Increased fracture risk assessed by fracture risk assessment tool in Greek patients with Crohn's disease.

Background: The World Health Organization has recently developed the fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) based on clinical risk factors and bone mineral density (BMD) for evaluation of the 10-year probability of a hip or a major osteoporotic fracture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of the FRAX tool in Greek patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Methods: FRAX scores were applied to 134 IBD patients [68 Crohn's disease (CD); 66 ulcerative colitis (UC)] who underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans at the femoral neck and lumbar spine during the period 2007-2012.

Fatty acid composition of subcutaneous adipose tissue and gastric mucosa: is there a relation with gastric ulceration?

Background: Both in vitro and epidemiological studies indicate that dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids may play a protective role against peptic ulcer in humans. Adipose tissue fatty acid composition is thought to reflect dietary fatty acid intake. The aim of the present study is to investigate adipose and gastric mucosa fatty acid levels in relation to gastric ulceration status.

Crohn's disease lymphadenopathy: MR imaging findings.

Purpose: To assess mesenteric lymph nodes in patients with different Crohn's disease subtypes identified on MR Enteroclysis.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-four patients, categorized into three different Crohn's disease subgroups, underwent MR Enteroclysis. A high resolution coronal true FISP sequence with fat saturation was applied to assess mesenteric lymph node anatomic distribution, size and shape.

Ileal malignant melanoma causing intussusception: report of a case.

Cutaneous malignant melanoma (MM) often metastasizes to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract; however, primary MM of the small intestine is a controversial diagnosis. We report the case of a 76-year-old woman found to have a primary MM in the ileum. After clinical evaluation, the radiological workup, which included magnetic resonance enteroclysis (MRE), revealed a large polypoid intraluminal tumor.

Factors associated with disease evolution in Greek patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: The majority of Crohn's disease patients with B1 phenotype at diagnosis (i.e. non-stricturing non-penetrating disease) will develop over time a stricturing or a penetrating pattern.

Assessment of Crohn's disease activity in the small bowel with MR and conventional enteroclysis: preliminary results.

Every single imaging finding that can be disclosed on conventional and MR enteroclysis was correlated with the Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI). Nineteen consecutive patients with Crohn's disease underwent colon endoscopy and both conventional and MR enteroclysis examinations. Seventeen MR imaging findings and seven conventional enteroclysis findings were ranked on a four-point grading scale and correlated with CDAI, with a value of 150 considered as the threshold for disease activity.

Hidradenitis suppurativa associated with Crohn's disease and spondyloarthropathy: response to anti-TNF therapy.

An association of hidradenitis suppurativa with Crohn's disease is supported by previous repent. We here report a patient with hidradenitis suppurativa who subsequently developed peripheral arthritis, sacroiliitis, and Crohn's disease. A significant attenuation of bowel, cutaneous, and joint symptoms was achieved after treatment with monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor (TNF).

Serum laminin and collagen IV in inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: /

Aims: Laminin and collagen IV have been proposed as extracellular matrix serum markers. Because fibrosis is a major complication of inflammatory bowel disease, serum concentrations of laminin and collagen IV were measured in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) and compared with inflammatory and healthy controls.

Methods: Laminin and collagen IV serum concentrations were measured in 170 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (86 UC and 84 CD), in 23 patients with other causes of intestinal inflammation, and in 80 matched healthy controls using commercially available enzyme linked immunosorbent assays.

Complete regression of primary gastric plasmacytoma following Helicobacter pylori eradication.

We describe the first case of a primary gastric plasmacytoma stage I completely regressed following Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) eradication. The patient, a 61-year-old man, had a long history of chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers with recurrent gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

A comparison of Child-Pugh, APACHE II and APACHE III scoring systems in predicting hospital mortality of patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic accuracy of Child-Pugh and APACHE II and III scoring systems in predicting short-term, hospital mortality of patients with liver cirrhosis.

Methods: 200 admissions of 147 cirrhotic patients (44% viral-associated liver cirrhosis, 33% alcoholic, 18.5% cryptogenic, 4.

Increased serum levels of YKL-40 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background And Aims: Initiation of a fibrotic process has been suggested as part of the intestinal response to chronic inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease. YKL-40 has been proposed as a new serum marker of fibrosis. We studied compared the serum levels of YKL-40 in patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease with inflammatory and healthy controls.

Balthazar computed tomography severity index is superior to Ranson criteria and APACHE II and III scoring systems in predicting acute pancreatitis outcome.

Background And Goals: Acute pancreatitis runs an unpredictable course. We prospectively analyzed the prognostic usefulness of four different scoring systems in separately assessing three variables; acute pancreatitis severity, development of organ failure and pancreatic necrosis.

Study: 78 patients with acute pancreatitis were studied prospectively.

Comparison of Ranson, APACHE II and APACHE III scoring systems in acute pancreatitis.

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis runs an unpredictable course. The early prediction of the severity of an acute attack has important implications for management and timely intervention.

Aim: To assess the prognostic accuracy of Ranson and APACHE II and III scoring systems in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis.

Colonic tuberculosis mimicking Crohn's disease: case report.

Background: Intestinal tuberculosis is a rare disease in western countries, affecting mainly immigrants and immunocompromised patients. Intestinal tuberculosis is a diagnostic challenge, especially when active pulmonary infection is absent. It may mimic many other abdominal diseases.

Circulating soluble vascular adhesion protein 1 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: A dysregulated local immune defence with a constant influx of leucocytes provides a basis for continuous intestinal inflammation in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Since vascular adhesion protein 1 (VAP-1) is one of the adhesion molecules that mediates lymphocyte binding to endothelium, we investigated the levels of soluble VAP-1 (sVAP-1) in the sera of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients compared with healthy controls.

Methods: sVAP-1 serum levels were measured in 161 IBD patients (90 ulcerative colitis, 71 Crohn's disease) and 93 controls using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Diminutive polyps of large bowel should be an early target for endoscopic treatment.

Background And Aims: Aim of the present study is to ascertain the importance of diminutive colorectal polyps and define the need for removal according to their characteristics and malignant potential.

Patients And Methods: A total of 4,723 patients who underwent colonoscopy were evaluated and 624 patients with 826 polyps were recorded. There were 352 patients with 443 diminutive polyps, studied according to their distribution.

Primary biliary cirrhosis and autoimmune cholangitis are not associated with coeliac disease in Crete.

Background: An increased prevalence of coeliac disease in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis has been recently reported. However, in other studies the association has not been confirmed. There have been no formal attempts to systematically evaluate patients with autoimmune cholangitis for coeliac disease.

Elevated thrombopoietin serum levels in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Objectives: Elevated platelet count is a well recognized marker of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity. Thrombopoietin (TPO) is a critical cytokine in the physiological regulation of thrombopoiesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of endogenous TPO in patients with IBD, the relationship between platelet counts and TPO levels, and the correlation of TPO with the clinical characteristics of the patients.

Retractile mesenteritis presenting as fever of unknown origin and autoimmune haemolytic anaemia.

Retractile mesenteritis is an extremely rare disease characterised by a non-specific inflammatory and fibrotic process of the mesenteric adipose tissue, which is usually accompanied by pain and a variety of other abdominal symptoms. We describe here the case of a patient with retractile mesenteritis presenting with prolonged high-grade fever and autoimmune haemolytic anaemia without abdominal symptoms. The patient's illness was complicated by chylous ascites.