Effectiveness of tacrolimus therapy in refractory ulcerative colitis compared to infliximab with propensity score matching.

There is insufficient evidence comparing the outcomes of tacrolimus-based remission induction therapy with infliximab in refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) and evidence regarding optimal strategies after tacrolimus-based remission induction therapy. We conducted a multi-institutional retrospective study of patients with UC treated with tacrolimus or infliximab between January 2010 and March 2019. The proportion of clinical remission at week 8 and cumulative colectomy-free rate were examined using propensity score matching analysis.

Morel-Lavallée Lesion: An Easily Missed Closed Debridement Injury in Blunt Trauma.

Morel-Lavallée lesion (MLL) is a closed soft tissue injury following trauma that is often missed. If not treated appropriately, they can lead to infection and is difficult to treat. High-energy trauma with shear forces should be treated with MLL in mind.

Selection of anti-cytokine biologics by pretreatment levels of serum leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Serum leucine-rich alpha-2 glycoprotein (LRG) can monitor disease activities during biologics treatment in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is unclear whether the pretreatment serum LRG level can predict clinical effectiveness including serum trough levels of ustekinumab in patients with IBD. This multicenter prospective cohort study included 184 patients (Crohn's disease, 104; ulcerative colitis, 80) who received ustekinumab (n = 119) or anti-tumor necrosis factor (n = 65) between January 2019 and March 2023.

MOTS-c modulates skeletal muscle function by directly binding and activating CK2.

MOTS-c is a mitochondrial microprotein that improves metabolism. Here, we demonstrate CK2 is a direct and functional target of MOTS-c. MOTS-c directly binds to CK2 and activates it in cell-free systems.