotheses can explain the pathogenic process leading to IBD. The first and mostly explored hypothesis states that the loss of tolerance toward gut microbiota antigens generates an aberrant inflammatory response that is perpetuated by continuous and unavoidable exposure to the triggering antigens.

Comparative Efficacy of Vedolizumab and Adalimumab in Ulcerative Colitis Patients Previously Treated With Infliximab.

Background: Adalimumab (ADA) and vedolizumab (VDZ) have shown efficacy in moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC) patients who failed infliximab (IFX). Although, a comparative efficacy evaluation of ADA and VDZ in this clinical setting is currently missing.

Aim: The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of ADA and VDZ in patients affected by UC who failed IFX.

Prevalence and Clinical Impact of Systemic Inflammatory Reaction After Cardiac Surgery.

Objectives: Cardiac surgery induces a systemic inflammatory reaction that has been associated with postoperative mortality and morbidity. Many studies have characterized this reaction through laboratory biomarkers while clinical studies generally are lacking. This study aimed to assess the incidence of postoperative systemic inflammation after cardiac surgery, and the association of postoperative systemic inflammation with preoperative patients' characteristics and postoperative outcomes.

External aortic cross-clamping and endoaortic balloon occlusion in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery.

Background: Minimally invasive cardiac surgery has increasingly been used for patients with valvular pathology. Two techniques of aortic occlusion are utilized with this technique: transthoracic aortic clamp (TTC) and endoaortic balloon occlusion (EAO). Both possibilities present peculiar advantages and limitations whose current evidence is based on few observational studies.

Oral nystatin prophylaxis in surgical/trauma ICU patients: a randomised clinical trial.

Introduction: Candida prophylaxis in ICU is still a matter of debate. Oral chemoprophylaxis has been advocated to reduce the incidence of Candida colonisation and infection.

Methods: We performed a randomised trial studying a single drug (nystatin) versus control in surgical/trauma ICU patients.

Mesenchymal cell precursors of peritubular smooth muscle cells of the mouse testis can be identified by the presence of the p75 neurotrophin receptor.

In the mouse embryo, at approximately 11.5 days postcoitum (dpc), cells migrate from the mesonephros into the developing testis to contribute to the somatic population of the interstitial compartment (i.e.

Spatiotemporal patterns of expression of neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors in mice suggest functional roles in testicular and epididymal morphogenesis.

Several reports have established that the action of neurotrophins is not restricted to the nervous system but can affect a broad range of non-neuronal cells. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is present in adult testis and has been suggested as a potential regulator of meiosis in rat seminiferous epithelium. Here we present an extensive immunohistochemical study on neurotrophins and their receptors (p75 and trk) in the developing mouse testis and epididymis, and in fetal human testis.

Retinoic acid treatment induces apoptosis or expression of a more differentiated phenotype on different fractions of cultured fetal rat hepatocytes.

The present study reports the effects of retinoic acid (RA) on cultured fetal rat hepatocytes. We show that RA treatment induces both differentiation and apoptosis. Hepatocytes cultured for 48 hours in the presence of 5 microl/L RA form junctional complexes in the areas of contact between neighboring cells and develop bile canaliculi, typical features of mature and well-differentiated cells.

The effect of retinoic acid on the re-establishment of differentiated hepatocyte phenotype in primary culture.

The usefulness of cultured hepatocytes is limited by the gradual loss of their typical physiological functions that occurs in vitro, mainly due to the absence of microenviromental conditions found in vivo. In this study we describe the effect of retinoic acid on the re-establishment of morphological characteristics and on the reorganization of the cytoskeletal network in cultured rat hepatocytes. Results obtained demonstrate that retinoic acid can influence hepatocyte differentiation, as regards the recovery of cell polarity, polyhedric shape and reformation of bile canaliculi and junctional complexes.

Role for differential cell proliferation in perforation and rupture of chick pharyngeal closing plates.

Patterns of cell proliferation show two distinct domains around avian pharyngeal closing plates as they form, perforate, and rupture. Pouch endoderm and groove ectoderm are in one domain showing 81-86% proliferation, which suggests relatively rapid growth. Cells in epithelia that comprise the pharyngeal closing plates contiguous with pouch and groove epithelia are vital but are dividing at a significantly lower percentage (62-64%).