Pregnancy outcomes in Greek women with inflammatory bowel disease: a longitudinal national retrospective study.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) commonly affects patients of reproductive age. The effect of disease activity on the outcome of pregnancy and its impact on neonatal health are areas of intense research.

Methods: Α national retrospective study of pregnancies in women with IBD between 2010 and 2020 was carried out in 22 IBD reference centers in Greece.

Barriers to and requirements for a successful transition in inflammatory bowel disease from pediatric to adult care in Greece.

Background: The incidence of pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is rising, while the relapsing and often severe nature of IBD, and its impact on emotional and pubertal development and social maturation underline the need for a successful transition from pediatric to adult care.

Methods: A web-based survey was distributed via the Hellenic Group for the Study of IBD, the Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology Department of North Greece, and the Hellenic Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.

Results: The questionnaire was answered by 98 individuals (78 adult and 20 pediatric gastroenterologists, out of 357 and 30, respectively).

Nutritional Risk and Sarcopenia Features in Patients with Crohn's Disease: Relation to Body Composition, Physical Performance, Nutritional Questionnaires and Biomarkers.

Patients with Crohn's disease (CD) face malnutrition risk, which, combined with inflammation, can lead to sarcopenia, associated with a worse prognosis. The purpose of the present study was to assess malnutrition and sarcopenia in patients with CD. Fifty-three patients (26 women) participated (38.

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Disk Tool for Assessing Disability in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: Validation of the Greek Version.

Background: The Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Disk (IBD-Disk) is a physician-administered tool that evaluates the functional status of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The aim of our study was to validate the content of the IBD-Disk in a Greek cohort of IBD patients.

Methods: Two questionnaires [the IBD Disk and the IBD-Disability Index (IBD-DI)] were translated into Greek and administered to IBD patients at baseline visit, after 4 weeks and 6 months.

The natural history of COVID-19 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a nationwide study by the Hellenic Society for the study of IBD.

Objectives: COVID-19 has evolved into a global health crisis, variably affecting the management of patients with chronic illnesses. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may represent a vulnerable population due to frequent administration of immune-modifying treatments. We aimed to depict the natural history of COVID-19 infection in Greek patients with IBD at a nationwide level via unbiased reporting of all cases that were registered during the sequential waves of the pandemic.

The burden and management of anemia in Greek patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a retrospective, multicenter, observational study.

Background: Anemia is a common extraintestinal manifestation of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) affecting negatively the patients' quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and real-life management of anemia in IBD patients in Greece.

Methods: This study was conducted in 17 Greek IBD referral centers.

Vedolizumab and Anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor α Real-World Outcomes in Biologic-Naïve Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients: Results from the EVOLVE Study.

Background And Aims: This study aimed to compare real-world clinical effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab, an α4β7-integrin inhibitor, and anti-tumour necrosis factor-α [anti-TNFα] agents in biologic-naïve ulcerative colitis [UC] and Crohn's disease [CD] patients.

Methods: This was a 24-month retrospective medical chart study in adult UC and CD patients treated with vedolizumab or anti-TNFα in Canada, Greece and the USA. Inverse probability weighting was used to account for differences between groups.

Interstitial and Granulomatous Lung Disease in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients.

Background: Interstitial lung [ILD] disease and granulomatous lung disease [GLD] are rare respiratory disorders that have been associated with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]. Clinical presentation is polymorphic and aetiology is unclear.

Methods: This was an ECCO-CONFER project.

Comparison of the Uptake of Screening Colonoscopy between Physicians and the General Population in Greece.

Aim: To evaluate the uptake of screening colonoscopy among physicians as compared to the general population.

Methods: Asymptomatic physicians, aged 45-67 years, at average risk for colorectal cancer (CRC), working in the participating National Health System hospitals were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding the uptake of screening colonoscopy. The results were compared to those in a background healthy population, aged 50-75 years, inhabitants of a Greek county, who were offered a free access to a screening colonoscopy program for CRC.

Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 and arterial stiffness evaluation in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

Background And Aims: The association between inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains equivocal. Arterial stiffness, as assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV), and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) are surrogates of CVD risk.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess carotid-femoral PWV and Lp-PLA2 in patients with IBD without history of CVD.

Thyroid dysfunction and long-term outcome during and after interferon-alpha therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Introduction: Thyroid dysfunction (TD) is a well-established adverse effect in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients, treated with interferon-alpha (IFN-α), with or without ribavirin. However, the long-term outcome is not well-studied. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and long-term outcome of TD after HCV-therapy.

Spur cells and spur cell anemia in hospitalized patients with advanced liver disease: Incidence and correlation with disease severity and survival.

Aim: Spur cell anemia (SCA) is a form of acquired hemolytic anemia seen in patients with advanced cirrhosis and particularly in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of spur cells and spur cell anemia in patients with advanced liver disease and to correlate the presence of spur cell anemia with survival.

Methods: During a 33-month period, all patients with advanced cirrhosis (Child-Pugh-Turcott score [CPT]>/=7] who were hospitalized in our department for various reasons were included in this study.

Eosinophilic enteritis with ascites in a patient with overlap syndrome.

Gastrointestinal involvement is frequent in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Eosinophilic gastroenteritis, however, has only rarely been described in rheumatological conditions, despite its reported connection to autoimmune diseases, such as hypereosinophilic syndrome, vasculitides, and systemic mastoidosis. It presents typically with abdominal pain and diarrhea and is only exceptionally associated with ascites.

Capsule endoscopy findings in congenital afibrinogenemia-associated angiopathy.

Congenital afibrinogenemia is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the complete absence of functional fibrinogen. We report a 22-year-old female who developed nephrogenic arterial hypertension and intestinal ischemia due to congenital afibrinogenemia-associated angiopathy of large abdominal arteries. We describe, for the first time, the capsule findings and discuss the pathophysiology of this unusual condition.

Idiopathic portal hypertension in an "inactive" HBV carrier: a case report.

Idiopathic portal hypertension belongs to the group of non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, its etiology is still unknown but its prognosis is excellent. We report a case of 45 year old female with inactive hepatitis B virus (HBV) carrier status and persistently elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), presented with features of portal hypertension and without evidence of cirrhosis or fibrosis on liver biopsy.

Synchronous occurrence of a primary colon adenocarcinoma and a gastric stromal tumor. A case report.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are currently the object of a great clinical and experimental interest. We are presenting the case of a 69-year-old patient, who was presented with lower gastrointestinal bleeding and dyspeptic symptoms over the last six months. The colonoscopy showed a large tumor of the sigmoid and the gastroscopy a large gastric tumor of the antrum, which were histologically diagnosed as colonic adenocarcinoma and gastric stromal tumor respectively.

A case of early gastric cancer with bone metastases: are bone marrow micrometastases significant?

Gastric adenocarcinoma is currently the 14th cause of death worldwide. Early gastric cancer, defined as cancer not penetrating deeper than the submucosa, is considered to carry an excellent prognosis with 5-year survival rates reaching more than 90%. Cases of bone metastases due to intramucosal gastric cancer are very rarely described.

Lamivudine/pegylated interferon alfa-2b sequential combination therapy compared with lamivudine monotherapy in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B.

Background And Aim: Monotherapy has been proven insufficient in achieving sustained control of chronic hepatitis B. We aimed to assess the efficacy of combined sequential administration of lamivudine and pegylated interferon alfa-2b in patients with hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B.

Methods: Eighteen patients were given sequential combination treatment starting with 3 months of lamivudine monotherapy followed by 9 months of pegylated interferon alfa-2b (after a 3-month period of concomitant administration of the two drugs) and 24 patients received lamivudine monotherapy.