Research in Brief

Abstract

Section snippets

Guselkumab for moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis

Guselkumab is a safe and efficacious treatment option for patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis, according to the phase 3 QUASAR induction and maintenance studies. David T Rubin and colleagues randomly assigned patients with inadequate response or intolerance to conventional or advanced ulcerative colitis therapy to receive guselkumab 200 mg intravenously (n=421) or placebo (n=280) at weeks 0, 4, and 8 (induction study). At 12 weeks, 95 (23%) of 421 patients in the

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab for MSI-H colorectal cancer

Nivolumab plus ipilimumab increases survival in patients with microsatellite-instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch-repair-deficient (dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer, according to the phase 3 CheckMate 8HW trial. Thierry Andre and colleagues randomly assigned patients with unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer and MSI-H or dMMR status according to local testing to receive either nivolumab plus ipilimumab, nivolumab alone, or chemotherapy with or without targeted therapies. In this

Impact of coeliac disease on gut function and microbiome

Coeliac disease has an impact on gut function and microbiome composition that is not reversed by a gluten-free diet, according to new research. Carolyn Costigan and colleagues used MRI and stool sample analysis to examine gut function and microbiome composition of 36 patients with newly diagnosed coeliac disease and an equal number of healthy volunteers. At baseline, patients with coeliac disease had significantly higher small bowel water content and delayed gut transit times compared with

Combination therapy for acute severe ulcerative colitis

Combination therapy with infliximab plus azathioprine shows promise in patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis responsive to intravenous steroids, according to the phase 4 ACTIVE trial. Aurelien Amiot and colleagues randomly assigned patients who had not previously received biologics or thiopurines to receive either infliximab plus azathioprine with a 7-day steroid tapering scheme (n=32) or azathioprine and a conventional standardised steroid tapering regimen (n=32). At week 52, treatment