In the last year, different diseases possibly linked to Helicobacter pylori infection but localized outside of the stomach have been investigated. There are, in fact, several studies concerning ...cardiovascular diseases, hematologic disorders, neurologic diseases, metabolic, hepatobiliary diseases, and other conditions. Some of those studies, such as those on sideropenic anemia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, are quite large and well conducted, while in other cases there are just small or isolated studies or even case reports. Nonetheless, there is much interest among researchers all over the world for such a topic as demonstrated by the large number of studies published in the last year.
Gastric epithelium is the first significant barrier between the inner body and the potentially toxic material in the lumen. Nutrients affect gastric barrier continuously--alcohol, coffee, spices, ...salted food, etc. Also, very potent noxious agents are widely prescribed drugs--nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), aspirin and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Helicobacter pylori is a well-known and well-investigated pathogen associated with serious gastric damage and gastric carcinoma. For its defense and maintenance of homeostasis and integrity, except acid secretion and maintenance of low luminal pH, gastric mucosa also has a specific structure, and its function is influenced by different control mechanisms. These include control of mucosal blood flow, control of mucus and bicarbonate secretion, constant cell renewal, and neuronal and hormonal control of defense mechanisms. These mechanisms are mediated by prostaglandins, nitric oxide, growth factors, heat-shock proteins and a neuropeptide called calcitonin gene-related protein. Adrenal glucocorticoids and the central nervous system also play an important role in regulating gastro-protection, especially hypothalamus and the dorsal vagal complex. Gastric mucosa is also an important component of the body's immune system and gut-associated lymphoid tissue which serves as the initiation site for antigen-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune response. Treatment options for gastric barrier dysfunction and damage due to aforementioned noxious agents are guided by the nature of damage and our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms involved. Currently, management is guideline driven and depends upon eradication treatment in patients infected with H. pylori and treatment or prevention of aspirin or NSAID ulceration.
Modern Approach to Dyspepsia Medić, Barbara
Acta clinica Croatica (Tisak),
12/2021, Letnik:
60, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Dyspepsia is a disorder characterized by dyspeptic symptoms which are located in the epigastrium and related to digestion of food in the initial part of the digestive system. In functional dyspepsia, ...unlike organic dyspepsia, there is no underlying organic disease that would cause dyspeptic symptoms. Immune and mucosal function changes, gastric dysmotility, different composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota, and altered central nervous system processing are considered responsible for the onset of the disorder. The diagnosis is based on history, clinical presentation, and exclusion of other organic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract manifested by dyspeptic symptoms. Therapy includes eradication of
Helicobacter pylori
infection, proton pump inhibitors, prokinetics, neuromodulators, and herbal preparations. Unfortunately, in some patients, this therapy leads to little or no improvement. The prevalence of functional dyspepsia is increasing. It has become one of the more common gastroenterological diagnoses. In order to reduce the costs associated with the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder itself, its mechanisms need to be fully elucidated and thus enable finding appropriate therapy for all patient subgroups.
Primary: to evaluate predictivity of liver stiffness (LS), spleen stiffness (SS), and their ratio assessed by real-time 2D shear wave elastography (RT-2D-SWE) for adverse outcomes (hepatic ...decompensation, hepatocellular carcinoma or death; "event") in compensated liver cirrhosis (LC) patients. Secondary: to evaluate ability of these measures to discriminate between cirrhotic patients with/without esophageal varices (EV).
Predictivity of LS, SS, and LS/SS was assessed in a retrospectively analyzed cohort of compensated LC patients (follow-up cohort) and through comparison with incident patients with decompensated cirrhosis (DC) (cross-sectional cohort). Both cohorts were used to evaluate diagnostic properties regarding EV.
In the follow-up cohort (n=44) 18 patients (40.9%) experienced an "event" over a median period of 28 months. LS≥21.5 kPa at baseline was independently associated with 3.4-fold (95% confidence interval CI 1.16-10.4, P=0.026) higher risk of event. Association between SS and outcomes was weaker (P=0.056), while there was no association between LS/SS ratio and outcomes. Patients with DC (n=43) had higher LS (35.3 vs 18.3 kPa, adjusted difference 65%, 95% CI 43%-90%; P<0.001) than compensated patients at baseline. Adjusted odds of EV increased by 13% (95% CI 7.0%-20.0%; Plt;0.001) with 1 kPa increase in LS. At cut-offs of 19.7 and 30.3 kPa, LS and SS had 90% and 86.6% negative predictive value, respectively, to exclude EV in compensated patients.
This is the first evaluation of RT-2D-SWE as a prognostic tool in LC. Although preliminary and gathered in a limited sample, our data emphasize the potential of LS to be a reliable predictor of clinical outcomes and the presence of EV in LC patients.
Aim To determine the frequency of common symptoms in long COVID and their effect on the quality of life, and to determine the factors contributing to a more severe long COVID. Methods The study ...enrolled 266 patients who were either referred to long-COVID outpatient clinic or were inpatients undergoing rehabilitation. The data were collected between December 2020 and May 2021. We evaluated the symptoms experienced during acute and long COVID and comorbidities. Functional status was assessed with Post Covid Functional Status (PCFS). Results The final sample consisted of 261 patients. After acute COVID-19 period (>4 weeks), almost 80% of patients had impaired functional status. Only 21.5% reported no functional impairment (0 on PCFS scale). A higher PCFS score was associated with female sex (P < 0.001) and oxygen therapy requirement during acute disease (P=0.001). However, it was not associated with having a pre-existing lung disease (P = 0.749). Disease severity did not pose a risk for developing a more severe long COVID. Conclusion Women were at greater risk for developing greater functional impairment in long COVID, although we have no explanation why. Malignant disease and hypertension also presented a risk factor for greater functional impairment. More studies are warranted to determine if patients with certain lung disease are more susceptible to long COVID.
Eozinofilni ezofagitis je kronična bolest posredovana putem Th2 obrasca imunosne reakcije, karakterizirana prisutnošću predominatno eozinofilnih upalnih promjena u jednjaku. Bolest je posredovana ...imuno/antigenim patofizološkim putem, a za definiciju bolesti potrebno je prisustvo kliničkih simptoma i histoloških elemenata bolesti. Unatrag desetak godina bilježi se porast incidencije i prevalencije EoE, gdje prevalencija EoE varira, te u općoj populaciji iznosi 0,2–4/1000 u asimptomatskih bolesnika, dok kod simptomatskih bolesnika ona iznosi 5–6%. Smatra se da prevalencija u općoj populaciji iznosi 43 do 52/100000. Patofiziološki riječ je o poligenskoj bolesti u kojoj određeni citokini (IL-4, IL-5,IL-13, IL-14, TGF-β) igraju ključnu ulogu aktivirajući eotaksin-3 u sluznici jednjaka. Eotaksin-3 snažno privlači eozinofile u sluznicu jednjaka, a tako aktivirani eozinofili dovode do privlačenja drugih upalnih stanica, oslobađanja medijatora i nastanka bolesti. Histološki kriterij dijagnoze EoE je prisutnost više od 15 eozinofila prisutnih u vidnom polju bioptata sluznice jednjaka. Klinički, bolest se može manifestirati spektrom simptoma, od akutne impakcije hrane, disfagije, boli u žličici i žgaravice, a i nespecifični simptomi poput inapetencije ili povraćanja također se javljaju kod ovih bolesnika. Osnova liječenja ovih bolesnika temelji se na medikamentnom liječenju, dijetalnim preporukama i endoskopskoj dilataciji. Cilj ovih kliničkih smjernica jest prikazati preporučeni algoritam dijagnostike i liječenja eozinofilnog ezofagitisa.
Claudins are transmembrane proteins constituting one of three tight junction protein families. In patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), disease activity–dependent changes in expression of ...certain claudins have been noted, thus making certain claudin family members potential therapy targets. A study was undertaken with the aim of exploring expression of claudins in human disease and two different animal models of IBD: dextrane sulfate sodium–induced colitis and adoptive transfer model of colitis. The expression of sealing claudin-1, claudin-3, claudin-4, and claudin-8, and pore-forming claudin-2 in humans and rodents has been evaluated by immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Claudins were expressed by epithelial and cells of mesodermal origin and were found to be situated at the membrane, within the cytoplasm, or within the nuclei. Claudin expression by human mononuclear cells isolated from lamina propria has been confirmed by Western blot and flow cytometry. The claudin expression pattern in uninflamed and inflamed colon varied between species and murine strains. In IBD and both animal models, diverse alterations in claudin expression by epithelial and inflammatory cells were recorded. Tissue mRNA levels for each studied claudin reflected changes within cell lineage and, at the same time, mirrored the ratio between various cell types. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that 1) claudins are not expressed exclusively by epithelial cells, but by certain types of cells of mesodermal origin as well; 2) changes in the claudin mRNA level should be interpreted in the context of overall tissue alterations; and 3) both IBD animal models that were analyzed can be used for investigating claudins as a therapy target, respecting their similarities and differences highlighted in this study.
Dragutin (Carl) Schwarz (1868-1917) was born in VaraŽdin (part of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy then, northwestern part of Croatia today). As many Croats of the period he enrolled in the Vienna ...School of Medicine and graduated in 1891. After spending some time in a few clinics of the Monarchy, he returned to his homeland in 1895. Named the primary physician of the surgical department of Charity Brothers' Hospital in Zagreb, he motivated lively activities there and became the prominent member of the medical community. Apart from his impressive surgical work, Carl Schwarz is primarily remembered for his dictum 'No acid, no ulcer' (1910) which was proven to be true in the decades that followed. This short editorial aims at recalling those visionary observations ever inviting and challenging further investigations.
Background The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin on mucosal changes and colonic bacterial load in a murine model of colitis. Methods Colitis was ...induced in CD1 mice using enema of 0.2% solution of dinitrofluorobenzene, combined with skin sensitization. Four experimental groups of animals (N = 10 per group) were treated with 50 mg/kg/day azithromycin (AZ) or metronidazole (MN) perorally, starting 24 h before (AZ−1, MN−1) or 6 h after (AZ+1, MN+1) induction of colitis and for consecutive 5 days. Additional experimental mice group was treated with 10 mg/kg/day methylprednisolone intraperitoneally after induction of experimental colitis in the same manner (MP). Two control groups consisted of healthy animals (C) that received the challenge enema with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and animals with experimental colitis (chall) treated with equivolume of PBS perorally. Clinical score (0-5) and histopathologic score (0-30) were used to assess inflammatory changes, and colon washings were used to determine changes in bacterial load. Results The anti-inflammatory effect of azithromycin did not differ from the effect of methylprednisolone, when compared with control group with experimental colitis. Metronidazole did not show a significant anti-inflammatory effect. Number of colonic bacteria did not differ significantly between control and experimental groups of animals. Conclusions We documented the anti-inflammatory effect of azithromycin in a murine model of acute colitis, suggesting that effects were targeted to oxidative burst and on mucosal/bacterial interface, independent of luminal bacterial load. Further studies should be focused on effect of azithromycin on the role of bacterial biofilm in perpetuation of chronic intestinal inflammation.
Background
In ulcerative colitis, the complexity of mucosal cytokine secretion profiles and how they correlate with endoscopic and clinical scores is still unclear.
Methods
In this study, we ...collected fresh biopsies from UC patients to investigate which cytokines are produced in ex vivo culture conditions, a platform increasingly used for testing of novel drugs. Then, we correlated cytokine production with several scoring indices commonly used to assess the severity of the disease.
Results
Increased levels of IL‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, IL‐12, IL‐13, TNFα and IFNɣ were produced by biopsies of UC patients compared to non‐IBD controls. Our results show a better correlation of cytokine levels with Mayo Endoscopic Subscore (MES) and Mayo score, than the more complex Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS). Out of 10 measured cytokines, eight correlated with MES, six with Mayo score and only three with UCEIS, due to the partial increase in cytokine secretion observed in donors with UCEIS = 7–8. When we analysed individual subscores within the UCEIS, Vascular Network subscore showed a correlation similar to MES (7/10 cytokines), while Bleeding as well as Erosions and Ulcers subscores correlated with only 3/10 cytokines, similarly to the total UCEIS.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that choosing biopsies from donors with MES = 2–3 and UCEIS = 2–6 from areas with no bleeding and no superficial and/or deep ulcers could enable a deeper insight into the cytokine profile of the inflamed tissue and represent a better tool for studying potential therapeutic targets and evaluation of novel therapies.
We correlated the amount of cytokines secreted by mucosal biopsies in ex vivo culture conditions overnight with disease activity scoring indices commonly used in the clinic (Mayo score, MES and UCEIS). We found that MES correlated with most measured cytokines. Contrarily, total UCEIS score correlated with the fewest of the measured cytokines, mostly due to two of its individual subscores, UCEIS Bleeding and UCEIS Erosions and Ulcers. Based on this, we propose UCEIS as a more subtle differentiator of donors with abundant tissue damage. (Created with BioRender.com)
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