Inflammatory bowel diseases
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Inflamm. Bowel Dis. · Sep 2008
Transcriptomic analysis of intestinal fibrosis-associated gene expression in response to medical therapy in Crohn's disease.
Glucocorticoids and monoclonal antibodies to tumor necrosis factor reduce inflammation in Crohn's disease (CD). Rapid luminal healing, however, may promote intestinal stricture formation. The aim of this study was to examine fibrosis-associated gene expression in the intestine of patients with CD and correlate expression levels with prior medical therapies. ⋯ Exposure to infliximab does not appear to induce a profibrotic transcriptional response in the CD intestine. Previous corticosteroid treatment is associated with increased expression of CTGF and MIF. Treating intestinal fibroblasts in vitro with steroids upregulates CTGF expression.
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Inflamm. Bowel Dis. · Sep 2008
Comparative StudyCorrelation of magnetic resonance enteroclysis (MRE) and wireless capsule endoscopy (CE) in the diagnosis of small bowel lesions in Crohn's disease.
The aim was to evaluate and compare the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance enteroclysis (MRE) and wireless video capsule endoscopy (CE) in detecting and classifying small bowel Crohn's disease (CD) proximal to the terminal ileum. ⋯ MRE and CE show good correlation in the detection and localization of inflammatory bowel disease. As for disease activity, MRE is inferior in the detection of superficial mucosal disease but reliably discloses the presence of severe inflammatory changes within the bowel wall and beyond, which may be underestimated from the endoscopic aspect of the mucosal surface. MRE helps to rule out severe stenoses that should be referred for immediate surgical intervention. In conclusion, both modalities are complementary and MRE should be used in more severe cases of Crohn's disease and in patients who might have involvement beyond the mucosa of the small bowel.