Publications by authors named "Massimo Bellini"

Article Synopsis
  • - Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) are chronic liver diseases that damage bile ducts and lead to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, but no specific biomarkers exist to differentiate them.
  • - This study analyzed saliva samples from 6 PBC patients using advanced mass spectrometry, comparing the results with samples from PSC patients, and identified 40 proteins that were significantly deregulated in PSC.
  • - The research revealed that some of these proteins are involved in immune responses and cytoskeleton remodeling, suggesting that saliva could be a valuable source for discovering biomarkers to differentiate between PSC and PBC.
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Chronic constipation (CC) is one of the most common disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI). The management of CC requires specific skills due to its complex and multifactorial pathophysiology and its multistep treatment. The aims of this study were to evaluate the availability and the use of diagnostic tools for CC in Italy and the therapeutic management of CC by Italian gastroenterologists (GEs).

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Article Synopsis
  • A low-FODMAPs Diet (LFD) is a dietary strategy for managing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which requires personalization after an initial strict phase, particularly for patients who may also have fibromyalgia.
  • A study followed 51 IBS patients, including those with fibromyalgia, over an average of 62.5 months to assess their symptoms, adherence to the diet, and psychological status.
  • Results showed that while comorbid fibromyalgia had a minimal impact on overall IBS symptom relief and diet adherence, all patients experienced improvements, suggesting that the LFD can be effective for managing IBS symptoms in both populations.
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Article Synopsis
  • Visceral pain is a common digestive issue linked to conditions like inflammatory bowel diseases, and current treatments are inadequate, prompting research into new therapeutic compounds like GABA and Mo.
  • In a rat study, GABA-Mo (a mixture of GABA and Mo) was administered either preventively or curatively after inducing colitis to assess its effects on inflammation and pain response.
  • Results showed that GABA-Mo reduced visceral pain responses, decreased oxidative stress and inflammation markers in the colon, and improved intestinal barrier function, demonstrating both preventive and curative benefits in managing visceral pain and inflammation.
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Background: No biomarkers are currently available to predict therapeutic response to ustekinumab (UST) in Crohn's disease (CD). The aim of this prospective study was to identify 1 or more cytokines able to predict mucosal healing in patients with CD treated with UST.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled consecutive CD patients treated with UST.

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The management of patients with diverticular disease remains challenging. The aim of this national survey was to assess how gastroenterologists and general practitioners use rifaximin to manage diverticulosis and diverticular disease. Members of the Italian Association of Hospital Gastroenterologists and Endoscopists (AIGO) and the Italian Federation of General Practitioners (FIMMG) were invited to complete a 39-item online survey concerning the use of rifaximin in five clinical settings: (1) diverticulosis; (2) reducing symptoms in symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease; (3) reducing the occurrence of diverticulitis in patients with symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (primary prevention); (4) reducing the recurrence of diverticulitis in patients with previous attacks of diverticulitis (secondary prevention); (5) treatment of uncomplicated acute diverticulitis.

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Background: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare chronic inflammatory liver disease characterized by biliary strictures and cholestasis. Due to the lack of effective serological indicators for diagnosis and prognosis, in the present study, we examined the potentiality of the saliva proteome to comprehensively screen for novel biomarkers.

Methods: Saliva samples of PSC patients and healthy controls were processed and subsequently analyzed using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique.

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Background: Despite increased awareness of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), the diagnostic delay has remained stable over the past 3 decades. There is a need to improve the diagnostic performance and optimize resources allocation in the setting of EoE.

Objective: We developed and validated 2 point-of-care machine learning (ML) tools to predict a diagnosis of EoE before histology results during office visits.

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Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a clinical condition with a prevalence of up to 25% in Western countries. Typical GERD symptoms include heartburn and retrosternal regurgitation. Lifestyle modifications, including diet, are considered a first-line therapeutic approach.

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Gastrointestinal manifestations are common across all hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv) genotypes. However, they are poorly specific, and their recognition as part of ATTRv is difficult, resulting in misdiagnosis with more common conditions. Moreover, delays in diagnosis occur because of fragmented knowledge, a shortage of centers of excellence and specialists dedicated to ATTRv management, and the scarce involvement of gastroenterologists in multidisciplinary teams.

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The relationship between food and the pathophysiological mechanisms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is unclear. There are few data on the impact of dietary habits on GERD symptoms and on the incidence of GERD in subjects undergoing plant-based diets. In this study, we investigated the association between diet and GERD, using data collected through an online survey of the Italian general population.

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Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) are an emerging group of pathological entities characterized by an eosinophil-predominant infiltration of different tracts of the gut in the absence of secondary causes of eosinophilia. According to the specific tract of the gut involved, EGIDs can be classified into eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), eosinophilic gastritis (EoG), eosinophilic enteritis (EoN), and eosinophilic colitis (EoC). The epidemiology of EGIDs is evolving rapidly.

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The presence of sarcopenia has been associated with the worst outcome of Crohn's disease (CD). At present, no studies have evaluated the impact of ustekinumab (UST) in terms of its effects on body composition. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate whether UST treatment could modify the parameters of body composition as assessed by bioelectrical impedance assay (BIA) in patients with CD.

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Irritable bowel syndrome with predominant diarrhea (IBS-D) and functional diarrhea (FD) are disorders of gut-brain interaction characterized by recurring symptoms which have a serious impact on the patient's quality of life. Their pathophysiology is far from being completely understood. In IBS-D growing evidence suggests that bile acid malabsorption (BAM) could be present in up to 30% of patients.

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Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic esophageal disease that needs lifelong management and follow-up. The diagnosis requires an upper endoscopy with at least one esophageal biopsy demonstrating >15 eosinophils/high-power field, and often occurs with a diagnostic delay of up to ten years, partly due to the absence of valid non-invasive screening tools. In addition, serial upper endoscopies with esophageal biopsies are mandatory to assess the efficacy of any ongoing treatment in patients with EoE.

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Lower gastrointestinal endoscopy is considered the gold standard for the diagnosis and removal of colonic polyps. Delays in colonoscopy following a positive fecal immunochemical test increase the likelihood of advanced adenomas and colorectal cancer (CRC) occurrence. However, patients may refuse to undergo conventional colonoscopy (CC) due to fear of possible risks and pain or discomfort.

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Since ancient times, food has been considered a possible therapy for treating a wide range of diseases [...

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Background And Aims: Defecation Disorders (DD) are a frequent cause of refractory chronic constipation. DD diagnosis requires anorectal physiology testing. Our aim was to evaluate the accuracy and Odds Ratio (OR) of a straining question (SQ) and a digital rectal examination (DRE) augmented by abdomen palpation on predicting a DD diagnosis in refractory CC patients.

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Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a frequent disorder of gut-brain interaction, affecting 5-7% of people globally, with significant impairment in quality of life. The management of FD is challenging due to the lack of specific therapeutic approaches. Although food seems to play a role in symptom production, its pathophysiologic role in patients with FD is not fully understood.

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Introduction: The Lyon Consensus designates Los Angeles (LA) grade C/D esophagitis or acid exposure time (AET) >6% on impedance-pH monitoring (MII-pH) as conclusive for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We aimed to evaluate proportions with objective GERD among symptomatic patients with LA grade A, B, and C esophagitis on endoscopy.

Methods: Demographics, clinical data, endoscopy findings, and objective proton-pump inhibitor response were collected from symptomatic prospectively enrolled patients from 2 referral centers.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study aimed to understand the long-term gastrointestinal effects and gut-brain interaction disorders in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 compared to those without the infection.
  • The analysis included data from 883 patients, revealing that gastrointestinal symptoms were more prevalent in COVID-19 patients during hospitalization, but by the 12-month follow-up, controls reported higher rates of constipation and hard stools.
  • Additionally, COVID-19 patients showed a significantly higher prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) compared to controls, with certain factors like allergies and medication usage being associated with IBS diagnosis.
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