Bacterial immune interaction in experimental colitis.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the effects of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) on intestinal microbiota and immune regulation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and to investigate the correlation between intestinal microbiota and immune factors.

Methods: Colitis in mice was induced by oxazolone. The community composition of luminal and mucosal microbiota was analyzed by a terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism.

[A retrospective analysis of azathioprine in the treatment of 24 patients with refractory ulcerative colitis].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of azathioprine (AZA) in the treatment of refractory ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods: Retrospective analysis of the clinical improvement, endoscopic improvement and mucosal healing rate, inflammation marker improvement after AZA administration and its safety in 24 refractory UC patients were performed, who were recruited between January 2007 and December 2011 in West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China.

Results: Twenty-four patients were enrolled, with a median age of 36 years old and a median course of 4 years.

Inflammatory bowel disease in the 21(st) century in China: turning challenges into opportunities.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been an international hot spot for research for a long period of time. In China, the prevalence of IBD is rapidly increasing in recent years, mimicking the same fast growing footsteps of the developed world. Chinese literature of the 20(th) century shows that the total number of IBD cases increased by approximately 2.