Faecal calprotectin is a surrogate marker of biliary inflammation in primary sclerosing cholangitis associated inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: Faecal calprotectin (fCAL) is an established marker of intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Disproportionally high fCAL levels, for the severity of intestinal inflammation, have been previously observed in primary sclerosing cholangitis associated IBD (PSC-IBD). The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that fCAL is a marker of biliary injury in PSC-IBD.

Clinical course of inflammatory bowel disease and impact on liver disease outcomes in patients with autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis.

Background & Aims: Autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis (ASC) is a childhood sclerosing cholangitis frequently associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We describe the IBD phenotype in ASC patients and associated liver disease outcomes.

Methods: Single center retrospective observational review of ASC patients, with a control population of pediatric IBD.

Near-focus narrow-band imaging classification of villous atrophy in suspected celiac disease: development and international validation.

Background And Aims: There are no agreed-on endoscopic signs for the diagnosis of villous atrophy (VA) in celiac disease (CD), necessitating biopsy sampling for diagnosis. Here we evaluated the role of near-focus narrow-band imaging (NF-NBI) for the assessment of villous architecture in suspected CD with the development and further validation of a novel NF-NBI classification.

Methods: Patients with a clinical indication for duodenal biopsy sampling were prospectively recruited.

Nutrient, Fibre, and FODMAP Intakes and Food-related Quality of Life in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and Their Relationship with Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Differing Aetiologies.

Background And Aims: Certain foods are reported as gut symptom triggers in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], and fructans are shown to worsen non-inflammatory symptoms in inactive IBD, which may result in self-imposed dietary restrictions. The aim of this study was to investigate nutrient and FODMAP intakes, and the relationship between gut symptoms and dietary intake, in IBD.

Methods: Nutrient, fibre, and FODMAP intakes were estimated using 7-day food records in patients with active IBD [Active IBD], inactive IBD with non-inflammatory gut symptoms [Inactive IBD-GI], inactive IBD without gut symptoms [Inactive IBD], and healthy controls.

Predictors of adherence to a gluten-free diet in celiac disease: Do knowledge, attitudes, experiences, symptoms, and quality of life play a role?

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the relationship between adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) and demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding celiac disease (CD) and GFD, experiences of following a GFD, symptoms, and quality of life (QoL).

Methods: Patients with CD were recruited from outpatient clinics. Adherence to GFD was assessed using the CD adherence test (CDAT) and GFD score (GFD-S).

DIY productive failure: boosting performance in a large undergraduate biology course.

Students in first-year university courses often focus on mimicking application of taught procedures and fail to gain adequate conceptual understanding. One potential approach to support meaningful learning is Productive Failure (PF). In PF, the conventional instruction process is reversed so that learners attempt to solve challenging problems ahead of receiving explicit instruction.

A Randomized Crossover Trial of Conventional vs Virtual Chromoendoscopy for Colitis Surveillance: Dysplasia Detection, Feasibility, and Patient Acceptability (CONVINCE).

Background: Chromoendoscopy (CE) is the recommended surveillance technique for colitis, but uptake has been limited and the literature provides scant information on patient experience (PE); imperative to adherence to surveillance programmes. Virtual CE (VCE) by Fujinon Intelligent Colour Enhancement digitally reconstructs mucosal images in real time, without the technical challenges of CE. We performed a multifaceted randomized crossover trial (RCT) to evaluate study feasibility and obtain preliminary comparative procedural and PE data.

Golimumab: early experience and medium-term outcomes from two UK tertiary IBD centres.

Objective: To gain an understanding of the effectiveness of golimumab in a 'real-world' setting.

Design: Retrospective cohort study using prospectively maintained clinical records.

Setting: Two UK tertiary IBD centres.

Outcomes of Endoscopic Resections of Large Laterally Spreading Colorectal Lesions in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: a Single United Kingdom Center Experience.

Background: The SCENIC consensus statement recommends endoscopic resection of all visible dysplasia in inflammatory bowel disease, but patients with large or complex lesions may still be advised to have colectomy. This article presents outcomes for large nonpolypoid resections associated with colitis at our institution.

Methods: Data including demographics, clinical history, lesion characteristics, method of resection, and postresection surveillance were collected prospectively in patients with visible lesions within colitic mucosa from January 2011 to November 2016.

Vedolizumab: early experience and medium-term outcomes from two UK tertiary IBD centres.

Objective: To gain an understanding of the efficacy of vedolizumab in a 'real-world' setting.

Design: Retrospective cohort study using prospectively maintained clinical records.

Setting: Two UK tertiary inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) centres.

Early change in faecal calprotectin predicts primary non-response to anti-TNFα therapy in Crohn's disease.

Objective: The early identification of primary non-response to anti-TNFα therapy facilitates the timely management of patients with Crohn's disease (CD). A recent, pilot study to detect prognostic markers of early response to anti-TNFα therapy identified the two genes coding for the calprotectin subunits (S100A8, S100A9) to be among the most highly expressed gene transcripts in non-responders. This study tests the hypothesis that measurements of faecal calprotectin (FCAL) pre- and post-anti-TNFα induction can predict primary non-response.

Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leak following a pilates class: a case report.

Introduction: A spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak is the most common cause of spontaneous intracranial hypotension which is an uncommon but increasingly recognized cause of headache. This article describes the first reported case of pilates being associated with a spontaneous spinal cerebrospinal fluid leak whilst also highlighting the key information about spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks that will be useful to the general clinician.

Case Presentation: We present the case of a 42-year-old Caucasian woman who developed a low-pressure headache following a pilates class.

HLA-DQA1-HLA-DRB1 variants confer susceptibility to pancreatitis induced by thiopurine immunosuppressants.

Pancreatitis occurs in approximately 4% of patients treated with the thiopurines azathioprine or mercaptopurine. Its development is unpredictable and almost always leads to drug withdrawal. We identified patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who had developed pancreatitis within 3 months of starting these drugs from 168 sites around the world.

Dense genotyping identifies and localizes multiple common and rare variant association signals in celiac disease.

Using variants from the 1000 Genomes Project pilot European CEU dataset and data from additional resequencing studies, we densely genotyped 183 non-HLA risk loci previously associated with immune-mediated diseases in 12,041 individuals with celiac disease (cases) and 12,228 controls. We identified 13 new celiac disease risk loci reaching genome-wide significance, bringing the number of known loci (including the HLA locus) to 40. We found multiple independent association signals at over one-third of these loci, a finding that is attributable to a combination of common, low-frequency and rare genetic variants.

A meta-analysis of genome-wide association scans identifies IL18RAP, PTPN2, TAGAP, and PUS10 as shared risk loci for Crohn's disease and celiac disease.

Crohn's disease (CD) and celiac disease (CelD) are chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, involving genetic and environmental factors in their pathogenesis. The two diseases can co-occur within families, and studies suggest that CelD patients have a higher risk to develop CD than the general population. These observations suggest that CD and CelD may share common genetic risk loci.

Evolutionary and functional analysis of celiac risk loci reveals SH2B3 as a protective factor against bacterial infection.

Celiac disease (CD) is an intolerance to dietary proteins of wheat, barley, and rye. CD may have substantial morbidity, yet it is quite common with a prevalence of 1%-2% in Western populations. It is not clear why the CD phenotype is so prevalent despite its negative effects on human health, especially because appropriate treatment in the form of a gluten-free diet has only been available since the 1950s, when dietary gluten was discovered to be the triggering factor.

Multiple common variants for celiac disease influencing immune gene expression.

We performed a second-generation genome-wide association study of 4,533 individuals with celiac disease (cases) and 10,750 control subjects. We genotyped 113 selected SNPs with P(GWAS) < 10(-4) and 18 SNPs from 14 known loci in a further 4,918 cases and 5,684 controls. Variants from 13 new regions reached genome-wide significance (P(combined) < 5 x 10(-8)); most contain genes with immune functions (BACH2, CCR4, CD80, CIITA-SOCS1-CLEC16A, ICOSLG and ZMIZ1), with ETS1, RUNX3, THEMIS and TNFRSF14 having key roles in thymic T-cell selection.

Genome-wide analysis of allelic expression imbalance in human primary cells by high-throughput transcriptome resequencing.

Many disease-associated variants identified by genome-wide association (GWA) studies are expected to regulate gene expression. Allele-specific expression (ASE) quantifies transcription from both haplotypes using individuals heterozygous at tested SNPs. We performed deep human transcriptome-wide resequencing (RNA-seq) for ASE analysis and expression quantitative trait locus discovery.

Association study of the IL18RAP locus in three European populations with coeliac disease.

Coeliac disease is caused by dietary gluten, triggering a chronic inflammation of the small intestine in genetically predisposed individuals. Recently, a risk locus on chromosome 2q11-q12, harbouring interleukin 18 receptor accessory protein (IL18RAP) and three other genes, was suggested for coeliac disease. IL18 has been shown to play an important role in T helper type 1 activity in coeliac disease, making this locus a highly interesting candidate.

Shared and distinct genetic variants in type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.

Background: Two inflammatory disorders, type 1 diabetes and celiac disease, cosegregate in populations, suggesting a common genetic origin. Since both diseases are associated with the HLA class II genes on chromosome 6p21, we tested whether non-HLA loci are shared.

Methods: We evaluated the association between type 1 diabetes and eight loci related to the risk of celiac disease by genotyping and statistical analyses of DNA samples from 8064 patients with type 1 diabetes, 9339 control subjects, and 2828 families providing 3064 parent-child trios (consisting of an affected child and both biologic parents).