Circulating and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers of Intestinal Fibrosis in Small Bowel Crohn's Disease.

Background: We previously identified circulating and MRI biomarkers associated with the surgical management of Crohn's disease (CD). Here we tested associations between these biomarkers and ileal resection inflammation and collagen content.

Methods: Fifty CD patients undergoing ileal resection were prospectively enrolled at 4 centers.

The literature exploring the perspectives and experiences of racialized students in entry-level health professional education programs: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review will be to determine the breadth of literature exploring the perspectives and experiences of racialized students in entry-level health professional education programs.

Introduction: Despite the implementation of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policies and alternative admission criteria for minority students, racialized minorities continue to be underrepresented and have the highest attrition rate in health professional education programs. Furthermore, the students who eventually work in health care settings report experiences of microaggression and prejudice.

Eleven Grand Challenges for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics and Genomics.

The past 2 decades have witnessed extraordinary advances in our understanding of the genetic factors influencing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), providing a foundation for the approaching era of genomic medicine. On behalf of the NIDDK IBD Genetics Consortium, we herein survey 11 grand challenges for the field as it embarks on the next 2 decades of research utilizing integrative genomic and systems biology approaches. These involve elucidation of the genetic architecture of IBD (how it compares across populations, the role of rare variants, and prospects of polygenic risk scores), in-depth cellular and molecular characterization (fine-mapping causal variants, cellular contributions to pathology, molecular pathways, interactions with environmental exposures, and advanced organoid models), and applications in personalized medicine (unmet medical needs, working toward molecular nosology, and precision therapeutics).

PTGER4 signaling regulates class IIa HDAC function and SPINK4 mRNA levels in rectal epithelial cells.

Background: The prostaglandin receptor PTGER4 facilitates homeostasis in the gut. Previous reports indicate that goblet cells, marked by SPINK4 expression, might be affected by PTGER4 activity. Current evidence suggests that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) produced by mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) stimulates PTGER4 in epithelial cells during inflammatory conditions.