Comparison of the therapeutic efficacy and safety between tacrolimus and infliximab for moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis: a single center experience.

Objective: Both tacrolimus (Tac) and infliximab (IFX) are effective for moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy and safety of both drugs.

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 46 patients with moderate-to-severe UC who were treated either by Tac (n = 21) or IFX (n = 25).

A Hereditary Enteropathy Caused by Mutations in the SLCO2A1 Gene, Encoding a Prostaglandin Transporter.

Previously, we proposed a rare autosomal recessive inherited enteropathy characterized by persistent blood and protein loss from the small intestine as chronic nonspecific multiple ulcers of the small intestine (CNSU). By whole-exome sequencing in five Japanese patients with CNSU and one unaffected individual, we found four candidate mutations in the SLCO2A1 gene, encoding a prostaglandin transporter. The pathogenicity of the mutations was supported by segregation analysis and genotyping data in controls.

Contribution of susceptibility variants at FCGR2A and 13q12 to the risk of relapse among Japanese patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background: Recent genome-wide association studies have identified nearly 100 susceptibility genes for ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the contribution of susceptibility variants for UC to clinical outcome has scarcely been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate whether UC-associated genetic variants confer a risk of clinical relapse.

Therapeutic strategy for Crohn's disease with a loss of response to infliximab: a single-center retrospective study.

Background/aims: Infliximab (IFX) is an effective treatment for maintaining clinical remission in patients with initially moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease (CD). However, a certain number of patients become unresponsive to IFX, subsequently requiring intensified therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the short- and long-term therapeutic efficacy of intensified regimens in CD patients who fail to respond to IFX.

Serum microRNA levels in patients with Crohn's disease during induction therapy by infliximab.

Background And Aim: microRNAs (miRNAs) have been suggested to be candidates for biomarkers in various diseases including Crohn's disease (CD). To identify possible biomarkers predictive of the therapeutic effect of infliximab in CD, we investigated serum miRNA levels during the induction therapy by the medication.

Methods: Nineteen CD patients who were applied to the induction therapy by infliximab were enrolled.

Impact of allele copy number of polymorphisms in FCGR3A and FCGR3B genes on susceptibility to ulcerative colitis.

Background: Polymorphisms in the Fcγ receptor genes have been implicated in several autoimmune diseases, including ulcerative colitis (UC). However, most of these reports had not taken into account the effect of copy number variation at this region.

Methods: We investigated the combined effect of allele and gene copy number of FCGR3A-158F/V and FCGR3B-NA1/NA2 on susceptibility to UC.

Long-term effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on the development of metachronous gastric cancer after endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer.

Background: A prospective, randomized trial proved that Helicobacter pylori eradication significantly reduces the incidence of metachronous gastric cancer during a 3-year follow-up.

Objective: To investigate the long-term effect of H pylori eradication on the incidence of metachronous gastric cancer after endoscopic resection of early gastric cancer.

Design: Retrospective, multicenter study.

Meta-analysis of published studies identified eight additional common susceptibility loci for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Background: Both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) have a complex etiology involving multiple genetic and environmental factors. Many genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and subsequent replication studies revealed that both diseases share some of the susceptibility loci; however, common genetic factors for both diseases are not fully elucidated. This study is aimed to identify the common genetic factors for CD and UC by a meta-analysis of published studies.

A genome-wide association study identifies three new susceptibility loci for ulcerative colitis in the Japanese population.

Ulcerative colitis is one of the principal forms of inflammatory bowel disease with complex manifestations. Although previous studies have indicated that there is a genetic contribution to the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis, the genes influencing susceptibility to the disease have not been fully determined. To identify genetic factors conferring risk of ulcerative colitis, here we conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study and subsequent replication study using 1,384 Japanese individuals with ulcerative colitis and 3,057 control subjects.

Impact of serum total cholesterol on the incidence of gastric cancer in a population-based prospective study: the Hisayama study.

The results of prospective studies that have examined the association between serum cholesterol levels and the incidence of gastric cancer remain controversial. To examine this issue in a general population, a total of 2,604 subjects aged 40 years or older were followed up prospectively for 14 years. During the follow-up period, gastric cancer developed in 97 subjects.

A novel bacterium Achromobacter xylosoxidans as a cause of liver abscess: three case reports.

Achromobacter xylosoxidans is a microorganism that may cause opportunistic infections. We detected A. xylosoxidans in three of 46 patients with liver abscess.