Antioxidative potential of a combined therapy of anti TNFα and Zn acetate in experimental colitis.

Aim: To evaluate whether combination therapy with anti-tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) antibody and Zn acetate is beneficial in dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) colitis.

Methods: Colitis was induced in CD1-Swiss mice with 5% DSS for 7 d. The experimental mice were then randomised into the following subgroups: standard diet + DSS treated (induced colitis group); standard diet + DSS + subcutaneous 25 μg anti-TNFα treated group; Zn acetate treated group + DSS + subcutaneous 25 μg anti-TNFα; standard diet + DSS + subcutaneous 6.

Rectal administration of Lactobacillus casei DG modifies flora composition and Toll-like receptor expression in colonic mucosa of patients with mild ulcerative colitis.

Background: An imbalance in gut microbiota seems to contribute to the development of chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, such as ulcerative colitis (UC). Although it has been suggested that probiotic supplementation is an effective approach to colitis, its effects on intestinal flora and on mucosal cytokine balance have never been explored.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus casei (L.

TGF-beta1 and IGF-1 production and recurrence of Crohn's disease after ileo-colonic resection.

Background: Recurrence after surgery is a major problem in the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD). Alteration of healing processes may play a role in this phenomenon. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) have pro-fibrogenic properties and are involved in wound-healing mechanisms.

Diagnosis and management of Wilson's disease: results of a single center experience.

Aims: To report on the diagnostic features, management, and clinical outcome after different treatments of Wilson's disease patients followed over a mean period of 15 years.

Patients: Thirty-five patients with Wilson's disease referred to the University of Padova's Department of Gastroenterology for diagnosis or treatment were observed for a mean 15 years. The diagnosis was based on clinical symptoms, laboratory tests (ceruloplasmin, urinary, and hepatic copper concentrations), and uptake of the radiostable isotope Cu into the plasma protein pool.

Urologic complications in Crohn's disease: suspicion criteria.

Background/aims: Genitourinary complications occur in 4 to 35% of Crohn's disease patients. The aim of this study was to assess the threshold to suspect urologic involvement in Crohn's disease in order to plan the correct surgical management.

Methodology: Medical records of 258 consecutive patients who have undergone bowel resection for Crohn's disease were reviewed.

Expression of costimulatory molecule CD80 in colonic dysplasia in ulcerative colitis: an immunosurveillance mechanism against colorectal cancer?

Background And Aims: Ulcerative colitis is an established risk factor for colorectal cancer but dysplasia reports are much more frequent than invasive neoplasm diagnosis. The effective activation of T lymphocytes that provide antitumor surveillance requires the presence of costimulation molecules such as CD80 and CD86 on the surface of antigen-presenting cells. The aim of our study was to verify the presence of an in vivo immunosurveillance mechanism in the early stages of colon tumorigenesis.

The role of costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 and IFNgamma in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis.

Several studies showed that costimulatory signals on antigen presenting cells are up-regulated in inflammatory bowel disease. We quantified the expression of CD80, CD86, and IFNgamma in colonic mucosa of patients affected by ulcerative colitis and correlated it with clinical and biochemical parameters to identify the context of this up regulation. We enrolled 21 patients affected by ulcerative colitis and 6 healthy subjects.

Minimally invasive management of Crohn's disease complicated by ureteral stenosis.

Ureteral involvement due to Crohn's disease occurs in 3% to 6% of cases. Herein, we present a case of a 22-year-old woman with ileocolic Crohn's disease with right hydronephrosis due to compression of the ureter that was resolved with a 3-stage, minimally invasive procedure (preoperative percutaneous nephrostomy, ureteral stent placement, and sequential laparoscopically assisted ileocolectomy). Percutaneous right nephrostomy drainage permitted us to prevent renal damage before surgery, and successive ureteral double-J catheter placement minimized the risk of ureteral damage during the laparoscopic procedure.

Role of stapled and hand-sewn anastomoses in recurrence of Crohn's disease.

Background/aims: Anastomotic recurrence after bowel resection is a major problem in Crohn's disease surgery. The aim of this study is to compare recurrence rate after stapled side-to-side ileo-colonic anastomosis to those after stapled end-to-side or hand-sewn side-to-side anastomosis to distinguish the role of suture technique and anastomotic configuration in the prevention of Crohn's disease recurrence.

Methodology: Eighty-four consecutive patients who had undergone ileo-colonic resection for Crohn's disease were enrolled: 12 of them had stapled side-to-side anastomosis, 36 stapled end-to-side anastomosis and 36 hand-sewn side-to-side anastomosis.

Risk factors for recurrence of stenosis in Crohn's disease.

A major problem in Crohn's disease (CD) surgery is the high frequency of recurrence after bowel resection. Several factors are thought to influence this phenomenon. CD "phenotype" was identified as one of this factors and obstructing CD seems to be a low risk.

Health-related quality of life after restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis: long-term results.

Restorative proctocolectomy (RPC) is the favorite operation for ulcerative colitis, but it may influence health-related quality of life (HRQL). Our aims were to determine the long-term HRQL of patients and its modifications after a 5-year follow-up and to identify any risk factor for a worse outcome. We enrolled 36 patients submitted to RPC (mean follow-up 8.

Diffuse small bowel Crohn's disease treated with side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty: report of two cases and description of a variation of the original technique.

Diffuse small bowel Crohn's disease is unusual and it is characterized by multiple diseased segments involving the jejunum and ileum. The most frequent indication for surgery is an intestinal obstruction, often complicated by a high grade of malnutrition. The natural history of this clinical form is not well defined and the optimal surgical approach remains controversial.

Effect of zinc supplementation on intestinal permeability in experimental colitis.

Increased small-intestine permeability has been documented in experimental colitis in the rat. Zinc supplementation improves mucosal repair in patients with diarrhea, as well as paracellular permeability in malnourished guinea pigs. In this study, we sought to evaluate the effect of zinc supplementation on small-and large-intestine tight junctions in rats with acute colitis.

The role of CD40 in ulcerative colitis: histochemical analysis and clinical correlation.

Objectives: CD40 co-stimulator seems to be implicated in the loss of tolerance against self-antigens in many autoimmune diseases. The evidence suggests that in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis there is an activity state against self-antigens of the gut wall and flora. The aim of this study was to analyse the expression of CD40 in ulcerative colitis, comparing it with Crohn's disease and nonspecific inflammation of the colon and to determine whether there is a relationship between its expression and the activity stage of the disease.