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Purpose Ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment is mainly based on immunosuppressive therapy. As anti-inflammatory effects of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) have been previously reported in animal models, we conducted a pilot study aimed at assessing clinical, biological, and endoscopic response but also safety of SNM use in UC refractory to medical therapy. Methods Adult patients with histologically proven UC resistant to immunosuppressive therapy were invited to enroll in the study. Primary outcome was the rate of UC remission (UCDAI score ≤ 2, without any criteria > 1) at 8 weeks (W8). Secondary outcomes were biological and endoscopic response also evaluated at W8 and W16. Subsequently, every patient was followed every 6 months. Adverse events were prospectively collected for safety assessment during the follow-up. Results Eight patients, with mean age 47 years old, suffering from UC for 2–13 years were included. There were no complications in relation to SNM procedure. The acceptance of the device was excellent in all patients. Clinical and endoscopic remission was obtained at W8 in one patient (12.5%) and three other patients (37.5%) were responders at W16. At review (mean follow-up of 4 years), two patients (25%) were in remission and two (25%) were responders. Conclusion SNM application is safe in patients suffering from refractory UC. Effects on disease activity were mainly observed after 16 weeks. Larger prospective studies are mandatory, but SNM could be a way to reinforce medical therapy and reduce the use of immunosuppressive drugs.

Item does not contain fulltext BACKGROUND: Etrolizumab is a gut-targeted anti-β7 integrin monoclonal antibody. In a previous phase 2 induction study, etrolizumab significantly improved clinical remission versus placebo in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. We aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of etrolizumab with infliximab in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. METHODS: We conducted a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group, phase 3 study (GARDENIA) across 114 treatment centres worldwide. We included adults (age 18-80 years) with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (Mayo Clinic total score [MCS] of 6-12 with an endoscopic subscore of ≥2, a rectal bleeding subscore of ≥1, and a stool frequency subscore of ≥1) who were naive to tumour necrosis factor inhibitors. Patients were required to have had an established diagnosis of ulcerative colitis for at least 3 months, corroborated by both clinical and endoscopic evidence, and evidence of disease extending at least 20 cm from the anal verge. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive subcutaneous etrolizumab 105 mg once every 4 weeks or intravenous infliximab 5 mg/kg at 0, 2, and 6 weeks and every 8 weeks thereafter for 52 weeks. Randomisation was stratified by baseline concomitant treatment with corticosteroids, concomitant treatment with immunosuppressants, and baseline disease activity. All participants and study site personnel were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who had both clinical response at week 10 (MCS ≥3-point decrease and ≥30% reduction from baseline, plus ≥1-point decrease in rectal bleeding subscore or absolute rectal bleeding score of 0 or 1) and clinical remission at week 54 (MCS ≤2, with individual subscores ≤1); efficacy was analysed using a modified intention-to-treat population (all randomised patients who received at least one dose of study drug). GARDENIA was designed to show superiority of etrolizumab over infliximab for the primary endpoint. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02136069, and is now closed to recruitment. FINDINGS: Between Dec 24, 2014, and June 23, 2020, 730 patients were screened for eligibility and 397 were enrolled and randomly assigned to etrolizumab (n=199) or infliximab (n=198). 95 (48%) patients in the etrolizumab group and 103 (52%) in the infliximab group completed the study through week 54. At week 54, 37 (18·6%) of 199 patients in the etrolizumab group and 39 (19·7%) of 198 in the infliximab group met the primary endpoint (adjusted treatment difference -0·9% [95% CI -8·7 to 6·8]; p=0·81). The number of patients reporting one or more adverse events was similar between treatment groups (154 [77%] of 199 in the etrolizumab group and 151 [76%] of 198 in the infliximab group); the most common adverse event in both groups was ulcerative colitis (55 [28%] patients in the etrolizumab group and 43 [22%] in the infliximab group). More patients in the etrolizumab group reported serious adverse events (including serious infections) than did those in the infliximab group (32 [16%] vs 20 [10%]); the most common serious adverse event was ulcerative colitis (12 [6%] and 11 [6%]). There was one death during follow-up, in the infliximab group due to a pulmonary embolism, which was not considered to be related to study treatment. INTERPRETATION: To our knowledge, this trial is the first phase 3 maintenance study in moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis to use infliximab as an active comparator. Although the study did not show statistical superiority for the primary endpoint, etrolizumab performed similarly to infliximab from a clinical viewpoint. FUNDING: F Hoffmann-La Roche.

ObjectiveDespite being in sustained and stable remission, patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) stopping anti-tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) show a high rate of relapse (~50% within 2 years). Characterising non-invasively the biological profiles of those patients is needed to better guide the decision of anti-TNFα withdrawal.DesignNinety-two immune-related proteins were measured by proximity extension assay in serum of patients with CD (n=102) in sustained steroid-free remission and stopping anti-TNFα (infliximab). As previously shown, a stratification based on time to clinical relapse was used to characterise the distinct biological profiles of relapsers (short-term relapsers: 6 months). Associations between protein levels and time to clinical relapse were determined by univariable Cox model.ResultsThe risk (HR) of mid/long-term clinical relapse was specifically associated with a high serum level of proteins mainly expressed in lymphocytes (LAG3, SH2B3, SIT1; HR: 2.2–4.5; pConclusionWe identified distinct blood protein profiles associated with the risk of short-term and mid/long-term clinical relapse in patients with CD stopping infliximab. These findings constitute an advance for the development of non-invasive biomarkers guiding the decision of anti-TNFα withdrawal.

International audience; Background: In recent years, an increasing prevalence of obesity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been observed. However, only a few studies have focused on the impact of overweight and obesity on IBD-related disability.Aims: To identify the factors associated with obese and overweight patients with IBD, including IBD-related disability.Patients and methods: In this cross-sectional study, we included 1704 consecutive patients with IBD in 42 centres affiliated with the Groupe d'Etude Therapeutique des Affections Inflammatoires du tube Digestif (GETAID) using a 4-page questionnaire. Factors associated with obesity and overweight were assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses (odds ratios (ORs) are provided with 95% confidence intervals).Results: The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity were 24.1% and 12.2%, respectively. Multivariable analyses were stratified by age, sex, type of IBD, clinical remission and age at diagnosis of IBD. Overweight was significantly associated with male sex (OR = 0.52, 95% CI [0.39-0.68], p < 0.001), age (OR = 1.02, 95% CI [1.01-1.03], p < 0.001) and body image subscore (OR = 1.15, 95% CI [1.10-1.20], p < 0.001) (Table 2). Obesity was significantly associated with age (OR = 1.03, 95% CI [1.02-1.04], p < 0.001), joint pain subscore (OR = 1.08, 95% CI [1.02-1.14], p < 0.001) and body image subscore (OR = 1.25, 95% CI [1.19-1.32], p < 0.001) (Table 3).Conclusion: The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in patients with IBD is associated with age and poorer body image. A holistic approach to IBD patient care should be encouraged to improve IBD-related disability and to prevent rheumatological and cardiovascular complications.

International audience

Background & aimsIL-22 binding protein (IL-22BP) is a soluble and specific inhibitor of IL-22, a cytokine with known protective actions on intestinal epithelial cells during inflammation. Although eosinophils and mononuclear phagocytes (MNP) were shown to be the producers of IL-22BP in the intestine lamina propria (LP), it has recently been proposed that CD4+ T cells represent an additional source of IL-22BP in the gut during Crohns disease (CD). In this study we sought to confirm these findings and to assess IL-22BP secretion levels. MethodsWe investigated IL-22BP cellular sources in CD gut samples using qPCR and ELISA on FACS-sorted LP and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) cell subsets. We also evaluated IL-22BP levels in ex-vivo culture of intestinal biopsies. ResultsMNP (HLA DR+ CD11c+ cells) and eosinophils isolated from LP CD tissues expressed IL22RA2, while the expression measured in the CD4+ and CD8+ T cells fractions was undetectable or 100-1000 times lower than in MNP. In MLN, IL22RA2 expression in T cells was either undetectable of 1000-fold lower than in MNPs without differences between naive and non-naive subsets. IL22RA2 expression was undetectable after ex vivo activation of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from LP or MLNs and IL-22BP was not detected in their supernatant, either activated or not. LP eosinophils appeared capable of secreting IL-22BP but not DCs likely due to in vitro activation as confirmed with monocyte-derived DCs. We also identified higher production of IL-22BP from ileum as compared to colon biopsies and demonstrated that IL-22BP levels correlated with those of eotaxins but not with TNF and IL-6. Finally, high ex vivo production of IL-22BP in mucosa biopsies from CD patients was only observed in smokers. ConclusionWe confirmed that eosinophils and MNPs are the major sources of IL-22BP in the gut during CD and found no clear evidence for IL-22BP expression by T cells. This work also provides new insights on factors regulating intestinal IL-22BP levels.

Background There is no biomarker to guide first-line of biotherapy in ulcerative colitis (UC). The main objective of this multicenter pilot study was to demonstrate the feasibility of identifying a4b7 and/or TNF-a expressing cells by dual-band confocal endomicroscopy (CLE) into the mucosa to predict the response to vedolizumab as first-line biotherapy. NCT02878083. Methods Patients with moderate to severe UC, naïve of biotherapy were prospectively included and received vedolizumab. Patients were evaluated clinically, biologically, endoscopically and histologically at week 22. Nonresponding patients were subsequently treated by adalimumab and were evaluated at week 30. Prior to the initiation of vedolizumab, during endoscopy, 8 biopsies were taken for extemporaneous and ex vivo analysis by CLE, histology and confocal microscopy. Fresh biopsies were treated with vedolizumab coupled with FITC and adalimumab coupled with Alexa-Fluor to analyze their respective fluorescence (figure) in one step with the Dual-band CLE system (Mauna Kea Technologies, France). The number and the surface of positive stained areas visualized by CLE were counted and compared between responders and non-responders. Blood samples were collected before each infusion and were used to analyze the immune cells (LT, LB, NK, monocytes) by FACS and vedolizumab trough levels. Frozen biopsies were analyzed by confocal microscopy (Opal Akoya multiplexing; Tyramide signal amplification) after labeling by an anti-a4b7 antibody. Results 19 patients out of the 20 initially planned were included. Clinical remission, endoscopic improvement (Mayo ≤ 1), endoscopic remission (Mayo 0) at W22 were respectively 58%, 58% and 45%. 18 out of 19 patients (95%) could be analyzed by CLE. The number and surface of vedolizumab-FITC stained areas were numerically superior in responder patients at week22; by contrast, no difference was found for the areas marked by adalimumab-Alexa-fluor. A threshold value of 6 areas marked in CLE by the vedolizumab-FITC at week 0 discriminated responders and non-responders at week 22 with a Se of 78% and a Sp of 85%. No difference of circulating cell population has been identified between responders and non-responders and the vedolizumab trough levels were not predictive of the response. In confocal microscopy, 15 patients have been analyzed; the percentage of a4b7-binding cells was not different between responders (n=9) and non-responders (n=6) Conclusion This study confirms the feasibility of extemporaneous identification by dual-band CLE of the mucosal cells expressing a4b7 and/or TNF-a. Results suggest that only the proportion of cells binding vedolizumab-FITC in the mucosa was indicative of the response to vedolizumab

Background and Aims Histological healing may represent the ultimate therapeutic goal in ulcerative colitis [UC], but it requires biopsies. Our aim was to develop a non-invasive index able to assess histological disease activity in ulcerative colitis, using probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy [pCLE]. Methods One hundred patients with quiescent UC were prospectively included in five French centres. After fluorescein intravenous injection, during colonoscopy, the colorectal mucosa was analysed by white light imaging and pCLE, and then biopsied in different locations. Five endoscopists performed central reading of pCLE images blinded to clinical, endoscopic, and histological data. One expert pathologist performed a central histological reading [Nancy index: gold standard]. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the endomicroscopic items associated with the presence of histologically active disease. Results Over 1000 pCLE videos sequences performed in 100 UC patients in endoscopic remission [Mayo 0 and 1] were evaluated. We observed that vessel diameter >20 µm, dilated crypt lumen, fluorescein leakage, and irregular crypt architecture were statistically associated with histologically proven inflammation according to the Nancy index. Hence, we built a pCLE index of mucosal inflammation with overall accuracy of 79.6% and overall sensitivity and specificity of, respectively, 57.8% and 82.8%. Negative predictive value, especially when a pCLE index ≤1 was observed, was high [93.1%]. Conclusions Using a robust methodology, large vessel diameter, dilated crypt lumen, fluorescein leakage,and irregular crypt architecture are reliable endomicroscopic items defining the ENHANCE index for real-time assessment of histological disease activity in UC.

International audience; Background - Few data exist to help select a second biologic agent in patients with refractory ulcerative colitis (UC). Aim - To compare the efficacy of infliximab (IFX) and vedolizumab (VDZ) in UC patients who failed a first subcutaneous anti-tumor necrosing factor (TNF) agent. Methods - Consecutive UC patients from 12 French centres starting IFX or VDZ after at least one injection of adalimumab or golimumab have been included in a retrospective study. Outcomes were clinical remission at week 14, survival without treatment discontinuation and survival without UC-related event. Results - Among the 225 patients included, clinical remission at week 14 was achieved in 40/154 (26%) patients treated with IFX and in 35/71 (49%) treated with VDZ (P = 0.001). After a propensity score matching analysis, this difference remained significant (odds ratio: 1.67; 95% confidence interval: 1.08-2.56; P = 0.02). With a median follow-up of 117 weeks, survival rates without treatment discontinuation at years 1 and 3 were 50% and 29% with IFX, and 80% and 55% with VDZ, respectively (P

There is no consensus on the management of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) for treating cancer in patients with pre-existing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The Groupe d'Étude Thérapeutique des Affections Inflammatoires du tube Digestif (GETAID) aimed to provide recommendations on this topic.A dedicated working group performed a comprehensive expert-based review of the literature, generated clinical key question and shaped recommendations that were further voted for approval by the educational and scientific committees of the GETAID. Using consensus methods, treatment modalities were defined by vote.Majority of patients with IBD in clinical remission can be treated with ICI after cancer diagnosis. The rate of relapse or immune-related diarrhoea or colitis upon ICI treatment is up to 39.8% and is maximal with ICI combination therapy compared to monotherapies. When starting ICI in a patient with IBD, it is recommended to assess disease activity and pursue ongoing maintenance therapy. In case of relapse or immune-related diarrhoea or colitis upon ICI treatment, treatment depends on grading of diarrhoea or colitis and may include corticosteroid therapy, infliximab and/or vedolizumab.In the present publication, we provided recommendations, which may assist gastroenterologists, haematologists, and oncologists for a better management of patients with pre-existing IBD before and during cancer treatment with ICI.

Transfusion is a specific cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery. Whether there is an association between the composition of blood products and the onset of AKI is unknown. The present study suggests that the transfusion of packed red blood cells containing a high amount of myeloid-related protein 14 (MRP_14) could increase the incidence of AKI after cardiac surgery. In a mouse model, MRP_14 increased the influx of neutrophils in the kidney after ischemia-reperfusion and their ability to damage tubular cells. Higher concentrations of MRP_14 were found in packed red blood cells from female donors or prepared by whole blood filtration.

Background In Crohn’s disease (CD), biologics can induce mucosal healing and stable remission. After reaching this target, treatment de-escalation could be considered but the risk of relapse needs to be estimated. Current biomarkers used to predict relapse (C-reactive protein: CRP, faecal calprotectin) offer a limited prognostic capacity. Furthermore, they only monitor inflammation while we recently highlighted various and distinct pathological processes associated with the risk of short-term (6 months) relapse in CD patients stopping infliximab. Herein, the aim of our study was to further characterise this distinction. Methods Serum abundance of 92 proteins were measured by proximity extension assay (immune response panel, Olink) at baseline of the STORI cohort (infliximab diScon-Tinuation in CrOhn’s disease patients in stable Remission on combined therapy with Immunosuppressors, n=102). Association of markers with the risk of relapse was determined by univariable Cox model in stratified (relapse 6 months) and non-stratified datasets. Study of protein characteristics and enrichment analyses were performed to find biological patterns differentiating short-term from mid/long-term relapsers. To evaluate the predictive capacity of markers, we combined them systematically by pairs (‘AND’ or ‘OR’ logical operators) and used log-rank statistics with false discovery rate (FDR) correction (Benjamini-Hochberg). Results The risk of mid/long-term relapse was associated with a decreased circulating level of anti-inflammatory effectors while the risk of short-term relapse was associated with an increased circulating level of pro-inflammatory effectors (Fig. 1A, 1B). The risk associated with the downstream signalling of cytokine and pattern recognition receptors showed an opposite pattern in the short-term versus mid/long-term relapsers (Fig. 1D, 1E). The risk of short-term relapse was characterised by a perturbed circulating level of proteins inducing tolerance and immunity in antigen presenting cells (Fig. 2A, 2B). The risk of mid/long-term relapse was characterised by an increased circulating level of proteins promoting lymphocyte tolerance (Fig. 2D, 2E) and a decreased circulating level of cellular junction proteins (Fig. 3). We found 1223 (short-term relapse dataset), 233 (mid/long-term relapse dataset) and 101 (non-stratified dataset) novel marker combinations with FDR Conclusion In CD patients stopping infliximab, blood proteins linked to immunoregulation or cellular junctions support the distinct profiles of short-term and mid/long-term relapsers. These proteins showed a capacity to predict the relapse.

The objective of this study was to describe the efficacy and safety of infliximab (IFX) reintroduction in Crohn's disease (CD) after stopping for loss of response or intolerance.We conducted a prospective multicenter observational cohort study including adult patients with clinically (CD Activity Indexgt;150) and objectively active luminal CD in whom IFX was reintroduced after at least 6 months of discontinuation. The reasons for the initial discontinuation could be a secondary loss of response or IFX intolerance. The reintroduction schedule included 3 IFX infusions at weeks 0, 4, and 8, after a systematic premedication. The primary end point was the efficacy of IFX retreatment at week 26 defined by a CD Activity Index oflt;150 in the absence of IFX discontinuation or use of corticosteroids, surgery, or other biologic.At week 26, 24 patients (35%) among the 69 analyzed reached the primary end point. No significant difference was observed between rates of clinical remission at week 26 in patients with prior LOR (n = 48) and those with IFX intolerance (n = 21) (35% and 33%, P = 0.87, respectively). Thirty-two acute infusion reactions were recorded in 27 patients, leading to withdrawal of IFX in 20 patients. No pharmacokinetic characteristic at baseline but detection of positive anti-drug antibodies at week 4 was predictive of IFX failure or infusion reaction at week 26.In this first prospective cohort study, IFX retreatment was safe and effective in one-third of the patients with CD, regardless the reason of prior discontinuation. Early detection of anti-drug antibodies can predict subsequent IFX reintroduction failure and infusion reactions.

Background Crohn's disease (CD) can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract. Proximal small bowel (SB) lesions are associated with a significant risk of stricturing disease and multiple abdominal surgeries. The assessment of SB in patients with CD is therefore necessary because it may have a significant impact on prognosis with potential therapeutic implications. Because of the weak correlation that exists between symptoms and endoscopic disease activity, the "treat-to-target" paradigm has been developed, and the associated treatment goal is to achieve and maintain deep remission, encompassing both clinical and endoscopic remission. Small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) allows to visualize the mucosal surface of the entire SB. At that time, there is no recommendation regarding the use of SBCE during follow-up. Aim To investigate the impact of SBCE in a treat-to-target strategy in patients with CD. Methods An electronic literature search was conducted in PubMed and Cochrane library using the following search terms: "capsule endoscopy", in combination with "Crohn's disease" and "treat-to-target" or synonyms. Two authors independently reviewed titles and abstracts identified by the search strategy after duplicates were removed. Following the initial screening of abstracts, all articles containing information about SBCE in the context of treat-to-target strategy in patients with CD were included. Full-text articles were retrieved, reference lists were screened manually to identify additional studies. Results Forty-seven articles were included in this review. Two indexes are currently used to quantify disease activity using SBCE, and there is good correlation between them. SBCE was shown to be useful for disease reclassification in patients who are suspected of having or who are diagnosed with CD, with a significant incremental diagnostic yield compared to other diagnostic modalities. Nine studies also demonstrated that the mucosal healing can be evaluated by SBCE to monitor the effect of medical treatment in patients with CD. This review also demonstrated that SBCE can detect post-operative recurrence to a similar extent as ileocolonoscopy, and proximal SB lesions that are beyond the reach of the colonoscope in over half of the patients. Conclusion SBCE could be incorporated in the treat-to-target algorithm for patients with CD. Randomized controlled trials are required to confirm its usefulness and reliability in this indication.

International audience; Background and aims: Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) might discriminate mucosal lesions between Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the analysis of CLE images requires time-consuming methods, a long training time, and potential impediments, such as significant interobserver variability. Therefore, we developed a computer-based method to analyze mucosal architecture from CLE images and discriminate between healthy subjects and patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as well as between UC and CD patients.Methods: We retrospectively screened patients who had undergone CLE either for an evaluation of IBD in remission or for colorectal cancer screening (control subjects) between 2009 and 2016. We assessed 14 morphologic and functional parameters in each CLE recording from 23 CD patients, 27 UC patients, and 9 control patients. Next, we constructed 2 scores, 1 for the IBD diagnosis and 1 for the differential diagnosis between UC and CD.Results: In IBD patients, the mean intercrypt distance, wall thickness, and fluorescein leakage through the colonic mucosa were significantly increased compared with control patients by 155%, 188%, and 297%, respectively (P < .05). In UC patients, the same parameters were significantly increased by 109%, 117%, and 174%, respectively (P < .05), compared with CD patients. IBD diagnosis had 100% (95%CI, 93%; 100%) sensitivity and 100% (95%CI, 66%; 100%) specificity. IBD differential diagnosis provided discrimination of UC from CD patients with 92% (95%CI, 75%; 99%) sensitivity and 91% (95%CI, 72%; 99%) specificity.Conclusions: Confirming these results using prospective validation cohorts can substantiate that computer-based analysis of CLE images may provide new biomarkers for the diagnosis and characterization of IBD.

Background In the context of the Sars-Cov2 pandemic, the management of patients with chronic diseases and/or receiving immunosuppressive drugs was of concern due to lack of data to dictate their management. The objectives of our study were to evaluate the characteristics and prognosis of COVID-19 among IBD patients and to study the factors associated with severe COVID-19. Methods We carried out a multicentre bispective study in 30 French GETAID centres. Participating centres were asked to report all consecutive COVID19 cases occurring in their IBD-cohort between March,1st and December,31st 2020. The cases had to be confirmed by a PCR test, or by a chest CT scan demonstrating COVID19 lesions. In addition to the baseline examination, patients were scheduled for a follow up visit within 3–6 months following their infection. Demographics, disease characteristics, treatments, and the clinical course of IBD were prospectively recorded. Severe COVID-19 was defined as admission to the hospital >1 day and/or use of oxygen therapy and/or death. Predictive factors for developing severe COVID-19 were explored using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results A total of 719 IBD patients with COVID 19 were included; 54.2% were women, median age was 42 years, 64.4% had Crohn’s disease (CD), and median disease duration was 10.8 years. 13.3% of the patients were active smokers;12.7% had a BMI>30. With respect to the treatment, 72(10%) patients were not on any IBD medication, 75(10.4%) were only receiving 5-ASA, 164(22.8%) received conventional immunosuppressants, and 509(70.8%) biologics.21.6% of the patients developed either diarrhoea in remitters, or an exacerbation of diarrhoea in active patients. IBD treatments were maintained unchanged, suspended or discontinued in 73.4%, 25.5%, and 1.1% of the patients. Over the follow-up period, 13.2% of the patients had a flare. A total of 68 patients developed severe COVID 19, 67(9.3%) were hospitalized for a median duration of 6 days, and 4(0.6%) patients died. In multivariate analysis, age > 50 years (OR: 2.0,CI:1.06–3.72; p=0.031), obesity (OR: 2.01,CI:1.05–4.09; p=0.037), and comorbidities (OR: 3.28,CI:1.76–6.09; p=0.0002) were factors associated with the occurrence of severe COVID 19; while immunomodulatory treatment (biologic and/or immunosuppressant) was a protective factor for developing severe COVID 19 (OR: 0.38,CI: 0.22–0.69; p=0.0012). Conclusion Rate of severe COVID 19 in this cohort of IBD patients was corresponding to the general population with similar risk factors for severity, i.e., age, obesity and comorbidities. Prescription of immunomodulators was protective against severe COVID 19, raising the hypothesis of their potential immunological effect on the immune storm phase of Sars-Cov2.

Background Total coloproctectomy with ileoanal anastomosis (IAA) is the procedure of choice for patients with treatment-resistant ulcerative colitis (UC). It is most often curative, but can be complicated by pouchitis in 30% of cases, which becomes chronic in 10% of patients. Its treatment is not codified after failure of conventional treatments and a first line of anti-TNF. The objective of our study was to determine the efficacy and safety of vedolizumab (VDZ) in patients with anti-TNF refractory chronic pouchitis. Methods This was a retrospective, multicenter study conducted in 17 hospital centers. Patients were selected from July 2019 to January 2021. All patients had chronic pouchitis refractory to a first line of anti-TNF. We evaluated clinical, endoscopic and biological characteristics at initiation of VDZ therapy, at week (W) 10 as well as at W52. The primary objective of the study was to assess clinical response (improvement ≥ 50% in stool frequency and rectal bleeding) at W52. Secondary objectives were to assess clinical response and remission (absence of symptom) at W10, endoscopic response (improvement ≥ 50% of endoscopic lesions) and remission (mucosal healing) at W10 and 52. Adverse events were also collected. Results Forty-nine patients were included in the study (23 women, 26 men, mean age 48 years). Thirty-one patients (63%) had received only one line of biologic. Forty-four (90%) patients had endoscopic evaluation before initiation of VDZ, and 25 (51%) patients at W10 and 52. CRP was assessed in all patients at baseline, 43 (88%) patients at W10, and 33 (67%) patients at W52.At W10, 17 (34%) patients were clinically responders without corticosteroids, of whom 3 (6%) were in remission; among the 25 patients evaluated, endoscopic response was obtanine in 5 (20%) patients and endoscopic remission in 11 (44%) patients. At W52, 22 (44%) patients were clinically responders, 12 (24%) of whom were in remission; endoscopic response was obtained in 15 (60%) patients and endoscopic remission in 5 (20%) patients. Although there was a trend for CRP to decrease during follow-up (17.3 mg/L at inclusion vs. 7.9 mg/L at W52) in the responder group, there was no significant difference between this subgroup and the non-responder patients at W52. Eight patients (16%) had adverse events, leading to discontinuation of treatment in three of them. Optimization of VDZ at W10 was the only factor predicting nonresponse at W52: 40% in the non-responder group vs 8% in the responder group (p=0.05). At 1 year, 69% of patients were continuing treatment. Conclusion This retrospective multicenter study shows that VDZ is a therapeutic option that may be considered in the treatment of chronic pouchitis refractory to anti-TNF.

Background & Aims We developed and validated a magnetic resonance imaging–based index to predict Crohn’s disease (CD) postoperative recurrence (POR). Methods Patients with CD who underwent a postoperative evaluation for recurrence (with colonoscopy and MRI no longer than 105 days apart) were included between 2006 and 2016 in University Hospital of Nancy, France. MRI items with good levels of intra-rater and inter-rater agreement (Gwet’s coefficient ≥0.5) were selected. The MRI in Crohn’s Disease to Predict Postoperative Recurrence (MONITOR) index’s performance was assessed in terms of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and accuracy, by considering the Rutgeerts score as the gold standard. The MONITOR index was validated with a bootstrap method and an independent cohort. Results Seventy-three MRI datasets were interpreted by 2 radiologists. Seven items (bowel wall thickness, contrast enhancement, T2 signal increase, diffusion-weighted signal increase, edema, ulcers, and the length of the diseased segment) had a Gwet’s coefficient ≥0.5 and were significantly associated with the Rutgeerts score, leading to their inclusion in the MONITOR index. All the items had a weighting of 1, except the “ulcers” item weighting 2.5, reflecting the higher adjusted odds ratio. The AUROC [95% confidence interval] for the prediction of endoscopic POR (Rutgeerts score >i1) was 0.80 [0.70–0.90]. The optimal threshold was a MONITOR index ≥1, giving a sensitivity of 79%, a specificity of 55%, a predictive positive value of 68%, and a predictive negative value of 68%. The bootstrap validation gave an AUROC of 0.85 [0.73–0.97]. In the validation cohort, a MONITOR index ≥1 gave a sensitivity of 87%, a specificity of 75%, a predictive positive value of 84.6%, and a predictive negative value of 75%. Conclusions The MONITOR index is an efficient, reliable, easy-to-apply tool that can be used in clinical practice to predict the POR of CD.

Background Almost 15% of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) will require a proctocolectomy with ileal pouch–anal anastomosis (IPAA) as a result of fulminant colitis, dysplasia, cancer, or medical refractory diseases. Around 50% will experience pouchitis, an idiopathic inflammatory condition involving the ileal reservoir, responsible for digestive symptoms, deterioration in quality of life, and disability. Though the majority of initial cases of pouchitis are easily managed with a short course of antibiotics, in about 10% of cases, inflammation of the pouch becomes chronic with very few treatments available. Previous studies have suggested that manipulating the composition of intestinal flora through antibiotics, probiotics, and prebiotics achieved significant results for treating acute episodes of UC-associated pouchitis. However, there is currently no established effective treatment for chronic antibiotic-dependent pouchitis. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a novel therapy involving the transfer of normal intestinal flora from a healthy donor to a patient with a medical condition potentially caused by the disrupted homeostasis of intestinal microbiota or dysbiosis. Methods Our project aims to compare the delay of relapse of chronic recurrent pouchitis after FMT versus sham transplantation. Forty-two patients with active recurrent pouchitis after having undergone an IPAA for UC will be enrolled at 12 French centers. The patients who respond to antibiotherapy will be randomized at a ratio of 1:1 to receive either FMT or sham transplantation. Discussion On April 30, 2014, the World Health Organization published an alarming report on antibiotic resistance. Finding an alternative medical treatment to antibiotics in order to prevent relapses of pouchitis is therefore becoming increasingly important given the risk posed by multiresistant bacteria. Moreover, if the results of this study are conclusive, FMT, which is less expensive than biologics, could become a routine treatment in the future. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03524352. Registered on 14 May 2018.

Background Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are disabling disorders. The IBD-Disability Index (IBD-DI) was developed for quantifying disability in IBD patients but is difficult to use. The IBD-Disk is a shortened and visual adaptation of the IBD-DI. It has not been validated yet. The main objectives were to validate the IBD-Disk in a large cohort of IBD patients and to assess its variability over time. Methods From March 2018 to July 2019, IBD patients from three university-affiliated hospitals responded twice to both IBD-Disk and IBD-DI at 3–12 months intervals (NCT03590639). Validation included concurrent validity, reproducibility, internal consistency, and evaluation of IBD-Disk correlation with IBD activity. Variability was assessed by comparing scores between baseline and follow-up visits. Results A total of 559 patients (73% Crohn’s disease, 27% ulcerative colitis) were included and 389 were followed up (Table 1). There was a good correlation between IBD-Disk and IBD-DI scores (r = 0.75, p < 0.001) (Figure 1). The IBD-Disk was significantly higher in patients with active disease according to Physician/Patient Global Assessment (Figure 2), clinical scores (Figure 3), and biomarkers levels, compared with patients with inactive disease. Reproducibility was excellent (intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.90), as well as internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.89). The IBD-Disk score significantly decreased in patients becoming inactive over time. Conclusion This is the first study to validate the IBD-Disk in a large cohort of IBD patients, demonstrating that it is a valid and reliable tool for quantifying disability in clinical practice. Further studies are warranted to assess its correlation with endoscopic activity, to explore its responsiveness to change, and to evaluate the factors associated with disability.

International audience; Several lines of evidence support a key role for CD8+ T cells in central nervous system tissue damage of patients with multiple sclerosis. However, the precise phenotype of the circulating CD8+ T cells that may be recruited from the peripheral blood to invade the CNS remains largely undefined to date. It has been suggested that IL-17 secreting CD8 (Tc17) T cells may be involved, and in humans these cells are characterized by the expression of CD161. We focused our study on a unique and recently described subset of CD8 T cells characterized by an intermediate expression of CD161 as its role in neuroinflammation has not been investigated to date. The frequency, phenotype, and function of CD8+ T cells with an intermediate CD161 expression level were characterized ex-vivo, in vitro, and in situ using RNAseq, RT-PCR, flow cytometry, TCR sequencing, and immunohistofluorescence of cells derived from healthy volunteers (n = 61), MS subjects (n = 90), as well as inflammatory (n = 15) and non-inflammatory controls (n = 6). We report here that CD8+CD161int T cells present characteristics of effector cells, up-regulate cell-adhesion molecules and have an increased ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and to secrete IL-17, IFNγ, GM-CSF, and IL-22. We further demonstrate that these cells are recruited and enriched in the CNS of MS subjects where they produce IL-17. In the peripheral blood, RNAseq, RT-PCR, high-throughput TCR repertoire analyses, and flow cytometry confirmed an increased effector and transmigration pattern of these cells in MS patients, with the presence of supernumerary clones compared to healthy controls. Our data demonstrate that intermediate levels of CD161 expression identifies activated and effector CD8+ T cells with pathogenic properties that are recruited to MS lesions. This suggests that CD161 may represent a biomarker and a valid target for the treatment of neuroinflammation.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly infiltrating multiple areas in medicine, with gastrointestinal endoscopy paving the way in both research and clinical applications. Multiple challenges associated with the incorporation of AI in endoscopy are being addressed in recent consensus documents. Objectives: In the current paper, we aimed to map future challenges and areas of research for the incorporation of AI in capsule endoscopy (CE) practice. Design: Modified three-round Delphi consensus online survey. Methods: The study design was based on a modified three-round Delphi consensus online survey distributed to a group of CE and AI experts. Round one aimed to map out key research statements and challenges for the implementation of AI in CE. All queries addressing the same questions were merged into a single issue. The second round aimed to rank all generated questions during round one and to identify the top-ranked statements with the highest total score. Finally, the third round aimed to redistribute and rescore the top-ranked statements. Results: Twenty-one (16 gastroenterologists and 5 data scientists) experts participated in the survey. In the first round, 48 statements divided into seven themes were generated. After scoring all statements and rescoring the top 12, the question of AI use for identification and grading of small bowel pathologies was scored the highest (mean score 9.15), correlation of AI and human expert reading-second (9.05), and real-life feasibility-third (9.0). Conclusion: In summary, our current study points out a roadmap for future challenges and research areas on our way to fully incorporating AI in CE reading.

Background: The Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) Disability Index is a validated tool that evaluates functional status; however, it is used mainly in the clinical trial setting. We describe the use of an iterative Delphi consensus process to develop the IBD Disk-a shortened, self-Administered adaption of the validated IBD Disability Index-to give immediate visual representation of patient-reported IBD-related disability. Methods: In the preparatory phase, the IBD CONNECT group (30 health care professionals) ranked IBD Disability Index items in the perceived order of importance. The Steering Committee then selected 10 items from the IBD Disability Index to take forward for inclusion in the IBD Disk. In the consensus phase, the items were refined and agreed by the IBD Disk Working Group (14 gastroenterologists) using an online iterative Delphi consensus process. Members could also suggest new element(s) or recommend changes to included elements. The final items for the IBD Disk were agreed in February 2016. Results: After 4 rounds of voting, the following 10 items were agreed for inclusion in the IBD Disk: Abdominal pain, body image, education and work, emotions, energy, interpersonal interactions, joint pain, regulating defecation, sexual functions, and sleep. All elements, except sexual functions, were included in the validated IBD Disability Index. Conclusions: The IBD Disk has the potential to be a valuable tool for use at a clinical visit. It can facilitate assessment of inflammatory bowel disease-related disability relevant to both patients and physicians, discussion on specific disability-related issues, and tracking changes in disease burden over time., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

International audience; Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) allows medical doctors to examine the interior of the small intestine with a noninvasive procedure. This methodology is particularly important for Crohn's disease (CD), where an early diagnosis improves treatment outcomes. The counting and identification of CD lesions in WCE videos is a time-consuming process for medical experts. In the era of deep-learning many automatic WCE lesion classifiers, requiring annotated data, have been developed. However, benchmarking classifiers is difficult due to the lack of standard evaluation data. Most detection algorithms are evaluated on private datasets or on unspecified subsets of public databases. To help the development and comparison of automatic CD lesion classifiers, we release CrohnIPI, a dataset of 3498 images, independently reviewed by several experts. It contains 60.55% of non-pathological images and 38.85% of pathological images with 7 different types of CD lesions. A part of these images are multilabeled. The dataset is balanced between pathological images and non-pathological ones and split into two subsets for training and testing models. This database will progressively be enriched over the next few years in aim to make the automatic detection algorithms converge to the most accurate system possible and to consolidate their evaluation.

Additional file 1. Annex 1. Letter information for patients.

Additional file 4. SPIRIT checklist. SPIRIT_Filled-checklist_VALIDate.

Additional file 3. Annex 3. The IBD Disk questionnaire and the scoring disk (French version).

Additional file 1. PoCa ‘s SPIRIT checklist [39].

Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) allows medical doctors to examine the interior of the small intestine with a noninvasive procedure. This methodology is particularly important for Crohn's disease (CD), where an early diagnosis improves treatment outcomes. However, the viewing and evaluation of WCE videos is a time-consuming process for the medical experts. In this work, we present a recurrent attention neural network for the detection in WCE images of CD lesions in the small bowel. Our classifier reaches 90.85% accuracy on our own dataset annotated by experts from the Hospital of Nantes. The model has also been tested on a public endoscopic dataset, the CAD-CAP database used for the GIANA competition, and achieves high performance on detection task with an accuracy of 99.67%. This automatic lesion classifier will greatly reduce the amount of time spent by gastroenterologists in reviewing WCE videos, which will likely foster the development of this technique and speed-up the diagnosis of CD.

International audience; Background: To describe the medico-economic characteristics of Crohn's disease (CD), we implemented a multicenter study in France. Methods: From 2004 to 2006, disease severity states, direct (hospital and extra hospital) and indirect costs were prospectively collected over 1 year in patients with CD naive from anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (infliximab) at inclusion. Economic valorization was performed from the French Social Insurance perspective, and a statistical modeling over 10 years was performed. Results: In 341 patients, the mean total costs of management were epsilon 6024 per year (epsilon 4675 for direct costs). As compared to patients in remission, costs were 4 to 6 times higher in patients in an active period and 19 times higher for patients requiring surgery (SURG). The most important expense items were medical and surgical hospitalizations (56% of total costs), including cost of infliximab (36% of hospitalization costs, i.e., 20% of total costs), indirect costs (22%), and drugs (11%). The statistical modeling over 10 years showed that most of the clinical course was spent in drug-responsive state (54%) with 26% of costs or in remission (32%) with 11% of costs; time spent in a SURG state was small (3.2%) but generated 48% of total costs. Conclusions: Before the introduction of self-injectable anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha, the most important expenses were supported by hospitalizations, explaining why the most costly states were for patients requiring SURG or dependent on inhospital administrated drugs. Projected data show that most time is spent in a stabilized state with appropriate treatments or in remission, and that costs associated with SURG are high.

After resection surgery for Crohn's disease, recurrence of endoscopic lesions at the site of the anastomosis or in the neoterminal ileum is graded according to the Rutgeerts score (RS). The goal of this study was to test the interobserver variability for RS.Thirteen trained endoscopists evaluated the RS on 39 videotapes of patients who had undergone resection for Crohn's disease with an ileocolonic anastomosis 6 months earlier. Videotapes were randomly assigned to endoscopists through a balanced incomplete block design. Each videotape was scored independently by four endoscopists, and each endoscopist evaluated 12 videotapes, making a total of 156 videotape assessments. Reproducibility levels of the RS were assessed through unweighted kappa estimates among multiple raters. The proportion of inappropriate therapeutic initiation was estimated by randomly selecting one endoscopist for each videorecording, assuming that the majority of endoscopists correctly classified endoscopic recurrence.The kappa estimates were 0.43 (95% confidence interval: 0.33-0.52) for the RS on a 5-grade scale, 0.47 (0.28-0.66) for RSi2 vs. ≥ i2, and 0.64 (0.42-0.85) for RS ≤ i2 vs.i2. The percentages of inappropriate therapeutic initiation were 12.8% (3.8-21.9) when initiation was triggered by a RS ≥ i2 and 8.3% (1.1-15.6) when initiation was triggered by a RSi2 (p = 0.41).The reproducibility of the RS was moderate, especially when differentiatingi2 from ≥i2, which may lead to incorrect therapeutic decisions in10% of patients.

Background The multiplication of therapeutic options with close efficacy and safety, leads to consider acceptability of treatment regimen as a key point for therapeutic decision in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to compare acceptability of IBD treatment regimen and to identify its associated factors. Methods From a nationwide prospective study conducted in 24 public or private centres, IBD patients were consecutively included for 6 weeks. A dedicated questionnaire was developed, tested and validated for the study. It was administered to each included patient and his/her related physician. Acceptability was graded with an acceptability numerical scale (ANS) from 0 (absolutely not acceptable) to 10 (totally acceptable). Results Overall, 1850 patients were included (65.9% with Crohn’s disease (CD), mean age = 41.0 ± 14.7, 22.2% experiencing IBD flare at inclusion). The medications at inclusion were none in 9.0%, oral (PO) monotherapy in 17.3%, subcutaneous (SC) injections in 29.2% and intra-venous (IV) infusions in 44.5% of the patients. The ANS were 8.68 ± 2.52 for PO, 7.67 ± 2.94 for SC and 6.79 ± 3.31 for IV (p < 0.001 for each comparison). The patients reported PO, SC and IV as their first choice in 65.8%, 21.4% and 12.8%, respectively. The reasons for reduced acceptability were the need to come to the hospital (63.0%) for IV infusion, none for SC injections and the fear to forget to take pills (30.5%), the number of daily dose (28.4%) and daily medication as a reminder of disease every day (24.8%) for PO therapy. In multivariable analyses, the following factors were associated with a better acceptability of IV infusion (current IBD flare: p = 0.003 and current IV therapy for IBD: p < 0.001), SC injections (Private practice: p = 0.006 and current SC injections for IBD: p < 0.001) and PO medication (male gender: p = 0.018, higher studies level: p < 0,001 and current oral medication: p = 0.002). The mean ANS for all IBD treatment regimen were compared in the 1850 patients (Figure 1). No difference was observed between CD and UC. In biologics-naïve patients (n = 315), the treatment regimens were ranked in the following order: PO once daily (8.8 ± 2.2), SC/12 weeks (week) (7.9 ± 3.0), SC/8 week and PO twice daily (7.2 ± 3.2 et 6.9 ± 3.4; ns), SC/4 week (6.2 ± 3.4), SC/2 week et IV/8 week (5.1 ± 3.4 and 5.0 ± 3.5; ns)(p < 0.001 except if ns was mentioned). For the patients, the acceptable loss of efficacy to receive a more convenient medication was 5.2% (non-inferiority trial limit). Conclusion While PO administration was preferred by most of IBD patients, the acceptability of treatment regimen is highly impacted by the interval between two doses and the previous medications. Our data could be helpful to guide therapeutic decision in daily practice in IBD.

BACKGROUND Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by oculocutaneous albinism, platelet storage pool deficiency and systemic complications associated with ceroid deposition in the reticuloendothelial system. HPS types 1 and 4 are associated with Crohn’s disease (CD)-like gastrointestinal disorders, such as granulomatous enterocolitis or perianal disease. Cases of colitis can be particularly severe and, before the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) therapy had become common, were reported as showing poor responsiveness to medical treatment. CASE SUMMARY We present the case of a 51-year-old albino woman who presented with acute severe colitis that led to the diagnosis of HPS. Histologic findings of biopsy samples showed chronic inflammation with deep ulcerations, and granulomas without caseous necrosis. Molecular genetic analysis confirmed HPS type 1, with a homozygous 27 base-pair deletion in exon 20 of the HPS1 gene. Once the patient’s bleeding diathesis was corrected by platelet transfusion, the granulomatous colitis responded dramatically to a medical treatment regimen that included corticosteroids, azathioprine and infliximab; this regimen is similar to that used in CD treatment. Although it remains unclear if the granulomatous enterocolitis in HPS is due to ceroid deposition or reflects the co-existence of CD and HPS, the fact that this case of HPS-related granulomatous colitis responded to the same therapeutic approach used in CD suggests that this type of colitis may result from HPS patients’ genetic susceptibility to CD. CONCLUSION We report a case of severe colitis that led to the diagnosis of HPS, which was responsive to azathioprine and infliximab.

Dans le cadre de la mise en place de nouvelles caisses de transport a l’EFS Centre Pays de Loire (CPDL), nous avons ete amenes a effectuer une qualification pour l’acheminement de plasma frais congele (PFC) sur les differents sites EFS et les depots. Pour realiser les tests, nous avons selectionne :– des caisses pouvant contenir 10 PFC (nombre maximum dans nos depots)

Intestinal inflammation results in the production of inflammatory pain-inducing mediators that may directly activate colon sensory neurons. Endogenous opioids produced by mucosal effector CD4(+) T lymphocytes identified as colitogenic may paradoxically counterbalance the local pro-algesic effect of inflammatory mediators by acting on opioid receptors expressed on sensory nerve endings. The review will focus on the endogenous immune-mediated regulation of visceral inflammatory pain, current pain treatments in inflammatory bowel diseases and prospectives on new opioid therapeutic opportunities to alleviate pain but avoiding common centrally-mediated side effects.

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a member of the Clostridium IV group of the Firmicutes phylum that is abundant in the intestinal microbiota, has anti-inflammatory effects. The relative level of F prausnitzii is decreased in fecal samples from patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) compared with healthy individuals. Reduced F prausnitzii was correlated with relapse of Crohn's disease after surgery. We identified, in human colonic mucosa and blood, a population of T regulatory type 1-like T regulatory (TWe isolated DP8α T cells from human colon lamina propria and blood samples and used flow cytometry to detect markers of cells that are of colon origin. We quantified DP8α cells that express colon-specific markers in blood samples from 106 patients with IBD, 12 patients with infectious colitis, and 35 healthy donors (controls). We identified cells that respond to F prausnitzii. Cells were stimulated with anti-CD3, and their production of interleukin 10 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We compared the frequency and reactivity of cells from patients vs controls using the 2-sided Student t test or 1-way analysis of variance.Circulating DP8α T cells that proliferate in response to F prausnitzii express the C-C motif chemokine receptor 6 (CCR6) and C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 6 (CXCR6). These cells also have features of TWe identified a population of gut-derived T

Several lines of evidence support a key role for CD8

Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Crohn disease (CD). RDP58 is a novel anti-inflammatory decapeptide which was developed using a novel rational design strategy. Recently, RDP58 has proved to be a potent inhibitor of TNF production at a post-transcriptional step. The aims of this study were to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of RDP58 ex vivo in human CD and in vivo in an experimental model colitis.Biopsies and lamina propria mononuclear cells from inflamed colonic mucosa of 18 CD patients were cultured for 24 h in the presence or absence of RDP58. TNF was quantified in a bioassay: interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-1beta levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Colitis was induced by intra-rectal administration of 2, 4, 6 trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) in rats. Inflammation was assessed following 7 days of oral therapy with RDP58 or vehicle alone.RDP58 led to decreased TNF and IFN-gamma (but not IL-1beta) production by biopsies and lamina propria mononuclear cells from CD patients. In rats with TNBS-induced colitis, oral RDP58 therapy reduced weight loss and diarrhoea and improved macroscopic and histological inflammation scores.Our results suggest that RDP58 may be an effective therapy for CD with the clinical advantage of an oral administration.

International audience; BACKGROUND & AIMS:Few people know of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), a rare disorder associated with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). We aimed to describe phenotype and outcomes of IBD and AIP when associated.METHODS:We performed a retrospective study of cases of AIP in IBD identified from the multicenter Groupe d'Etude Thérapeutique des Affections Inflammatoires du tube Digestif in Belgium and France from July 2012 through July 2015. Patients were diagnosed with AIP based on the International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria for AIP. A definitive AIP diagnosis was based on histological analysis of pancreatic resection specimens or samples collected by fine-needle aspiration during endoscopic ultrasound. Patients with probable type 1 AIP were identified based on imaging findings, clinical and/or radiologic responses to steroids, level of serum immunoglobulin G4, and involvement of other organs. Patients with probable type 2 AIP were identified based on imaging findings, clinical and/or radiologic responses to steroids, and association with IBD. The primary objective was to collect information on the characteristics of AIP in patients with IBD. We also compared features of patients with IBD with and without AIP in a case-control analysis, using multivariate analysis.RESULTS:We analyzed data from 91 individuals with AIP and IBD (47 women) seen at 23 centers (58 had ulcerative colitis [UC] and 33 Crohn's disease [CD]). Eighty-nine patients had type 2 AIP, and 2 patients had type 1 AIP. The mean age at diagnosis of AIP was 35 ± 12 years, and for IBD it was 32 ± 12 years. AIP preceded IBD in 19 patients (21%). Over a mean follow-up period of 5.7 ± 4.9 years, 31 patients (34%) relapsed, 11 patients (12%) developed diabetes, and 17 patients (19%) developed exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. In patients with UC, factors independently associated with AIP included proctitis (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-6.3; P = .007) and colectomy (OR, 7.1; 95% CI, 2.5-20; P = .0003). In patients with CD, AIP was significantly associated with fewer perianal lesions (OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.03-0.77; P = .023), non-stricturing non-penetrating CD (OR, 6.7; 95% CI, 1.25-33.3; P = .0029), and higher rate of colectomy (OR, 27.8; 95% CI, 3.6-217; P = .0029).CONCLUSIONS:In a multicenter retrospective analysis of patients with AIP and IBD, followed for an average of 5.7 ± 4.9 years, we found most to have type 2 AIP. Two-thirds of patients have UC, often with proctitis. One-third of patients have CD, often with inflammatory features. Patients with IBD and AIP have higher rates of colectomy than patients with just IBD.