Withdrawal of antitumour necrosis factor in inflammatory bowel disease patients in remission: a randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial of GETECCU.

Background And Objectives: Primary objectives: to compare the rates of sustained clinical remission at 12 months in patients treated with antitumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) and immunomodulators who withdraw anti-TNF treatment versus those who maintain it.

Secondary Objectives: to evaluate the effect of anti-TNF withdrawal on relapse-free time, endoscopic and radiological activity, safety, quality of life and work productivity; and to identify predictive factors for relapse.

Design: Prospective, quadruple-blind, multicentre, randomised, controlled trial.

Self-expandable metal stents versus endoscopic balloon dilation for the treatment of strictures in Crohn's disease (ProtDilat study): an open-label, multicentre, randomised trial.

Background: Endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) is the established endoscopic treatment for short strictures in Crohn's disease. Fully covered self-expandable metal stents (FCSEMS) have been used for endoscopic treatment of patients for whom EBD was unsuccessful. We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of the two endoscopic treatments in patients with Crohn's disease with stenosis and compare the mean cost of both treatments.

Incidence of inflammatory bowel disease and phenotype at diagnosis in 2011: results of the Epi-IBD 2011 study in the Vigo area.

Objective: to validate the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) reported in Vigo in 2010 within the Epi-IBD study, which was the highest incidence reported so far in Spain.

Methods: an epidemiological, prospective, population-based inception cohort study. All incident cases of IBD living in the Vigo area at diagnosis from January 1 to December 31, 2011 were included.

Disease course of inflammatory bowel disease unclassified in a European population-based inception cohort: An Epi-IBD study.

Background And Aim: A definitive diagnosis of Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) is not always possible, and a proportion of patients will be diagnosed as inflammatory bowel disease unclassified (IBDU). The aim of the study was to investigate the prognosis of patients initially diagnosed with IBDU and the disease course during the following 5 years.

Methods: The Epi-IBD study is a prospective population-based cohort of 1289 IBD patients diagnosed in centers across Europe.

Assessing medication adherence in inflammatory bowel diseases. A comparison between a self-administered scale and a pharmacy refill index.

Background: Medication non-adherence in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has a negative impact on disease outcome. Different tools have been proposed to assess non-adherence. We aimed to compare a self-administered scale and a pharmacy refill index as a reliable measure of medication adherence and to determine what factors are related to adherence.

European experience with methotrexate treatment in Crohn's disease: a multicenter retrospective analysis.

Introduction: Methotrexate (MTX) has been utilized for the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) for decades. Nevertheless, current data provide equivocal evidence on the efficacy of MTX in CD.The aims of this study were to describe the efficacy of MTX for maintenance of remission in CD and to identify the factors associated with the probability of steroid-free clinical remission in a multicenter European referral center cohort.

Incidence and phenotype at diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. Results in Spain of the EpiCom study.

Introduction: Incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing progressively. Few recent epidemiological prospective studies are available in Spain. The Epicom study, a population-based inception cohort of unselected IBD patients developed within the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization, was started in 2010.

Costs and resource utilization for diagnosis and treatment during the initial year in a European inflammatory bowel disease inception cohort: an ECCO-EpiCom Study.

Background: No direct comparison of health care cost in patients with inflammatory bowel disease across the European continent exists. The aim of this study was to assess the costs of investigations and treatment for diagnostics and during the first year after diagnosis in Europe.

Methods: The EpiCom cohort is a prospective population-based inception cohort of unselected inflammatory bowel disease patients from 31 Western and Eastern European centers.

Safety and effectiveness of gastric balloons associated with hypocaloric diet for the treatment of obesity.

Introduction: intragastric balloons provide early satiety and thereby induce short-term weight loss. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and short and medium-term effectiveness of gastric balloons associated to hypocaloric diet in obesity.

Material And Methods: from May 2004 to June 2011 91 obese patients, body mass index (BMI) 45.

Efficacy, safety, and tolerance of two types of intragastric balloons placed in obese subjects: a double-blind comparative study.

The intragastric balloon is a temporary treatment for obese patients. Fluid-filled devices have shown efficacy and safety, and are widely used. Recently, although there are no comparative studies between them, an air-filled balloon, Heliosphere® bag, has been proposed.