Mari Hayashida

Treatment and outcomes: medical and surgical treatment for intestinal Behçet's disease

Behçets disease (BD) is a chronic relapsing disease involving multiple organ systems. BD is characterized clinically by oral and genital aphthae, cutaneous lesions, and ophthalmological, neurological, and/or gastrointestinal manifestations. It is widely recognized that the presence of intestinal lesions may be a poor prognostic factor in intestinal BD, increasing the risk of surgery and decreasing the quality of life. Despite this, the management of intestinal BD has not been standardized. Empirical therapies including 5-aminosalicylic acid and corticosteroids have been used anecdotally to treat intestinal BD, but recent studies have provided evidence for the efficacy of anti-tumor necrosis factor α monoclonal antibodies. The development of agents targeting tumor necrosis factor α continues, it seems likely that they will change the therapeutic strategy and clinical outcomes of intestinal BD and inflammatory bowel disease. Monitoring disease activity such as endoscopic evaluation will become more important to obtain better outcomes. Here, we review current and future perspectives in the treatment and outcomes of intestinal BD.

Celecoxib Monotherapy Maintained Small Intestinal Mucosa Better Compared With Loxoprofen Plus Lansoprazole Treatment: A Double-blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Goals: The aim of this study was to compare celecoxib with loxoprofen for protection of small intestine. Background: RCT studies report that COX-2 selective inhibitor celecoxib induces fewer small intestinal injuries than nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Loxoprofen is a prodrug nonselective NSAID developed to protect upper gastrointestinal tract. Study: A total of 150 healthy volunteers (40 to 70 y) were enrolled. After medical checkup including laboratory data, subjects were randomly assigned to celecoxib (200 mg daily) or loxoprofen (180 mg daily) plus lansoprazole (15 mg daily). All drugs were prepared using inactive capsules. After randomization, all subjects were first examined by baseline capsule endoscopy (CE). After 14 days, subjects underwent posttreatment CE. We compared baseline and posttreatment CE findings of the 2 groups. All CE data were evaluated blindly by 3 reviewers. Pretreatment and posttreatment laboratory variables were also compared. Results: A total of 74 subjects (49±6 y, F/M: 36/38) were enrolled in celecoxib group and 76 subjects (49±7 y, F/M: 39/37)in loxoprofen group. Five in celecoxib group and 4 in loxoprofen group were excluded from CE analysis mainly due to incomplete CE. The percentage of subjects with at least 1 posttreatment mucosal break was lower in celecoxib group (10%) than in loxoprofen group (49%) (P<0.0001). A total of 0.3±1.0 posttreatment small intestinal mucosal breaks were detected in the celecoxib group, and 6.8±21.5 in the loxoprofen group (P<0.0001). Posttreatment hemoglobin concentration in loxoprofen group (5.1% reduction) was lower compared with celecoxib group (2.1% reduction) (P=0.006). Conclusions: In terms of protection of small intestine from NSAIDs toxicity, celecoxib monotherapy was superior to loxoprofen+lansoprazole combination therapy (UMIN: 000007936).

Evaluation of the drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test for diagnosing mesalazine allergy

Background/Aims Mesalazine is an effective drug for treating ulcerative colitis (UC), but causes allergic symptoms in a few cases. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test (DLST) for the diagnosis of mesalazine allergy. Methods Patients with UC treated with mesalazine with or without a history of associated adverse events (AEs) were enrolled at Kyorin University Hospital from July 2016 to April 2017. Results The DLST was performed in 104 patients with UC, of which 24 had a history of AEs due to mesalazine treatment. The control value of DLST was 337.4±296.3 counts per minute (cpm) in the AE+ group and 408.0±371.9 cpm in the AE− group. The measured value of DLST was 578.8±424.7 cpm in the AE+ group and 476.5±471.8 cpm in the AE− group. The stimulation index (SI) was 243.9%±291.1% in the AE+ group and 119.8%±53.0% in the AE− group. The SI value and DLST positivity were significantly higher in the AE+ group than in the AE− group (P=0.030 and P=0.029, respectively). The test sensitivity and specificity were 0.240 and 0.805, respectively, and the false-positive and false-negative rate was 0.195 and 0.760, respectively. Conclusions The DLST for mesalazine showed low sensitivity and high specificity, suggesting that it may be useful for the definitive diagnosis of allergy to mesalazine.

An HIV-infected Patient with Confirmed Overlapping Complications of Severe Amebic Colitis and CMV Enteritis

We herein report a case of simultaneous amebic colitis and cytomegalovirus (CMV) enteritis in an HIV-infected patient. The patient was a 40-year-old man who developed bloody stool and diarrhea. We diagnosed him with severe amebic colitis associated with HIV infection and administered metronidazole. While his symptoms began to improve, the patient then developed CMV enteritis. We administered ganciclovir, and his symptoms improved. However, despite control of the infection, stenosis of the descending colon caused intestinal obstruction, and colostomy was performed. This case shows the importance of considering the possibility of simultaneous infection when gastrointestinal symptoms appear in people infected with HIV.