O.A. Paoluzi

Azathioprine or methotrexate in the treatment of patients with steroid‐dependent or steroid‐resistant ulcerative colitis: results of an open‐label study on efficacy and tolerability in inducing and maintaining remission

Background : The role of azathioprine and methotrexate in inducing and maintaining remission in patients with ulcerative colitis is still controversial.

Comparison of two different daily dosages (2.4 vs. 1.2 g) of oral mesalazine in maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis patients: 1-year follow-up study

Background : Mesalazine as maintenance therapy in ulcerative colitis is used worldwide and has been proven to be effective. However, the optimal dosage remains to be defined.

Sulphasalazine and 5-aminosalicylic acid in long-term treatment of ulcerative colitis: report on tolerance and side-effects.

BACKGROUND Use of sulphasalazine in ulcerative colitis patients is hampered by a variety of side-effects, including male infertility. 5-aminosalicylic acid is better tolerated and has been increasingly used to treat patients intolerant/allergic to sulphasalazine but it may also be associated with side-effects. AIM To evaluate tolerance of long-term treatment with sulphasalazine and 5-aminosalicylic acid in ulcerative colitis. METHODS Side-effects to sulphasalazine (2-3 g/day) and 5-aminosalicylic acid (1.2-2.4 g/day) were recorded in 685 patients: 410 patients received only sulphasalazine, 130 only 5-aminosalicylic acid, and 145 both drugs. In patients with side-effects to sulphasalazine, a desensitisation protocol (rechallenge) was attempted to improve tolerance, and patients still presenting side-effects after desensitisation were switched to 5-aminosalicylic acid. Male fertility was also assessed in 42 males on sulphasalazine and on 5-aminosalicylic acid. RESULTS Side-effects were observed in 110/555 patients (20%) on sulphasalazine and in 18/275 patients (6.5%) on 5-aminosalicylic acid during a median period of follow-up of 7 and 5 years, respectively. Desensitisation was achieved in 40% of patients intolerant to sulphasalazine. 5-aminosalicylic acid intake induced side-effects in 2/130 patients (1.5%) who had not taken sulphasalazine before versus 4/91 patients (4%) tolerating sulphasalazine and 12/54 patients (22%) intolerant/allergic to sulphasalazine, the difference in incidence of side-effects in the two latter groups being statistically significant (4.4% vs 20.8%, p=0. 001). Fertility was found to be affected in all patients on sulphasalazine but improved when put onto 5-aminosalicylic acid. CONCLUSIONS 5-aminosalicylic acid should be considered the drug of choice in the treatment of ulcerative colitis bearing in mind that intolerance or allergy may occur in a few patients also on this drug.

Oral mesalazine (5-ASA) treatment may protect against proximal extension of mucosal inflammation in ulcerative proctitis.

Objectives:Studies aimed at establishing which characteristics of patients with ulcerative proctitis could be predictive of the extension of inflammation have failed to provide conclusive results. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic role of clinical and therapeutic parameters in patients with proctitis. Patients and Methods:Case records of 138 patients with ulcerative proctitis were retrospectively evaluated. The following parameters were considered: gender; age at onset of disease; smoking habits; histologic severity of disease at onset; mean number of clinical relapses of disease per year; mean duration of oral and topical mesalazine treatment; and number of topical corticosteroid treatments per year. Results:Twenty-eight patients were excluded from the analysis for different reasons. During follow-up, inflammation spread proximally in 33 of 110 patients (30%). Patients with extended proctitis showed a significantly higher number of relapses and a shorter duration of oral mesalazine treatment than patients with nonprogressive proctitis (p < 0.001 for both). The multivariate analysis also found that the mean duration of topical mesalazine treatment was longer in patients with extended proctitis. Conclusions:Ulcerative proctitis patients with more frequent relapses who need a longer duration of topical therapy are at higher risk of extension of the disease, while a more prolonged oral mesalazine treatment period protects against the proximal spread of rectal inflammation.

Increased thrombin generation and circulating levels of tumour necrosis factor-α in patients with chronic Helicobacter pylori-positive gastritis

Background : Conflicting data have been reported concerning the relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and coronary heart disease.

Overexpression of Fatty Acid Synthase in Ulcerative Colitis

Fatty acid synthase is an enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of long-chain fatty acids. The enzyme expression is minimal in adult tissues and very high in many cancers. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that, when long-standing, is associated with an increased risk of colon cancer. The aim of the present study was to establish whether fatty acid synthase levels in the mucosa without dysplasia of patients with long-standing ulcerative colitis were higher than in control subjects. Three groups of patients were selected: 30 with active ulcerative colitis, 30 with ulcerative colitis in remission, and 30 undergoing colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening, as healthy control subjects. Fatty acid synthase expression was evaluated with immunohistochemical procedures. The enzyme was detected in all patients with active colitis, in most patients with quiescent disease, in both pathologic and normal mucosa, but in only 3 healthy control subjects. Our results suggest that extension of ulcerative colitis is greater than that revealed by common diagnostic techniques.

Discrepancy Between Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay and Western Blot Analysis in the Assessment of CagA Status in Dyspeptic Patients

Infection with CagA‐positive Helicobacter pylori may be diagnosed by detecting cagA gene by polymerase chain reaction assay (PCR) or serum antibodies against CagA by Western blot analysis. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether results of PCR and Western blot analysis are in agreement in CagA status assessment.