Fecal calprotectin diagnostic level gradient along the small bowel in patients with Crohn's disease.

Background And Aims: Fecal calprotectin (FC) is known to be a sensitive biomarker of colonic inflammation but to a lesser degree of small bowel (SB) inflammation. Moreover, data on FC's diagnostic levels in different SB segments are scarce. We aimed to examine FC's diagnostic levels along the SB-axis in CD.

: How a Mapping Model Assists Preoperative Evaluation of Patients with Thyroid Carcinoma.

: Effective pre-surgical planning is crucial for achieving successful outcomes in endocrine surgery: it is essential to provide patients with a personalized plan to minimize operative and postoperative risks. Preoperative lymph node (LN) mapping is a structured high-resolution ultrasonography examination performed in the presence of two endocrinologists and the operating surgeon before intervention to produce a reliable "anatomical guide". Our aim was to propose a preoperative complete model that is non-invasive, avoids overdiagnosis of thyroid microcarcinomas, and reduces medical expenses.

Combined 3D Endoanal Ultrasound and Transperineal Ultrasound Improves the Detection of Anal Sphincter Defects.

Introduction: Anal sphincter injury, mainly due to obstetric or iatrogenic etiology, is the most common cause of fecal incontinence (FI). Three-dimensional endoanal ultrasound (3D EAUS) is used for assessment of the integrity and the degree of anal muscle injury. However, 3D EAUS accuracy may be hampered by regional acoustic effects, such as intravaginal air.

Disproportionately Low Albumin and High Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma Patients With Long-Duration Crohn's Disease.

Introduction: Although Crohn's disease (CD) is a known risk factor of small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA), early diagnosis remains a significant clinical challenge. Identification of biomarkers for SBA may lead to early detection.

Methods: This is a retrospective study comparing albumin levels and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of patients with long-standing CD who underwent small bowel resection with and without malignancy.

COVID-19 in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Israeli Experience.

Background: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affecting millions of people worldwide. IBD therapies, designed for continuous immune suppression, often render patients more susceptible to infections. The effect of the immune suppression on the risk of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is not fully determined yet.

Serum Syndecan-1: A Novel Biomarker for Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Introduction: Syndecan-1 (SDC1) has multiple functions in tumorigenesis in general and specifically in pancreatic cancer. We aimed to evaluate SDC1 as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods: In this case-control study, patients newly diagnosed with a biopsy-proven PDAC were enrolled alongside healthy individuals in a derivation-validation cohort design.

Corticosteroids and Mesalamine Versus Corticosteroids for Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background & Aims: Corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment for hospitalized patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC). However, whether the addition/continuation of mesalamine with corticosteroids during hospitalization is superior to corticosteroids alone is unknown.

Methods: This was a randomized controlled, investigator-blinded, clinical trial conducted in 10 centers in 7 countries.

Effectiveness and safety of Ustekinumab for Crohn's disease; systematic review and pooled analysis of real-world evidence.

Background: Ustekinumab [UST] is effective in Crohn's disease (CD) in the UNITI studies. Several real-world experience (RWE) studies with UST have been published to date. Our aim was to summarize the available RWE data for UST effectiveness and safety.

Prospective Observational Evaluation of Time-Dependency of Adalimumab Immunogenicity and Drug Concentrations: The POETIC Study.

Objectives: Adalimumab is usually self-injected at home, making prospective serial-sampling studies challenging and scarce. This has led to a gap in knowledge about evolution of anti-adalimumab antibodies (AAAs) over time and its correlation with clinical and inflammatory outcomes.

Methods: A program for home visits by physicians at induction, every 3 months and at event of relapse, was established prospectively for Crohn's disease (CD) patients.

Vedolizumab in IBD-Lessons From Real-world Experience; A Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis.

Background: Vedolizumab [VDZ] is an anti-integrin monoclonal antibody effective in ulcerative colitis [UC] and Crohn's disease [CD]. Several real-world experience [RWE] studies with VDZ have been published to date. The aim of this systematic review was to summarise the available real-life experience with VDZ.

Chromoendoscopy, Narrow-Band Imaging or White Light Endoscopy for Neoplasia Detection in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Background: Studies have confirmed an increased risk of colorectal cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis; hence, surveillance is recommended. Optional modalities include white light endoscopy (WLE) or dye-spray chromoendoscopy. However, narrow-band imaging (NBI) is still not considered comparable to chromoendoscopy.

Diagnostic yield of capsule endoscopy versus magnetic resonance enterography and small bowel contrast ultrasound in the evaluation of small bowel Crohn's disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Capsule endoscopy (CE), magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) and small bowel (SB) intestinal contrast ultrasound (SICUS) are the modalities of choice for SB evaluation. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic yield (DY) of CE to MRE and SICUS in detection and monitoring of SB CD through meta-analysis of the available literature.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature search for trials comparing the accuracy of CE, MRE and SICUS for detection of active SB inflammation in patients with suspected and/or established CD.

Combination of Corticosteroids with 5-Aminosalicylic Acids Compared to Corticosteroids Alone for Hospitalized Patients with Active Ulcerative Colitis.

Background: Although 5-amino-salycilic acids (5-ASA) are often used with corticosteroid treatment in moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis, the value of continuing/initiating 5-ASA in this clinical setting has not been explored.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of a combination 5-ASA+corticosteroid therapy on the outcome of hospitalized patients with acute moderate-severe ulcerative colitis.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of patients hospitalized with moderate-severe ulcerative colitis in two centers, Israel and South Korea.

Ustekinumab in Crohn's disease: evidence to date and place in therapy.

Crohn's disease (CD) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with uncertain etiology. Biologic agents have revolutionized the treatment of CD but nonresponders remain a challenge. Ustekinumab is an interleukin 12/23p40 inhibitor that was recently found effective in treating CD.

Fecal calprotectin for the prediction of small-bowel Crohn's disease by capsule endoscopy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Fecal calprotectin is a well-established marker of mucosal inflammation. Although the correlation of elevated calprotectin levels with colonic inflammation has been confirmed repeatedly, it is less established for the small bowel. The aim of the current study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of calprotectin for the prediction of active small-bowel disease on capsule endoscopy by performing a diagnostic test meta-analysis.

Autonomic Dysfunction Correlates with Clinical and Inflammatory Activity in Patients with Crohn's Disease.

Background: Autonomic dysfunction has been implicated in Crohn's disease (CD). We aimed to investigate heart rate variability (HRV) as a marker of possible autonomic imbalance in patients with CD.

Methods: Thirty patients with CD and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled in a prospective cohort study and underwent HRV study.

Nilotinib-associated acute pancreatitis.

Objective: To report a case of acute pancreatitis in a patient receiving nilotinib for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).

Case Summary: A 69-year-old man recently diagnosed with chronic phase CML received nilotinib 300 mg twice daily and was admitted with acute pancreatitis that appeared the day after the first dose. The patient had normal levels of triglycerides and denied alcohol use.

Low admission Norton scale scores are associated with falls long after rehabilitation in the elderly with hip fractures.

Background: In this study, we investigated if low admission Norton scale scores (ANSS) are associated with falls, fractures, hospitalizations, and death, after rehabilitation in the elderly with hip fractures.

Methods: This prospective historical study followed consecutive elderly patients (≥65 years) who were admitted for rehabilitation following hip fracture surgery during 2009 and followed up in January or February 2012. The incidence of falls, number of falls, incidence of fractures, number of hospitalizations, and death rates were compared between patients with low (≤14) and high (≥15) ANSS.

Cytomegalovirus-associated cerebral sinus vein thrombosis.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-associated thrombosis has been reported many times in the medical literature, and most patients had deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism. CMV-associated cerebral sinus vein thrombosis has been reported only twice. We present an immunocompetent patient with CMV-associated cerebral sinus vein thrombosis and no other thrombosis risk factors.