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Biological treatments (anti-tumor necrosis factor-a antibody, mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors) and azathioprine given to patients with Crohn's disease (CD) provide the opportunity for mucosal healing. This fact has given rise to the question of whether clinical relief or mucosal healing is the treatment goal in CD. If only clinical relief is sought, current indexes should be reevaluated. In this study, investigators explored the relationship between findings of endoscopic activity, Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) scores, and C-reactive protein (CRP). This study attempted to clarify the relationship between a high CDAI score (CDAI >150), raised serum CRP, and endoscopic activity in patients with CD. This retrospective study included 115 patients with Crohn's ileocolitis and colitis. CDAI score, CRP level, and mucosal lesions were compared with the chi2 test. The relation between endoscopic activity and raised CRP was significant (P=.001), unlike the association of endoscopic activity with CDAI (P=.287). Mucosal activity was most intense in patients who had both a high CDAI and a raised CRP (84%). No significant difference in endoscopic activity was noted, however, between patients with raised CRP + high CDAI, raised CRP + low CDAI, normal CRP + high CDAI, and normal CRP + low CDAI (P=.113). CRP seemed to be more sensitive than CDAI in the evaluation of patients with CD. The relationship between high CDAI, raised CRP, and the presence of colonoscopic mucosal activity was poor. Therefore, CDAI and CRP are not viewed by the authors as reliable measures of CD activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of 30-year old man with abdominal pain, nausea and arthralgia and admitted to the Emergency Unit for purpuric lesions on the tibial surfaces and arms. Examinations revealed cutaneous purpuric lesions and leukocytosis. Mesalamin was given to patient which was later changed to sulfasalazine due to sacroileitis.

Blastocystis sp. and Dientamoeba fragilis are intestinal protists, which are common worldwide, but the pathogenic role of these organisms in gastrointestinal diseases is still controversial. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of Blastocystis sp. and D. fragilis in stool samples from adult patients with celiac disease (CD) by using conventional and molecular methods. A total of 75 patients with CD and 75 healthy individuals were included in this study. Fresh stool specimens collected from each individual were analyzed by conventional and molecular methods. The overall prevalence of Blastocystis sp. and D. fragilis was 41.3% (31/75) and 24% (18/75) in patients with CD, and 46.7% (35/75) and 13.3% (10/75) in healthy controls, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of Blastocystis sp. and D. fragilis between CD patients and healthy individuals. Blastocystis sp. subtypes were identified in 20 CD and 16 control patients and the overall subtype distribution was observed as ST1 13.9%, ST2 30.6%, and ST3 55.6%. The prevalence of Blastocystis sp. and D. fragilis in adults with CD is similar to the prevalence of protozoa in healthy adults. In this study, the most prevalent Blastocystis subtype was ST3 and the most frequent allele was a34 in both CD patients and healthy individuals. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of the detection rates of Blastocystis sp. and D. fragilis, and it is thought that both protists may be colonisers of the intestinal microbiome., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Not applicable., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background/aims: Today, invasive diagnostic tests are necessary for definite diagnosis of adult celiac disease (CD). However, in selected children patients, the need for invasive tests is ceased. In this study, we evaluated adult patients according to the ESPGHAN (European Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition Society) criteria., Methods: Thirty-nine patients (aged 17-66) with symptoms of CD were included. Serum samples were tested for total IgA, tTG-IgA (antitissue transglutaminase), tTG-IgG, DGP-IgA (antideamidated gliadin peptide), DGP-IgG, and EMA (endomysial antibodies). HLA-DQ typing was studied with PCR-SSP (sequence-specific primers) method. Biopsy samples were evaluated according to Marsh scoring., Results: In CD patients, 71.4% (15/21) of the patients were diagnosed without biopsy according to the EPSGHAN criteria but when ESPGHAN's IgA tTG threshold value for children was taken into consideration (>200 IU/mL), the sensitivity decreased to 81%. Celiac disease diagnosed and control groups were compared in terms of HLA tissue types. DQ2.5 homozygous or DQ2.5/DQ2.2 was significantly higher in CD group, and DQ2- or DQ8-negative HLA tissue type was significantly higher in control group., Conclusion: When serological tests, HLA typing, and clinical symptoms are all in favor of CD, biopsy may not be performed in selected adult CD patients., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)