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Purpose of review This review addresses the selection of biologic and small molecule therapy for patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC). With several new treatment options approved within the past few years, an update in positioning is timely and relevant. Recent findings Updates on the safety and comparative efficacy of approved therapeutic agents for UC are presented. Newly approved therapies including tofacitinib and ustekinumab, as well as where to position these treatments are discussed. Data on the first-ever head-to-head trial of biologic therapy in UC are examined. This review provides an evidence-based overview of the optimal management strategies of patients in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Summary As we move closer towards the goal of personalized therapy for our patients with UC, we hope to better select appropriate and effective treatment options. Newly approved therapies provide us with additional options for management. Future advancements in predictive serologic, mucosal, genetic, and fecal markers can enable us to tailor therapy to an individual patient.

Introduction: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), comprised of Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease with systemic involvement. Inflammation predisposes to atherosclerosis and studies suggest that IBD is associated with premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). There is, however, limited population-based data on cardiovascular risk factor (CRF) burden in IBD among those who have not yet developed clinical ASCVD. We sought to study the association between IBD and CRFs among a nationally representative population with IBD and without established ASCVD. Methods: The study population was derived from the 2015-2016 National Health Interview Survey database. ASCVD was defined as myocardial infarction, angina or stroke; those with ASCVD were excluded. IBD was defined as either CD or UC. We computed weighted prevalence estimates of various traditional CRFs for the US population by IBD status. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between CRFs and IBD. Average and poor cardiovascular risk profiles were defined as 2-3 and ≥4 CRFs, respectively. Results: Overall 786 (1.2%) representing 2.6 million ASCVD-free adults reported IBD. Individuals with IBD had higher prevalence of multiple CRFs (Figure, top). In adjusted models those with IBD had significantly higher odds of having prevalent hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia (Figure, bottom). These associations were similar among elderly and young participants. Those with IBD were almost 2-fold more likely to have a poor cardiovascular risk profile. Conclusion: Our findings from a nationally representative US population suggest an increased burden and clustering of CRFs among IBD patients without clinical ASCVD. Future efforts are needed to understand the underlying mechanisms, and enhance the detection and treatment of these CRFs to reduce ASCVD risk in IBD patients.

Introduction: Recent blood pressure (BP) guidelines recommend aggressive control of BP to prevent target organ damage, however, no population-level studies have assessed the impact of aggressive BP control on the incidence of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). In this study, we investigate the implications of suboptimal BP control for incident NAFLD. Methods: We analyzed data from 6,252 consecutive participants in an employer-mandated routine health evaluation at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (São Paulo, Brazil) collected between 2004 to 2016 who were free of NAFLD at baseline. NAFLD was defined as liver ultrasound detected hepatic steatosis among individuals with an alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT) score /= 130mmHg and/or diastolic BP >/= 80 mmHg. Multivariate analysis was conducted adjusting for possible confounders as noted in the figure. Results: Over a median follow-up period of 2.9 years (range: 0.6 - 10.6 years), the incidence of NAFLD was 25.8% among individuals with hypertension (N=473) compared to 15.2% among non-hypertensive individuals (N=5,779; p Conclusions: Among persons with known hypertension, suboptimal BP is an independent risk of NAFLD. In addition, among those without known hypertension, suboptimal BP is an independent predictor of future NAFLD. Intervention studies are needed to investigate the role of BP control in the prevention of NAFLD.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients have a higher incidence of colon cancer than the general population. Colon cancer surveillance has traditionally involved taking numerous random biopsies to provide sufficient yield to detect dysplasia. Recently, consensus guidelines have been published which promote the use of chromoendoscopy for IBD colon cancer surveillance. This presents a new set of opportunities and challenges in the evaluation and management of dysplasia in IBD.Dysplasia, previously thought to be 'invisible' to the endoscopist, is now considered to be 'visible' in the majority of cases with the advent of the use of high-definition endoscopy and chromoendoscopy. This changes how we manage dysplastic lesions, providing the patient options for endoscopic resection rather than promoting total proctocolectomy.Implemention of chromoendoscopy may require additional training for endoscopists unfamiliar with the technique. However, if this proves to be cost-effective and provides a higher sensitivity in dysplasia detection, then widespread education and implementation will be well worth the efforts. To do so, future studies will need to prove its benefits in preventing or reducing colon cancer morbidity and mortality in this high-risk patient population.

There has been no systematic review of natural history studies of pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We conducted a systematic review focused on understanding the long-term risks of growth failure, disease reclassification and extension, hospitalizations, cancer and death among patients with childhood IBD.PubMed searches and subsequent data abstraction were performed by 2 independent investigators. Studies published full in english with a 5-year minimum average follow-up in at least 30 patients with IBD onset before age 18 years.We evaluated 41 total studies (only 2 population-based studies) with 3505 Crohn's disease (CD) patients, 2071 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, and 461 indeterminate colitis (IC). Growth failure was reported in CD (10% and 56%) more often than UC (0% to 10%) or non-IBD controls. Improvements in growth occurred after surgical resection in patients with CD. There was an increase in disease reclassification over time from UC and indeterminate colitis diagnosis to CD diagnosis. Patients with CD had higher number of hospitalizations and hospital days per year in comparison with UC patients in most studies. The reported surgery rates in CD ranged between 10% and 72%; the colectomy rates in UC ranged between 0% and 50%. Cancers were reported in 6 CD patients during a total 18,270 patient-years (PY) follow-up, and 8 UC patients in 18,115 PY. Deaths directly related to IBD were 63 during 39,719 PY.Childhood-onset IBD patients had growth failure reported in patients with CD more often than those with UC, had a reclassification of disease type to CD over time. Higher rates of surgery and hospitalizations were found with CD than with UC. The risk of cancer and death is low in this population.

1-3 objectives : The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing. Dietary factors such as the spread of the "Western" diet, high in fat and protein but low in fruits and vegetables, may be associated with the increase. Although many studies have evaluated the association between diet and IBD risk, there has been no systematic review. methods : We performed a systematic review using guideline-recommended methodology to evaluate the association between pre-illness intake of nutrients (fats, carbohydrates, protein) and food groups (fruits, vegetables, meats) and the risk of subsequent IBD diagnosis. Eligible studies were identified via structured keyword searches in PubMed and Google Scholar and manual searches. results : Nineteen studies were included, encompassing 2,609 IBD patients (1,269 Crohn's disease (CD) and 1,340 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients) and over 4,000 controls. Studies reported a positive association between high intake of saturated fats, monounsaturated fatty acids, total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), total omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, mono- and disaccharides, and meat and increased subsequent CD risk. Studies reported a negative association between dietary fiber and fruits and subsequent CD risk. High intakes of total fats, total PUFAs, omega-6 fatty acids, and meat were associated with an increased risk of UC. High vegetable intake was associated with a decreased risk of UC. conclusions : High dietary intakes of total fats, PUFAs, omega-6 fatty acids, and meat were associated with an increased risk of CD and UC. High fiber and fruit intakes were associated with decreased CD risk, and high vegetable intake was associated with decreased UC risk.