The Earlier You Find, the Better You Treat: Red Flags for Early Diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Delayed diagnosis is a challenge in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Several studies show a significant association between diagnostic delay and disease progression to complications and surgery, especially in Crohn's disease (CD). What risk factors are associated with diagnostic delay in IBD remains unclear.

Effectiveness of ustekinumab in patients with refractory Crohn's disease: a multicentre real-life study in Italy.

Background: The effectiveness of ustekinumab in patients with refractory Crohn's disease (CD) has been investigated in several real-world studies. However, very few data concerning the real-life experience in Italy have been reported. Therefore, this study assessed the effectiveness of ustekinumab in a large cohort of Italian patients with refractory CD.

Long-term outcomes of acute severe ulcerative colitis in the rescue therapy era: A multicentre cohort study.

Background: The long-term course of ulcerative colitis after a severe attack is poorly understood. Second-line rescue therapy with cyclosporine or infliximab is effective for reducing short-term colectomy but the impact in the long-term is controversial.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term course of acute severe ulcerative colitis patients who avoid early colectomy either because of response to steroids or rescue therapy.

Training Programs on Endoscopic Scoring Systems for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Lead to a Significant Increase in Interobserver Agreement Among Community Gastroenterologists.

Background And Aims: Endoscopic outcomes are increasingly used in clinical trials and in routine practice for inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] in order to reach more objective patient evaluations than possible using only clinical features. However, reproducibility of endoscopic scoring systems used to categorize endoscopic activity has been reported to be suboptimal. The aim of this study was to analyse the inter-rated agreement of non-dedicated gastroenterologists on IBD endoscopic scoring systems, and to explore the effects of a dedicated training programme on agreement.

Inter-observer agreement in endoscopic scoring systems: preliminary report of an ongoing study from the Italian Group for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IG-IBD).

Background: Endoscopic activity has become a therapeutic endpoint in inflammatory bowel disease. Aim of this study was to evaluate inter-observer agreement for endoscopic scores in a real-life setting.

Methods: 14 gastroenterologists with experience in inflammatory bowel disease care and endoscopic scoring reviewed videos of ulcerative colitis (n=13) and postoperative (n=10) and luminal (n=8) Crohn's disease.

Mucosal healing with thalidomide in refractory Crohn's disease patients intolerant of anti-TNF-α drugs: report of 3 cases and literature review.

Thalidomide is an oral immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory drug with antitumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) activity. Several case reports and some clinical trials have demonstrated its efficacy in the treatment of refractory Crohn's disease (CD). We report the effect and tolerability of thalidomide in 3 patients with moderate-to-severe CD who were not responsive to anti-TNF-α therapies, and review the relevant literature.