When to Switch to Subcutaneous Infliximab? The RE-WATCH Multicenter Study.

Background: The infliximab (IFX) biosimilar, CT-P13, is available as an intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) formulation. Although current indications allow the transition from IV CT-P13 to SC CT-P13 after two IV administrations, some clinicians prefer to postpone switching until stable clinical remission has been achieved.

Methods: We evaluate the endoscopic response, treatment persistence, clinical remission, endoscopic remission, and safety profile after one year of treatment with IFX in patients switched from IV to SC after 6 weeks (early switch group) or after 6 months (late switch group).

Examination of the TPMT and NUDT15*3 Variants to Predict the Response to Thiopurines in an Italian Cohort of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Thiopurines are employed in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs; Crohn's disease, CD; ulcerative colitis, UC) to induce remission, prevent relapse, and reduce the steroid dosage, although they can sometimes be ineffective and present side effects. Genetic variations in the and genes are well recognized to influence the therapeutic response, despite notable regional differences in their frequencies across various ethnic populations. Herein, the risk haplotypes TPMT*3A, *3B, *3C, and the variant NUDT15*3 were examined in a retrospective cohort of 383 Italian IBD patients who received azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine.

Real-world Effectiveness of Tofacitinib on Ulcerative Colitis-Associated Spondyloarthropathy: a multicenter prospective study from the Italian Group for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IG-IBD).

Background: The efficacy of tofacitinib (TOFA) in various rheumatic diseases has generated interest in its potential benefits for treating spondyloarthritis (SpA) associated with ulcerative colitis (UC).

Objectives: RETUCAS (Real-world Effectiveness of Tofacitinib on Ulcerative Colitis-Associated Spondyloarthropathy) is the first study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of TOFA in UC-associated SpA.

Design: This was a prospective, multicentre, single-arm, observational study promoted by the Italian Group for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Transperineal Ultrasound Enhance Accuracy of Bowel Ultrasound in Assessing Disease Activity in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Patients.

Objective: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease involving the rectum and colon. Transabdominal bowel ultrasound (TBUS) is a noninvasive technique evaluating inflamed colonic segments. Previous studies showed optimal concordance between TBUS and endoscopy in the colon, but suboptimal in the rectum.

Artificial intelligence and whole slide imaging, a new tool for the microsatellite instability prediction in colorectal cancer: Friend or foe?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common and second most deadly cancer worldwide. Despite advances in screening and treatment, CRC is heterogeneous and the response to therapy varies significantly, limiting personalized treatment options. Certain molecular biomarkers, including microsatellite instability (MSI), are critical in planning personalized treatment, although only a subset of patients may benefit.

Ultrasound Features of -Related Gastritis.

Abdominal ultrasound (US) is a reliable method for visualizing gastric wall layers and measuring their thickness. The objective of this study is to characterize the ultrasound features of -induced gastritis and assess its predictive potential role for this condition. A cohort of 119 patients underwent gastroscopy with biopsy and abdominal US to evaluate antral wall thickness (AWT), submucosal wall thickness (SLT), mucosal wall thickness (MLT), gastric motility, and the presence of ingested material.

Artificial intelligence: A new tool in the pathologist's armamentarium for the diagnosis of IBD.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are classified into two entities, namely Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), which differ in disease trajectories, genetics, epidemiological, clinical, endoscopic, and histopathological aspects. As no single golden standard modality for diagnosing IBD exists, the differential diagnosis among UC, CD, and non-IBD involves a multidisciplinary approach, considering professional groups that include gastroenterologists, endoscopists, radiologists, and pathologists. In this context, histological examination of endoscopic or surgical specimens plays a fundamental role.

Focus on Achalasia in the Omics Era.

Achalasia is a rare and complex esophageal disease of unknown etiology characterized by difficulty in swallowing due to the lack of opening of the lower esophageal sphincter and the absence of esophageal peristalsis. Recent advancements in technology for analyzing DNA, RNA and biomolecules in high-throughput techniques are offering new opportunities to better understand the etiology and the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying achalasia. Through this narrative review of the scientific literature, we aim to provide a comprehensive assessment of the state-of-the-art knowledge on omics of achalasia, with particular attention to those considered relevant to the pathogenesis of the disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metagenomics meet artificial intelligence.

Various extrinsic and intrinsic factors such as drug exposures, antibiotic treatments, smoking, lifestyle, genetics, immune responses, and the gut microbiome characterize ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, collectively called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). All these factors contribute to the complexity and heterogeneity of the disease etiology and pathogenesis leading to major challenges for the scientific community in improving management, medical treatments, genetic risk, and exposome impact. Understanding the interaction(s) among these factors and their effects on the immune system in IBD patients has prompted advances in multi-omics research, the development of new tools as part of system biology, and more recently, artificial intelligence (AI) approaches.

Deciphering Microbial Composition in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Implications for Therapeutic Response to Biologic Agents.

Growing evidence suggests that alterations in the gut microbiome impact the development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Although IBD often requires the use of immunosuppressant drugs and biologic therapies to facilitate clinical remission and mucosal healing, some patients do not benefit from these drugs, and the reasons for this remain poorly understood. Despite advancements, there is still a need to develop biomarkers to help predict prognosis and guide treatment decisions.

Follow-up evaluation and management of anemia in inflammatory bowel disease: A study by the Italian Group for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IG-IBD).

Background: The RIDART I study found a 13.6% prevalence of anemia in Italian patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); most cases were due to iron-deficiency anemia (IDA).

Aims: To evaluate changes in hemoglobin concentration during a 24-week follow-up of anemic patients with IBD.

Switching from VEDOlizumab intravenous to subcutaneous formulation in ulcerative colitis patients in clinical remission: The SVEDO Study, an IG-IBD study.

Background: The administration of biological drugs in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is increasingly moving from intravenous to subcutaneous formulations.

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of vedolizumab subcutaneous administration after switching from intravenous administration in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients in corticosteroid-free clinical remission.

Methods: An observational, multicentre, prospective study was conducted by the Italian Group for the study of IBD (IG-IBD).

Gut virome-colonising genus is associated with ulcerative colitis pathogenesis and induces intestinal inflammation .

Objectives: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology. Gut virome dysbiosis is fundamental in UC progression, although its role in the early phases of the disease is far from fully understood. Therefore, we sought to investigate the role of a virome-associated protein encoded by the genus, the hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx), in UC aetiopathogenesis.

Prevalence, Pathogenesis and Management of Anemia in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: An IG-IBD Multicenter, Prospective, and Observational Study.

Background: Anemia is a common extraintestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with a 6% to 74% prevalence and a negative impact on patient survival and quality of life, although the prevalence is apparently declining due to improved disease treatment. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, pathogenesis, and clinical correlates of anemia in Italian patients with IBD.

Methods: A multicenter, prospective, observational study, involving 28 Italian gastroenterology centers, was conducted to investigate the epidemiology and consequences of IBD-associated anemia.

Clinic, Endoscopic and Histological Features in Patients Treated with ICI Developing GI Toxicity: Some News and Reappraisal from a Mono-Institutional Experience.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have widened the therapeutic scenario of different solid tumors over the last ten years. Gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs), such as diarrhea and colitis, occur in up to 50% of patients treated with ICIs. We conducted a single-center retrospective analysis in patients with solid tumors treated with ICIs in a 6-year period, from 2015 to 2021, developing GI AEs, for which an endoscopic analysis was performed, with available histological specimens or surgery.

Microbiome Analysis of Mucosal Ileoanal Pouch in Ulcerative Colitis Patients Revealed Impairment of the Pouches Immunometabolites.

Unlabelled: The pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC) is unknown, although genetic loci and altered gut microbiota have been implicated. Up to a third of patients with moderate to severe UC require proctocolectomy with ileal pouch ano-anastomosis (IPAA). We aimed to explore the mucosal microbiota of UC patients who underwent IPAA.

Pattern-based Histologic Approach in Very Early Onset IBD: Main Features and Differential Diagnosis.

Very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD) is a clinical umbrella classification composed of IBD-like diseases encompassing both classic IBD (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) and monogenic disorder, both arising before 6 years of age. VEO-IBD patients present significant clinical differences from IBD occurring in older children and in adults, including more severe disease, often unresponsive to conventional IBD therapy and a greater proportion of cases featuring an underlying genetic alteration. Histologic findings of gastrointestinal biopsies can show an IBD-like pattern (both Crohn's disease-like and ulcerative colitis-like pattern), an apoptotic-like and enterocolitis-like pattern.

One-year effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in ulcerative colitis: a multicenter real-world study from Italy.

Background: Efficacy and safety of ustekinumab for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) has been demonstrated in clinical trials, but few real-world data are available so far. The aim of this study was to assess effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in a cohort of refractory UC patients.

Methods: Data of patients with moderate to severe UC treated with ustekinumab were retrospectively collected.

Germline Alterations in Patients With IBD-associated Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), are at risk of developing a colorectal cancer (CRC). No information is available on the contribution of patients' genetic background to CRC occurrence. This study investigates germline alterations in patients with IBD-associated CRC.

Effectiveness and Safety of A Nutraceutical Formulation for the Treatment of Functional Dyspepsia in Primary Care.

Background: Although FD may affect up to 10% of the general population, the therapy for FD is not standard. Recently, ginger-based food supplements have been proposed in order to restore FD symptoms. Our aim was to assess the efficacy of a new nutraceutical formulation containing extract of gingerol and thymus as a possible natural treatment in managing the symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD).

Inverted colonic diverticulum (ICD): report of two cases and literature review of a not that unusual endoscopic challenge.

Inverted colonic diverticulum (ICD) is a rare intraluminal lesion occurring in about 0.7-1.7% of people, often endoscopically indistinguishable from polyps.