Tuberculosis dissemination in kidney transplant recipient treated with anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TBC) in solid organ transplant recipients represents a severe complication. The incidence among transplant recipients is higher than in the general population, and the diagnosis and treatment remain challenging. We present a case of active disseminated tuberculosis in a kidney transplant recipient treated with an anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody, who had been previously exposed to an active form of the disease, but latent tuberculosis (LTBI) was repeatedly ruled out prior to transplantation. To the best of our knowledge, no other case has been reported in a patient treated with the anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody. CASE PRESENTATION: A 49-year-old patient, 1.5 years after primary kidney transplantation, presented with vocal cord problems, a dry irritating cough, and a sore throat. A detailed investigation, including a high-resolution chest CT scan, revealed the diagnosis of disseminated tuberculosis. The antituberculosis treatment consisting of rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol was started immediately. The patient's condition became complicated by relapsing diarrhoea. The colonoscopy revealed a circular stenosis above Bauhin's valve. Microscopical findings showed active colitis and vaguely formed collections of epithelioid macrophages without fully developed caseous granulomas and were consistent with the clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis. The antituberculosis treatment was subsequently enhanced by moxifloxacin and led to a great improvement in the patient's condition. CONCLUSION: In this case, false negativity of interferon-γ release assays and possibly higher risk for intracellular infections in patients on costimulatory signal blockers are discussed.

PSC-IBD: specific phenotype of inflammatory bowel disease associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive disease of the biliary tree which represents one of the most frequent indications for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) in developed countries. LTx is currently the only curative procedure for PSC. Concomitant inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is present in approximately 70 % of patients with PSC. Such colitis in PSC has specific clinical and etiological features and is considered as a distinct phenotype of IBD often referred to as "PSC-IBD". The phenotype usually manifests as mild extensive colitis with right-sided predominance. Other morphological features, such as back- wash ileitis and rectal sparing, are also increasingly prevalent in PSC-IBD. Moreover, patients with PSC-IBD have increased risk towards developing colorectal neoplasia which tend to be highly progressive. Therefore, total colonoscopy employing multiple random biopsies or chromoendoscopy should be performed every 1-2 years once PSC-IBD is diagnosed. Even detection of low-grade dysplasia in colonic mucosa should lead towards prophylactic colectomy consideration in patients with PSC-IBD. Recommendations regarding pharmacological therapy are based on the similar principles as in Crohn´s disease and ulcerative colitis. However, status of the liver disease should always be taken into account. Proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is a method of choice in the field of surgical therapy of PSC-IBD. The clinical course of PSC-IBD may deteriorate after OLTx despite immunosuppressive therapy administration. IBD can even develop de-novo after OLTx and may significantly influence the risk ratio for PSC recurrence in the liver graft. Key words: inflammatory bowel disease - primary sclerosing cholangitis - PSC-IBD.

Clinical monitoring: infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 in the treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

OBJECTIVE: The infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 (Remsima(®), Inflectra(®)) was approved in Europe for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) based on extrapolation of data from patients with rheumatic disease. Because there are limited published reports on clinical outcomes for IBD patients treated with CT-P13, we monitored responses to induction treatment with this biosimilar in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) in centres across the Czech Republic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-two patients with CD (n = 30) or UC (n = 22) were treated with 5 mg/kg CT-P13 for up to 14 weeks. Effectiveness of therapy was evaluated with the Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) or the Mayo Scoring System (MSS) in patients with CD or UC, respectively, before and after 14 weeks. Additional goals were to evaluate weight changes, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, and complications/adverse events. RESULTS: In patients with CD, remission (CDAI <150) was achieved in 50.0% of cases, and partial response (≥70-point decrease in CDAI score from baseline) in the remaining 50.0%. In patients with UC, remission (total score on partial Mayo index ≤2 points) was achieved in 40.9% of cases, partial response (≥2-point decrease in partial Mayo score from baseline) in 54.5%, and no response in 4.5%. There were statistically significant improvements in CDAI, MSS and CRP serum levels after 14 weeks of therapy, and body weight increased. Four adverse events were identified (n = 1 each): lower-extremity phlebothrombosis, herpes labialis, pneumonia and allergic reaction. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective observational study provides evidence of the effectiveness of CT-P13 in IBD.

Fecal Microbial Transplantation versus Mesalamine Enema for Treatment of Active Left-Sided Ulcerative Colitis-Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) is a promising alternative treatment. METHODS: This multicenter, open-label, noninferiority trial randomized patients with active left-sided UC (Mayo score 4-10) equally to FMT or 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) enemas. FMT enemas were administered five times in the first week and then once weekly for 5 weeks. 5-ASA enemas were administered daily for 2 weeks and then every other day. The primary study endpoint was clinical remission, with a total Mayo score ≤2 at week 12 with no subscore >1. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were screened; 45 were enrolled and randomized to FMT (n = 23) or 5-ASA (n = 22). Twenty-one FMT and 22 5-ASA patients completed at least the week 4 study visit and were included in the mITT analysis. Twelve FMT (57%) and eight 5-ASA patients achieved the primary study endpoint. FMT noninferiority with 10% margin was confirmed (95% CI: -7.6%, 48.9%). Adverse events occurred in 12 FMT (57%) and 13 5-ASA (59%) patients. Increased microbial diversity persisted 3 months after FMT. CONCLUSION: FMT is an effective treatment for left-sided UC and increased recipient microbiome diversity. Targeted microbiome modification may improve FMT efficacy. Further investigation is needed to guide donor and patient selection.

Plectin ensures intestinal epithelial integrity and protects colon against colitis.

Plectin, a highly versatile cytolinker protein, provides tissues with mechanical stability through the integration of intermediate filaments (IFs) with cell junctions. Here, we hypothesize that plectin-controlled cytoarchitecture is a critical determinant of the intestinal barrier function and homeostasis. Mice lacking plectin in an intestinal epithelial cell (IEC; PleΔIEC) spontaneously developed colitis characterized by extensive detachment of IECs from the basement membrane (BM), increased intestinal permeability, and inflammatory lesions. Moreover, plectin expression was reduced in the colons of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients and negatively correlated with the severity of colitis. Mechanistically, plectin deficiency in IECs led to aberrant keratin filament (KF) network organization and the formation of dysfunctional hemidesmosomes (HDs) and intercellular junctions. In addition, the hemidesmosomal α6ß4 integrin (Itg) receptor showed attenuated association with KFs, and protein profiling revealed prominent downregulation of junctional constituents. Consistent with the effects of plectin loss in the intestinal epithelium, plectin-deficient IECs exhibited remarkably reduced mechanical stability and limited adhesion capacity in vitro. Feeding mice with a low-residue liquid diet that reduced mechanical stress and antibiotic treatment successfully mitigated epithelial damage in the PleΔIEC colon.

Distinct gut microbiota profiles in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis and ulcerative colitis.

AIM: To characterize the gut bacterial microbiota of patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: Stool samples were collected and relevant clinical data obtained from 106 study participants, 43 PSC patients with (n = 32) or without (n = 11) concomitant inflammatory bowel disease, 32 UC patients, and 31 healthy controls. The V3 and V4 regions of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene were sequenced on Illumina MiSeq platform to cover low taxonomic levels. Data were further processed in QIIME employing MaAsLin and LEfSe tools for analysis of the output data. RESULTS: Microbial profiles in both PSC and UC were characterized by low bacterial diversity and significant change in global microbial composition. Rothia, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Veillonella, and three other genera were markedly overrepresented in PSC regardless of concomitant inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Rothia, Veillonella and Streptococcus were tracked to the species level to identify Rothia mucilaginosa, Streptococcus infantus, S. alactolyticus, and S. equi along with Veillonella parvula and V. dispar. PSC was further characterized by decreased abundance of Adlercreutzia equolifaciens and Prevotella copri. Decrease in genus Phascolarctobacterium was linked to presence of colonic inflammation regardless of IBD phenotype. Akkermansia muciniphila, Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum and Clostridium colinum were decreased in UC along with genus Roseburia. Low levels of serum albumin were significantly correlated with enrichment of order Actinomycetales. CONCLUSION: PSC is associated with specific gut microbes independently of concomitant IBD and several bacterial taxa clearly distinguish IBD phenotypes (PSC-IBD and UC).

Inflexibility of energy substrate oxidation in type 1 diabetic patients.

Obese, insulin-resistant patients have been shown to have metabolic inflexibility. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of insulin administration on energy metabolism in lean, type 1 diabetic (DM1) patients. Eleven DM1 patients without vascular complications and 11 healthy controls (C) were examined. We performed a 2-step hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp (240 minutes; period 1: 1 mU. kg(-1). min(-1) and period 2: 10 mU. kg(-1). min(-1)) combined with indirect calorimetry during basal period B (B, -45 to 0 minutes), period 1, and period 2 of the clamp. The metabolic clearance rates of glucose (MCR) were lower in DM1 compared with C in period 1 (12.54 +/- 3.38 v 17.41 +/- 6.18 mL. kg(-1). min(-1); P <.02), as well as in period 2 (21.63 +/- 6.47 v 26.61 +/- 4.45 mL. kg(-1). min(-1); P <.05). Basal respiratory quotient (RQ) was lower in DM1 compared with C (0.72 +/- 0.04 v 0.75 +/- 0.04; P <.03). Insulin administration was accompanied by an increase in RQ in both groups, which was lower in DM1 compared with C (period 1: +0.09 +/- 0.04 v +0.11 +/- 0.07; P <.001; period 2: +0.13 +/- 0.04 v +0.16 +/- 0.04; P <.001). Glucose oxidation did not differ between the groups in period B; however, it was lower in DM1 compared with C in periods 1 (1.17 +/- 0.67 v 3.28 +/- 1.11 mg. kg(-1). min(-1); P <.003); and 2 (2.10 +/- 0.64 v 3.28 +/- 0.93 mg. kg(-1). min(-1); P <.009). Lipid oxidation was higher in DM1 in all periods compared with C; period B (3.28 +/- 0.77 v 1.16 +/- 0.55 mg. kg(-1). min(-1); P <.001), period 1 (1.10 +/- 0.41 v 0.67 +/- 0.54 mg. kg(-1). min(-1); P <.05), and period 2 (0.99 +/- 0.29 v 0.52 +/- 0.58 mg. kg(-1). min(-1); P <.01). The groups did not differ in protein oxidation. In conclusion, DM1 patients with secondary insulin resistance (IR) are characterized by metabolic inflexibility manifesting itself by smaller increases in RQ and glucose oxidation after insulin administration during the euglycemic clamp.

Epithelial markers of colorectal carcinogenesis in ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

AIM: To evaluate the expression of epithelial markers of colorectal carcinogenesis in patients with long-term ulcerative colitis (UC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) before and after transplantation. METHODS: Eight patients with UC and PSC prior to liver transplantation (PSC-UC), 22 patients with UC after liver transplantation for PSC (OLT), 9 patients with active ulcerative colitis without PSC (UCA), 7 patients with UC in remission (UCR) and 10 controls (N) underwent colonoscopy with multiple biopsies. Specimens were analysed histologically and semi-quantitatively immunohistochemically for p53, Bcl-2 and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) markers. Statistical analysis was performed by Kruskal-Wallis and Fisher's exact tests. RESULTS: PSC-UC had a statistically significantly higher expression of p53 in the nondysplastic mucosa as compared to OLT, UCA, UCR and N (P < 0.05). We also found a statistically significant positive correlation between the incidence of PSC and the expression of p53 (P < 0.001). UCA had a higher p53 expression as compared to UCR. OLT had a significantly lower expression of p53 as compared with PSC-UC (P < 0.001). Bcl-2 had a significant higher bcl-2 expression as compared with controls. No difference in COX-2 expression between PSC-UC, UCR and UCA was found. UCA had higher COX-2 expression as compared to UCR. We also found a statistically significant positive correlation between the expression of COX-2 and p53. Patients after liver transplantation for PSC had a statistically significantly lower expression of the p53 compared with PSC-UC (P < 0.001). PSC-UC had the same inflammatory endoscopic activity as OLT and UCR when evaluated with the Mayo score. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that the nondysplatic mucosa of UC patients with PSC is characterised by a higher expression of the tumour suppressor gene p53, suggesting a higher susceptibility of cancer. This p53 overexpression correlates with the presence of PSC whilst it is not present in patients with UC after liver transplantation for PSC.

Comparison of various strategies for colorectal cancer screening tests.

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most serious health problems worldwide and thus it is important to assess health and economic impacts of preventative CRC screening strategies. METHODS: For this reason, a theoretical model based on Markov chains is proposed to compare these strategies: fecal occult blood test, capsule endoscopy, once-life and twice-life colonoscopy, and no screening. The model predicts the health state of a population of individuals aged from 50 to 75 years. RESULTS: The numerical results show that the optimal timing for a once-lifetime colonoscopy screening method is before the age of 50 and that the twice-lifetime colonoscopy is the best screening strategy with respect to CRC incidence. In contrast, it is the most expensive one if the CRC treatment costs are not included. The model predicts that there is a minimal CRC incidence in the population when the second colonoscopy is appropriately timed. By using specific data, this age was found to be 59 years. CONCLUSION: The screening strategies probably save expenses on the treatment of the population and at the same time decreases mortality. Optimized twice-lifetime colonoscopy seems to be the most efficient strategy with respect to mortality and overall costs including subsequent treatment.

Effect of telmisartan on selected adipokines, insulin sensitivity, and substrate utilization during insulin-stimulated conditions in patients with metabolic syndrome and impaired fasting glucose.

OBJECTIVE: Telmisartan improves glucose and lipid metabolism in rodents. This study evaluated the effect of telmisartan on insulin sensitivity, substrate utilization, selected plasma adipokines and their expressions in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in metabolic syndrome. DESIGN AND METHODS: Twelve patients with impaired fasting glucose completed the double-blind, randomized, crossover trial. Patients received telmisartan (160 mg/day) or placebo for 3 weeks and vice versa with a 2-week washout period. At the end of each period, a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp (HEC) combined with indirect calorimetry was performed. During HEC (0, 30, and 120 min), plasma levels of adipokines were measured and a needle biopsy (0 and 30 min) of SAT was performed. RESULTS: Fasting plasma glucose was lower after telmisartan compared with placebo (P<0.05). There were no differences in insulin sensitivity and substrate utilization. We found no differences in basal plasma adiponectin, resistin and tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), but an increase was found in basal leptin, after telmisartan treatment. Insulin-stimulated plasma adiponectin (P<0.05), leptin and resistin (P<0.001) were increased, whereas TNFα was decreased (P<0.05) after telmisartan treatment. Expression of resistin, but not adiponectin, TNFα and leptin was increased after telmisartan treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the decrease in fasting plasma glucose, telmisartan does not improve insulin sensitivity and substrate utilization. Telmisartan increases plasma leptin as well as insulin-stimulated plasma adiponectin, leptin and resistin, and decreases plasma TNFα during HEC. Changes in plasma adipokines cannot be explained by their expressions in SAT. The changes in plasma adipokines might be involved in the metabolic effects of telmisartan in metabolic syndrome.