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1. Assessment of defecation disorders using high-resolution MRI-defecography

Author

Ioana Duca, Ramona Boja, and Dan Lucian Dumitrascu

Subjects
mri-defecography, outlet obstruction constipation, defecation dysfunction, anismus, Medicine
Abstract

Aims. The aim of this retrospective study was to try to find correlations between different diagnoses established by clinical examination, anorectal manometry and MRI-defecography and, the association with psychiatric disorders. Methods. 44 patients (median age 53.81 years) presenting with intestinal motility disorders and who underwent clinical, biological and psychiatric examination, dynamic defecographic-MRI (resting, squeezing, straining, defecation and evacuation phases), anorectal manometry, colonoscopy. MRI was performed using the 1,5 T. Results. MRI-defecography revealed the following changes: anismus (16), rectocele (12), pelvic floor dysfunction (6), peritoneocele (2), cervical-cystic-ptosis (1), rectal prolapse (6), and in 1 case the examination was normal. Hypertonic anal sphincter (16) and lack of defecation reflex (12) at anorectal manometry correlated with anismus in all patients at MRI-defecography. Lack of inhibitor anal reflex (6) was associated with rectocele (4), cervix-cysto-ptosis (1) and peritoneocele (2). Anxiety (11), depression (6) and anxiety-depressive disorders (10) were found in 27/44, somatization disorders in 9/44 and no psychiatric changes in 8/44 cases. Conclusion. As multiparous women are at risk for outlet obstruction constipation, MRI-defecography is suggested in this category. There is good correlation between diagnosis using anorectal manometry and MRI-defecography in patients with terminal constipation and anismus. Lower defecation dysfunction is often associated with psychiatric disorders.

Published
2023
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2. Use of Non-Invasive Biomarkers and Clinical Scores to Predict the Complications of Liver Cirrhosis: A Bicentric Experience

Author

Giuseppe Guido Maria Scarlata, Abdulrahman Ismaiel, Maria Luisa Gambardella, Daniel Corneliu Leucuta, Francesco Luzza, Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, and Ludovico Abenavoli

Subjects
diagnosis, management, guidelines, clinical data, Medicine (General), R5-920
Abstract

Background and objectives: Liver cirrhosis is a chronic, progressive condition characterized by fibrosis and architectural distortion of the liver, leading to impaired liver function and severe complications. Accurately predicting these complications is crucial to the improvement of patient outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of various non-invasive biomarkers and clinical scores in assessing the risk of complications among cirrhotic patients. Materials and methods: We conducted an observational retrospective study involving 236 cirrhotic patients from two tertiary care hospitals in Italy and Romania, in a timespan ranging from January 2021 to March 2024. Data on clinical characteristics, liver function tests, hematological indices, various non-invasive biomarkers, and clinical scores were collected and analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to assess the accuracy of these biomarkers and clinical scores in predicting complications, including the presence of varices and hepato-renal syndrome. Results: The Child–Pugh score showed the highest accuracy for cirrhosis-related complications, with an area under curve (AUC) = 0.667. The red cell distribution width coefficient of variation followed closely with an AUC = 0.646. While the Child–Pugh score had a high specificity (85.42%), its sensitivity was low (37.97%). In patients with varices, non-invasive scores such as platelet distribution width (PDW) and the RDW-to-platelet ratio (RPR) showed modest predictive ability, with an AUC = 0.594. For hepato-renal syndrome, the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score showed the highest diagnostic accuracy with an AUC = 0.758. Conclusions: The most reliable biomarkers for detecting complications, varices, and hepato-renal syndrome, are, respectively, the Child–Pugh Score, PDW along with RPR, and the MELD score. However, while these scores remain valuable, the moderate diagnostic accuracy of other indices suggests the need for a more integrated approach to risk stratification. Future research should focus on validating these tools across different populations and incorporating emerging biomarkers to enhance predictive accuracy and inform more effective clinical decision-making.

Published
2024
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3. Comparative Prevalence of Ineffective Esophageal Motility: Impact of Chicago v4.0 vs. v3.0 Criteria

Author

Teodora Surdea-Blaga, Stefan-Lucian Popa, Cristina Maria Sabo, Radu Alexandru Fărcaş, Liliana David, Abdulrahman Ismaiel, Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, Simona Grad, and Daniel Corneliu Leucuta

Subjects
high-resolution esophageal manometry, ineffective esophageal motility, dysphagia, esophagogastric junction, ineffective swallow, Medicine (General), R5-920
Abstract

Background and Objectives: The threshold for ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) diagnosis was changed in Chicago v4.0. Our aim was to determine IEM prevalence using the new criteria and the differences between patients with definite IEM versus “inconclusive diagnosis”. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively selected IEM and fragmented peristalsis (FP) patients from the high-resolution esophageal manometries (HREMs) database. Clinical, demographic data and manometric parameters were recorded. Results: Of 348 HREMs analyzed using Chicago v3.0, 12.3% of patients had IEM and 0.86% had FP. Using Chicago v4.0, 8.9% of patients had IEM (IEM-4 group). We compared them with the remaining 16 with an inconclusive diagnosis of IEM (borderline group). Dysphagia (77% vs. 44%, Z-test = 2.3, p = 0.02) and weight loss were more commonly observed in IEM-4 compared to the borderline group. The reflux symptoms were more prevalent in the borderline group (87.5% vs. 70.9%, p = 0.2). Type 2 or 3 esophagogastric junction morphology was more prevalent in the borderline group (81.2%) vs. 64.5% in IEM-4 (p = 0.23). Distal contractile integral (DCI) was lower in IEM-4 vs. the borderline group, and resting lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure and mean integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) were similar. The number of ineffective swallows and failed swallows was higher in IEM-4 compared to the borderline group. Conclusions: Using Chicago v4.0, less than 10% of patients had a definite diagnosis of IEM. The dominant symptom was dysphagia. Only DCI and the number of failed and inefficient swallows were different between definite IEM patients and borderline cases.

Published
2024
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4. Gemini-Assisted Deep Learning Classification Model for Automated Diagnosis of High-Resolution Esophageal Manometry Images

Author

Stefan Lucian Popa, Teodora Surdea-Blaga, Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, Andrei Vasile Pop, Abdulrahman Ismaiel, Liliana David, Vlad Dumitru Brata, Daria Claudia Turtoi, Giuseppe Chiarioni, Edoardo Vincenzo Savarino, Imre Zsigmond, Zoltan Czako, and Daniel Corneliu Leucuta

Subjects
Gemini, deep learning, esophageal motility disorder diagnosis, image classification, artificial intelligence, HREM, Medicine (General), R5-920
Abstract

Background/Objectives: To develop a deep learning model for esophageal motility disorder diagnosis using high-resolution manometry images with the aid of Gemini. Methods: Gemini assisted in developing this model by aiding in code writing, preprocessing, model optimization, and troubleshooting. Results: The model demonstrated an overall precision of 0.89 on the testing set, with an accuracy of 0.88, a recall of 0.88, and an F1-score of 0.885. It presented better results for multiple categories, particularly in the panesophageal pressurization category, with precision = 0.99 and recall = 0.99, yielding a balanced F1-score of 0.99. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the potential of artificial intelligence, particularly Gemini, in aiding the creation of robust deep learning models for medical image analysis, solving not just simple binary classification problems but more complex, multi-class image classification tasks.

Published
2024
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5. Clostridioides difficile Infection: Use of Inflammatory Biomarkers and Hemogram-Derived Ratios to Predict Mortality Risk in Hospitalized Patients

Author

Giuseppe Guido Maria Scarlata, Angela Quirino, Carmen Costache, Dan Alexandru Toc, Nadia Marascio, Marta Pantanella, Daniel Corneliu Leucuta, Abdulrahman Ismaiel, Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, and Ludovico Abenavoli

Subjects
Clostridioides difficile, infection control, antimicrobial stewardship, personalized medicine, COVID-19, predictors, Therapeutics. Pharmacology, RM1-950
Abstract

Background: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a significant cause of mortality, especially in healthcare environments. Reliable biomarkers that can accurately predict mortality in CDI patients are yet to be evaluated. Our study aims to evaluate the accuracy of several inflammatory biomarkers and hemogram-derived ratios in predicting mortality in CDI patients, such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), the platelet-to-neutrophil ratio (PNR), the derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and procalcitonin (PCT). Results: NLR showed a sensitivity of 72.5% and a specificity of 58.42% with an area under curve (AUC) = 0.652. SII had a sensitivity of 77.5%, a specificity of 54.74%, and an AUC = 0.64. PNR, neutrophils, dNLR, and lymphocytes had lower AUCs which ranged from 0.595 to 0.616, with varied sensitivity and specificity. CRP, leukocytes, and platelets showed modest predictive values with AUCs below 0.6. PCT had a sensitivity of 100%, a low specificity of 7.41%, and an AUC = 0.528. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of CDI patients from two different hospital settings in Italy and Romania during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 1 January 2020 to 5 May 2023. Statistical analyses included t-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, χ2 tests, and multivariate logistic regression to identify predictors of mortality. ROC analysis assessed the accuracy of biomarkers and hemogram-derived ratios. A p value < 0.05 was considered significant. Conclusions: Neutrophils, dNLR, NLR, SII, and PNR are valuable biomarkers for predicting mortality in CDI patients. Understanding these predictors can improve risk stratification and clinical outcomes for CDI patients.

Published
2024
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6. Semiquantitative fecal calprotectin test in postinfectious and non-postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome: cross-sectional study

Author

Liliana-Elisabeta David, Teodora Surdea-Blaga, and Dan-Lucian Dumitrascu

Subjects
Leukocyte L1 antigen complex, Inflammation, Inflammatory bowel diseases, Irritable bowel syndrome, Gastroenteritis, Medicine
Abstract

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE:The presence of a certain degree of inflammation in the gut wall is now accepted in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Fecal calprotectin is considered to be a reliable test for detecting intestinal inflammation. Our aim was to assess the presence of inflammation in postinfectious IBS (PI-IBS), compared with non-postinfectious IBS (NPI-IBS). A secondary objective was to determine the usefulness of a rapid fecal calprotectin test in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).DESIGN AND SETTING:This was a cross-sectional study. Patients with IBS and IBD at a single tertiary gastroenterology center were prospectively included in this study.METHODS:116 patients with Rome III IBS score (76 females; 48 ± 12 years) were investigated; 24 patients (15 females) had PI-IBS. Intestinal inflammation was assessed using the semiquantitative fecal calprotectin test. The results were expressed as T1, T2 or T3 according to the severity of inflammation (< 15 μg/g; 15-60 μg/g; > 60 μg/g). Using the same test, we evaluated 20 patients with IBD (12 males; 47 ± 13 years).RESULTS:None of the patients with IBS had a T2 or T3 positive test. Among PI-IBS patients, 33% had a T1 positive test. Among NPI-IBS patients, 9.8% had a T1 positive test, which was significantly different to PI-IBS. The calprotectin test was positive in all IBD patients: 80% with T3, 10% with T2 and 10% with T1.CONCLUSIONS:Using a semiquantitative test for fecal calprotectin, positive tests were more frequent in PI-IBS patients than in NPI-IBS patients.

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7. Automated Chicago Classification for Esophageal Motility Disorder Diagnosis Using Machine Learning

Author

Teodora Surdea-Blaga, Gheorghe Sebestyen, Zoltan Czako, Anca Hangan, Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, Abdulrahman Ismaiel, Liliana David, Imre Zsigmond, Giuseppe Chiarioni, Edoardo Savarino, Daniel Corneliu Leucuta, and Stefan Lucian Popa

Subjects
artificial intelligence, Convolutional Neural Network, Chicago classification, Esophageal Motility Disorder Diagnosis, high-resolution esophageal manometry, machine learning, Chemical technology, TP1-1185
Abstract

The goal of this paper is to provide a Machine Learning-based solution that can be utilized to automate the Chicago Classification algorithm, the state-of-the-art scheme for esophageal motility disease identification. First, the photos were preprocessed by locating the area of interest—the precise instant of swallowing. After resizing and rescaling the photos, they were utilized as input for the Deep Learning models. The InceptionV3 Deep Learning model was used to identify the precise class of the IRP. We used the DenseNet201 CNN architecture to classify the images into 5 different classes of swallowing disorders. Finally, we combined the results of the two trained ML models to automate the Chicago Classification algorithm. With this solution we obtained a top-1 accuracy and f1-score of 86% with no human intervention, automating the whole flow, from image preprocessing until Chicago classification and diagnosis.

Published
2022
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9. Gut Microbiota and Body Weight – A Review

Author

Ioana Duca, Flaviu Rusu, Alexandra Chira, and Dan Lucian Dumitrascu

Subjects
diabetes, metabolism, microbiota, obesity, Psychology, BF1-990
Abstract

The link between gut microbiota and insulin resistance has an important clinical impact, people affected by dysbiosis having a predisposition for developing: obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cancers, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. Dysbiosis may lead through chronic inflammation to obesity and metabolic syndrome. We carried out a systematic review of the studies dedicated to the role of gut microbiota in weight gain and obesity. A systematic literature search of recent data published in electronic databases, was performed, using as search phrase: "gut microbiome and body weight and obesity". Studies that contained no data about the influence of gut microbiota changes on obesity were excluded. Western diet, antibiotic use in childhood, excessive maternal pre-pregnancy weight, Cesarean delivery, and testosterone deficiency are triggers of the alteration of microbiota and subsequently the appearance of obesity. Predominance of Firmicutes and anaerobic genera, changes in the mycobiome and viral intestinal population are implied in the etiology of obesity. Prebiotics, polyphenols, different herbs, medication (antidiabetics, calcium), physical exercise, rich fibre intake and bariatric surgery are the most important therapeutic options. Personalized dietary treatments, antiviral agents and mycobiome manipulation would represent the new target in treating obesity. Any change of the quantitative and qualitative composition of microbiota has influence on the components of metabolic syndrome, so any management strategy for the treatment or prevention of obesity in children and adulthood should have the microbiome as target.

Published
2018

11. Is C-section a risk factor for early onset irritable bowel syndrome?

Author

Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, Erisa Grabocka, and Adelina Nicoleta Galica

Subjects
General Medicine
Abstract

Background and aim. There are controversial data in literature regarding the influence of abdominal and pelvic surgery on the onset of gastrointestinal symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess whether women who had a C-section (cesarean section) are more likely to develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) early after delivery than those who have given birth naturally. Method. A cross-sectional study investigated women who had undergone C-section and were compared with a control group of women who had natural delivery. Data were obtained from Maternity Ward of Korce Hospital, in Albania. We conducted a telephone interview based on a questionnaire containing items to diagnose IBS based on the Rome IV criteria. The interviews were conducted 9 to 12 months after delivery. Results. The prevalence of IBS in both groups taken together 4.6%. In the C-section group, prevalence of IBS was 4.3%, while in the control group it was 5.2%. All the patients with IBS had subtype with predominance of constipation. The RR 0.814 (CI 95%, 0.1423-4.66) does not confirm the hypothesis that C- section may induce early onset of IBS more often than natural birth. Conclusion. The prevalence of IBS was (4.6%), within the known range of the Rome Foundation Global Study. Delivery by C-section does not have a role in developing IBS symptoms more than delivery by natural way in this group of Albanian women.

Published
2022
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12. Etrolizumab versus infliximab for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (GARDENIA): a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, phase 3 study

Author

Silvio Danese, Jean-Frederic Colombel, Milan Lukas, Javier P Gisbert, Geert D'Haens, Bu'hussain Hayee, Remo Panaccione, Hyun-Soo Kim, Walter Reinisch, Helen Tyrrell, Young S Oh, Swati Tole, Akiko Chai, Kirsten Chamberlain-James, Meina Tao Tang, Stefan Schreiber, Nazimuddin Aboo, Tariq Ahmad, Xavier Aldeguer Mante, Matthieu Allez, Sven Almer, Romain Altwegg, Montserrat Andreu Garcia, Ramesh Arasaradnam, Sandro Ardizzone, Alessandro Armuzzi, Ian Arnott, Guy Aumais, Irit Avni-Biron, Peter Barrow, Ian Beales, Fernando Bermejo San Jose, Abraham Bezuidenhout, Livia Biancone, Michael Blaeker, Stuart Bloom, Bernd Bokemeyer, Fabrizio Bossa, Peter Bossuyt, Guillaume Bouguen, Yoram Bouhnik, Gerd Bouma, Raymond Bourdages, Arnaud Bourreille, Christian Boustiere, Tomas Brabec, Stephan Brand, Carsten Buening, Anthony Buisson, Guillaume Cadiot, Xavier Calvet Calvo, Franck Carbonnel, Daniel Carpio, Jae Hee Cheon, Naoki Chiba, Camelia Chioncel, Nicoleta-Claudia Cimpoeru, Martin Clodi, Gino Roberto Corazza, Rocco Cosintino, Jose Cotter, Thomas Creed, Fraser Cummings, Gian Luigi de' Angelis, Marc De Maeyer, Milind Desai, Etienne Desilets, Pierre Desreumaux, Olivier Dewit, Johanna Dinter, Ecaterina Daniela Dobru, Tomas Douda, Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, Matthias Ebert, Ana Echarri Piudo, Magdy Elkhashab, Chang Soo Eun, Brian Feagan, Roland Fejes, Catarina Fidalgo, Sigal Fishman, Bernard Flourié, Sharyle Fowler, Walter Fries, Csaba Fulop, Mathurin Fumery, Gyula G Kiss, Sonja Gassner, Daniel Gaya, Bastianello Germanà, Liliana Simona Gheorghe, Cyrielle Gilletta de Saint Joseph, Paolo Gionchetti, Adrian-Eugen Goldis, Raquel Gonçalves, Jean-Charles Grimaud, Tibor Gyökeres, Herve Hagege, Andrei Haidar, Heinz Hartmann, Peter Hasselblatt, Buhussain Hayee, Xavier Hebuterne, Per Hellström, Pieter Hindryckx, Helena Hlavova, Frank Hoentjen, Stefanie Howaldt, Ludek Hrdlicka, Kyu Chan Huh, Maria Isabel Iborra Colomino, Florentina Ionita-Radu, Peter Irving, Jørgen Jahnsen, ByungIk Jang, Jeroen Jansen, Seong Woo Jeon, Rodrigo Jover Martinez, Pascal Juillerat, Per Karlén, Arthur Kaser, Radan Keil, Deepak Kejariwal, Dan Keret, Reena Khanna, Dongwoo Kim, Duk Hwan Kim, Hyo-Jong Kim, Joo Sung Kim, Kueongok Kim, Kyung-Jo Kim, Sung Kook Kim, Young-Ho Kim, Jochen Klaus, Anna Kohn, Vladimir Kojecky, Ja Seol Koo, Robert Kozak, Milan Kremer, Tunde Kristof, Frederik Kruger, David Laharie, Adi Lahat-zok, Evgeny Landa, Jonghun Lee, Kang-Moon Lee, Kook Lae Lee, YooJin Lee, Frank Lenze, Wee Chian Lim, Jimmy Limdi, James Lindsay, Pilar Lopez Serrano, Edouard Louis, Stefan Lueth, Giovanni Maconi, Fazia Mana, Steven Mann, John Mansfield, Santino Marchi, Marco Marino, John Marshall, Maria Dolores Martin Arranz, Radu-Bogdan Mateescu, John McLaughlin, Simon McLaughlin, Ehud Melzer, Jessica Mertens, Paul Mitrut, Tamas Molnar, Vinciane Muls, Pushpakaran Munuswamy, Charles Murray, Timna Naftali, Visvakuren Naidoo, Yusuf Nanabhay, Lucian Negreanu, Augustin Nguyen, Thomas Ochsenkuehn, Ambrogio Orlando, Julian Panes Diaz, Maya Paritsky, Dong Il Park, Jihye Park, Luca Pastorelli, Markus Peck-Radosavljevic, Farhad Peerani, Javier Perez Gisbert, Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet, Laurence Picon, Marieke Pierik, Terry Ponich, Francisco Portela, Maartens Jeroen Prins, Istvan Racz, Khan Fareed Rahman, Jean-Marie Reimund, Max Reinshagen, Xavier Roblin, Rodolfo Rocca, Francesca Rogai, Gerhard Rogler, Agnes Salamon, Ennaliza Salazar, Zoltan Sallo, Sunil Samuel, Miquel de los Santos Sans Cuffi, Edoardo Vincenzo Savarino, Vincenzo Savarino, Guillaume Savoye, Andrada Seicean, Christian Selinger, David Martins Serra, Hang Hock Shim, SungJae Shin, Britta Siegmund, Jesse Siffledeen, Wayne Simmonds, Jan Smid, Jose Sollano, Geun Am Song, Alexander Speight, Ioan Sporea, Dirk Staessen, George Stancu, Alan Steel, David Stepek, Victor Stoica, Andreas Sturm, Gyorgy Szekely, Teck Kiang Tan, Carlos Taxonera Samso, John Thomson, Michal Tichy, Gabor Tamas Toth, Zsolt Tulassay, Marcello Vangeli, Marta Varga, Ana Vieira, Stephanie Viennot, Erica Villa, Petr Vitek, Harald Vogelsang, Petr Vyhnalek, Peter Wahab, Jens Walldorf, Byong Duk Ye, Christopher Ziady, Danese S., Colombel J.-F., Lukas M., Gisbert J.P., D'Haens G., Hayee B., Panaccione R., Kim H.-S., Reinisch W., Tyrrell H., Oh Y.S., Tole S., Chai A., Chamberlain-James K., Tang M.T., Schreiber S., Aboo N., Ahmad T., Aldeguer Mante X., Allez M., Almer S., Altwegg R., Andreu Garcia M., Arasaradnam R., Ardizzone S., Armuzzi A., Arnott I., Aumais G., Avni-Biron I., Barrow P., Beales I., Bermejo San Jose F., Bezuidenhout A., Biancone L., Blaeker M., Bloom S., Bokemeyer B., Bossa F., Bossuyt P., Bouguen G., Bouhnik Y., Bouma G., Bourdages R., Bourreille A., Boustiere C., Brabec T., Brand S., Buening C., Buisson A., Cadiot G., Calvet Calvo X., Carbonnel F., Carpio D., Cheon J.H., Chiba N., Chioncel C., Cimpoeru N.-C., Clodi M., Corazza G.R., Cosintino R., Cotter J., Creed T., Cummings F., de' Angelis G.L., De Maeyer M., Desai M., Desilets E., Desreumaux P., Dewit O., Dinter J., Dobru E.D., Douda T., Dumitrascu D.L., Ebert M., Echarri Piudo A., Elkhashab M., Eun C.S., Feagan B., Fejes R., Fidalgo C., Fishman S., Flourie B., Fowler S., Fries W., Fulop C., Fumery M., G Kiss G., Gassner S., Gaya D., Germana B., Gheorghe L.S., Gilletta de Saint Joseph C., Gionchetti P., Goldis A.-E., Goncalves R., Grimaud J.-C., Gyokeres T., Hagege H., Haidar A., Hartmann H., Hasselblatt P., Hebuterne X., Hellstrom P., Hindryckx P., Hlavova H., Hoentjen F., Howaldt S., Hrdlicka L., Huh K.C., Iborra Colomino M.I., Ionita-Radu F., Irving P., Jahnsen J., Jang B., Jansen J., Jeon S.W., Jover Martinez R., Juillerat P., Karlen P., Kaser A., Keil R., Kejariwal D., Keret D., Khanna R., Kim D., Kim D.H., Kim H.-J., Kim J.S., Kim K., Kim K.-J., Kim S.K., Kim Y.-H., Klaus J., Kohn A., Kojecky V., Koo J.S., Kozak R., Kremer M., Kristof T., Kruger F., Laharie D., Lahat-zok A., Landa E., Lee J., Lee K.-M., Lee K.L., Lee Y., Lenze F., Lim W.C., Limdi J., Lindsay J., Lopez Serrano P., Louis E., Lueth S., Maconi G., Mana F., Mann S., Mansfield J., Marchi S., Marino M., Marshall J., Martin Arranz M.D., Mateescu R.-B., McLaughlin J., McLaughlin S., Melzer E., Mertens J., Mitrut P., Molnar T., Muls V., Munuswamy P., Murray C., Naftali T., Naidoo V., Nanabhay Y., Negreanu L., Nguyen A., Ochsenkuehn T., Orlando A., Panes Diaz J., Paritsky M., Park D.I., Park J., Pastorelli L., Peck-Radosavljevic M., Peerani F., Perez Gisbert J., Peyrin-Biroulet L., Picon L., Pierik M., Ponich T., Portela F., Prins M.J., Racz I., Rahman K.F., Reimund J.-M., Reinshagen M., Roblin X., Rocca R., Rogai F., Rogler G., Salamon A., Salazar E., Sallo Z., Samuel S., Sans Cuffi M.D.L.S., Savarino E.V., Savarino V., Savoye G., Seicean A., Selinger C., Serra D.M., Shim H.H., Shin S., Siegmund B., Siffledeen J., Simmonds W., Smid J., Sollano J., Song G.A., Speight A., Sporea I., Staessen D., Stancu G., Steel A., Stepek D., Stoica V., Sturm A., Szekely G., Tan T.K., Taxonera Samso C., Thomson J., Tichy M., Toth G.T., Tulassay Z., Vangeli M., Varga M., Vieira A., Viennot S., Villa E., Vitek P., Vogelsang H., Vyhnalek P., Wahab P., Walldorf J., Ye B.D., and Ziady C.

Subjects
Adult, Male, medicine.medical_specialty, Adolescent, Population, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized, Injections, Subcutaneou, Placebo, Severity of Illness Index, Gastroenterology, Young Adult, Double-Blind Method, Internal medicine, Gastrointestinal Agent, Clinical endpoint, medicine, education, Adverse effect, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, education.field_of_study, Hepatology, business.industry, Middle Aged, medicine.disease, Ulcerative colitis, Infliximab, Treatment Outcome, Etrolizumab, Concomitant, Colitis, Ulcerative, Female, business, Inflammatory diseases Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences [Radboudumc 5], Human, medicine.drug
Abstract

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.

Published
2022
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13. Icosapent Ethyl Reduces Ischemic Events in Patients With a History of Previous Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: REDUCE-IT CABG

Author

Subodh Verma, Deepak L. Bhatt, Ph. Gabriel Steg, Michael Miller, Eliot A. Brinton, Terry A. Jacobson, Nitish K. Dhingra, Steven B. Ketchum, Rebecca A. Juliano, Lixia Jiao, Ralph T. Doyle, Craig Granowitz, C. Michael Gibson, Duane Pinto, Robert P. Giugliano, Matthew J. Budoff, R. Preston Mason, Jean-Claude Tardif, Christie M. Ballantyne, Fabrice M.A.C. Martens, Astrid Schut, Brian Olshansky, Mina Chung, Al Hallstrom, Lesly Pearce, Cyrus Mehta, Rajat Mukherjee, Anjan K. Chakrabarti, Eli V. Gelfand, Megan Carroll Leary, Duane S. Pinto, Yuri B. Pride, Steven Ketchum, Ramakrishna Bhavanthula, Gertrude Chester, Christina Copland, Katelyn Diffin, Ralph Doyle, Kurt Erz, Alex Giaquinto, Paula Glanton, Angela Granger, Richard H. Iroudayassamy, Rebecca Juliano, James Jin, Dimitry Klevak, Hardik Panchal, Robert Wang, Shin-Ru Wang, Gerard Abate, Peggy J. Berry, Rene Braeckman, Declan Doogan, Anne Elson, Amy HauptmannBaker, Isabel Lamela, Catherine Lubeck, Mehar Manku, Sabina Murphy, Monica Sanford, William Stirtan, Paresh Soni, Arnaud Bastien, Demetria Foster, Evangelito Gascon, Judith Johnson, Lasbert Latona, Gang Liu, Sandra Palleja, Nelly Sanjuan, Jimmy Shi, William Stager, Mukund Venkatakrishnan, Ahmed Youssef-Agha, Julie Zhu, Leela Aertker, Suresh Ankolekar, Lisa Goldberg, Natasa Rajicic, Jianfen Shu, Heng Zou, Magdy Mikhail, Gamil Dawood, N. Mathew Koshy, Sandip K. Mukherjee, Rafik Abadier, Andrea L. Lawless, William P. McGuinn, Howard Weintraub, Kathryn Rohr, Edmund Claxton, Robert J. Weiss, Terry D. Klein, Mani Nallasivan, Stephen Crowley, Marilyn King, Anthony D. Alfieri, David Fitz-Patrick, Irving Loh, Nolan J. Mayer, Rakesh Prashad, Samuel Lederman, Debra Weinstein, Harold E. Bays, Keith Chu, Alireza Maghsoudi, Paul D. Thompson, Jeff Carstens, Anna Chang, Kenneth R. Cohen, Julius Dean, Howard S. Ellison, Bernard Erickson, Enrique A. Flores, Daniel W. Gottlieb, Paul Grena, John R. Guyton, Peter H. Jones, John M. Joseph, Norman E. Lepor, Sam Lerman, Robert D. Matheney, Theodore R. Pacheco, Michael B. Russo, John Rubino, Edward S. Pereira, Albert A. Seals, Eduardo Viera, Alan D. Steljes, Jason Thompson, Shaival Kapadia, Michael McIvor, Jorge E. Salazar, Jose O. Santiago, Ralph Vicari, Martin R. Berk, William A. Kaye, Marcus McKenzie, David Podlecki, Brian D. Snyder, Stephen Nash, David M. Herrington, Wallace Johnson, Joseph R. Lee, Ronald Blonder, Alpa M. Patel, Ramon Castello, Susan Greco, Dean J. Kereiakes, Venkatesh K. Nadar, Mark Nathan, Ranganatha P. Potu, Robert Sangrigoli, Richard Smalling, Mitchell Davis, Robert Braastad, James McCriskin, Kunal Bodiwala, Joe L. Hargrove, Mark W. Graves, George Emlein, Raegan W. Durant, James W. Clower, Rohit Arora, Narendra Singh, Lisa Warsinger Martin, W Herbert Haught, Marc P. Litt, Michael D. Klein, Peter Hoagland, Michael Goldstein, Marco S. Mazzella, Daniel H. Dunker, Brian H. Kahn, Carlos S. Ince, Frank A. McGrew, Jay Lee, David Pan, Salman A. Khan, Uri Elkayam, Wasim Deeb, Anne C. Goldberg, Christopher S. Brown, Wayne N. Leimbach, Thomas S. Backer, David R. Sutton, Joel Gellman, Anu R. George, Alan S. Hoffman, Mark Kates, Kishlay Anand, Robert Bear, Brendan J. Cavanaugh, Ramon G. Reyes, Rodolfo Sotolongo, Kenneth Sabatino, Kevin Gallagher, Ehab Sorial, Chris Geohas, Kathleen E. Magness, Bernard P. Grunstra, Frederik A. Martin, William S. Knapp, Mel E. Lucas, John J. Champlin, Jason Demattia, Patrick H. Peters, Judith Kirstein, William J. Randall, Cezar S. Staniloae, Jennifer G. Robinson, Alexander Adler, Christopher Case, Andrew J. Kaplan, Gregory F. Lakin, Krishan K. Goyle, Michael J. DiGiovanna, Chester L. Fisher, Michael Lillestol, Michael Robinson, Robert G. Perry, Lawrence S. Levinson, Brian G. Everhart, Robert D. Madder, Earl F. Martin, Earl E. Martin, Imtiaz Alam, Jose Mari L. Elacion, Robina Poonawala, Taddese T. Desta, Jerome A. Robinson, Gilbert J. Martinez, Jakkidi S. Reddy, Jeffrey D. Wayne, Samuel Mujica Trenche, Westbrook I. Kaplan, Rubin H. Saavedra, Michael D. DiGregorio, Barry D. Bertolet, Neil J. Fraser, Terence T. Hart, Ronald J. Graf, David A. Jasper, Michael Dunn, Dan A. Streja, David J. Strobl, Nan Jiang, Vicki Kalen, Richard Mascolo, Mercedes B. Samson, Michael Stephens, Bret M. Bellard, Mario Juarez, Patrick J. McCarthy, John B. Checton, Michael Stillabower, Edward Goldenberg, Amin H. Karim, Naseem Jaffrani, Robert C. Touchon, Erich R. Fruehling, Clayton J. Friesen, Pradipta Chaudhuri, Frank H. Morris, Robert E. Broker, Rajesh J. Patel, Susan Hole, Randall P. Miller, Francisco G. Miranda, Sadia Dar, Shawn N. Gentry, Paul Hermany, Charles B. Treasure, Miguel E. Trevino, Raimundo Acosta, Anthony Japour, Samuel J. Durr, Thomas Wang, Om P. Ganda, Perry Krichmar, James L. Arter, Douglas Jacoby, Michael A. Schwartz, Amer Al-Karadsheh, Nelson E. Gencheff, John A. Pasquini, Richard Dunbar, Sarah Kohnstamm, Hector F. Lozano, Francine K. Welty, Thomas L. Pitts, Brian Zehnder, Salah El Hafi, Mark A. King, Arnold Ghitis, Marwan M. Bahu, Hooman Ranjbaran Jahromi, Ronald P. Caputo, Robert S. Busch, Michael D. Shapiro, Suhail Zavaro, Munib Daudjee, Shahram Jacobs, Vipul B. Shah, Frank Rubalcava, Mohsin T. Alhaddad, Henry Lui, Raj T. Rajan, Fadi E. Saba, Mahendra Pai N Gunapooti, Tshiswaka B. Kayembe, Timothy Jennings, Robert A. Strzinek, Michael H. Shanik, Pradeep K. Singh, Alastair C. Kennedy, Howard Rubenstein, Ramin Manshadi, Joanne Ladner, Lily Kakish, Ashley Kakish, Amy L. Little, Jaime Gerber, Nancy J. Hinchion, Janet Guarino, Denise Raychok, Susan Budzinski, Kathleen Kelley-Garvin, April Beckord, Jessica Schlinder, Arthur Schwartzbard, Stanley Cobos, Deborah Freeman, David Abisalih, Dervilla McCann, Kylie Guy, Jennifer Chase, Stacey Samuelson, Madeline Cassidy, Marissa Tardif, Jaime Smith, Brenna Sprout, Nanette Riedeman, Julie Goza, Lori Johnson, Chad Kraske, Sheila Hastings, Chris Dutka, Stephanie Smith, Toni McCabe, Kathleen Maloney, Paul Alfieri, Vinay Hosemane, Chanhsamone Syravanh, Cindy Pau, April Limcoiloc, Tabitha Carreira, Taryn S. Kurosawa, Razmig Krumian, Krista Preston, Ashraf Nashed, Daria Schneidman-Fernandez, Jack Patterson, John Tsakonas, Jennifer Esaki, Lynn Sprafka, Porous Patel, Brian Mitchell, Erin M. Ross, Donna Miller, Akash Prashad, Kristina M. Feyler, Natasha Juarbe, Sandra Herrera, Sarah M. Keiran, Becky Whitehead, Whitney Asher, Coury Hobbs, Abbey Elie, Jean Brooks, Amanda L. Zaleski, Brenda Foxen, Barb Lapke, Philippa Wright, Bristol Pavol, Gwen Carangi, Marla Turner, Katharine W. Sanders, Rikita S. Delamar, Virginia L. Wilson, Sarah M. Harvel, Alison M. Cartledge, Kaitlyn R. Bailey, Kathleen Mahon, Timothy Schuchard, Jen Humbert, Mark C. Hanson, Michael P. Cecil, James S. Abraham, Lorie Benedict, Claudia Slayton, Curtis S. Burnett, Rachel W. Ono-Lim, Sharon Budzinski, Shubi A. Khan, Sharon Goss, Terry Techmanski, Farida Valliani, Rimla Joseph, Edith Flores, Laurn Contreras, Ana Aguillon, Carrie-Ann Silvia, Maria Martin, Edmund K. Kerut, Leslie W. Levenson, Louis B. Glade, Brian J. Cospolich, Maureen W. Stein, Stephen P. LaGuardia, Thelma L. Sonza, Tracy M. Fife, Melissa Forschler, Jasmyne Watts, Judy Fritsch, Emese Futchko, Sarah Utech, Scott B. Baker, Miguel F. Roura, Scott A. Segel, James S. Magee, Cathy Jackson, Rebecca F. Goldfaden, Liudmila Quas, Elizabeth C. Ortiz, Michael Simpson, Robert Foster, Christopher Brian, James Trimm, Michael Bailey, Brian Snoddy, Van Reeder, Rachel Wilkinson, Harold Settle, Cynthia Massey, Angela Maiola, Michele Hall, Shelly Hall, Wanda Hall, Mark Xenakis, Janet Barrett, Giovanni Campanile, David Anthou, Susan F. Neill, Steven Karas, Enrique Polanco, Norberto Schechtman, Grace Tischner, Kay Warren, Cynthia St Cyr, Menna Kuczinski, Latrina Alexander, Maricruz Ibarra, Barry S. Horowitz, Jaime Steinsapir, Jeanette Mangual-Coughlin, Brittany Mooney, Precilia Vasquez, Kathleen Rodkey, Alexandria Biberstein, Christine Ignacio, Irina Robinson, Marcia Hibberd, Lisa B. Hoffman, Daniel J. Murak, Raghupathy Varavenkataraman, Theresa M. Ohlson Elliott, Linda A. Cunningham, Heather L. Palmerton, Sheri Poole, Jeannine Moore, Helene Wallace, Ted Chandler, Robert Riley, Farah Dawood, Amir Azeem, Michael Cammarata, Ashleigh Owen, Shivani Aggarwal, Waqas Qureshi, Mohamed Almahmoud, Abdullahi Oseni, Adam Leigh, Erin Barnes, Adam Pflum, Amer Aladin, Karen Blinson, Vickie Wayne, Lynda Doomy, Michele Wall, Valerie Bitterman, Cindi Young, Rachel Grice, Lioubov Poliakova, Jorge Davalos, David Rosenbaum, Mark Boulware, Heather Mazzola, J. Russell Strader, Russell Linsky, David Schwartz, Elizabeth Graf, Alicia Gneiting, Melissa Palmblad, Ashley Donlin, Emily Ensminger, Hillary Garcia, Dawn Robinson, Carolyn Tran, Jeffrey Jacqmein, Darlene Bartilucci, Michael Koren, Barbara Maluchnik, Melissa Parks, Jennifer Miller, Cynthia DeFosse, Albert B. Knouse, Amy Delancey, Stephanie Chin, Thomas Stephens, Mag Sohal, Juana Ingram, Swarooparani Kumar, Heather Foley, Nina Smith, Vera McKinney, Linda Schwarz, Judith Moore, Hildreth Vernon Anderson, Stefano Sdringola-Maranga, Ali Denktas, Elizabeth Turrentine, Rhonda Patterson, John Marshall, Terri Tolar, Donna Patrick, Pamela Schwartzkopf, Anthony M. Fletcher, Frances R. Harris, Sherry Clements, Tiffany Brown, William Smith, Stacey J. Baehl, Robin Fluty, Daniel VanHamersveld, Dennis Breen, Nancy Bender, Beverly Stafford, Tamika Washington, Margaret N. Pike, Mark A. Stich, Evyan Jawad, Amin Nadeem, Jill Nyland, Rhonda Hamer, Kendra Calhoun, Charlotte Mall, Samuel Cadogan, Kati Raynes, Richard Katz, Lorraine Marshall, Rashida Abbas, Jay L. Dinerman, John T. Hartley, Beth Lamb, Lisa Eskridge, Donna Raymond, Kristy Clemmer, Denise M. Fine, Paula Beardsley, Janet Werner, Bette Mahan, Courtney VanTol, Robert Herman, Christine Raiser-Vignola, Felicia McShan, Stefanie A. Neill, David R. Blick, Michael J. Liston, Denetta K. Nelson, Sandra K. Dorrell, Patricia Wyman, Ambereen Quraishi, Fernando Ferro, Frank Morris, Vicki J. Coombs, Autumn M. Mains, Austin A. Campbell, Jeanne Phelps, Cheryl A. Geary, Ellen G. Sheridan, Jean M. Downing, Arie Swatkowski, Tish Redden, Brian Dragutsky, Susan Thomas, Candace Mitchell, Diana Barker, Elanie Turcotte, Deborah Segerson, Jill Guy, Karena De La Mora, Jennifer Hong, Dennis Do, Rose Norris, Faisal Khan, Hector Montero, Stacy Kelly-White, Alan Cleland, Rosalyn Alcalde-Crawford, Melissa Morgan, Brijmohan Sarabu, Megan Minor, Shweta Kamat, Stephanie M. Estes, Nancee Harless, Alicia Disney, Jodi L. Pagano, Chad M. Alford, Noel W. Bedwell, Warren D. Hardy, Kevin DeAndrade, Jessica G. Elmore, Eric Auerbach, Anthony W. Haney, Miriam H. Brooks, Jose Torres, Lois Roper, Terry Backer, Katie Backer, John G. Evans, Ricardo A. Silva, Lorraine H. Dajani, Veronica Yousif, Tammy Ross, Sion K. Roy, Ronald Oudiz, Sajad Hamal, Ferdinand Flores, Amor Leahy, Debra Ayer, Swapna George, Chrisi Carine Stewart, Elvira Orellana, Cristina Boccalandro, Mary Rangel, Suzanne Hennings, Carl Vanselow, Teri Victor, Darlene Birdwell, Paul Haas, Anthony Sandoval, Gina Ciavarella, Caroline Saglam, Amy Bird, Keith Beck, Brian Poliquin, David Dominguez, Brittany Tenorio, Harvonya Perkins, Esther San Roman, Paris Bransford, Christy Lowrance, Marcy Broussard, Mary Ellis, Bobbi Skiles, Jessica Hamilton, Kathryn Hall, Diego Olvera, Julee A. Hartwell, Nevien Sorial, Mary Rickman, Kevin Berman, Nirav Mehta, Annie Laborin, Rodger Rothenberger, Sarah Beauvilliers, Kathy Morrell, Michael P. Schachter, Cindy L. Perkins, Elizabeth A. Gordon, Jennifer Lauer, Kim Bichsel, Kelly Oliver, Leslie J. Mellor, Candice Demattia, Jennifer Schomburg, Yenniffer Moreno, Eduardo Mansur-Garza, Lena Rippstein, Lorie Chacon, Andrea Pena, Michelle King, Susan Richardson, Annette Jessop, Nicole Tucker, Whitney Royer, Gilbert Templeton, Ann Moell, Christine Weller, Melissa J. Botts, Gretel Hollon, Elsa Homberg-Pinassi, Paula Forest, Aref Bin Abhulhak, Devona Chun-Furlong, Deborah Harrington, Emily Harlynn, Marjorie Schmitt, Constance Shelsky, Patricia Feldick, Mary Cherrico, Courtney Jagle, Nicholas Warnecke, Debra Myer, Deanna J. Ruder, Albina Underwood, Alan Rauba, George Carr, Barbara Oberhaus, Jessica Vanderfeltz, Mary Jo Stucky-Heil, Dale R. Gibson, Vonnie Fuentes, Kimberly L. Talbot, William C. Simon, Katlyn J. Grimes, Christina R. Wheeler, Cassaundra Shultz, Rhonda A. Metcalf, Jennifer L. Hill, Michelle R. Oliver, Basharat Ahmad, Fouzal Azeem, Abdul Rahim, George H. Freeman, Dawn Bloch, Heather Freeman, Jamie Brown, Sarah Rosbach, Pamela Melander, Nick Taralson, Alex Liu, Katlyn Harms, Mahfouz Michale, Jose Lopez, Maria Revoredo, Shari Edevane, Sarah Shawley, Timothy L. Jackson, Michael J. Oliver, Dina DeSalle, Patricia J. Matlock, Ionna M. Beraun, Heather Hendrix, Garrett Bromley, Ashley Niemerski, Gabby Teran, Sonia Guerrero, Murtaza Marvi, Zehra Palanpurwala, Andrea Torres, Patty Gloyd, Michelle Conger, Aziz Laurent, Olia Nayor, Catalina S. Villanueva, Munira Khambati, Tabetha J. Mumford, Melanie J. Castillo, Taddese Desta, Jerome Robinson, La Shawn Woods, Anita Bahri, Nancy Herrera, Cecilia Casaclang, Jeffrey R. Unger, Geraldine Martinez, Mia K. Moon, Stephen M. Mohaupt, Larry Sandoval, Louisito Valenzuela, Victora Ramirez, Nelly Mata, Veronica Avila, Marisol Patino, Cynthia Montano-Pereira, Omar Barnett, William M. Webster, Lorraine M. Christensen, Leighna Bofman, Melanie Livingston, Stacey Adams, Joseph Hobbs, Leesa Koskela, Mia Katz, Samuel Mujica-Trenche, Franklin Cala, Noreen T. Rana, Jennifer Scarlett, Milagros Cala Anaya, Marsha R. Jones, Kelly D. Hollis, Debbie Roth, Kristin Eads, Tina Watts, Judy Perkins, Alice Arnold, Daniel C. Ginsberg, Denise Quinn, Nicole Cureton, David B. Fittingoff, Mohammed I. Iqbal, Stephen R. White, Edith Sisneros, Michelle Ducca, David Streja, Danny Campos, Jennifer L. Boak, Farzeen Amir, Felice Anderson, James J. Kmetzo, Mary O. Bongarzone, Dawn Scott, Mary Grace De Leon, Cynthia Buda, William Graettinger, Michelle Alex, Erika Hess, James Govoni, Melissa Bartel, Travis L. Monchamp, Julie S. Roach, Sara Gibson, Amy M. Allfrey, Kristen Timpy, Kathy Bott, Karin A. Soucy, Jean Willis, Cecilia A. Valerio, Anusha Chunduri, Rebecca Coker, Nicole Vidrine, Ellen A. Thompson, Mark A. Studeny, Melissa K. Marcum, Tammy S. Monway, Douglas L. Kosmicki, Melissa J. Kelley, Corey M. Godfrey, Susan L. Krenk, Randy R. Holcomb, Deb K. Baehr, Mary K. Trauernicht, David Rowland Lowry, Betty Bondy Herts, Jeanne E Phelps, Jean-Marie Downing, Carol Gamer Dignon, Elisabeth S. Cockrill, Pravinchandra G. Chapla, Diane Fera, Margaret Chang, Patricia Fredette, Tamie Ashby, Renee Bergin, Zebediah A. Stearns, David B. Ware, Rachael M. Boudreaux, Joanna Rodriguez, Robert McKenzie, Amanda Huber, Rebecca Sommers, Heather Rowe, Stacy McLallen, Michale Haynes, Ashley Adamson, Janice Henderson, Lori McClure, Beverly A. Harris, Laura Ference, Sue Meissner-Dengler, Lisa Treasure, Doreen Nicely, Timothy L. Light, Tracey A. Osborn, Kimberly J. Mai, Pablo Vivas, Jose Rios, Dunia Rodriguez, Roger DeRaad, James Walder, Oscar Bailon, Denice Hockett, Debbie Anderson, Kelli McIntosh, Amber Odegard, Andrew Shepherd, Mary Seifert, Laurence Kelley, Rajendra Shetty, Michael Castine, David Brill, Gregory Fisher, Nicole Richmond, Kathleen Gray, Patricia Miller, Charlene Coneys, Yarixa Chanza, Monica Sumoza, Victoria M. Caudill, Kelly D. Harris, Courtney A. Manion, Melody J. Lineberger-Moore, Julie J. Wolfe, Barbara J. Rosen, Patricia DiVito, Janet L. Moffat, Christina Michaelis, Prashant Koshy, Diana Perea, Ghaith Al Yacoub, Stephanie Sadeghi, Thomas D. LeGalley, Rudolph F. Evonich, William J. Jean, Gary M. Friesen, John M. Pap, David A. Pesola, Mark D. Cowan, Kristofer M. Dosh, Dianna Larson, Adele M. Price, Jodi A. Nease, Jane E. Anderson, Lori A. Piggott, Robert Iwaoka, Kevin Sharkey, Edward McMillan, Laurie Lowder, Latisha Morgan, Kyle Davis, Tara Caldwell, Erica Breglio, Jasmine Summers, Rachel Poulimas, Muhammad Zahid, Hamid Syed, Maria Escobar, Jacob Levy, Rahma Warsi, Carol Ma, Puxiao Cen, Kimberly A. Cawthon, Delores B. Barnes, Deanna G. Allen, Margaret L. Warrington, Carol R. Stastny, Robin J. Michaels, Mohamad Saleh, John Sorin, Sunny Rathod, Urakay Juett, Steven Spencer, Aziza Keval, Jill McBride, Shane Young, Catherine Baxter, Carol Rasmussen, Shari L. Coxe, Luis Campos, Shahin Tavackoli, Diana Beckham, Darlynee Sanchez, Karanjit Basrai, Dorian Helms, Erica Clinton, Kasie Smith, Henry Cusnir, Mary Klaus Clark, Madhavagopal V. Cherukuri, Ameta Scarfaru, Stephen D. Nash, Loretta C. Grimm, Anna Grace, Kylie McElheran, Dino Subasic, Zedrick Buhay, Janet Litvinoff, Deepak Shah, Shannon Cervantes, Freda Usher, Farra Yasser, Theodore Trusevich, Ronnie L. Garcia, Jamison Wyatt, Rahul Bose, Holllilyn Miska, Traci Spivey, Amy B. Wren, Katie E. Vance, Lani L. Holman, Pam Gibbons, Elaine Eby, Sandra Shepard, Soratree Charoenthongtrakul, Brett Snodgrass, Mohammed Nazem, Shelly Keteenburg, Prathima Murthy, Frederic Prater, Ashley Rumfelt, Christina Eizensmits, Lisa Iannuzzi, Pourus R. Patel, Clellia Bergamino, Elizabeth McFeaters, Botros Rizk, Emiljia Pflaum, Danny Kalish, Rex Ambatali, Mona Ameli, Delaina Sanguinetti, Rakesh Vaidya, Martinus A.W. Broeders, Dorman Henrikus, Adrianus F.M. Kuijper, Nadea Al-Windy, Michael Magro, Karim Hamraoui, Ismail Aksoy, Guy L.J. Vermeiren, H.W.O. Roeters van Lennep, Gerard Hoedemaker, Johannes Jacobus Remmen, Kjell Bogaard, Dirk van der Heijden, Nicole MJ Knufman, Joost Frederiks, Johannes Willem Louwerenburg, Piet van Rossum, Johannes Milhous, Peter van der Meer, Arno van der Weerdt, Rob Breedveld, Mitran Keijzers, Walter Hermans, Ruud van de Wal, Peter A.G. Zwart, Marc M.J.M. van der Linden, Gerardus Zwiers, Dirk J. Boswijk, Jan Geert Tans, Jacob van Eck, Maarten V. Hessen, Barnabas J.B. Hamer, Stieneke Zoet-Nugteren, Lucien Theunissen, E.A. van Beek, Remco Nijmeijer, Pieter R. Nierop, Gerard Linssen, H.P. Swart, Timo Lenderink, Gerard L. Bartels, Frank den Hartog, Brian J. Berg van den, Wouter van Kempen, Susanne Kentgens, Gloria M. Rojas Lingan, Martinus M. Peeters, Hilligje Keterberg, Melchior Nierman, Annemieke K. den Hollander, Jacqueline Hoogendijk, Christine Voors-Pette, Vicdan Kose, Peter Viergever, Larysa Yena, Viktor Syvolap, Mykola P. Kopytsya, Olga Barna, Svitlana S. Panina, Mykhailo I. Lutai, Oxana V. Shershnyova, Iryna Luzkiv, Larysa S. Bula, Sergii Zotov, Ivan Vyjhovaniuk, Olena Lysunets, Volodymyr I. Koshlia, Nataliya Sydor, Myroslava F. Vayda, Olexiy Ushakov, Mykola Rishko, Viktor P. Shcherbak, Yevgeniya Svyshchenko, Vira Tseluyko, Andriy Yagensky, Viktoriia I. Zolotaikina, Olga Godlevska, Larysa Ivanova, Olena Koval, Olena I. Mitchenko, Galyna Y. Kardash, Yurii S. Rudyk, Mykola Stanislavchuk, Volodymyr Ivanovych Volkov, Olena G. Karlinskaya, Susanna A. Tykhonova, Nikolay Vatutin, Ganna Smirnova, Volodymyr M. Kovalenko, Viktor Lizogub, Denys Sebov, Oleksandr Dyadyk, Svetlana Andrievskaya, Mykola P. Krasko, Alexander N. Parkhomenko, Lidiya Horbach, Iryna G. Kupnovytska, Tetyana Pertseva, Oleksandr Karpenko, Dmytro Reshotko, Svitlana V. Zhurba, Leonid Rudenko, Viktoriia Yu Zharinova, Valerii B. Shatylo, Yuriy I. Karpenko, Mariya A. Orynchak, Tatiana R. Kameneva, Elena Zherlitsina, Diana N. Alpenidze, Grigoriy P. Arutyunov, Elena Baranova, Boris Bart, Dmitriy I. Belenkiy, Svetlana A. Boldueva, Elena A. Demchenko, Vera V. Eltishcheva, Alexander M. Gofman, Boris M. Goloshchekin, Ivan Gennadyevich Gordeev, Nikolay Gratsianskiy, Gadel Kamalov, Niyaz R. Khasanov, Irina M. Kholina, Zhanna D. Kobalava, Elena V. Kobeleva, Alexandra O. Konradi, Victor A. Kostenko, Andrey Dmitrievich Kuimov, Polina Y. Ermakova, Sofia K. Malyutina, Alexey V. Panov, Natalia V. Polezhaeva, Olga Reshetko, Nataliya P. Shilkina, Sergey B. Shustov, Elena A. Smolyarchuk, Raisa I. Stryuk, Elena Yurievnar Solovieva, Andrey V. Susekov, Natalia Vezikova, Svetlana N. Ivanova, Alexander A. Petrov, Vladimir O. Konstantinov, Alina S. Agafina, Victor Gurevich, Konstantin N. Zrazhevskiy, Tatiana V. Supryadkina, Nikita B. Perepech, Vadim L. Arkhipovskiy, Dmitry Yu Butko, Irina A. Zobenko, Olga V. Orlikova, Viktor Mordovin, Olga L. Barbarash, Anastasiya Lebedeva, Vladimir Nosov, Oleg V. Averkov, Elena P. Pavlikova, Yuri B. Karpov, Marina Lvovna Giorgadze, Oleg A. Khrustalev, Mikhail Arkhipov, Tatiana A. Raskina, Julia V. Shilko, Yulia Samoilova, Elena D. Kosmacheva, Sergey V. Nedogoda, Kathleen Coetzee, Lesley J. Burgess, F.C.R. Theron, Iftikhar O. Ebrahim, Gerbrand A. Haasbroek, Maria Pretorius, Julien S. Trokis, Dorothea V. Urbach, Mark J. Abelson, Adrian R. Horak, Aysha E. Badat, Ellen M. Makotoko, Hendrik Du Toit Theron, Padaruth Ramlachan, Clive H. Corbett, Ismail H. Mitha, Hendrik F.M. Nortje, Dirkie J. Jansen van Rensburg, Peter J. Sebastian, F.C.J. Bester, Louis J. van Zyl, Brian L. Rayner, Elżbieta Błach, Magda Dąbrowska, Grzegorz Kania, Agata E. Kelm-Warchol, Leszek P. Kinasz, Janusz Korecki, Mariusz Kruk, Ewa Laskowska-Derlaga, Andrzej Madej, Krzysztof Saminski, Katarzyna Wasilewska, Katarzyna Szymkowiak, Małgorzata Wojciechowska, Natalia Piorowska, Andrzej Dyczek, Rajpal K. Abhaichand, Ramesh B. Byrapaneni, Basavanagowdappa Hattur, Malipeddi Bhaskara Rao, Nitin Ghaisas, Sujit Shankar Kadam, Jugal B. Gupta, Santhosh M. Jayadev, V.A. Kothiwale, Atul Mathur, Vijay Bhaskar, Ravi K. Aluri, Udaya P. Ponangi, Mukesh K. Sarna, Sunil Sathe, Manish K. Sharma, Jilendra Pal Singh Sawhney, Chakrabhavi B. Keshavamurthy, Arun Srinivas, Hemant P. Thacker, A. Sharda, Johny Joseph, Sunil Dwivedi, Viswanathan Mohan, Rajendra K. Premchand, Jacques Bedard, Jean Bergeron, Ronald Collette, David Crowley, Richard Dumas, Sam Henein, Geoff Moran, William F. O’Mahony, Michael O’Mahony, Sammy Chan, Mark H. Sherman, Graham C. Wong, Brian D. Carlson, Milan K. Gupta, David Borts, Sean R. Peterson, Martyn Chilvers, Allan J. Kelly, Jean C. Gregoire, Simon Kouz, Josep Rodés Cabau, Minodora Andor, Mircea Cinteza, Radu Ciudin, Radu I. Cojan, Roxana O. Darabont, Dan-Lucian Dumitrascu, Carmen Fierbinteanu-Braticievici, Ana Gabriela Fruntelata, Constantin Militaru, Bogdon E. Minescu, Doina Luminita Serban, Florin Mitu, Dorel Nastase Melicovici, Ovidiu Petrascu, Octavian M. Pirvu, Cristian Podoleanu, Calin Pop, Rodica-Valentina V. Stanescu-Cioranu, Adrian Tase, Cristina Voiculet, Constantine N. Aroney, Anthony M. Dart, Timothy Davis, Karam Kostner, David N. O’Neal, Peter W. Purnell, Bhuwanendu B. Singh, David R. Sullivan, Peter Thompson, Gerald F. Watts, Adam F. Blenkhorn, John V. Amerena, Rafeeq Samie, Randall Hendriks, Joseph Proietto, Nikolai Petrovsky, Alan Whelan, David Colquhoun, Russell S. Scott, Simon C. Young, Tammy Pegg, Samuel JS Wilson, Andrew W. Hamer, Richard A. Luke, Hamish H. Hart, Gerard P. Devlin, Gerard T. Wilkins, Ian F. Ternouth, Samraj Nandra, Bruno S. Loeprich, Nicole McGrath, Stuart L. Tie, Rob J. Bos, Alexandra Wils, Tamara Jacobs, Erik A. Badings, Lillian A. Ebels-Tuinbeek, Mayke L. Scholten, Esther Bayraktar-Verver, Debby Zweers, Manoek Schiks, Carolien Kalkman, Tineke Tiemes, Jeanette Mulderij, Katarzyna Dabrowska, Wilma Wijnakker, Riny Van de Loo, Jeanne de Graauw, Giny Reijnierse, Mirjam van der Zeijst, Mariska Scholten, Henk R. Hofmeijer, Antoinette van Dijk-van der Zanden, Dineke J. van Belle, Jan Van Es, Gera Van Buchem, Wendy Zijda, Harald Verheij, Linnea Oldenhof-Janssen, Martina Bader, Marije Löwik, Sandra Stuij, Pascal Vantrimpont, Krista van Aken, Karen Hamilton, Han Blömer, Gabriela van Laerhoven, Raymond Tukkie, Maarten Janssen, Gerard Verdel, Jon Funke Küpper, Bob van Vlies, Caroline Kalkman, Joke Vooges, Marinella Vermaas, Rachel Langenberg, Niek Haenen, Frans Smeets, Arko Scheepmaker, Marcel Grosfeld, Ilvy Van Lieshout, Marleen van den Berg, Marian Wittekoek, Petra Mol, Antionette Stapel, Margaretha Sierevogel, Nancy van der Ven, Annemiek Berkelmans, Eric Viergever, Hanneke Kramer, Wilma Engelen, Karen V. Houwelingen, Thierry X. Wildbergh, Arend Mosterd, Coriet Hobé-Rap, Marjan van Doorn, Petra Bunschoten, Michel Freericks, Mireille Emans, Petra Den Boer-Penning, Els Verlek, Christine Freericks, Cornelis de Nooijer, Christina Welten, Ingrid Groenenberg, Claudia van der Horst, Esther Vonk, Geert Tjeerdsma, Gerard M. Jochemsen, Corinne van Daalen, Ingrid Y. Danse, Lucy Kuipers, Anke Pieterse, Antonius Oomen, Daan de Waard, Willem Jan Flu, Zusan Kromhout, Petra Van der Bij, Rob Feld, Brigitta Hessels-Linnemeijer, Rob Lardinois, Jan L. Posma, Zwanette R. Aukema-Wouda, Marjolijn Hendriks-van Woerden, Desiree van Wijk, Driek P. Beelen, Ingrid H. Hendriks, Jan J. Jonker, Stefanie Schipperen, Vicdan Köse, Gloria Rojas, Linda Goedhart, Hanneke van Meurs, Jacqueline Rijssemus, Lindy Swinkels-Diepenmaat, Marloes de Louw-Jansen, Dominique Bierens-Peters, Willem W. van Kempen, Marianne E. Wittekoek, Irmaina Agous, Geert Schenk, Janneke Wittekoek, Kevin Cox, Deborah F. Julia, Jan J.C. Jonker, Roel Janssen, Melchor Nierman, Hilligje Katerberg, Irene van der Haar, Willem W. Van Kempen, Taco van Mesdag, Leyda M. Alvarez Costa, Manon Schensema, Salomé Zweekhorst, Deborah Font Julia, Lauri Hanewinckel, Joyce Olsthoorn, Johan C. Berends, Arie C. van der Spek, Roy van der Berg, Rob J. Timmermann, Ingrid Boerema, Iryna Mudruk, Anna Khrystoforova, Serhii Kyselov, Yaroslava V. Hilova, Pavlo Logoida, Nataliia A. Sanina, Ilona P. Golikova, Olena O. Nemchyna, Ivan I. Isaichikov, Olga B. Potapova, Iurii V. Gura, Larysa Berestetska, Olena O. Kulianda, Oleksandr Tantsura, Oleksandr S. Kulbachuk, Volodymyr Petsentiy, Ihor Biskub, Tetyana Handych, Oleg Lagkuti, Alyna Gagarina, Taras Chendey, Oksana F. Bilonko, Olena Matova, Larysa Bezrodna, Olena Yarynkina, Tetiana Ovdiienko, Volodymyr Randchenko, Maryna Mospan, Olena Butko, Olga Romanenko, Mykhailo Pavelko, Iryna Sichkaruk, Svitlana O. Lazareva, Olena A. Kudryk, Inessa M. Koltsun, Tetiana Magdalits, Sergei Zadorozhniy, Kira Kompaniiets, Andrii Ivanov, Sergiy Romanenko, Pavlo Kaplan, Vadym Y. Romanov, Oksana P. Mykytyuk, Nataliia S. Zaitseva, Sergiy N. Pyvovar, Lyudmyla Burdeuna, Emerita Serdobinska, Tatiana I. Shevchenko, Igor I. Ivanytskyi, Olena V. Khyzhnyak, Nataliya Kalinkina, Olena Keting, Olena Sklyanna, Olga Kashanska, Anna Shevelok, Marina Khristichenko, Ievgenii Y. Titov, Danilenko O. Oleksander, Nataliia S. Polenova, Nataliia Altunina, Viktoriia Kororaieva, Stanislav Zborovskiy, Leonid Kholopov, Iurii Suliman, Lanna Lukashenko, Stanislav Shvaykin, Olexandr M. Glavatskiy, Roman O. Sychov, Roman L. Kulynych, Oleksandr A. Skarzhevskyi, Nataliia V. Dovgan, Marta Horbach, Olga Cherkasova, Iryna Tyshchenko, Liudmyla Todoriuk, Svitlana Kizim, Nataliia Brodi, Oleksandr Ivanko, Olga Garbarchuk, Liudmyla Alieksieieva, Tetiana L. Shandra, Olena Beregova, Larisa An Bodretska, Svitlana S. Naskalova, Ivanna A. Antoniuk-Shcheglova, Olena V. Bondarenko, Natalia G. Andreeva, Iryna I. Vakalyuk, Olha S. Chovganyuk, Nataliya R. Artemenko, Kiril A. Maltsev, Natalia Kalishevich, Natalia G. Kondratyeva, Svetlana A. Nikitina, Maria V. Martjanova, Anna V. Sokolova, Dmitrii O. Dragunov, Olga Kolesnik, Vera Larina, Oxana V. Tsygankova, Maria Ivanova, Illia A. Karpov, Elena M. Aronova, Ekaterina S. Vedernikova, Ekaterina I. Lubinskaya, Taras Y. Burak, Sergey I. Skichko, Farhad Rasulev, Ekaterina B. Soldatova, Alexander L. Fenin, Ilya I. Laptev, Elena E. Luchinkina, Alexandr Akatov, Natalia V. Polenova, Natalia N. Slavina, Irina N. Korovnika, Marina Yu Prochorova, Regina Shakirova, Elena N. Andreicheva, Olga A. Krasnova, Tinatin V. Lobzhanidze, Tatiana B. Dmitrova, Viktoriya V. Stakhiv, Maria I. Pechatnikova, Alexandra V. Panova, Maria Y. Tipikina, Oxana P. Rotar, Nikolay A. Bokovin, Saule K. Karabalieva, Farid Y. Tumarov, Elena V. Vasileva, Natalya Gennadevna Lozhkina, Ekaterina V. Filippova, Alisa I. Sharkaeva, Ekanerina V. Filippova Deilik, Natalia Yu Tolkacheva, Elena N. Domracheva, Andrey N. Ryabikov, Inga T. Abesadze, Marianna Z. Alugishvili, Elena P. Nikolaeva, Nadezda V. Smirnova, Valentina I. Rodionova, Polina V. Dolovstaya, Igor E. Yunonin, Sergey V. Kadin, Tatyana S. Sveklina, Anna V. Bushmanova, Elena L. Barkova, Irina S. Gomova, Yana V. Brytkova, Tatiana B. Ivanova, Marina Y. Zubareva, Inga Skopets, Lybov A. Galashevskaya, Emilia D. Butinskaya, Olga G. Gusarova, Natalia B. Kalishevich, Yana R. Pavlova, Marianna P Serebrenitskaya, Vitalina F. Grygorieva, Gulnara R. Kuchaeva, Inna A. Vasileva, Gulnara I. Ospanova, Yulia V. Vahrusheva, Irina A. Semenova, Irina E.E. Mikhailova, Olga O. Kvasova, Valeria D. Shurygina, Alexey E. Rivin, Alexey O. Savelyev, Alexey A. Savelyev, Olesya O. Milyaeva, Nadezhda N. Lapshina, Ninel A. Lantsova, Pavel V. Alexandrov, Evgeniy A. Orlikov, Alla Falkovskaya, Tatiana Ripp, Sergei Triss, Stanislav Pekarskiy, Sitkova Ekaterina, Evgeniya N. Zhuravleva, Olga Perova, Galina Kovaleva, Liubov Koroleva, Lydia Mishchenko, Boris P. Garshin, Svetlana A. Kutuzova, Lyudmila I. Provotorova, Igor P. Zadvorny, Olga V. Okhapkina, Anatoly O. Khrustalev, Tatiana Suvorova, Elena S. Shaf, Varvara A. Vershinina, Andrey A. Kozulin, Oxana A. Oleynik, Irina Y. Martynova, Natalia V. Kizhvatova, Alla S. Salasyuk, Vera V. Tsoma, Alla A. Ledyaeva, Elena V. Chumachek, S.C. Blignaut, Tersia Y. Alexander, Chano Du Plessis, Thirumani Govender, Samatha M. Du Toit, Leya Motala, Areesh Gassiep, Christina Naude (Smit), Marli Terblanche, Marlien Snoer (Kruger), Berenice Pillay, De Vries Basson, Marisa E. Theron, Bianca Fouche, Mareli E. Coetzee, Pieter Odendall, Frederik H. Van Wijk, Anna-Mari Conradie, Trudie Van der Westhuizen, Carine Tredoux, Mohamed S. Mookdam, Andie J. Van der Merwe, Karin Snyman, Gerda Smal, Yvonne De Jager, Thomas A. Mabin, Annusca King, Lindy L. Henley, Brenda M. Zwane, Jane Robinson, Marinda Karsten, Andonia M. Page, Valerie Nsabiyumva, Charmaine Krahenbuhl, Jaiprakash D. Patel, Yunus E. Motala, Ayesha Dawood, Nondumiso B. Koza, Lenore M.S. Peters, Shavashni Ramlachan, Wilhelm J. Bodenstein, Pierre Roux, Lizelle Fouche, Cecilia M. Boshoff, Haroon M. Mitha, Fathima Khan, Henry P. Cyster, Helen Cyster, E. C. Wessels, Florence J. Jacobs, Melanie A. Sebastian, Deborah A. Sebastian, Nadia Mahomed, Ignatius P. Immink, Celia Cotzee, Tanja Cronje, Madele Roscher, Maria Le Roux, Yvonne A. Trinder, Renata Wnętrzak-Michalska, Magdalena Piszczek, Andrzej Piela, Ewa Czernecka, Dorota Knychas, Alina Walczak, Izabella Gładysz, Katarzyna Filas, Ewelina Kiluk, Krzysztof Świgło, Iwona Jędrzejczyk, Kamila Łuczyńska, Katarzyna Tymendorf, Wojciech Piesiewicz, Wojciech L. Kinasz, Stefan Samborski, Ilona Bartuś, Gramzyna Latocha Korecka, Ewa Gulaj, Jolanta Sopa, Bogusław Derlaga, Marcin Baisiak, Allicia Kowalisko, Edyta Stainszewska-Marasazlek, Bartosz Szafran, Malgorzata Swiatkiewicz, Artur Racewicz, Sławomir Grycel, Jerzy Supronik, Sylwia Walendziuk, Magdalena Tarantowicz, Agata Stasiak, Anna Sidorowicz-Białynicka, Marek Dwojak, Ewa Jaźwińska-Tarnawska, Katarzyna Kupczyk, Kamila Martowska, Kamila Kulon, Katarzyna Gajda, Bivin Wilson, Krithika Velusamy, Swaidha S. Sadhiq, Bhavani Siddeshi, M. Bhanukumar, Abhishek Srivatsav, Madhan Ramesh, Sri Harsha Chalasani, Mini Johnson, Prashanth Gopu, Jeesa George, Sowmya Reddy, Swetha Tessy Thara Eleena, Damodara Rao Kodem, Haritha N. Nakkella, Padma Kumari Mandula, Anjan Kumar Vuriya, Syamala Rajana, Aruna Kale, Tiwari Rajeev, Raina Jain, Vipin Jain, Srilakshmi Mandayam Adhyapak, Lumin Sheeba, Uma C R, Ramya R, Aditya V. Kulkarni, M.S. Ganachari, Ruma Sambrekar, Mohammad Bilal, Kalyan Chakravarthy, Ravi Badhavath, Sravan Kumar, Meenakshi Simhadri, Farooque Salamuddin, Venkat Prasad, Vivek Dwivedi, Sudha Sarna, Tilak Arora, Deepak Chawla, Archana Sathe, Chaware Gayatree, Ajeet Nanda, Ram Avtar, Jyoti Sharma, Vaibhavi P S, Sasirekha D, Deepthi Kobbajji, Ramya Ningappa, Shwetha Shree, Chandrashekar K, Nandini M R, Sowjanya S, Devika I G, Yashaswini N, Sonika G, Rathna L, Priyanka R, Rupal J. Shrimanker, Lakshmi Vinutha Reddy, K. Sumathi, Babitha Devi, Bina N. Naik, Rohini Manjunath, Rajeshwari Ashok, Tony V. Kunjumon, Jesline Thomas, Shaik Samdhani, Kasthuri Selvam, Poongothai Subramani, Nandakumar Parthasarathy, Nirmal K. Bohra, Anvesh K. Gatla, Cheryl Horbatuk, Julie Sills, E B. Davey, Liz Paramonczyk, Olga Racanelli, Sandy Strybosch, Andre Belanger, Jean Palardy, Alicia Schiffrin, Sylvie Gauthier, Norman Kalyniuk, Shawn D. Whatley, Heather Lappala, Grishma Patel, Matthew Reeve, Catherine Moran, Jody Everitt, Teresa Ferrari, Christine Bouffard, Jirir Frohlich, Gordon Francis, John Mancini, Gregory Bondy, Debbie DeAngelis, Patricia Fulton, David W. Blank, Angela Lombardo, Mylène Roy, Jackie Chow, Hyman Fox, William J. Grootendorst, Angela Hutchinson, Sharon M. Chan, Christie Fitzgerald, Lynn Wilkins, Rebecca L. Raymond, Arlene Reyes, Lavoie Marc André, Denis Fortin, Hélène Ouimet, Thanh-Thao Tôn-Nu, Martine Dussureault, Marie-Hélène Blain, Madeleine Roy, Nathalie Kopajko, Chantal Fleury, Karine Maheux, Gabriela Valentina Ciobotaru, Maria C. Constantinescu, Carmen-Lucia Gherghinescu, Ana-Maria Avram, Ioan Manitiu, Aura Sinpetrean, Lucian Pop, Delia Lupu, Radu Usvat, Ana Petrisor, Nicoleta Dumitru, Camelia Moruju, Adelina Gheorghita, Magda V. Mitu, Cosmin Macarie, Ana Maria Pop, Maria-Catalina Diaconu, Iulia Grancea, Mihaela Cosma, Mihaela Crisan, Elizabeth Herron, Paul Nestel, Sally B. Kay, Kaye S. Carter, Imran Badshah, Ashley Makepeace, Jocelyn Drinkwater, Michelle England, Azette Rafei, Kylie Patterson, Alicia Jenkins, Sybil McAuley, Sue M. Kent, Joy E. Vibert, Leonie Perrett, Thomas David, Samantha L. Kaye, Monika O’Connor, Nimalie J. Perera, Nicole T. Lai, Kerry A. Kearins, Christinia Dicamillo, Heather Anderson, Louise Ferguson, Sharon D. Radtke, Charles T. Thamarappillil, Janice M. Boys, Anita K. Long, Toni Shanahan, Michael Nyguyen, Nicole Forrest, Gill Tulloch, Della Greenwell, Sarah L. Price, Aye N. Tint, Priya K. Sumithran, Tamara L. Debreceni, Lisa Walker, Mary Caruana, Kira Edwards, Maria Stathopoulos, Cilla Haywood, Dimitar Sajkov, Sharen Pringle, Anne Tabner, Kathrina Bartolay, Chamindi Abeyratne, Kylie Bragg, Patrick Mulhern, Peter Purnell, Lyn Williams, Jane Hamlyn, Aurelia Connelly, Jan Hoffman, Samantha Bailey, Jane Kerr, Zarnia Morrison, Sarah Maeder, Roberta McEwan, Prasanna Kunasekera, Patrice McGregor, Jo Young, Sharon Berry, Rick Cutfield, Michelle Choe, Catherine McNamara, Narrinder K. Shergill, Petra Crone, Miles G. Williams, Keith Dyson, Diana H. Schmid, Audrey C. Doak, Melissa Spooner, Colin Edwards, Anne Turner, Grainne M. McAnnalley, Raewyn A. Fisher, Fraser B. Hamilton, Denis H. Friedlander, Melissa R. Kirk, Jayne E. Scales, Marguerite A. McLelland, Neelam A. Dalman, Cathy E. Vickers, Carolyn Jackson, Wendy Coleman, Phillip I. Garden, and Wendy F. Arnold

Subjects
Male, medicine.medical_specialty, Rate ratio, Double-Blind Method, Ischemia, Risk Factors, Physiology (medical), Internal medicine, medicine, Clinical endpoint, Humans, Myocardial infarction, Coronary Artery Bypass, Stroke, Aged, business.industry, Unstable angina, Hazard ratio, Absolute risk reduction, Middle Aged, medicine.disease, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Number needed to treat, Cardiology, Female, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine, business
Abstract

Background: Despite advances in surgery and pharmacotherapy, there remains significant residual ischemic risk after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. Methods: In REDUCE-IT (Reduction of Cardiovascular Events With Icosapent Ethyl–Intervention Trial), a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, statin-treated patients with controlled low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and mild to moderate hypertriglyceridemia were randomized to 4 g daily of icosapent ethyl or placebo. They experienced a 25% reduction in risk of a primary efficacy end point (composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization, or hospitalization for unstable angina) and a 26% reduction in risk of a key secondary efficacy end point (composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke) when compared with placebo. The current analysis reports on the subgroup of patients from the trial with a history of coronary artery bypass grafting. Results: Of the 8179 patients randomized in REDUCE-IT, a total of 1837 (22.5%) had a history of coronary artery bypass grafting, with 897 patients randomized to icosapent ethyl and 940 to placebo. Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups. Randomization to icosapent ethyl was associated with a significant reduction in the primary end point (hazard ratio [HR], 0.76 [95% CI, 0.63–0.92]; P =0.004), in the key secondary end point (HR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.56–0.87]; P =0.001), and in total (first plus subsequent or recurrent) ischemic events (rate ratio, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.50–0.81]; P =0.0002) compared with placebo. This yielded an absolute risk reduction of 6.2% (95% CI, 2.3%–10.2%) in first events, with a number needed to treat of 16 (95% CI, 10–44) during a median follow-up time of 4.8 years. Safety findings were similar to the overall study: beyond an increased rate of atrial fibrillation/flutter requiring hospitalization for at least 24 hours (5.0% vs 3.1%; P =0.03) and a nonsignificant increase in bleeding, occurrences of adverse events were comparable between groups. Conclusions: In REDUCE-IT patients with a history of coronary artery bypass grafting, treatment with icosapent ethyl was associated with significant reductions in first and recurrent ischemic events. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT01492361.

Published
2021
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14. Automatic Diagnosis of High-Resolution Esophageal Manometry Using Artificial Intelligence

Author

Zoltan Czako, Anca Hangan, Gheorghe Sebestyen, Imre Zsigmond, Daniel Corneliu Leucuta, Abdulrahman Ismaiel, Liliana David, Edoardo Savarino, Giuseppe Chiarioni, Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, Teodora Surdea-Blaga, and Stefan Lucian Popa

Subjects
Esophageal Achalasia, Artificial Intelligence, Manometry, Gastroenterology, Humans, Esophageal Motility Disorders, Retrospective Studies
Abstract

Background and Aims: High-resolution esophageal manometry (HREM) is the gold standard procedure used for the diagnosis of esophageal motility disorders (EMD). Artificial intelligence (AI) might provide an efficient solution for the automatic diagnosis of EMD by improving the subjective interpretation of HREM images. The aim of our study was to develop an AI-based system, using neural networks, for the automatic diagnosis of HREM images, based on one wet swallow raw image. Methods: In the first phase of the study, the manometry recordings of our patients were retrospectively analyzed by three experienced gastroenterologists, to verify and confirm the correct diagnosis. In the second phase of the study raw images were used to train an artificial neural network. We selected only those tracings with ten test swallows that were available for analysis, including a total of 1570 images. We had 10 diagnosis categories, as follows: normal, type I achalasia, type II achalasia, type III achalasia, esophago-gastric junction outflow obstruction, jackhammer oesophagus, absent contractility, distal esophageal spasm, ineffective esophageal motility, and fragmented peristalsis, based on Chicago classification v3.0 for EMDs. Results: The raw images were cropped, binarized, and automatically divided in 3 parts: training, testing, validation. We used Inception V3 CNN model, pre-trained on ImageNet. We developed a custom classification layer, that allowed the CNN to classify each wet swallow image from the HREM system into one of the diagnosis categories mentioned above. Our algorithm was highly accurate, with an overall precision of more than 93%. Conclusion: Our neural network approach using HREM images resulted in a high accuracy automatic diagnosis of EMDs.

Published
2022

15. Helicobacter pylori infection and positive Rome IV criteria for functional dyspepsia in Romanian medical students

Author

Alexandra Corojan Loor, Daniel Corneliu Leucuta, Dan-Lucian Dumitrascu, Teodora Surdea-Blaga, and Liliana David

Subjects
Adult, Male, 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, medicine.medical_specialty, Helicobacter pylori infection, Students, Medical, education, prevalence, respiratory test, Rome, Pharmacy, dyspepsia, Helicobacter Infections, Young Adult, Internal medicine, Personal history, Medicine, Humans, Family history, Young adult, biology, Helicobacter pylori, students, business.industry, Romania, digestive, oral, and skin physiology, Mean age, General Medicine, biology.organism_classification, digestive system diseases, Original Article, Female, business
Abstract

Recent data suggest that the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection in Romania has been declining in the last 30 years. However, there are no studies regarding HP prevalence among medical students. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of HP infection and assess the prevalence of dyspepsia in medical students and the relationship between dyspepsia and infection. We included 150 students from the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Cluj-Napoca, Romania (102 females and 48 males, mean age 21 years). Each student completed a lifestyle questionnaire, personal history, family history as well as the Rome IV questionnaire for functional dyspepsia. The status of HP infection was determined using the C13-urea respiratory test. The prevalence of HP infection was 25.33%, and 18% met the Rome IV criteria for functional dyspepsia. 37% of students with functional dyspepsia had a positive HP test. Of all students, 8% had a history of HP infection. Those with a history of HP infection had a 4.45% (95% CI 1.6 – 12.37) higher risk of having positive Rome IV criteria for functional dyspepsia than those with no previous history of infection (p=0.008). Thus, the present study adds to the body of evidence regarding HP prevalence among medical students, 25.33% being positive. We found no statistically significant correlation between HP infection and functional dyspepsia. Those with a history of HP infection had a higher risk of functional dyspepsia.

Published
2021

16. Assessment of defecation disorders using high-resolution MRI-defecography

Author

Ioana Duca, Ramona Boja, and Dan Lucian Dumitrascu

Subjects
General Medicine, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Abstract

The aim of this retrospective study was to try to find correlations between different diagnoses established by clinical examination, anorectal manometry and MRI-defecography and, the association with psychiatric disorders.44 patients (median age 53.81 years) presenting with intestinal motility disorders and who underwent clinical, biological and psychiatric examination, dynamic defecographic-MRI (resting, squeezing, straining, defecation and evacuation phases), anorectal manometry, colonoscopy. MRI was performed using the 1,5 T.MRI-defecography revealed the following changes: anismus (16), rectocele (12), pelvic floor dysfunction (6), peritoneocele (2), cervical-cystic-ptosis (1), rectal prolapse (6), and in 1 case the examination was normal. Hypertonic anal sphincter (16) and lack of defecation reflex (12) at anorectal manometry correlated with anismus in all patients at MRI-defecography. Lack of inhibitor anal reflex (6) was associated with rectocele (4), cervix-cysto-ptosis (1) and peritoneocele (2). Anxiety (11), depression (6) and anxiety-depressive disorders (10) were found in 27/44, somatization disorders in 9/44 and no psychiatric changes in 8/44 cases.As multiparous women are at risk for outlet obstruction constipation, MRI-defecography is suggested in this category. There is good correlation between diagnosis using anorectal manometry and MRI-defecography in patients with terminal constipation and anismus. Lower defecation dysfunction is often associated with psychiatric disorders.

Published
2022

18. Romanian Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of GERD-induced Respiratory Manifestations

Author

Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, Diana Elena Iov, Ruxandra Ulmeanu, Anca Victorita Trifan, Doina Todea, Marcel Tantau, Teodora Surdea-Blaga, Carol Stanciu, Ioan Sporea, Andrada Seicean, Adrian Saftoiu, Ruxandra Rajnoveanu, Carmen Monica Pop, Lucian Negreanu, Laurentiu Nedelcu, Traian Mihaescu, Florin Mihaltan, Catalina Mihai, Mircea Manuc, Bogdan Mateescu, Milena Man, Mariana Jinga, Adrian Goldis, Cristian Gheorghe, Dan Ionut Gheonea, Eugen Dumitru, Daniela Dobru, Anca Dimitriu, Mircea Diculescu, Oana Claudia Deleanu, Liliana David, Irina Ciortescu, Mihai Ciocîrlan, Cristina Cijevschi-Prelipcean, Ciprian Brisc, Simona Bataga, Ion Bancila, Oana Cristina Arghir, Barboi Bogdana Oana, Sabina Antoniu, and Vasile Liviu Drug

Subjects
Cough, Romania, Gastroenterology, Gastroesophageal Reflux, Humans, Proton Pump Inhibitors, digestive system diseases, humanities
Abstract

Background and Aims: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common condition present in daily practice with a wide range of clinical phenotypes. In this line, respiratory conditions may be associated with GERD. The Romanian Societies of Gastroenterology and Neurogastroenterology, in association with the Romanian Society of Pneumology, aimed to create a guideline regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory conditions associated with GERD.Methods: Delphi methodology was used and eleven common working groups of experts were created. The experts reviewed the literature according to GRADE criteria and formulated 34 statements and recommendations. Consensus (>80% agreement) was reached for some of the statements after all participants voted.Results: All the statements and the literature review are presented in the paper, together with their correspondent grade of evidence and the voting results. Based on >80% voting agreement, a number of 22 recommendations were postulated regarding the diagnosis and treatment of GERD-induced respiratory symptoms. The experts considered that GERD may cause bronchial asthma and chronic cough in an important number of patients through micro-aspiration and vagal-mediated tracheobronchial reflex. GERD should be suspected in patients with asthma with suboptimal controlled or after exclusion of other causes, also in nocturnal refractory cough which needs gastroenterological investigations to confirm the diagnosis. Therapeutic test with double dose proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for 3 months is also useful. GERD induced respiratory conditions are difficult to treat; however,proton pump inhibitors and laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication are endorsed for therapy.Conclusions: This guideline could be useful for the multidisciplinary management of GERD with respiratory symptoms in current practice.

Published
2022

19. How Can the EU Beating Cancer Plan Help in Tackling Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Breast Cancer and Melanoma?

Author

Denis Horgan, Anne-Marie Baird, Mark Middleton, Zhasmina Mihaylova, Jan P. Van Meerbeeck, Jens Vogel-Claussen, Paul E. Van Schil, Josep Malvehy, Paolo Antonio Ascierto, France Dube, Michael Zaiac, Jonathan A. Lal, Grażyna Kamińska-Winciorek, Marco Donia, Thierry André, Marta Kozaric, Pia Osterlund, Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, Luca Bertolaccini, Tampere University, and Department of Oncology

Subjects
treatment, Leadership and Management, Health Policy, screening, 3122 Cancers, personalised medicine, healthcare, unmet medical need, Health Informatics, reimbursement, molecular diagnostics, access, citizens, Health Information Management, cancer, EU Beating Cancer Plan, EBCP, policy framework, Human medicine, patient
Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality in EU countries, and the needs to tackle cancer are obvious. New scientific understanding, techniques and methodologies are opening up horizons for significant improvements in diagnosis and care. However, take-up is uneven, research needs and potential outstrip currently available resources, manifestly beneficial practices—such as population-level screening for lung cancer—are still not generalised, and the quality of life of patients and survivors is only beginning to be given attention it merits. This paper, mainly based on a series of multistakeholder expert workshops organised by the European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM), looks at some of those specifics in the interest of planning a way forward. Part of this exercise also involves taking account of the specific nature of Europe and its constituent countries, where the complexities of planning a way forward are redoubled by the wide variations in national and regional approaches to cancer, local epidemiology and the wide disparities in health systems. Despite all the differences between cancers and national and regional resources and approaches to cancer care, there is a common objective in pursuing broader and more equal access to the best available care for all European citizens. publishedVersion

Published
2022
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20. Exclusion Diets in Functional Dyspepsia

Author

Stefan Lucian Popa, Dinu Iuliu Dumitrascu, Cristina Pop, Teodora Surdea-Blaga, Abdulrahman Ismaiel, Giuseppe Chiarioni, Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, Vlad Dumitru Brata, and Simona Grad

Subjects
Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted, Diet, Gluten-Free, Nutrition and Dietetics, Quality of Life, Humans, Dyspepsia, Food Intolerance, Diet Therapy, Food Science
Abstract

Functional dyspepsia represents one of the most common and prevalent disorders of the brain–gut interaction, with a large number of widespread risk factors being identified. With an intricate pathogenesis and symptomatology, it heavily impacts the quality of life and, due to the limited efficacy of traditional pharmacological agents, patients are likely to seek other medical and non-medical solutions to their problem. Over the last few years, significant research in this domain has emphasized the importance of various psychological therapies and nutritional recommendations. Nevertheless, a correlation has been established between functional dyspepsia and food intolerances, with more and more patients adopting different kinds of exclusion diets, leading to weight loss, restrictive eating behaviour and an imbalanced nutritional state, further negatively impacting their quality of life. Thus, in this systematic review, we aimed at analysing the impact and efficiency of certain exclusion diets undertook by patients, more precisely, the gluten-free diet and the low-FODMAP diet.

Published
2022
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21. Functional Emesis

Author

Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, George Ionut Golea, Liliana David, Giuseppe Chiarioni, and Stefan Lucian Popa

Subjects
Gastrointestinal Tract, Marijuana Abuse, Gastroparesis, Gastric Emptying, Cannabinoids, Risk Factors, Vomiting, Reflex, Gastroenterology, Animals, Brain, Humans
Abstract

Background: Emesis is an essential survival response, because consumption of food is a key element in the survival behavior and the act of feeding can expose the majority of internal organs to toxins, altered food, viruses, bacteria or fungi. The relationship between visceral or vestibular stimuli and the anatomical structures of the brain-gut axis explain the modulation of the gastrointestinal response. We aimed to review comprehensively the current knowledge on emesis occurring in the disorders of brain-gut interaction (DBGI), i.e. functional conditions presenting with emesis. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and WILEY databases were screened for relevant publications from the last 20 years regarding brain-gut disorders manifesting emesis. We included in the search also idiopathic gastroparesis, as a condition paralleling the postprandial distress syndrome. Results: We critically analyzed 2 articles about chronic nausea and vomiting syndrome, 9 articles about cyclic vomiting syndrome, 9 articles about cannabinoid hyperemesis, 10 articles about idiopathic gastroparesis and 6 articles about gastroparesis like-syndrome. Contradictory results regarding the implication of environmental factors in the development of emesis in DBGI demonstrate that the underlying pathogenesis is still not completely understood.

Published
2019
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22. Tu1365: CASE-BASED EVALUATION SHOWS HIGHLY VARIED APPROACH TO IBS-D TREATMENT BY EUROPEAN EXPERTS

Author

Lukas M. Balsiger, Filiz Akyüz, Brigida Barberio, Serhat Bor, Giuseppe Chiarioni, Maura Corsetti, Cesare Cremon, Antonio Di Sabatino, Vasile Drug, Dan Lucian Dumitrascu, Goran Hauser, Daniel Pohl, Karlien Raymenants, Emidio Scarpellini, Jolien Schol, Jordi Serra, Magnus Simren, Murat Toruner, Tim Vanuytsel, Julian R. Walters, Fabiana Zingone, Edoardo V. Savarino, and Jan F. Tack

Subjects
Hepatology, Gastroenterology
Published
2022
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23. Upper Gastrointestinal Sensitization And Symptom Generation

Author

Dan-Lucian Dumitrascu, Stefan-Lucian Popa, and Alina Suciu

Subjects
PDS - Postprandial distress syndrome, medicine.medical_specialty, Nausea, Gastrointestinal Diseases, Review, NMDA N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, Organic disease, Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, Epigastric pain, Gastroenterology, Sensitization, ASICs - Acid-sensing ion channels, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Bloating, Quality of life, Brain-Gut Interaction, Internal medicine, medicine, FGID, Humans, Gastrointestinal tract, CNS - Central nervous system, business.industry, TRPV1 - The transient receptor potential vanilloid 1, FGID - Functional gastrointestinal disorders, General Medicine, GNB3 - G-protein-coupled receptor in the brain-gut axis, Gastrointestinal Tract, HPA - Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, medicine.anatomical_structure, CNVS - Chronic nausea vomiting syndrome, PTSD - Posttraumatic stress disorder, CVS - Cyclic vomiting syndrome, Vomiting, CHS - Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, 030211 gastroenterology & hepatology, medicine.symptom, Visceral Hypersensitivity, EPS- Epigastric pain syndrome, business, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are a highly prevalent group of heterogeneous disorders, and their diagnostic criteria are symptom-based, with the absence of anatomical and biochemical abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic visceral symptoms are common both in patients with an identifiable organic disease but also in FGID patients. Patients suffering from upper gastrointestinal functional disorders typically present with various symptoms such as early satiety, postprandial fullness, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and epigastric pain. Considering their increasing prevalence, difficulties in diagnosis, and low quality of life, FGIDs have become an emerging problem in gastroenterology. We aimed to provide an updated summary of pathways involved in visceral sensitization. We examined the recent literature searching for evidence of the most important studies about the mechanisms underlying gastrointestinal symptom generation and sensitization.

Published
2020

24. Serum patterns of mir-23a and mir-181b in irritable bowel syndrome and colorectal cancer - A pilot study

Author

Alexandra, Chira, Mihai-Stefan, Muresan, Cornelia, Braicu, Liviuta, Budisan, Lajos, Raduly, Romeo Ioan, Chira, Dan Lucian, Dumitrascu, and Ioana, Berindan-Neagoe

Subjects
Adult, Male, irritable bowel syndrome, microRNA, miR-181b, Pilot Projects, colorectal cancer, Biomarker, Middle Aged, Sensitivity and Specificity, MicroRNAs, inflammation, Case-Control Studies, Humans, Female, Prospective Studies, Colorectal Neoplasms, Biomarkers, miR-23a, Aged, Research Article, miRNA
Abstract

Emerging evidence demonstrates that microRNAs (miRNAs) could serve as reliable biomarkers of inflammation and oncogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine whether miR-23a and miR-181b were suitable as biomarkers of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and colorectal cancer (CRC). Forty patients with IBS (29 females, 11 males), 33 with CRC (14 females, 19 males), and 33 healthy controls (17 females, 16 males) were prospectively included. Serum levels of miRNAs were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR. The serum levels of miR-23a and miR-181b were significantly higher in the IBS group (p = 0.0009 and 0.004, respectively) and CRC group (p = 0.002 and 0.029, respectively) than in the control group. Serum levels of miR-23a and miR-181b were upregulated in CRC vs. IBS, but the differences did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.169 and 0.179, respectively). The miRNet and Reactome databases identified phosphatase and tensin homolog as a major common pathway, indicating inflammation as a central hallmark. Although miRNAs could serve as reliable biomarkers in clinical practice, future studies are needed to establish appropriate cut-off limits.

Published
2019

25. Helicobacter pylori Infection, Gastric Cancer and Gastropanel

Author

Dan-Lucian Dumitrascu and Alexandra Loor

Subjects
Gastritis, Atrophic, medicine.medical_specialty, Atrophic gastritis, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Risk Assessment, Gastroenterology, Helicobacter Infections, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Stomach Neoplasms, Internal medicine, Gastroscopy, medicine, Humans, Stage (cooking), biology, business.industry, gastric cancer, Intestinal metaplasia, Cancer, Helicobacter pylori, medicine.disease, biology.organism_classification, RC31-1245, Dysplasia, 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis, helicobacter pylori, biology.protein, 030211 gastroenterology & hepatology, Antibody, Gastritis, medicine.symptom, business, Biomarkers, gastropanel
Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most widespread types of cancer worldwide. Helicobacter pylori infection has been clearly correlated with gastric carcinogenesis. At present and in the near future, the most important challenge is and will be the significant reduction of mortality due to GC. That goal can be achieved through the identification of higher-risk patients, such as those with atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia. In this review we intend to discuss the importance of diagnosing H. pylori infection and chronic atrophic gastritis in preventing gastric cancer, using a new non-invasive test called GastroPanel. This test is a classification algorithm including four biochemical parameters pepsinogen I and II (PGI and PGII), gastrin-17 (G17), and anti-Helicobacter pylori antibodies (Ig G anti-Hp) measured in fasting sera, which allows to classify patients as having atrophic or non-atrophic gastritis and to find whether gastritis is associated or not with H. pylori infection. GastroPanel is not a “cancer test”, but it can and should be used in the screening and diagnosis of subjects with a high cancer risk; still, a careful diagnostic made by superior digestive endoscopy is compulsory to find possible precancerous or cancerous lesions at an early and curable stage.

Published
2016
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26. Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Peripheral Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications

Author

Iulia Maria Crisan and Dan Lucian Dumitrascu

Subjects
irritable bowel syndrome, education.field_of_study, Intestinal permeability, business.industry, pathogenesis, Population, Gastroenterology, Reviews, peripheral mechanisms, General Medicine, medicine.disease, Peripheral, Pathogenesis, Functional gastrointestinal disorder, Immunology, Medicine, In patient, business, education, Psychosocial, Irritable bowel syndrome
Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder, affecting about 10 to 20% of the population in developed countries. The mechanisms underlying the symptoms of this condition are poorly understood. Considered initially as the consequence of abnormal gut motility, visceral hypersensitivity, psychosocial factors and brain-gut axis dysfunction, IBS is now acknowledged as a multifactorial disorder. Specific peripheral mechanisms are involved, including mucosal immune activation, increased intestinal permeability, enteroendocrine cell products, an excess of bile acids, gut dysbiosis. A better understanding of these mechanisms could help develop new and specific therapeutic pathways in patients suffering from IBS.

Published
2014

27. The Use of Breath Test for the Assessment of Gastric Emptying Rate in Clinical Practice

Author

Dan-Lucian Dumitrascu, Liliana David, and Teodora Surdea-Blaga

Subjects
Breath test, medicine.medical_specialty, education.field_of_study, medicine.diagnostic_test, Gastric emptying, business.industry, Nausea, digestive, oral, and skin physiology, Population, Context (language use), medicine.disease, Gastroenterology, Epigastric pain, digestive system diseases, Postprandial, Internal medicine, Diabetes mellitus, medicine, medicine.symptom, education, business
Abstract

Dyspeptic symptoms such as early satiation, postprandial fullness, and nausea or epigastric pain are very common in the general population. These symptoms are classically attributed to gastrointestinal dismotility, and are commonly seen in functional dyspepsia and in diabetes. In a subset of patients the pathogenesis of dyspeptic symptoms is attributed to a delayed gastric emptying rate. There are several techniques used to assess the gastric emptying rate. In this paper we presented our experience in the assessment of gastric emptying rate using a non-invasive and non-radioactive method, the 13C labeled-octanoic acid breath test. First we described the technique and the parameters returned by the system. In the end we discussed several cases of symptomatic patients, with diabetes mellitus and functional dyspepsia. The dyspeptic symptoms are not very specific, and gastric emptying proves to be normal quite often, suggesting that other mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of the symptoms. Gastric emptying tests should be performed before initiating treatment with prokinetics. In this context, the breath test is an easy method to assess the gastric emptying rate.

Published
2014
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28. Acute Cholecystitis as a Complication After Colonoscopy: A Case Report and Literature Review

Author

Madalina Maria Gorgan, Ioana Grigorescu, and Dan Lucian Dumitrascu

Subjects
Acute cholecystitis, colonoscopy, complication, gallstones, Medicine
Abstract

Acute cholecystitis after colonoscopy is a rare event, with less than 10 cases described in the literature. We report the case of a male patient with silent gallstones who underwent colonoscopy for follow-up of his Crohn’s disease. The colonoscopy revealed erosions in the terminal ileum, from which biopsies were taken. A sessile polyp 4 mm in diameter at the recto-sigmoid junction was also removed. Less than 24 h after the colonoscopy, the patient complained of upper right quadrant pain, nausea and vomiting. Based on the clinical findings, laboratory data and ultrasonography, we diagnosed acute cholecystitis and excluded any complication after the colonoscopy. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed and the patient was discharged.

Published
2016
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29. Spontaneous and antiviral-induced cutaneous lesions in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Author

Grigorescu I and Dumitrascu DL

Subjects
Cryoglobulinemia virology, Hepatitis B, Chronic complications, Hepatitis B, Chronic diagnosis, Humans, Immunization adverse effects, Lichen Planus chemically induced, Risk Factors, Skin Diseases diagnosis, Vasculitis virology, Antiviral Agents adverse effects, Hepatitis B Vaccines adverse effects, Hepatitis B, Chronic drug therapy, Interferons adverse effects, Skin Diseases chemically induced, Skin Diseases virology
Abstract

Aim: To describe spontaneous, or interferon (IFN)- or immunization-induced skin lesions in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection., Methods: A comprehensive literature search of all the papers presenting case reports of dermatological lesions in patients with chronic HBV infection was carried out. We included only patients with histologically proven skin lesions that appeared in the normal course of hepatitis B infection, or after immunization for hepatitis B or antiviral treatment., Results: We found 44 papers on this topic, reporting 151 cases. About 2% of patients with hepatitis B infection, mainly men, presented with skin lesions. Among patients with chronic hepatitis B, vasculitis and essential mixed cryoglobulinemia seemed to be the most frequent skin lesion (53.3%), followed by papular changes, rashes and Gianotti-Crosti syndrome, skin carcinoma and Henoch-Schönlein purpura were rare. IFN treatment seemed to be effective against HBV-associated and immunoglobulin-complex-mediated disease (vasculitis). Two cutaneous lesions (lichen planus and granuloma annulare) were described after hepatitis B vaccination. Systemic lupus and lupus-like lesions were the most frequently encountered lesions after antiviral treatment. Immunosuppressive and steroid therapy ameliorates lichen planus lesions in 50% of cases., Conclusion: Vasculitis was the most frequent spontaneous skin lesion found in chronic hepatitis B. Lichen planus was most frequent after immunization and lupus/lupus-like lesions after IFN.

Published
2014
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