Improving fecal sample collection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A comparative evaluation of two calprotectin devices.

Background: Fecal calprotectin (FC) is a non-invasive biomarker that can be used to guide treatment decisions in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Low compliance may hinder routine testing, with stool collection being the primary obstacle.

Aims: The objective was to compare an alternative collection device (sampling bottle) to a conventional container for stool sampling in terms of acceptability and compliance with FC testing in patients with IBD.

Comparative effectiveness of tofacitinib versus upadacitinib for the treatment of acute severe ulcerative colitis.

Background & Aims: Tofacitinib and upadacitinib are Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors that are increasingly used for the treatment of acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC). However, comparative analyses of safety and effectiveness have not been performed for their use in this setting.

Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study enrolled hospitalized adult patients treated with tofacitinib or upadacitinib for ASUC between January 2019 and June 2024.

Discordance between patients' perception and endoscopic assessment of disease activity in ulcerative colitis.

Background: Discrepancies between symptoms and endoscopy exist in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Most studies focused on patient-reported outcomes-2 rather than their overall perception of disease activity.

Objectives: The objectives were to assess the concordance between the patient global assessment (PtGA) and the endoscopic evaluation, to analyse the factors associated with agreement and to describe the concordance between the patient's and the physician's perception of UC activity.

Effectiveness and Safety of a Second JAK Inhibitor in Ulcerative Colitis: The J2J Multicentre Study.

Background: While three Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) have demonstrated efficacy in ulcerative colitis (UC), scarce data exist regarding JAKi intraclass switching.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a second JAK inhibitor in UC.

Methods: This was a multicentre, retrospective, observational cohort including patients with moderate to severe UC who received a second-line of JAKi after failure or intolerance of a first.

Enteric glia promotes the survival of CD4 and CD8 T cells in plexitis: a new player in Crohn's disease recurrence?

The accumulation of immune cells in and around enteric ganglia, called plexitis, is associated with postoperative recurrence in Crohn's disease. Interaction between T cells and enteric glia is increased at the proximal resection margin in patients with Crohn's disease who suffer from postoperative recurrence. However, little is known about the T cells that interact with enteric glia and contribute to the formation of plexitis.

Artificial Intelligence for Clinical Trial Facilitation, Lessons for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Scoping Review.

Background & Aims: Despite major advances in many fields of science and technology, pharmaceutical research and development continues to be inefficient across multiple diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) trials are also subject to high failure rates. The aim of this review was to give an overview of the available literature on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for clinical trial facilitation across a variety of medical specialties before trying to best position AI in IBD clinical trials.

Effectiveness and Safety of Upadacitinib Induction Therapy for 223 Patients With Crohn's Disease: A GETAID Multicentre Cohort Study.

Background: Real-world effectiveness and safety of upadacitinib in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) remain unclear.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of upadacitinib in a real-world cohort.

Methods: From September 2022 to June 2024, all consecutive patients with refractory luminal CD treated with once daily upadacitinib 45 mg in 29 French GETAID centres were retrospectively included.

Understanding the learning curve of intestinal ultrasound in inflammatory bowel disease: A comparative study between novice, regular and expert.

Background: Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) has emerged as a valuable tool for monitoring inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but its reliability depends on the technical skills of the operator.

Aims: This study aimed to assess the IUS learning curve of a novice briefly trained to get him familiarized with the ultrasound machine and normal/abnormal IUS images, and a gastroenterologist with formal general ultrasound training and regular IUS experience (> 200 exams), using an expert radiologist as the gold standard.

Methods: The ULTRA-IBD study was a single-center, prospective study involving 50 consecutive IBD patients.

Long-term Outcome of Risankizumab in Crohn's Disease: a Real-world GETAID Study.

Background & Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effectiveness and safety of risankizumab maintenance treatment in a large real-world cohort of patients with Crohn's Disease (CD).

Methods: From May 2021 to August 2023, all consecutive patients with CD treated with risankizumab in 25 GETAID centers have been retrospectively included. The primary endpoint was steroid-free clinical remission (Harvey Bradshaw Index [HBI] <5) at 52 weeks.

Artificial intelligence for characterization of colorectal polyps: Prospective multicenter study.

Optical diagnosis poses challenges to implementation of "resect and discard" strategies. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and performance of a new commercially available system for colorectal polyps. Nine expert endoscopists in three centers performed colonoscopies using artificial intelligence-equipped colonoscopes (CAD EYE, Fujifilm).

Role of ICAM-1 in the Adhesion of T Cells to Enteric Glia: Perspectives in the Formation of Plexitis in Crohn's Disease.

Background & Aims: The presence of myenteric plexitis in the proximal resection margins is a predictive factor of early postoperative recurrence in Crohn's disease. To decipher the mechanisms leading to their formation, T-cell interactions with enteric neural cells were studied in vitro and in vivo.

Methods: T cells close to myenteric neural cells were retrospectively quantified in ileocolonic resections from 9 control subjects with cancer and 20 patients with Crohn's disease.

Tofacitinib for Patients with Anti-TNF Refractory Ulcerative Proctitis: A Multicentre Cohort Study from the GETAID.

Background: Although ulcerative proctitis [UP] can dramatically impair quality of life, treatment efficacy has been poorly investigated in UP as it was historically excluded from phase 2/3 randomised controlled trials in ulcerative colitis. Our aim was to assess the effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib for the treatment of UP.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, multicentre study in 17 GETAID centres, including consecutive patients with UP treated with tofacitinib.

Ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis is a lifelong inflammatory disease affecting the rectum and colon to a variable extent. In 2023, the prevalence of ulcerative colitis was estimated to be 5 million cases around the world, and the incidence is increasing worldwide. Ulcerative colitis is thought to occur in people with a genetic predisposition following environmental exposures; gut epithelial barrier defects, the microbiota, and a dysregulated immune response are strongly implicated.

Enteric glia at center stage of inflammatory bowel disease.

Although our understanding of the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing, the expanding body of knowledge does not simplify the equation but rather reveals diverse, interconnected, and complex mechanisms in IBD. In addition to immune overactivation, defects in intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB) functioning, dysbiosis, and structural and functional abnormalities of the enteric nervous system are emerging as new elements contributing to the development of IBD. In addition to molecular changes in IBD, enteric glia from patients with Crohn's disease (CD) exhibits the inability to strengthen the IEB; these defects are not observed in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Obesity in adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease: Clinical features and impact on disability. A cross-sectional survey from the GETAID.

Background: In recent years, an increasing prevalence of obesity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been observed. However, only a few studies have focused on the impact of overweight and obesity on IBD-related disability.

Aims: To identify the factors associated with obese and overweight patients with IBD, including IBD-related disability.

Can we change the natural course of inflammatory bowel disease?

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are lifelong diseases characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract leading to its progressive and irreversible destruction. Whether early initiation of IBD-specific therapy impacts the long-term course of the disease remains unclear and has to be further explored in prospective disease-modification trials. Historically, surgery and hospitalization rates have been the surrogate markers to measure disease progression in IBD, providing an overview of the effectiveness of medical therapies.

Development of a New Index to Assess Small Bowel Inflammation Severity in Crohn's Disease Using Magnetic Resonance Enterography.

Background: The severity of small bowel (SB) inflammation in Crohn's disease (CD) patients is a key component of the therapeutic choice. We aimed to develop a SB-CD Magnetic Resonance Enterography (MRE) index of Inflammation Severity (CDMRIS).

Methods: Each gastroenterologist/radiologist pair in 13 centers selected MREs from 6 patients with SB-CD stratified on their perceived MRE inflammation severity.

Effectiveness and safety of risankizumab induction therapy for 100 patients with Crohn's disease: A GETAID multicentre cohort study.

Background: Phase III trials have demonstrated the efficacy of risankizumab in moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease (CD), but no real-world data are currently available. We aimed to assess the short-term effectiveness and safety of risankizumab in patients with CD.

Methods: From May 2021 to May 2022, all patients with refractory luminal CD treated with risankizumab in 22 French GETAID centres were retrospectively included.

Evolving Short- and Long-Term Goals of Management of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: Getting It Right, Making It Last.

Short- and long-term treatment targets in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) evolved during the last decade, shifting from symptom control to endoscopic healing and patient-centered parameters. The STRIDE-II consensus placed these targets on a timeline from initiating treatment and introduced additional targets, normalization of serum and fecal biomarkers, restoration of quality of life, prevention of disability, and, in children, restoration of growth. Transmural healing in Crohn's disease and histologic healing in ulcerative colitis currently serve as adjunct measures to gauge remission depth.