Intestinal barrier in inflammatory bowel disease

A complex mucosal barrier protects as the first line of defense the surface of the healthy intestinal tract from adhesion and invasion by luminal microorganisms. In this review, we provide an overview about the major components of this protective system as for example an intact epithelium, the synthesis of various antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and the formation of the mucus layer. We highlight the crucial importance of their correct functioning for the maintenance of a proper intestinal function and the prevention of dysbiosis and disease. Barrier disturbances including a defective production of AMPs, alterations in thickness or composition of the intestinal mucus layer, alterations of pattern-recognition receptors, defects in the process of autophagy as well as unresolved endoplasmic reticulum stress result in an inadequate host protection and are thought to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the inflammatory bowel diseases Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Unresolved conundrum of the role of physical activity in inflammatory bowel disease:What next?

There is considerable controversy on the role of physical activity in irritable bowel disease(IBD)since published reports are conflicting.It is well known that there is known relapse with specific treatment in IBD.This,in addition to onset of extraintestinal symptoms creates a need to think of alternate approaches.In this context,the current article describes the need of a multi-institutional study with standard protocol of physical activity for documenting its effect on both the primary disease and the extra alimentary manifestations.This paper also points out the possibility of using adjuvant complementary medicine such as yoga,whose effects have been documented in other diseases like irritable bowel syndrome.A third approach could be to focus on the intestinal dysbiosis in IBD and concentrate on research on restoring the microbial flora to normal,to see whether the extraintestinal symptoms are alleviated.

paired Coagulation Status in the Crohn＇s Disease Patients Complicated with Intestinal Fistula

Background： Intestinal fistula is one of the common complications of Crohn＇s disease （CD） that might require surgical treatment. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of CD with intestinal fistula are much different from CD alone. This study was to investigate whether the coagulation status of CD is changed by intestinal fistula. Methods： Data were retrospectively analyzed for 190 patients with a definitive diagnosis of CD who were registered at the Jinting Hospital between January 2014 and September 2015. Baseline clinical characteristics and laboratory indices of initial admission and 7 days after intestinal fistula resections were collected. Student＇s t-test and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to compare differences between the two groups. Results： Compared with CD patients without intestinal fistula, prothrombin time （PT） in patients with intestinal fistula was significantly longer （12.13 ± 1.27 s vs. 13.18± 1.51 s,P〈0.001 in overall cohort： 11.56± 1.21 svs. 12.61 ±0.73 s,P 0.001 in females： and 12.51± 1.17 s vs. 13.37± 1.66 s, P - 0.003 in males）. Platelet （PLT） count was much lower in intestinal fistula group than in nonintestinal fistula group （262.53 ± 94.36 × 109/L vs. 310.36 ± 131.91× 109/L, P = 0.009）. Multivariate logistic regression showed that intestinal fistula was significantly associated with a prolonged PT （odds ratio [OR] 1.900, P 〈 0.001 ）, a reduced amount of PLT （OR = 0.996, P = 0.（124）, and an increased operation history （OR = 5.408, P 〈 0.001 ）. Among 65 CD patients receiving intestinal fistula resections, PT was obviously shorter after operation than baseline （ 12.28 ± 1.16 s vs. 13.02 ± 1.64 s, P = 0.006）. Conclusions： Intestinal fistula was significantly associated with impaired coagulation status in patients complicated with CD. Coagulation status could be improved after intestinal fistula resections.