Ulcerative Colitis: Disease Burden, Impact on Daily Life, and Reluctance to Consult Medical Professionals: Results from a Japanese Internet Survey.

Background And Aim: The prevalence of ulcerative colitis has increased in Asian populations in recent years. This Japanese internet survey investigated the symptoms, impact, and treatment of ulcerative colitis, and communication between patients and medical professionals.

Methods: This was a non-interventional analysis of responses from participants with ulcerative colitis who had regularly visited medical providers for their disease in the past year.

Influence of an elemental diet on 5-fluorouracil-induced morphological changes in the mouse salivary gland and colon.

Purpose: The elemental diet (ED) Elental® reportedly reduces adverse reactions to chemotherapy in digestive system cancer patients; however, the mechanism is unclear. Therefore, we verified the protective effect of ED against gastrointestinal disorders induced by the antineoplastic drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

Methods: After 5 days of tail vein injections of 40 mg/kg/day 5-FU in female BALB/c mice, the mice were given oral ED (ED group) or dextrin with the same number of calories (control group).

Food antigen-induced immune responses in Crohn's disease patients and experimental colitis mice.

Background: In Crohn's disease (CD), the involvement of food antigens in immune responses remains unclear. The objective of this study was to detect immune responses against food antigens in CD patients and examine the mechanism in a mouse model of colitis.

Methods: We enrolled 98 CD patients, 50 ulcerative colitis patients, and 52 healthy controls (HCs) to compare the levels of serum immunoglobulin (Ig)Gs against 88 foods.

Downregulation of CPI-17 contributes to dysfunctional motility in chronic intestinal inflammation model mice and ulcerative colitis patients.

Background: Chronic intestinal inflammation is frequently accompanied by motility disorders. We previously reported that proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin (IL)-1beta downregulate CPI-17, an endogenous inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatase in smooth-muscle cells, which results in the inhibition of myosin light chain phosphorylation and contractility. However, its clinical relevance has not been clarified.

Development and validation of a novel IL-10 deficient cell transfer model for colitis.

A number of rodent models for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been developed, but most cannot be used to develop and validate new therapies for IBD. From the models developed, the IL-10 deficient mouse model is the one that results in a disease similar to human IBD; however, in this model, colitis occurs with variable incidence taking 3-4 months to develop. These are serious problems with the model when evaluating a new therapy because of the large-scale experiments required and the difficulty in performing an accurate pharmacological analysis.