Monthly Archives: January 2018

Opioid abuse has reached epidemic proportions with over 12 million reporting a history of opioid misuse. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suffer from chronic relapsing-remitting pain and are at risk for opioid abuse and dependence. We aim… Continue reading →

More than 200 genetic loci have been identified in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). However, those loci do not explain the full hereditability of IBD, suggesting there are more genetics variants with weak or moderate effect sizes. To further expand ou… Continue reading →

Ulcerative colitis patients have an increased risk of colitis associated cancer (CAC). It is driven by continuous exposure to inflammation and it is different than sporadic colon cancer (CRC). CAC advances through “dysplasia-carcinoma axis” while C… Continue reading →

TNF-like Weak Inducer of Apoptosis (TWEAK) and Fn14 are TNF superfamily members that were reported to be elevated in colonic samples of UC patients. However, the precise role of TWEAK/Fn14 in intestinal inflammation is still not fully elucidated. The a… Continue reading →

Neutrophils can release their DNA as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) via a programmed cell death known as NETosis; this process is dependent on peptidyl arginine deiminase-4 (PAD4, aka Padi4) activity to facilitate the rapid de-condensation of ch… Continue reading →

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases are associated with a disruption of the intestinal microbiota, called dysbiosis, determining event in the pathogenesis. Interactions between host and microbiota occur through various factors, including anti-microbial peptide… Continue reading →

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) regulates the biological actions of the active vitamin D metabolite, 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Evidence strongly supports that VDR signaling is involved in the genetic, environmental, immune, and microbial aspects of inflamma… Continue reading →

With the success of immunotherapy in oncology for the past 5-10 years, there are also associated toxicities, including colitis. The current management strategy is mainly steroid, infliximab and/or vedolizumab based on small case reports and case series… Continue reading →

Crohn’s is an aggressive inflammatory bowel disease driven by interactions of unknown relative significance between the immune system, the microbiome, and the intervening intestinal epithelial barrier. Histopathology analyses and genome-wide associat… Continue reading →

Patients with fibrostenotic Crohn’s disease (CD) are commonly advised to avoid fiber during symptomatic episodes. Fiber intake modulates the intestinal microbiota composition. The influence of low fiber diets in patients with Crohn’s disease on the… Continue reading →