Aseptic Liver Abscess in a Patient With Diversion Colitis.

Aseptic abscess syndrome is a rare clinical entity mainly associated with systemic inflammatory conditions, particularly inflammatory bowel disease. The syndrome is characterized by an inflammatory infiltrate predominantly consisting of neutrophils, most commonly in the liver and spleen. We present a case of a patient with symptomatic diversion colitis diagnosed with a clinical and histological presentation consistent with aseptic abscess syndrome of the liver.

Development and validation of a prediction model for histologic progression in patients with nondysplastic Barrett's esophagus.

Objectives: Patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE) are at risk of progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). We developed a model to predict histologic progression in patients with nondysplastic BE (NDBE).

Methods: A longitudinal study in three referral centers was performed between January 2010 and December 2019.

Mesenteric panniculitis is associated with cardiovascular risk-factors: A case-control study.

Background: This study evaluated the prevalence of cardiovascular risk-factors in patients with mesenteric panniculitis.

Aims: To determine whether cardiovascular risk-factors and mesenteric panniculitis are associated.

Methods: Retrospective, matched case-control study of patients referred to Meir Medical Center, Israel, 2014-2019, who underwent computerized tomography scan, were diagnosed mesenteric panniculitis by radiologic criteria.

Cannabis is associated with clinical but not endoscopic remission in ulcerative colitis: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Cannabis is often used by patients with ulcerative colitis, but controlled studies are few. We aimed to assess the effect of cannabis in improving clinical and inflammatory outcomes in ulcerative colitis patients.

Methods: In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, patients received either cigarettes containing 0.

Noninvasive imaging and quantification of bile salt hydrolase activity: From bacteria to humans.

The microbiome-produced enzyme bile salt hydrolase (BSH) plays a central role in human health, but its function remains unclear due to the lack of suitable methods for measuring its activity. Here, we have developed a novel optical tool based on ultrasensitive bioluminescent imaging and demonstrated that this assay can be used for quick and cost-effective quantification of BSH activity across a broad range of biological settings including pure enzymes and bacteria, intact fecal slurries, and noninvasive imaging in live animals, as well as for the assessment of BSH activity in the entire gastrointestinal tract of mice and humans. Using this assay, we showed that certain types of prebiotics are capable of increasing BSH activity of the gut microbiota in vivo and successfully demonstrated potential application of this assay as a noninvasive diagnostic test to predict the clinical status of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.

The Thrilling Journey of SARS-CoV-2 into the Intestine: From Pathogenesis to Future Clinical Implications.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has a direct impact on the gastrointestinal system, as up to 50% of fecal samples from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients contain detectable viral RNA despite a negative rhino-pharyngeal swab. This finding, together with an intestinal expression of angiotensin conversion enzyme 2 protein, suggests a possible fecal-oral transmission for SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in COVID-19 patients including watery diarrhea, vomiting-particularly in children-nausea, and abdominal pain.

Cannabinoid receptor 2 agonist promotes parameters implicated in mucosal healing in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: Cannabis benefits patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Cannabinoid receptors are expressed in gut immune cells and in epithelial cells of inflamed guts. Mucosal healing (MH) requires epithelial layer restoration.

Medical cannabis for inflammatory bowel disease: real-life experience of mode of consumption and assessment of side-effects.

Objective: Use of medical cannabis for improving symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease is increasing. However, reports on long-term outcomes are lacking. This prospective, observational study assessed the effects of licensed cannabis use among patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Bloating in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Is Associated with Symptoms Severity, Psychological Factors, and Comorbidities.

Background: Bloating is one of the most bothersome symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but its association with other symptoms is not well described.

Aims: We investigated the association between symptoms of abdominal bloating, other IBS symptoms, psychological distress, and comorbid pain conditions.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on a large cohort of IBS patients with and without symptoms of abdominal bloating and healthy controls.

Endoscopic findings and esophageal cancer incidence among Fanconi Anemia patients participating in an endoscopic surveillance program.

Background And Aims: The primary clinical characteristics of Fanconi Anemia (FA) include typical physical features, progressive bone marrow failure, and an increased incidence of neoplasms, including esophageal carcinoma. Currently, there are no data regarding endoscopic findings or the interval time to malignancy in these patients. Data about the contribution of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) to esophageal carcinoma is conflicting.

Fecal and Mucosa-Associated Intestinal Microbiota in Patients with Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been associated with changes in the intestinal microbiota. Only a few studies have explored differences in the mucosa-associated microbiota between IBS patients and healthy controls (HC).

Aims: To characterize and compare the microbiota in mucosal and fecal samples from carefully selected patients with IBS-D and HC.

Editorial: Clinical Implications of Diagnosing Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Do All Roads Need to Lead to Rome?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common diagnoses made by healthcare providers. Yet the majority of patients with IBS are undiagnosed. The study by Sayuk et al.

The Gut Microbiome in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Other Functional Bowel Disorders.

Emerging data from epidemiologic, microbiome, and physiology research in patients with functional bowel disorders (FBDs) provide evidence for a linkage between alterations in the intestinal microbiota and FBDs. However, currently most of the data is based on association studies, and the causality role of the microbiota in these disorders is not established. Growing evidence for compositional changes and the increasing recognition of the association between the intestinal microbiota and gut-brain functions that are relevant to the pathophysiology and/or clinical symptoms of FBDs have led to increased interest in manipulating the intestinal microbiota for the treatment of these disorders.

Multi-Center, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study to Evaluate the Benefit of the Probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 in Non-Patients With Symptoms of Abdominal Discomfort and Bloating.

Objectives: Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 is a probiotic that is used often in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Non-patients with bowel symptoms may differ from patients with IBS in the impact of their bowel symptoms on illness severity, healthcare and treatment seeking behavior. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of B.

Use of probiotics in prevention and treatment of patients with Clostridium difficile infection.

Clostridium difficile is an anaerobic, gram positive, sporulating, toxin-producing bacillus which causes a spectrum of clinical disease ranging from an asymptomatic carrier state to toxic megacolon and fulminant disease. Infection with C. difficile is an expensive and pervasive health care burden.

Probiotics in functional bowel disorders.

Functional bowel disorders (FBDs) are the most common gastrointestinal (GI) disorders seen by gastroenterologists and primary care physicians. The disorders affect patients functioning and quality of life (QOL) and are associated with significant healthcare burden. The current theory regarding the development of FBDs suggests brain-gut axis dysfunctions associated abnormal GI motility and sensation.

Molecular characterization of the intestinal microbiota in patients with and without abdominal bloating.

Recent studies have demonstrated differences in the intestinal microbiota between patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and healthy controls (HC), suggesting a role for the intestinal microbiota in the pathogenesis of IBS. Alterations in the microbiota have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of abdominal bloating, a commonly reported symptom in IBS. We investigated the relationship between the intestinal microbiota, abdominal bloating, and altered bowel patterns in a cohort of patients with IBS and HC.

Recommendations for Probiotic Use--2015 Update: Proceedings and Consensus Opinion.

This paper describes the consensus opinion of the participants in the 4th Triennial Yale/Harvard Workshop on Probiotic Recommendations. The recommendations update those of the first 3 meetings that were published in 2006, 2008, and 2011. Recommendations for the use of probiotics in necrotizing enterocolitis, childhood diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and Clostridium difficile diarrhea are reviewed.

The Intestinal Microbiota and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most prevalent and the best studied functional gastrointestinal disorder. The etiology and the pathogenesis of IBS are still not clear; however, recent studies have implicated a role for alterations in the intestinal microbiota (dysbiosis) in the pathophysiology of the disorder. Epidemiological observations have demonstrated that the development of IBS symptoms is often preceded by a disruption of the individual's normal intestinal microbiota, and microbiological studies have demonstrated compositional differences in the intestinal microbiota between patients with IBS patients and healthy controls.

Discordant temporal development of bacterial phyla and the emergence of core in the fecal microbiota of young children.

The colonization pattern of intestinal microbiota during childhood may impact health later in life, but children older than 1 year are poorly studied. We followed healthy children aged 1-4 years (n=28) for up to 12 months, during which a synbiotic intervention and occasional antibiotics intake occurred, and compared them with adults from the same region. Microbiota was quantified with the HITChip phylogenetic microarray and analyzed with linear mixed effects model and other statistical approaches.

Altered Colonic Bacterial Fermentation as a Potential Pathophysiological Factor in Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Objectives: Dysbiosis leading to abnormal intestinal fermentation has been suggested as a possible etiological mechanism in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We aimed to investigate the location and magnitude of altered intestinal bacterial fermentation in IBS and its clinical subtypes.

Methods: IBS patients who satisfied the Rome III criteria (114) and 33 healthy controls (HC) were investigated.