BMJ Open Gastroenterology最新文献

Objective: The healthcare burden of alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) is increasing. ARLD and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is best managed by reduction or cessation of alcohol use, but effective treatments are lacking. We tested whether people with ARLD and AUD admitted to hospital could be recruited to and retained in a trial of Functional Imagery Training (FIT), a psychological therapy that uses mental imagery to reduce alcohol craving. We conducted a multicentre randomised pilot trial of treatment as usual (TAU) versus FIT+TAU in people admitted to hospital with ARLD and AUD.

Design: Participants were randomised to TAU (a single session of brief intervention) or FIT+TAU (TAU with one hospital-based FIT session then eight telephone sessions over 6 months). Pilot outcomes included recruitment rate and retention at day 180. Secondary outcomes included fidelity of FIT delivery, alcohol use, and severity of alcohol dependence.

Results: Fifty-four participants (mean age 49; 63% male) were recruited and randomised, 28 to TAU and 26 to FIT+TAU. The retention rate at day 180 was 43%. FIT was delivered adequately by most alcohol nurses. 50% of intervention participants completed FIT sessions 1 and 2. There were no differences in alcohol use or severity of alcohol dependence between treatment groups at day 180.

Conclusion: Participants with ARLD and AUD could be recruited to a trial of FIT versus FIT+TAU. However, retention at day 180 was suboptimal. Before conducting a definitive trial of FIT in this patient group, modifications in the intervention and recruitment/retention strategy must be tested.

Trial registration number: ISRCTN41353774.

Background: Despite research, there are still controversial areas in the management of Crohn's disease (CD).

Objective: To establish practical recommendations on using anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) drugs in patients with moderate-to-severe CD.

Methods: Clinical controversies in the management of CD using anti-TNF therapies were identified. A comprehensive literature review was performed, and a national survey was launched to examine current clinical practices when using anti-TNF therapies. Their results were discussed by expert gastroenterologists within a nominal group meeting, and a set of statements was proposed and tested in a Delphi process.

Results: Qualitative study. The survey and Delphi process were sent to 244 CD-treating physicians (response rate: 58%). A total of 14 statements were generated. All but two achieved agreement. These statements cover: (1) use of first-line non-anti-TNF biological therapy; (2) role of HLA-DQA1*05 in daily practice; (3) attitudes in primary non-response and loss of response to anti-TNF therapy due to immunogenicity; (4) use of ustekinumab or vedolizumab if a change in action mechanism is warranted; (5) anti-TNF drug level monitoring; (6) combined therapy with an immunomodulator.

Conclusion: This document sought to pull together the best evidence, experts' opinions, and treating physicians' attitudes when using anti-TNF therapies in patients with CD.

Objectives: The study aimed to compare the risk of gastrointestinal infections among patients with and without metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).

Methods: This was a population-based, retrospective, observational study using data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), the largest all-payer US inpatient care database.

Setting: Hospitalisation of adults aged ≥18 years old admitted in 2020 was identified using the NIS. Patients were stratified by the presence and absence of MAFLD.

Participants: 26.4 million adults aged ≥18 years old were included in the study. Patients younger than 18 and those with missing demographic or mortality data were excluded.

Primary and secondary outcomes: Primary outcome was to assess the overall risk of gastrointestinal infections in patients with and without MAFLD. Secondary outcomes were demographics and comorbidities stratified by the presence or absence of gastrointestinal infection, and the risk of specific gastrointestinal pathogens.

Results: Of 26.4 million patients admitted in 2020, 755 910 (2.85%) had the presence of MAFLD. There was a higher prevalence of bacterial gastrointestinal infections in patients with MAFLD than those without (1.6% vs 0.9%, p<0.001). The incidence of Clostridioides difficile (1.3% vs 0.8%, p<0.001), Escherichia coli (0.3% vs 0.01%, p<0.001), and Salmonella (0.07% vs 0.03%, p<0.001) was higher in patients with MAFLD. The presence of MAFLD was associated with higher odds of developing gastrointestinal infections (adjusted OR (aOR) -1.75, 95% CI -1.68 to 1.83, p<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, results remained statistically significant (aOR -1.36, 95% CI - 1.30-1.42, p<0.001).

Conclusion: Even after adjusting for confounding factors, our study demonstrates an increased risk of gastrointestinal infections in patients with MAFLD, specifically of C. difficile, E. coli, and Salmonella. The immune and microbiota changes seen within MAFLD potentially contribute to the increased risk of gastrointestinal infections.

Objective: Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is one of the most common functional impairments after rectal cancer surgery with a high impact on quality of life. The Pre-Operative LARS score (POLARS) nomogram and its online tool has been developed to predict the degree of postoperative LARS. The aim of this study was to analyse how accurately the POLARS score could predict LARS scores when compared with actual patient-reported LARS (PR-LARS) scores in a population-based Swedish cohort.

Design: This retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent curative rectal cancer surgery between 2007 and 2013 in Stockholm County and were identified using the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry (SCRCR). Information regarding preoperative risk factors, patient and treatment characteristics, and presence of LARS postoperatively were collected from patient charts, SCRCR and patient questionnaires. The POLARS model formula was used to predict LARS scores, which then were compared with the actual PR-LARS scores. Individual LARS score differences between the two estimates were shown with a modified Bland-Altman plot of difference.

Results: The cohort included 477 patients, of whom 359 (75%) of patients were categorised as having no/minor LARS based on the POLARS score. The correctly identified patients by the POLARS score were 80/255 (31%) in the major LARS group and 184/222 (83%) no/minor LARS group. The sensitivity was 31% for major LARS and the positive predictive value was 68%.

Conclusion: The POLARS score has a low sensitivity for major LARS in this Swedish cohort. Other methods to predict the risk of LARS need to be developed.

Introduction: Mpox is a viral infection caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the Poxviridae family and Orthopoxvirus genus. Other well-known viruses of the Orthopoxvirus genus include the variola virus (smallpox), cowpox virus and vaccinia virus. Although there is a plethora of research regarding the dermatological and influenza-like symptoms of mpox, particularly following the 2022 mpox outbreak, more research is needed on the gastrointestinal (GI) effects.

Objectives: This systematic review is to outline the GI manifestations of the monkeypox virus.

Methods: The authors conducted this systematic review using guidelines outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. A search was conducted through the PubMed, EMBASE and MEDLINE databases from January 1958 to June 2023. The authors selected English language papers that discussed the GI symptoms in mpox patients. A manual search was also conducted in the reference sections of these publications for other relevant papers.

Results: 33 papers involving 830 patients were selected for this review. The GI manifestations in mpox patients are proctitis, vomiting, diarrhoea, rectal pain, nausea, tenesmus, rectal bleeding and abdominal pain. Although various papers explored transmission routes, one paper established a direct connection between anal-receptive sex transmission route and the development of a GI complication (proctitis). Another study reported that the mode of transmission could potentially impact the occurrence of GI symptoms and severity of the disease. The reviewed papers did not discover a relation between the severity of dermatological and influenza-like symptoms and the GI manifestations mentioned.

Conclusion: This systematic review confirms that GI manifestations are observed in mpox patients. GI symptoms of mpox are crucial for gastroenterologists and other healthcare professionals to recognise in order to address patient discomfort and further understand the pathophysiology of the virus.

Objective: The environmental trigger behind the increasing prevalence of coeliac disease is not known. One suggested cause is iron deficiency, which is common in coeliac disease. We aimed to evaluate this possible association with Mendelian randomisation (MR), which under certain assumptions can suggest a causal relationship.

Design: We conducted a two-sample MR study examining the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with iron status and the presence of coeliac disease. The SNPs were drawn from a meta-analysis of three genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The association between these SNPs and coeliac disease was assessed using GWAS summary statistics from the UK Biobank. This consists of 336 638 white British individuals, 1855 with coeliac disease. We performed an MR Egger test for pleiotropy and assessed the plausibility of the assumptions of MR to evaluate for possible causality.

Results: There were four SNPs strongly associated with systemic iron status. These were not associated with known risk factors for coeliac disease. All four SNPs were available in the UK Biobank coeliac disease summary statistics. Harmonising exposure and outcome associations, we found that higher iron status was negatively associated with risk of coeliac disease (OR per 1 SD increase in serum iron: 0.65, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.91). Leave-one-out analyses had consistent results, and no single SNP drove the association. All three assumptions of MR appeared plausible.

Conclusion: We found that genetically lower iron levels were associated with an increased risk of coeliac disease. Our findings highlight a potential opportunity for coeliac disease prevention.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate whether origins of ethnicity affect the outcomes of surgery for diverticulitis in the USA.

Design: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Programme database from 2008 to 2017 was used to identify patients undergoing colectomy for diverticulitis. Patient demographics, comorbidities, procedural details and outcomes were captured and compared by ethnicity status.

Results: A total of 375 311 surgeries for diverticulitis were included in the final analysis. The average age of patients undergoing surgery for diverticulitis remained consistent over the time frame of the study (62 years), although the percentage of younger patients (age 18-39 years) rose slightly from 7.8% in 2008 to 8.6% in 2017. The percentage of surgical patients with Hispanic ethnicity increased from 3.7% in 2008 to 6.6% of patients in 2017. Hispanic patients were younger than their non-Hispanic counterparts (57 years vs 62 years, p<0.01) at time of surgery. There were statistically significant differences in the proportion of laparoscopic cases (51% vs 49%, p<0.01), elective cases (62% vs 66%, p<0.01) and the unadjusted rate of postoperative mortality (2.8% vs 3.4%, p<0.01) between Hispanic patients compared with non-Hispanic patients, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression models did not identify Hispanic ethnicity as a significant predictor for increased morbidity (p=0.13) or mortality (p=0.80).

Conclusion: Despite a significant younger population undergoing surgery for diverticulitis, Hispanic ethnicity was not associated with increased rates of emergent surgery, open surgery or postoperative complications compared with a similar non-Hispanic population.

Background: The association between colorectal cancer (CRC) and nutrients has been studied frequently. However, the association of nutrient density of diets with the risk of CRC has been less studied. This study aimed to investigate the association between CRC and naturally nutrient rich (NNR) score in Iranian adults.

Method: This case-control study included 160 patients with colorectal cancer and 320 controls aged 35-70 years in Tehran, Iran. Dietary intake was assessed using a 168-item food frequency questionnaire. The NNR score was obtained by calculating the average daily value of 14 nutrients including protein, vitamins A, C, D, E, B₁, B₂, B₁₂, calcium, zinc, iron, folate, potassium and unsaturated fatty acids.

Results: Regarding dietary intake of the components of NNR score, the case group had a lower intake of polyunsaturated fat (15.41±4.44 vs 16.54±4.20 g/day, p=0.01), vitamin E (10.15±4.16 vs 13.1±5.33; p=0.001), vitamin B₁ (2±0.86 vs 2.19±0.84 mg/day, p=0.03) and folate (516.45±96.59 vs 571.05±80.31; p=0.001) and a higher intake of oleic acid (8.21±5.46 vs 5.59±3.17 g/day, p=0.01) compared with the control group. Colorectal cancer risk was inversely associated with the NNR score after adjusting for the confounders (OR 0.92; 95% CI 0.88 to 0.97; p=0.03).

Conclusion: Low NNR scores may be linked to CRC. If confirmed by future longitudinal research, this result may help prevent CRC by recommending nutrient-rich diets.