Pregnancy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Data from a Real-World Cohort in Germany.

: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently manifests at a young age, during the peak fertility years. Understanding the risks of negative pregnancy outcomes associated with IBD is crucial for effective pregnancy management and support. Additionally, it is essential to provide patients with the necessary knowledge to make informed choices and foster their confidence in navigating pregnancy while maintaining effective disease management.

Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2 before and after the Third Vaccination in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Introduction: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) receiving immunosuppressive therapy might have an increased risk of developing a severe course of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of antibodies in immunosuppressed patients with IBD compared to a healthy control group and to determine the effect of immunomodulators on the level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody levels before and after a third vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: This is a single-center study with a retrospective observational design.

Surgical Face Mask as an Air Sampling Device for Assessing Personal Exposure to Airborne Antimicrobial Resistance Gene-Bearing Bacteria.

In this study, we assessed the feasibility of using a surgical face mask as a sampling device to collect airborne antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). The method entails collection of ARG-bearing microbes on face masks, followed by their DNA extraction and quantification by qPCR analysis. Analysis of masks worn by volunteers showed an apparent mask wearing time-dependent accumulation of 16S rRNA gene and select ARGs trapped on masks, highlighting the applicability of the method in monitoring personal ARG exposure through inhalation.

Clinical evaluation of a novel single-use therapeutic gastroscope: a pilot feasibility study.

Background: The trend toward disposable products in gastrointestinal endoscopy, including single-use endoscopes, remains undeterred, even though crucial questions of sustainability and performance have not been sufficiently studied. The first single-use therapeutic gastroscope was recently approved in Europe, but clinical data to support its use are currently lacking. We aimed to evaluate the performance of this novel device in routine procedures requiring a large working channel.

Navigating the learning landscape: Comprehensive training in third space endoscopy - training, techniques, and practical recommendations.

Third space endoscopy (TSE), including ESD, POEM, or STER are advanced procedures requiring precise endoscopic control and tissue recognition. Despite its increasing adoption, evidence-based curricula, and standardized training protocols for TSE are lacking. This review explores training methods, cognitive skills, and technical proficiency requirements for endoscopists performing TSE, with a primary emphasis on POEM.

Short esophageal myotomy versus standard myotomy for treatment of sigmoid-type achalasia: results of an international multicenter study.

Background And Aims: Patients with sigmoid-type achalasia can be challenging to treat with peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM). A short myotomy improves technical success; however, outcomes have not previously been evaluated.

Methods: This was a multicenter, international, retrospective study of patients who underwent POEM with short (≤4 cm) or standard esophageal myotomy.

In Situ Live Monitoring of Extracellular Acidosis near Cancer Cells Using Digital Microfluidics with an Integrated Optical pH Sensor Film.

We demonstrate the live monitoring of extracellular acidification on digital microfluidics using a chip-integrated fluorescent pH sensor film. The metabolism of various types of live cells including cancer and healthy cells were investigated through recording the extracellular pH (pH) change. An optical pH sensor array was integrated onto a digital microfluidic (DMF) interface with a diameter of 2 mm per pH-sensing spot.

Feasibility of a new endoscopic suturing device: a first Western experience (with video).

Background And Aims: Endoscopic hand suturing (EHS) is a new technique for the closure of mucosal defects in the GI tract. Although this method was tested for wound closure after endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in Japan, a feasibility test in a Western setting is lacking. In this study, we present our first experience with EHS for different indications and in different anatomic locations.

Room temperature synthesis of nanocomposite thin films with embedded CsAgInBiCl lead-free double perovskite nanocrystals with long-term water stability, wide range pH tolerance, and high quantum yield.

The synthesis of CsAgInBiCl nanocrystals was achieved at room temperature under ambient conditions using the ligand-assisted reprecipitation (LARP) method. The synthesized NCs exhibit bright orange emission when excited at 375 nm and have broad photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra with a maximum of 630 nm. A photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 36% was observed in these NCs without any polymer coatings.

Combustion-Derived Pollutants Linked with Kidney Disease in Low-Lying Flood-Affected Areas in the Balkans.

Tens of thousands of people in southern Europe suffer from Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), and four times as many are at risk. Incidental ingestion of aristolochic acids (AAs), stemming from the ubiquitous(birthwort) weed in the region, leads to DNA adduct-induced toxicity in kidney cells, the primary cause of BEN. Numerous cofactors, including toxic organics and metals, have been investigated, but all have shown small contributions to the overall BEN relative to non-BEN village distribution gradients.

Endoscopic Assessment of Local Resectability of Colorectal Malignancies.

Background: The endoscopic assessment of colorectal malignancies primarily aims at deciding on the local resectability. Local resectability is defined by the risk of lymphonodal metastasis.

Summary: The gross morphology as well as the surface and vessel patterns provide valuable information prior to endoscopic resection.

Automatic three-dimensional reconstruction of the oesophagus in achalasia patients undergoing POEM: an innovative approach for evaluating treatment outcomes.

Background And Aims: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a standard treatment option for achalasia patients. Treatment response varies due to factors such as achalasia type, degree of dilatation, pressure and distensibility indices. We present an innovative approach for treatment response prediction based on an automatic three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of the tubular oesophagus (TE) and the lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) in patients undergoing POEM for achalasia.

Effects of Heavy Metal Co-Exposure on the formation of DNA Adducts from Aristolochic Acid I: Implications for Balkan Endemic Nephropathy Development.

Accumulated evidence has shown that Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) is a multifactorial environmental disease, with exposure to aristolochic acids (AA), and the associated DNA adduct formation, as a key causative factor of BEN development. Here, we show that coexposure to arsenic, cadmium, and iron increases the DNA adduct formation of AA in cultured kidney cells, while exhibiting both an exposure concentration and duration dependence. In contrast, coexposure to calcium and copper showed a decreasing DNA adduct formation.

Efficacy and Safety of Vedolizumab in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Association with Vedolizumab Drug Levels.

Background: Vedolizumab (VDZ) is a well-established and important therapeutic option in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the significance of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) with VDZ remains a contradictory field in daily clinical practice. Our study aims to clarify the predictive impact of VDZ drug levels in long-term clinical outcomes in a real-world cohort.

Rapid microfluidics prototyping through variotherm desktop injection molding for multiplex diagnostics.

In this work, we demonstrate an inexpensive method of prototyping microfluidics using a desktop injection molding machine. A centrifugal microfluidic device with a novel central filling mechanism was developed to demonstrate the technique. We overcame the limitations of desktop machines in replicating microfluidic features by variotherm heating and cooling the mold between 50 °C and 110 °C within two minutes.

Optical pH Monitoring in Microdroplet Platforms for Live Cell Experiments Using Colloidal Surfactants.

Droplet microfluidic technology facilitates the development of high-throughput screening applications in nanoliter volumes. Surfactants provide stability for emulsified monodisperse droplets to carry out compartmentalization. Fluorinated silica-based nanoparticles are used; they can minimize crosstalk in microdroplets and provide further functionalities by surface labeling.

Evaluation of a single-use gastroscope in patients presenting with suspected upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage: a pilot feasibility study (One-Scope I).

BACKGROUND : Outbreaks of multidrug-resistant bacteria due to contaminated duodenoscopes and infection risks during the COVID-19 pandemic have driven the development of single-use endoscopes. The first single-use gastroscope is now available in Europe. Besides waste disposal and cost issues, the infection risk and performance remain unclear.

Impact of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Other Gastrointestinal Disorders-A Retrospective Analysis in a Tertiary Single Center and Review of the Literature.

Background: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is often found in patients with gut dysbiosis such as irritable bowel syndrome. Recently, the association of SIBO and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been described in some cases. While clinical symptoms might be similar in IBD and SIBO, treatment is quite different for both diseases.

An artificial intelligence algorithm is highly accurate for detecting endoscopic features of eosinophilic esophagitis.

The endoscopic features associated with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) may be missed during routine endoscopy. We aimed to develop and evaluate an Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithm for detecting and quantifying the endoscopic features of EoE in white light images, supplemented by the EoE Endoscopic Reference Score (EREFS). An AI algorithm (AI-EoE) was constructed and trained to differentiate between EoE and normal esophagus using endoscopic white light images extracted from the database of the University Hospital Augsburg.