Exit strategies in inflammatory bowel disease: Looking beyond anti-tumor necrosis factors.

The long-term management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is still a matter of debate, and no clear guidelines have been issued. In clinical practice, gastroenterologists often have to deal with patients in prolonged remission after immunomodulatory or immunosuppressive therapies. When planning an exit strategy for drug withdrawal, the risk of disease relapse must be balanced against the risk of drug-related adverse events and healthcare costs.

Risk factors and timing for colectomy in chronically active refractory ulcerative colitis: A systematic review.

Background: In patients with chronic refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) the precise timing for indication to colectomy is unclear.

Aims: We performed a systematic review of the literature on the risk factors for colectomy in patients with chronic refractory UC in the biologic era.

Methods: PubMed Central/Medline and Embase were systemically searched for records published between January 2000 and December 2017.

National production of certified reference fungal cultures.

Reference fungal cultures (RFCs) are essential for the internal quality control of laboratories. The production of these cultures requires standardized procedures (IRAM 14950:2016 and ISO 17034:2016 standards) carried out by a recognized and accredited laboratory. The aim of this work was to produce RFC in paper disks of autochthonous strains, characterized by two, homogeneous and stable reference methods traceable at species level.

The safety of beclomethasone dipropionate in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) is a second-generation corticosteroid that uses novel drug technologies to ensure colonic targeting and potentially reducing systemic corticosteroid concentrations. It is approved for treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC) who do not respond to mesalazine. The gut-selective mechanism of action has the potential to improve the safety profile of BDP compared with other conventional corticosteroids.

Prognostic performance of MR-pro-adrenomedullin in patients with community acquired pneumonia in the Emergency Department compared to clinical severity scores PSI and CURB.

Aim: (i) evaluate the performance of MR-pro-ADM in reflecting the outcome and risk for CAP patients in the emergency department, and (ii) compare the prognostic performance of MR-pro-ADM with that of clinical scores PSI and CURB65.

Methods: Observational prospective, single-center study in patients with suspected community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Eighty one patients underwent full clinical and laboratory assessment as by protocol, and were followed up a 28 days.

Six year adalimumab efficacy in steroid-dependent Crohn's disease patients: A prospective single-center real life study.

Background: Adalimumab is effective in the treatment of Crohn's disease. We have already reported data on the efficacy of adalimumab in 110 steroid-dependent patients. At the end of the study 90 patients (64.

Active Tuberculosis Case Finding Interventions Among Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Italy.

In Italy tuberculosis (TB) is largely concentrated in vulnerable groups such as migrants and in urban settings. We analyzed three TB case finding interventions conducted at primary centers and mobile clinics for regular/irregular immigrants and refugees/asylum seekers performed over a four-year period (November 2009-March 2014) at five different sites in Rome and one site in Milan, Italy. TB history and presence of symptoms suggestive of active TB were investigated by verbal screening through a structured questionnaire in migrants presenting for any medical condition to out-patient and mobile clinics.

The impact of antiviral therapy and the influence of metabolic cofactors on the outcome of chronic HCV infection.

NATURAL HISTORY OF HCV RELATED CHRONIC HEPATITIS IS INFLUENCED AND MODIFIED BY MANY FACTORS: virus features, coinfections and host characteristics. In particular, a peculiar genetic background of the host by conditioning the occurrence of intracellular metabolic derangements (i.e.

The optimal dose of ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C: From literature evidence to clinical practice: The optimal dose of ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C.

Approximately 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected by hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can result in progressive hepatic injury and fibrosis, culminating in cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. The benchmark therapy for untreated HCV patients is a combination of pegylated interferon-alpha (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV). Several studies have suggested several potential new approaches to improve HCV therapy-optimization of the dose and duration of RBV therapy, accompanied by careful clinical management, is crucial in ensuring the greatest likelihood of a long response to therapy.

Pegylated-interferon-α(2a) in clinical practice: how to manage patients suffering from side effects.

Introduction: The goal of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C is to slow or halt the progression of fibrosis and prevent the development of cirrhosis. Accordingly, antiviral treatment is proposed for a large population of patients with chronic hepatitis.

Areas Covered: The standard-of-care for chronic hepatitis C is the combination of pegylated IFN (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin.