Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been shown to be safe and effective in treating refractory or relapsing C. difficile infection (CDI), but its use has been limited by practical barriers. We ...recently reported a small preliminary feasibility study using orally administered frozen fecal capsules. Following these early results, we now report our clinical experience in a large cohort with structured follow-up.
We prospectively followed a cohort of patients with recurrent or refractory CDI who were treated with frozen, encapsulated FMT at our institution. The primary endpoint was defined as clinical resolution whilst off antibiotics for CDI at 8 weeks after last capsule ingestion. Safety was defined as any FMT-related adverse event grade 2 or above.
Overall, 180 patients aged 7-95 years with a minimal follow-up of 8 weeks were included in the analysis. CDI resolved in 82 % of patients after a single treatment, rising to a 91 % cure rate with two treatments. Three adverse events Grade 2 or above, deemed related or possibly related to FMT, were observed.
We confirm the effectiveness and safety of oral administration of frozen encapsulated fecal material, prepared from unrelated donors, in treating recurrent CDI. Randomized studies and FMT registries are still needed to ascertain long-term safety.
Background
Sex is thought to play a significant role in predicting outcomes in numerous diseases. The role sex plays in acute pancreatitis (AP) remains limited. We sought to determine if sex is ...associated with hospitalization outcomes in this population, using a large national database.
Methods
This was a retrospective study of adult patients with AP utilizing the 2016 and 2017 National Inpatient Sample via ICD‐10 codes. The clinical courses of females were compared to that of males. The primary outcome was all‐cause inpatient mortality. Secondary outcomes, including healthcare utilization, were assessed. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA, version 16.1.
Results
Of the 553 480 adult patients hospitalized with AP; 25.3% had AP secondary to alcohol (61.4% male, 38.6% female) and 17.44% secondary to gallstones (48.6% male, 51.4% female). Females were significantly older than males (52.81 years vs 50.97 years, P < .01). Females had a significantly lower likelihood of mortality (aOR: 0.69), shock (aOR: 0.64), sepsis (aOR: 0.70), acute kidney injury (aOR 0.66), intensive care unit admission (aOR 0.53), and pancreatic drainage (aOR 0.61) as compared to males (all with P < .01). There was no significant difference between females and males with regards to mean length of stay and hospitalization charges and costs.
Conclusions
In this large cohort of patients admitted for AP, despite being significantly older, we found that females had significantly improved clinical outcomes, including lower mortality, compared to males. Further prospective studies are needed to accurately understand these differences to guide clinical practice.
In a large, nationally representative cohort of patients admitted for acute pancreatitis, Sharma and colleagues found that female patients, despite being older, had significantly improved clinical outcomes, including lower mortality, as compared with male patients. Prospective investigation is needed to accurately understand these differences to help guide clinical practice.
Owing to the increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), numerous societies developed preventative guidelines. We aimed to assess the overall quality ...of CRC prevention guidelines in IBD.
A systematic search was performed in multiple databases to identify all guidelines pertaining to CRC prevention in IBD in September 2020. All guidelines were reviewed for conflicts of interest (COIs)/funding, recommendation quality/strength, external guideline review, use of patient representation, and plans for update-as per Institute of Medicine standards. In addition, recommendations were compared amongst societies.
One hundred forty-nine recommendations from 14 different guidelines/societies were included. Not all guidelines provided recommendations on key elements surrounding (1) screening initiation and surveillance, (2) screening modality, (3) pharmacological chemoprevention, (4) dysplasia management and follow-up, and (5) molecular marker use. Only 71% of guidelines disclosed COIs, 43% reported industry funding, 14% were externally reviewed, 7% included patient representation, and 36% had plans for update. Of the total recommendations, 7.4%, 23.5%, and 69.1% were based on high,- moderate-, and low-quality evidence, respectively. Additionally, 20.1% of recommendations were strong, 14.1%, were weak/conditional, and 65.8% did not provide a strength. The proportion of high-quality evidence (P = 0.34) and strong recommendations (P = 0.57) did not significantly differ across societies.
Many guidelines do not provide recommendations on key aspects of CRC prevention in IBD. Over 90% of recommendations are based on low- to moderate-quality evidence; therefore, further studies on CRC prevention in IBD are needed to improve the overall quality of evidence.
The objective of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib in the treatment of moderate-severe ulcerative colitis (UC).
We searched Medline, ...Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central to identify articles and abstracts reporting efficacy or safety data on tofacitinib use in UC. Primary outcome assessed was remission. Secondary outcomes included clinical response, steroid free remission, and adverse events (AEs).
A total of 26 studies were included. The rates of remission were 29.81% 95% confidence interval (CI): 22.37%-37.25%, I2 : 90% at week 8, 32.27% (95% CI: 27.67%-36.88%, I2 : 42%) at 6 months and 38.03% (95% CI: 33.59%-42.48%, I2 : 0%) at 1-year. Clinical response rates were 59.41% (95% CI: 55.03%-63.94%, I2 : 61%) at week 8, 48.99% (95% CI: 36.92%-61.06%, I2 : 91%) at 6 months and 50.87% (95% CI: 42.16%-59.58%, I2 : 67%) at 1-year. Odds ratio of clinical response at week 8 in biologic naive versus biologic experienced patients was 1.59 (95% CI: 0.54-4.63). Pooled incidence rate for serious infections, major adverse cardiovascular events, and nonmelanotic squamous cell malignancies across all doses was 4.41 per 100-patient years (PYs) (95% CI: 2.32-8.38 per 100-PY, I2 : 78%), 0.91 per 100-PY (95% CI: 0.43-1.93 per 100-PY, I2 : 37%) and 0.91 per 100-PY (95% CI: 0.61-1.34 per 100-PY, I2 : 0%), respectively. Higher dose was associated with an increased frequency of AEs.
While the overall efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in moderate-severe UC is consistent with clinical trial data, the dose dependent increase in AEs highlights the significance of early dose de-escalation. Rate of clinical response after tofacitinb induction was similar in biologic naive and biologic experienced patients.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global public health malady that claims almost 1.8 million lives annually. Diagnosis of TB represents perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of tuberculosis control. ...Gold standards for diagnosis of active TB (culture and nucleic acid amplification) are sputum-dependent, however, in up to a third of TB cases, an adequate biological sputum sample is not readily available. The analysis of exhaled breath, as an alternative to sputum-dependent tests, has the potential to provide a simple, fast, and non-invasive, and ready-available diagnostic service that could positively change TB detection. Human breath has been evaluated in the setting of active tuberculosis using thermal desorption-comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry methodology. From the entire spectrum of volatile metabolites in breath, three random forest machine learning models were applied leading to the generation of a panel of 46 breath features. The twenty-two common features within each random forest model used were selected as a set that could distinguish subjects with confirmed pulmonary M. tuberculosis infection and people with other pathologies than TB.
•For the first time a GC×GC system was used to evaluate human breath in the setting of tuberculosis disease•Three random forest models were applied for data elaboration•Twenty-two common features within each random forest model used were selected as a set to distinguish between infected and control group
Preventative care plays an important role in maintaining health in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to assess the overall quality, strength, and transparency of conflicts ...among guidelines on preventative care in IBD.
A systematic literature search was performed in multiple databases to identify all guidelines pertaining to preventative care in IBD in April 2021. All guidelines were reviewed for the transparency of conflicts of interest and funding, recommendation quality and strength, external guideline review, patient voice inclusion, and plan for update-as per Institute of Medicine standards. In addition, recommendations and their quality were compared between societies.
Fifteen distinct societies and a total of 89 recommendations were included. Not all guidelines provided recommendations on the key aspects of preventative care in IBD-such as vaccinations, cancer prevention, stress reduction, and diet/exercise. Sixty-seven percent of guidelines reported on conflicts of interest, 20% underwent external review, and 27% included patient representation. In all, 6.7%, 21.3%, and 71.9% of recommendations were based on high, moderate, and low-quality evidence, respectively. Twenty-seven percent, 23.6%, and 49.4% of recommendations were strong, weak/conditional, and did not provide a strength, respectively. The proportion of high-quality evidence ( P =0.28) and strong recommendations ( P =0.41) did not significantly differ across societies.
Many guidelines do not provide recommendations on key aspects of preventative care in IBD. As over 70% of recommendations are based on low-quality evidence, further studies on preventative care in IBD are warranted to improve the overall quality of evidence.
BackgroundAs marijuana use is rising among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), so is interest in its potential use as a therapeutic agent. We sought to survey IBD patients regarding ...marijuana use, self-reported impact on IBD symptoms, and perceptions of safety.MethodsA multicenter anonymous survey was administered to patients with IBD between October 2020 and June 2021. The 70-question survey collected demographic variables, clinical variables, attitudes about marijuana, and perceptions of its safety and efficacy in IBD. Participants were classified by their marijuana use: "rarely/never," "current," and "former". Percentage and chi-square tests were used to compare categorical variables between the 3 groups, and means and 2-group ANOVA were used for continuous variables.ResultsOf 181 patients surveyed, 166 were eligible for the study. Of these, 70 (42.2%) participants were rare/never marijuana users, 44 (26.5%) were current users, and 52 (31.3%) were former users. Fifty-three percent thought marijuana would help with IBD inflammation and 80% thought it would help with IBD pain. Over 70% of patients from all groups thought marijuana had a low-to-moderate risk of harm, and 69.6% of the participants who never or rarely used marijuana thought marijuana was addictive, compared to 20.5% of the current users and 44% of the former marijuana users.ConclusionsWhile many patients thought marijuana use helps with IBD-related pain and inflammation, many expressed concerns about addiction to marijuana and a possible risk of harm. Further studies are needed to examine the benefit and harm of marijuana in IBD.
Abstract
Background
We aimed to determine whether the Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) assay is a useful adjunct to culture for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) using gastric lavage aspirates (GLAs) in ...children aged < 5 years.
Methods
We reviewed the yield from diagnostic modalities in children suspected of having TB followed at an infectious disease research and treatment center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from 2011 to 2016.
Results
In 187 children clinically diagnosed with TB, a microbiologic diagnosis could be established in 40 (21%). Cultures, Xpert, and smears were positive in 30 (19%), 28 (17%), and 3 (1.6%) children, respectively. Ten cases that would not have been diagnosed by culture alone were found by the use of the Xpert assay. Collecting 2 GLA samples optimized microbiologic yield.
Conclusions
In GLAs, Xpert increased the yield of microbiologically documented cases by 33%. Additionally, the rapidity of diagnosis potentially makes Xpert a valuable adjunct in initiating treatment for TB in children. Smear microscopy has low sensitivity in GLA and did not add to the documented cases. Our findings also highlight the low rate of microbiologic confirmation of clinically diagnosed TB.
The implementation of screening colonoscopy with polyp removal has significantly decreased mortality rates associated with colorectal cancer (CRC), although it remains a major cause of cancer-related ...deaths globally. CRC typically originates from adenomatous polyps, and increased removal of these growths has led to reduced CRC incidence and mortality. Endoscopic polypectomy techniques, including hot and cold snare polypectomy, play a pivotal role in this process. While both methods are effective for small polyps (<10 mm), recent evidence favors cold snare polypectomy due to its superior safety profile and comparable complete resection rates. Large polyps (>10 mm), particularly those with advanced features, pose increased cancer risks and often require meticulous assessment and advanced endoscopic techniques, including endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), for resection.
This chapter also provides a practical overview of endoscopic techniques for managing colonic obstructions and pericolonic fluid collections, detailing their indications, advantages, disadvantages, and complications. The goal is to improve understanding and application in clinical practice. Additionally, we provide a summary of endoscopic closure techniques that have revolutionized the management of perforations and fistulas, offering safe and effective alternatives to surgery.
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