Assessment of PredictSURE IBD Assay in a Multinational Cohort of Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background And Aims: PredictSURE IBD is a prognostic blood test that classifies newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients into 'IBDhi' (high-risk) or 'IBDlo' (low-risk) groups (risk of future aggressive disease). We evaluated this assay in a multinational cohort and explored the effect of concomitant corticosteroids on its discrimination.

Methods: One hundred thirty-six (71 Ulcerative colitis [UC], 65 Crohn's Disease [CD]) and 41 (15 UC, 26 CD) patients with active IBD were 'unexposed' and 'exposed', respectively, to corticosteroids at baseline blood sampling.

Disease presentation and clinical course in black and white children with inflammatory bowel disease.

Objectives: To compare the disease presentation, disease phenotype, and clinical course between black and white children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Patients And Methods: A 10-year retrospective review was undertaken of the medical records of 245 pediatric patients with IBD studied at a tertiary care center.

Results: In this patient population 24% were black and 76% were white.

Nonadherence with thiopurine immunomodulator and mesalamine medications in children with Crohn disease.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of adherence to prescribed medications in children with Crohn disease and to identify possible factors associated with nonadherence.

Patients And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 51 pediatric patients with Crohn disease who were prescribed maintenance therapy with a thiopurine immunomodulator (6-mercaptopurine or azathioprine) and/or mesalamine during a 180-day period. Medication adherence rates were calculated from a validated formula using pharmacy records, and nonadherence was defined as a refill rate of <80% of the prescribed medication.

Indeterminate colitis: a significant subgroup of pediatric IBD.

Background: Indeterminate colitis (IC) is a subgroup of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that cannot be characterized as either ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD). Our aims are to determine the prevalence of IC in our pediatric patient population and to describe its clinical presentation, natural history,and disease distribution.

Methods: We performed a retrospective database analysis of all children diagnosed with IBD at the Johns Hopkins Children's IBD Center between 1996 and 2001.

Infliximab efficacy in pediatric ulcerative colitis.

Background: The effects of infliximab, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) antibody, have been well established in adult patients with inflammatory and fistulizing Crohn's disease. This study evaluates short- and long-term efficacy of infliximab in children with ulcerative colitis.

Methods: All pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis who received infliximab between July 2001 and November 2003 at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center were identified.