Subcutaneous vedolizumab dose intensification in inflammatory bowel disease patients: the OPTI-VEDO multicenter study from the GETAID.

Background And Aims: While this strategy is frequently used for other biologics, real-world evidence on subcutaneous (SC) vedolizumab (VDZ) dose intensification in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is lacking. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of SC VDZ intensification.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in 25 centers including all patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) (defined by PRO2), and incomplete or loss of response to SC VDZ 108mg EOW when the drug was intensified.

The CROCO (CROhn's Disease COhort Study) - study design and protocol.

Background: Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic, relapsing and remitting inflammatory bowel disease that can be associated with significant bowel damage and disability. The Lémann Index (LI) is a validated tool for measuring cumulative bowel damage in CD patients through a comprehensive assessment of stricturing, penetrating and surgical lesions. However, prospective studies evaluating bowel damage progression in recently diagnosed CD patients remain limited.

[Lung and systemic sclerosis].

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a frequent and potentially life-threatening complication of systemic sclerosis, affecting 40 to 50% of patients. Systematic screening with high-resolution computed tomography and pulmonary function tests (PFTs), including DLCO, is recommended at diagnosis. ILD may be present even in patients with normal PFTs.

Real-world comparison of the effectiveness of tofacitinib and ustekinumab in patients with ulcerative colitis: the TORUS study.

Background And Aims: We compared the effectiveness of tofacitinib and ustekinumab in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) previously exposed to at least one anti-TNF agent.

Methods: In this multicenter real-world evidence study, we consecutively included UC patients ≥18 years-old, previously exposed to anti-TNF therapy, with partial Mayo score >2 and, starting tofacitinib or ustekinumab. All the comparisons were performed using propensity score analyses.

Ingestion of environmentally sourced polyvinyl chloride microplastic fragments increases colon inflammation and fibrosis in mice.

Plastics released into the environment inevitably degrade into microplastics, which subsequently enter the food web. As a result, humans are chronically exposed to microplastics through ingestion. However, studies evaluating the effects of environmentally derived microplastics are limited.

Prognosis of pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis: A population-based study.

Objectives: To assess whether the prognosis of pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is influenced by its association with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) considering medical treatment, bowel resection, risk of cancer, and mortality.

Methods: A retrospective population-based study was conducted using data from the EPIMAD Registry, one of the most extensive prospective population-based IBD studies globally. Cases (IBD-PSC) were compared with matched controls (matched-IBD).

Prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes of patients with low baseline C-reactive protein in giant cell arteritis.

Objective: Elevated inflammatory markers play a crucial role in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA). This study aimed to describe the prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes of patients with low baseline (< 10 mg/L) C-reactive protein (CRP) in GCA.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted at Lille University Hospital, involving all patients diagnosed with GCA between January 2000 and April 2023.

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.

Evolution of Blood Innate Immune Cell Phenotypes Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19.

Innate immune cells appear to have an important implication in the resolution and/or the aggravation of the COVID-19 pathogenesis after infection with SARS-CoV-2. To better appreciate the role of these cells during COVID-19, changes in blood eosinophil, the neutrophil and monocyte count, and levels of surface protein markers have been reported. However, analyses at several timepoints of multiple surface markers on granulocytes and monocytes over a period of one month after a SARS-CoV-2 infection are missing.

Anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies in systemic sclerosis: prevalence and clinical associations from a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies (ARA) are frequent in systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, the reported prevalence is variable among studies and some clinical associations are debated. We aimed (i) to update the recent data on overall ARA prevalence in SSc and heterogeneity between centers; and (ii) to describe their clinical associations.

[Implementation and evaluation of the Objectives Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) in the French pharmacy curriculum: Feedback from a first experience at the Lille Faculty of Pharmacy].

Objectives: The aim of this work is to evaluate the implementation of Objective Structured Practical Examinations (OSPE) at the Lille Faculty of Pharmacy as part of the skills assessment of 6th year pharmacy students.

Method: The OSPE was designed and implemented in 2022 as a summative exam of the 1st semester of the 6th year. The stations were designed in accordance with our educational framework in the field of community pharmacy.

Evaluation of a Multiplex Electrochemiluminescence Assay for Detection of Anti-Pneumococcal Antibodies in the Diagnosis of Selective Polysaccharide Antibody Deficiency.

Streptococcus pneumoniae can be responsible for severe infections, especially in patients with primary antibody deficiencies like selective anti-polysaccharide antibodies deficiency (SPAD). The reference method recommaned by the World Health Organization for assessment of anti-pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides (PCPs) IgG antibodies is a standardized serotype-specific ELISA (WHO-SSA), but this manual method is time-consuming and limit the number of evaluated PCPs. We aim to evaluate the performance values of a multiplex assay based on electrochemiluminescence (ECL-plex).

Macrophage-induced reduction of bacteriophage density limits the efficacy of in vivo pulmonary phage therapy.

The rise of antimicrobial resistance leads to renewed interest in evaluating phage therapy. In murine models highly effective treatment of acute pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa relies on the synergistic antibacterial activity of bacteriophages with neutrophils. Here, we show that depletion of alveolar macrophages (AM) shortens the survival of adult male mice without boosting the P.

[Assessment of internship sites in Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology, 7 years after the Residency Training Program Reform: Findings from a 2024 year-end survey in France].

Objective: To compile a list of approved training sites for the Residency Training Program [Diplôme d'Études Spécialisées] in Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology (DES-MIIC) in France.

Method: All local coordinators of the DES-MIIC were contacted to establish the list of approved internship sites for the MIIC DES within their geographical subdivision.

Results: We listed 244 approved training sites, of which 87 (35.

Safety profile of JAK inhibitors in inflammatory or autoimmune diseases.

Over the past decade, Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) have emerged as a promising treatment for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Concurrently, there has been increasing attention to their potential side effects, particularly infectious and cardiovascular risks. In this review, we outline the various adverse effects of these treatments and emphasize the importance of their prevention.

Long-Term Outcome of Colonic and Ileal Crohn's Disease: A Two-Decade Population-Based Study in Pediatric-Onset Disease.

Introduction: Crohn's disease (CD) location would influence the risk of complications and therapeutic strategies. The objective of this study was to compare the clinical presentation at diagnosis and the natural history of colonic CD in comparison to ileal CD and ulcerative colitis (UC) in pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Patients And Methods: All children (<17 years) with a diagnosis of CD or UC made between 1988 and 2011 in a population-based registry were included.

Autoreactive B cells in autoimmune diseases: Mechanisms, functions and clinical implications.

Autoreactive B cells play a key role in the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases (AIDs). Still, due to their low frequency in the circulating blood, they are less well characterized than the global B cell pool. This review aims at describing the tools that allow the study of autoreactive B cells, deciphering their features and functions, and discussing the therapeutic implications that arise from these findings.

A nationwide experience of biological treatments in children with eosinophilic esophagitis.

Background: No biological treatment has been approved for pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) in France. For patients refractory to conventional treatments, although compassionate use of monoclonal antibodies has developed, experience remains limited.

Methods: We conducted a national multicenter study across French pediatric tertiary care centers where children (younger than 18 years) who presented with EoE were treated with biological therapies between January 2015 and December 2023.

Maternal high-fat diet during lactation reduces sialylated milk oligosaccharides and shapes early-life microbiota in rat offspring.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) promote the development of the infant gut microbiota, notably through the growth of beneficial bacteria. However, the interaction between maternal diet, HMOs and the offspring's gut microbiota remains incompletely understood. We hypothesize that a high-fat (HF) diet influences the composition of HMOs and shapes gut microbiota in offspring.

Changes in working and health conditions in different sectors between 2010 and 2019 in a representative sample of French workers.

Background: Studies on evolution of working conditions and workers' health in developed countries show conflicting results, and often fail to identify evolutions by occupational sector. This study aimed to describe recent evolutions of working conditions and health status of French workers over a decade across different activity sectors.

Methods And Findings: Data from a large national French observatory of working conditions and health were used.