Publications by authors named "Rossella Maresca"

This study investigated the radiological, clinical, and surgical factors linked to the risk of endoscopic recurrence following ileocolic resection for Crohn's disease. We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from all patients who underwent primary ileocecal resection for Crohn's disease in a single colorectal unit between 2004 and 2020. We analyzed the potential risk factors subdivided by the clinical, radiological, and surgical factors associated with morphological recurrence, as detected by endoscopy within 2 years after surgery.

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Article Synopsis
  • Mucosal healing (MH) is the primary goal in treating ulcerative colitis (UC), but some patients still experience relapses despite achieving MH.
  • A study analyzed UC patients who reached MH, discovering that histologic activity (HA) beyond MH might explain these relapses and found specific lesions that increase relapse risk.
  • Key findings showed that higher baseline histological lesions, particularly basal plasmacytosis and surface irregularity, are significant risk factors for relapse, indicating that HA remains an important concern even with MH.
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Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), comprising Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are systemic and multifaceted disorders which affect other organs in addition to the gastrointestinal tract in up to 50% of cases. Extraintestinal manifestations may present before or after IBD diagnosis and negatively impact the intestinal disease course and patients' quality of life, often requiring additional diagnostic evaluations or specific treatments. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide.

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Background: Ustekinumab (UST) is an interleukin-12/interleukin-23 receptor antagonist recently approved for treating ulcerative colitis (UC) but with limited real-world data. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness and safety of UST in patients with UC in a real-world setting.

Research Design And Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study.

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CMV infection is still a matter of concern in IBD patients, especially regarding the disease's relapse management. Why IBD patients, particularly those affected by ulcerative colitis, are more susceptible to CMV reactivation is not totally explained, although a weakened immune system could be the reason. Various techniques, ranging from serology to histology, can be employed to detect intestinal CMV infection; however, there is currently disagreement in the literature regarding the most effective diagnostic test.

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Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolic events, which have a considerable impact on morbidity and mortality. Chronic inflammation plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of thrombotic events in patients with IBD. However, many unresolved questions remain, particularly regarding the mechanisms that determine the persistent inflammatory state independent of disease activity.

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Therapeutic options for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) have largely expanded in the last decades, both in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, including multiple biological drugs targeting different inflammation pathways. However, choosing the best treatment and timing for each patient is still an undeniable challenge for IBD physicians due to the marked heterogeneity among patients and disease behavior. Therefore, early prediction of the response to biological drugs becomes of utmost importance, allowing prompt optimization of therapeutic strategies and thus paving the way towards precision medicine.

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Pancreatic cancer remains a social and medical burden despite the tremendous advances that medicine has made in the last two decades. The incidence of pancreatic cancer is increasing, and it continues to be associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. The difficulty of early diagnosis (the lack of specific symptoms and biomarkers at early stages), the aggressiveness of the disease, and its resistance to systemic therapies are the main factors for the poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer.

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Article Synopsis
  • Nutritional management for acute pancreatitis (AP) has evolved from a focus on "pancreatic rest" to recommending early oral or enteral feeding, which has shown benefits in reducing complications and mortality.
  • Current expert discussions revolve around the best methods and formulas for enteral nutrition, with ongoing debates regarding optimal approaches.
  • The work aims to provide a thorough analysis of nutritional strategies in AP management, including the potential roles of immunonutrition and probiotics, although there is still a lack of substantial clinical data on their effectiveness.
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Background: Predicting clinical outcomes represents a major challenge in Crohn's disease (CD). Radiomics provides a method to extract quantitative features from medical images and may successfully predict clinical course.

Aims: The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the use of radiomics to predict 10-year surgery for CD patients.

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