Digest: Predictors of Failure of Pneumatic Dilatation in Achalasia
Digest: Predictors of Failure of Pneumatic Dilatation in Achalasia
Digest: Predictors of Failure of Pneumatic Dilatation in Achalasia
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Digest
doi:10.1136/gut.2010.233445 Emad El-Omar, Severine Vermeire and Alexander Gerbes, Editor and Deputy Editors
CLE had a sensitivity of 89% and specicity of 100% to identify intramucosal bacteria in patients. In a retrospective study, 113 patients with CD and UC had intramucosal bacteria signicantly more often than 50 control patients (66% vs 60% vs 14%, p<0.001). This result was conrmed in a prospective study in which 10 patients with CD and 10 with UC had a signicantly wider distribution of involvement with intramucosal bacteria in the colon and terminal ileum compared with 10 controls (85.2% vs 75.9% vs 16.8%, p<0.0001) (see gure below). This novel endoscopic technique could be a valuable tool in the elucidation of the pathogenesis of IBD and the development of new clinical algorithms. See page 26. food derived from animals and digestion of sphingomyelin in the small intestine or colon results in ceramide, which in turn induces the maturation of procathepsin D into the mature enzyme cathepsin, a novel mediator of apoptosis. In this study in acute DSS colitic C57-BL/6 mice, the authors administered 4 or 8 mg sphingomyelin/day by oral gavage and isolated IEC to study apoptosis. The results (PI, TUNEL staining, immunohistochemistry and Western Blot) showed increased apoptosis of IEC under dietary sphingomyelin. The authors conrmed their results in the IL-10e/e mouse model where aggravation of mucosal inammation was also observed. They conclude that apoptosis of IEC induced by dietary sphingomyelin may shorten the physiological life cycle of IEC and impair barrier function of the intestinal mucosa. Dietary sphingomyelin may increase intestinal inammation. See page 55.
H&E staining of the colon after DSS colitis (F) DSS/water, (G) DSS/4 mg sphingomyelin, (H) DSS/ 8 mg sphingomyelin.
Digest
information on lled antibiotics prescriptions, on the development of IBD and other potential confounding variables. IBD was diagnosed in 117 children. The RR of developing IBD was 1.84 (95% CI 1.08 to 3.15) comparing antibiotics users to non-users. This association was true only for Crohns disease (RR 3.41) and was strongest in the rst 3 months following antibiotics use (RR 4.43), and among children with 7 or more courses of antibiotics (RR 7.32). The authors conclude that antibiotics use in childhood may be a risk factor for development of IBD later in life. See page 49.
of duration of high viraemia. High HBV viraemia is generally accepted as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma. Whereas viral factors have been associated with HBV viraemia the role of host genetics is unclear. This study from Taiwan found remarkable correlations of viraemia among siblings and mother-child pairs in families with HBV and hepatocellular carcinoma. Heritability accounted for about one third of HBV variability, whereas HBV genotype and sex were of very minor importance. Genetic variants of the interferon-y receptor 2 were linked with levels and persistence of HBV viraemia (see gures below). Now these novel and interesting ndings should be examined in other populations with less intrafamilial and perinatal HBV transmission. See page 99.
Natural killer (NK) cells inhibit liver brosis by killing hepatic stellate cells (HSC). The present study introduces a novel technique to activate NK cells by silencing inhibitory receptors on their surface. By use of small interfering RNA NK cell activity was stimulated and HSC activity was attenuated in co-culture. In an animal model brosis of the liver was clearly reduced (see gures below). This immunomodulatory strategy may represent a novel antibrotic treatment. See page 90.
Heritability estimates.
Digest
Emad El-Omar, Severine Vermeire and Alexander Gerbes Gut 2011 60: i-ii
doi: 10.1136/gut.2010.233445
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