Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment classification, CODA score and fecal calprotectin in clinical assessment of patients with diverticular disease: A decision curve analysis.

Background And Aims: The Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) classification and the Combined Overview on Diverticular Assessment (CODA) were found to be effective in predicting the outcomes of Diverticular Disease (DD). We ascertain whether fecal calprotectin (FC) can further aid in improving risk stratification.

Methods: A three-year international, multicentre, prospective cohort study was conducted involving 43 Gastroenterology and Endoscopy centres.

Efficacy of vedolizumab as maintenance therapy in a patient with ulcerative colitis receiving haemodialysis in end-stage kidney failure: A case report.

This report describes vedolizumab's clinical efficacy and safety in a patient with severe ulcerative colitis on haemodialysis for an end-stage kidney failure. The patient was a 75-year-old man on long-standing chronic diffusive three times per week haemodialytic treatment due to vascular nephropathy. At the presentation, the patient had severe bloody diarrhoea treated with a steroid cycle with temporary benefits and then developed steroid dependence.

Risk factors for inadequate bowel preparation in patients using high- and low-volume cleansing products.

Introduction: Bowel preparation is crucial for colonoscopy completeness and lesions detection. Today, several cleansing products are equally recommended by guidelines, irrespective of patients' characteristics. Identification of preparation-specific risk factors for inadequate bowel preparation may lead to a personalized prescription of cleansing products to refine patients' tolerance and improve endoscopic outcomes.

Efficacy and tolerability of high and low-volume bowel preparation compared: A real-life single-blinded large-population study.

Background: Low-volume preparations for colonoscopy have shown similar efficacy compared to high-volume ones in randomized controlled trials (RCT). However, most RCTs do not provide data about clinical outcomes including lesions detection rate. Moreover, real-life comparisons are lacking.

Prognostic performance of the 'DICA' endoscopic classification and the 'CODA' score in predicting clinical outcomes of diverticular disease: an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of the Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) classification and to develop and validate a combined endoscopic-clinical score predicting clinical outcomes of diverticulosis, named Combined Overview on Diverticular Assessment (CODA).

Design: A multicentre, prospective, international cohort study.

Setting: 43 gastroenterology and endoscopy centres located in Europe and South America.

The PROSIT Cohort of Infliximab Biosimilar in IBD: A Prolonged Follow-up on the Effectiveness and Safety Across Italy.

Background: We report a prospective, nationwide cohort evaluating the safety and effectiveness of CT-P13.

Methods: A structured database was used to record serious adverse events (SAEs), clinical remission/response, inflammatory biomarkers (CRP and calprotectin), and endoscopic findings.

Results: Eight hundred ten patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (452 Crohn's disease [CD]) were enrolled.

The PROSIT-BIO Cohort: A Prospective Observational Study of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treated with Infliximab Biosimilar.

Background: Few data are available on the safety and efficacy of infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter, cohort study using a structured database.

Results: Consecutive patients (313 Crohn's disease and 234 ulcerative colitis) were enrolled from 31 referral centers; 311 patients were naive to anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha, 139 had a previous exposure to biologics, and the remaining 97 were switched to CT-P13 after a mean of 18 ± 14 infusions of infliximab.

Computerised analysis of antepartum foetal heart parameters: New reference ranges.

We selected 4012 cCTG records (one trace for each patient) performed in healthy pregnancies from 30th to 42nd gestational week using foetal heart rate (FHR), short-term variability (STV), long-term irregularity (LTI), Delta, approximate entropy (ApEn), spectral components as low frequency (LF), median frequency (MF), high frequency (HF) and LF/(HF + MF) ratio were analysed. Reference nomograms were created and sensitivity and specificity for the prediction of foetal compromise were calculated which were 90% and 89%, respectively. Changes of cCTG parameters according to gestational week were evaluated: FHR (r = -.

Predictive value of the Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) endoscopic classification on the outcome of diverticular disease of the colon: An international study.

Background: Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) endoscopic classification has been recently developed for patients suffering from diverticulosis and diverticular disease.

Aims: We assessed retrospectively the predictive value of DICA in patients for whom endoscopic data and clinical follow-up were available.

Methods: For each patient, we recorded: age, severity of DICA, presence of abdominal pain, C-reactive protein and faecal calprotectin test (if available) at the time of diagnosis; months of follow-up; therapy taken during the follow-up to maintain remission (if any); occurrence/recurrence of diverticulitis; need of surgery.

Computerized analysis of fetal heart rate variability signal during the stages of labor.

Aim: To analyze computerized cardiotocographic (cCTG) parameters (baseline fetal heart rate, baseline FHR; short term variability, STV; approximate entropy, ApEn; low frequency, LF; movement frequency, MF; high frequency, HF) in physiological pregnancy in order to correlate them with the stages of labor. This could provide more information for understanding the mechanisms of nervous system control of FHR during labor progression.

Methods: A total of 534 pregnant women were monitored on cCTG from the 37th week before the onset of spontaneous labor and during the first and the second stage of labor.

Development and validation of an endoscopic classification of diverticular disease of the colon: the DICA classification.

Background: A validated endoscopic classification of diverticular disease (DD) of the colon is lacking at present. Our aim was to develop a simple endoscopic score of DD: the Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) score.

Methods: The DICA score for DD resulted in the sum of the scores for the extension of diverticulosis, the number of diverticula per region, the presence and type of inflammation, and the presence and type of complications: DICA 1 (≤ 3), DICA 2 (4-7) and DICA 3 (>7).

Mucosal healing is associated with improved long-term outcome of maintenance therapy with natalizumab in Crohn's disease.

Background: Natalizumab is an efficacious agent for induction and maintenance of remission in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who have failed anti-tumor necrosis factor agents. We aimed to assess the impact of endoscopic severity and mucosal healing on the long-term outcome of natalizumab treatment in CD.

Methods: We retrospectively assessed endoscopic severity according to the Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn's Disease in patients with CD who received natalizumab therapy.

Intestinal epithelial vitamin D receptor signaling inhibits experimental colitis.

The inhibitory effects of vitamin D on colitis have been previously documented. Global vitamin D receptor (VDR) deletion exaggerates colitis, but the relative anticolitic contribution of epithelial and nonepithelial VDR signaling is unknown. Here, we showed that colonic epithelial VDR expression was substantially reduced in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

Governance of innovation and appropriateness of hospitalization for high-risk pregnancy: the TOCOMAT system.

Background: Over the last 30 years, a great increase in the application of technologies in public health, with an undisputed impact on both the effectiveness of performance and the investment and management costs, has occurred. This evidence has induced the development of assessment tools to clarify the relationships among resources, outputs, and outcomes of technological innovations. This analysis was developed in order to examine the use of a telematic system for reporting remotely transmitted cardiotocographic traces, specifically (1) its impact on the health organization and on the appropriateness of the care setting used and (2) the efficiency of its adoption in a regional network.

Upper gastrointestinal involvement of Crohn's disease: a prospective study on the role of upper endoscopy in the diagnostic work-up.

Background: Prevalence of upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract involvement in adult Crohn's disease (CD) has been reported to be very low (0.3-5%). In routine practice, upper endoscopy is recommended only in CD patients with upper GI symptoms.

Pelvic adhesion and gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue: effects of triptorelin acetate depot on coagulation and fibrinolytic activities.

The study investigated the impact of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRH-a) on coagulation and fibrinolytic activities and its effectiveness in the prevention of pelvic adhesion after myomectomy. Thirty-two infertile women underwent myomectomy followed by adhesion evaluation surgery with a second-look laparoscopy. Before myomectomy, 15 women were treated with triptorelin acetate for 3 months and 17 received no treatment.

Fetal vibroacoustic stimulation in computerized cardiotocographic analysis: the role of short-term variability and approximate entropy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of vibroacoustic stimulation (VAS) on computerized cardiotocography short-term variability (STV) and approximate entropy (ApEn) in both low- and high-risk pregnancies. VAS was performed on 121 high- and 95 low-risk pregnancies after 10 minutes of continuous quiet, while their FHR parameters were monitored and recorded by cCTG analysis. Fetal heart rate was recorded using a computer-assisted equipment.

Maintenance of remission with infliximab in inflammatory bowel disease: efficacy and safety long-term follow-up.

Aim: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a long-term therapy with infliximab in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients retrospectively.

Methods: The medical charts of 50 patients (40 CD and 10 UC), who received after a loading dose of 3 infliximab infusions scheduled re-treatments every 8 wk as a maintenance protocol, were reviewed.

Results: Median (range) duration of treatment was 27 (4-64) mo in CD patients and 24.

Severe acute hypertriglyceridemia during acute lymphoblastic leukemia induction successfully treated with plasmapheresis.

Children suffering from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) treated with asparaginase and corticosteroids are at risk of developing severe lipid abnormalities. The authors report the case of a 10-year-old male with extremely high plasma triglyceride concentrations (4,000 mg/dl) during the induction phase of ALL associated with mild pancreatitis. Hypertriglyceridemia was successfully managed with plasmapheresis with a decrease in triglyceride levels to 590 mg/dl.