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Background Successful bowel preparation (BP) for colonoscopy depends on the instructions, diet, the laxative product, and patient adherence, which all affect colonoscopy quality. Nevertheless, there are no laxatives which combine effectiveness, safety, easy self-administration, good patient acceptance, and low cost. However, mannitol, a sugar alcohol, could be an attractive candidate for use in clinical practice if it is shown to demonstrate adequate efficacy and safety. Aims The present phase II dose-finding study compared three doses of mannitol (50, 100, and 150 g) to identify the best dose to be used in a subsequent phase III study. Methods The Boston Bowel Preparation Scale, caecal intubation rate, adherence, acceptability, and safety profile, including measurement of potentially dangerous colonic gas concentrations (CH4, H2, O2), were considered in all patients. A weighted algorithm was used to identify the best mannitol dose for use in the subsequent study. Results The per-protocol population included 60 patients in the 50 g group, 54 in the 100 g group, and 49 in the 150 g group. The 100 g dose was the best as it afforded optimal colon cleansing efficacy (94.4% of patients had adequate BP), adherence, acceptability, and safety, including negligible gas concentrations. Conclusions The present study demonstrated that the colon cleansing efficacy and safety of mannitol were dose dependent. Conversely, gas concentrations were not dose dependent and negligible in all patients. Combined evaluation of efficacy, tolerability, and safety, using a weighted algorithm, determined that mannitol 100 g was the best dose for the phase III study.

Refractory celiac disease (RCeD) is a rare complication of celiac disease (CeD) with a severe prognosis. We describe a cohort of patients with RCeD, their clinical and histological features at diagnosis, after therapy and at lymphoma onset, and the rate and causes of death over a 17-year follow-up.We retrospectively enrolled RCeD-I and RCeD-II patients attending our center between January 2002 and October 2019. Medical data were collected at diagnosis and during monitoring. Response to therapy, changes in RCeD molecular markers, number of hospitalizations, discharge diagnosis, and cause and date of death were evaluated. The control cohort consisted of 1015 responsive CeD patients.Compared with RCeD-I, RCeD-II more frequently exhibits diarrhea (83 vs 64%), anemia (61 vs 50%), hypoalbuminemia (70 vs 21%), parenteral nutrition need (48 vs 7%), ulcerative jejuno-ileitis (7 vs 39%), and extended small intestinal atrophy (62 vs 21%). One RCeD-I and six RCeD-II patients developed lymphoma. Ten RCeD-II patients died, four from lymphoma progression. Among RCeD-II patients, atrophy extension was the only parameter correlated with hypoalbuminemia and mortality.Clinical severity, response to therapy, and mortality differ between RCeD-I and RCeD-II. Atrophy extension, evaluated at capsule endoscopy, was associated with disease severity and mortality.

Background Vedolizumab (VDZ) is the first biological therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) tested, in pivotal trials, on patients up to 80 years old and has usually been presented as a safer choice in frail patients. However, real-world data on the effectiveness and safety of VDZ in elderly (≥ 65 years) are scarce. The aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness and safety of VDZ in a large real-life cohort of elderly IBD patients, with a 2 years follow-up. Methods The Long-term Italian Vedolizumab Effectiveness (LIVE) study included CD and UC patients started on VDZ from April 2016 to June 2017 at 40 centres of the Italian Group for the study of inflammatory bowel disease (IG-IBD). Patients were prospectively followed-up to June 2019. Co-primary endpoints were to evaluate cumulative VDZ treatment persistence and safety. Results Of 966 patients, 174 (18%; 81 CD, 93 UC) were ≥ 65 years old at enrolment. Mean disease duration at baseline was 10.9 years ± SD10 (CD 12.5 ± 11, UC 9.6 ± 9). VDZ was used as a first biologic therapy in 78 patients (44.8%). 25 patients (14.4%) had a history of previous cancer. The majority of CD patients had a stricturing behaviour (45, 55.6%) and had already undergone surgery (41, 49.4%). 48 UC patients (51.6%) had extensive colitis. Moderate-to-severe endoscopic activity was present in 80% of CD and in 92% of UC, according to SES-CD and endoscopic Mayo score, respectively. Cumulative VDZ treatment persistence at 12 and 24 months was 71.8% (71.6% CD and 72.0% UC) and 54% (54.2% CD and 53.8%% UC), respectively. 52.9% (40 CD; 52 UC), 4.0%, 3.5%% and 2.9% of patients were on concomitant steroids at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. Clinical remission at 12 and 24 months was achieved in 28.7% (31 CD and 29 UC) and in 31.6% (25 CD and 30 UC) of patients. Mean C-reactive protein was 15.6 mg/l ± SD 20 (CD 15.9 ± 21; UC 15.2 ± 19) at baseline and dropped to 8.4 mg/l ± 10 (CD 8.0 ± 8, UC 8.9 ± 11) at 12 months and to 5.9 mg/l ± 6 (CD 5.8 ± 5, UC 6 ± 7) at 24 months. Dose escalation was necessary for 20.3% and 24.7% of patients within the first 12 and 24 months. 44 adverse events were reported: 16 infections.,6 new diagnosis of cancer/dysplasia (2 colon, 1 kidney, 1 prostate, 1 lung, 1 melanoma), 4 arthritis, 3 skin rash, 2 drug-induced cholestasis,11 miscellaneous. 11 patients (6.3%) underwent VDZ withdrawal because of adverse events (6 new diagnosis of cancer/dysplasia; 4 infections; 1 cholestasis). One patient died for pneumonia complications. Conclusion In this preliminary analysis of the largest reported real-world cohorts of elderly IBD patients treated with VDZ, up to 55% of patients persisted on therapy after two years; an acceptable safety profile was observed throughout the entire follow-up period.

ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate the relation of blood bacterial DNA load and profiling with intestinal adenoma (IA) and colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.DesignWe performed 16S rRNA gene analysis of blood from 100 incident histologically confirmed CRC cases, 100 IA and 100 healthy subjects, matched to cases by centre, sex and age. Bacterial load was analysed using multiple conditional logistic regression. Differences in terms of abundance of bacteria between groups were estimated through analysis based on negative binomial distribution normalization. Random Forest was applied to predict the group assignment.ResultsWe found an overrepresentation of blood 16S rRNA gene copies in colon cancer as compared to tumor-free controls (IA and healthy subjects). The odds ratio of colon cancer for the highest versus the lowest three quintiles of gene copies was 2.62. (95% confidence interval=1.22-5.65). No difference was found for rectal cancer and IA. For high 16S rRNA, community diversity was higher in colon cancers than controls. CRC cases had an enrichment of Peptostreptococcaceae and Acetobacteriaceae and a reduced abundance of Bacteroidaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae. Identified variables predicted CRC from control and IA patients with an accuracy of 0.70.ConclusionColon cancer patients had a higher DNA bacterial load and a different bacterial profiling as compared to healthy subjects, IA and rectal cancers, indicating a higher passage of bacteria from gastrointestinal tract to bloodstream. Further studies are needed to confirm this result and exploit it to conceive new non-invasive techniques for an early diagnosis of CRC.

Simple Summary In colorectal cancer patients, epithelial barrier dysfunction can lead to increased intestinal permeability, and gut microbiome was found to vary compared to healthy subjects. We conducted a study to investigate whether bacterial translocation from gastrointestinal tract to bloodstream is associated to intestinal adenoma and/or colorectal cancer. In particular, an epidemiological and metagenomic approach was used to evaluate the relation of the bacterial DNA load and the bacterial taxonomic groups—assessed by 16S rRNA profiling—in blood with the risks of intestinal adenoma and colorectal cancer. These findings can confirm the presence of bacterial DNA in blood in healthy adults and serve as a basis to evaluate new non-invasive techniques for an early CRC diagnosis through the analyses of bacterial DNA circulating in peripheral blood. Abstract Inflammation and immunity are linked to intestinal adenoma (IA) and colorectal cancer (CRC) development. The gut microbiota is associated with CRC risk. Epithelial barrier dysfunction can occur, possibly leading to increased intestinal permeability in CRC patients. We conducted a case-control study including 100 incident histologically confirmed CRC cases, and 100 IA and 100 healthy subjects, matched to cases by center, sex and age. We performed 16S rRNA gene analysis of blood and applied conditional logistic regression. Further analyses were based on negative binomial distribution normalization and Random Forest algorithm. We found an overrepresentation of blood 16S rRNA gene copies in colon cancer as compared to tumor-free controls. For high levels of gene copies, community diversity was higher in colon cancer cases than controls. Bacterial taxa and operational taxonomic unit abundances were different between groups and were able to predict CRC with an accuracy of 0.70. Our data support the hypothesis of a higher passage of bacteria from gastrointestinal tract to bloodstream in colon cancer. This result can be applied on non-invasive diagnostic tests for colon cancer control.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG) is a rare condition characterized by patchy eosinophilic inflammation of one or more layers of the gastrointestinal tract with no secondary causes of eosinophilia. EG is a treatable disease and, generally, patients show a positive response to steroid therapy. Sometimes the disease can present as acute abdomen, and appendicular involvement has seldom been described in the course of EG. In our case report we aimed to emphasize how useful gastrointestinal ultrasound is as a valuable tool for diagnosing and monitoring intestinal involvement during EG, avoiding invasive tests and unnecessary surgery.