Development of the global inflammatory bowel disease visualization of epidemiology studies in the 21st century (GIVES-21).

BACKGROUND: There is a rapid increase in the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in newly industrialized countries, yet epidemiological data is incomplete. We herein report the methodology adopted to study the incidence of IBD in newly industrialized countries and to evaluate the effect of environmental factors including diet on IBD development. METHODS: Global IBD Visualization of Epidemiology Studies in the 21st Century (GIVES-21) is a population-based cohort of newly diagnosed persons with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to be followed prospectively for 12 months. New cases were ascertained from multiple sources and were entered into a secured online system. Cases were confirmed using standard diagnostic criteria. In addition, endoscopy, pathology and pharmacy records from each local site were searched to ensure completeness of case capture. Validated environmental and dietary questionnaires were used to determine exposure in incident cases prior to diagnosis. RESULTS: Through November 2022, 106 hospitals from 24 regions (16 Asia; 6 Latin America; 2 Africa) have joined the GIVES-21 Consortium. To date, over 290 incident cases have been reported. All patients have demographic data, clinical disease characteristics, and disease course data including healthcare utilization, medication history and environmental and dietary exposures data collected. We have established a comprehensive platform and infrastructure required to examine disease incidence, risk factors and disease course of IBD in the real-world setting. CONCLUSIONS: The GIVES-21 consortium offers a unique opportunity to investigate the epidemiology of IBD and explores new clinical research questions on the association between environmental and dietary factors and IBD development in newly industrialized countries.

Thorough study of reactivity of various compound classes toward the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent.

A thorough study was done to test the reactivity of the Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) reagent toward various compound classes. Over 80 compounds were tested. Compound classes included phenols, thiols, vitamins, amino acids, proteins, nucleotide bases, unsaturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, organic acids, inorganic ions, metal complexes, aldehydes, and ketones. All phenols, proteins, and thiols tested were reactive toward the reagent. Many vitamin derivatives were also reactive, as were the inorganic ions Fe(+2), Mn(2+), I(-), and SO(3)(2-). Other compounds showing reactivity included the nucleotide base guanine and the trioses glyceraldehyde and dihydroxyacetone. Copper complexation enhanced the reactivity of salicylate derivatives toward the reagent, whereas zinc complexation did not. Several amino acids and sugars that were reported to be reactive toward the F-C reagent in earlier studies were found not to be reactive in this study, at least in the concentrations used. Reaction kinetics of each compound with the F-C reagent were also measured. Most compounds tested showed a biphasic kinetic pattern with half-lives under 1 min. Trolox and ascorbic acid displayed a rapid monophasic pattern in which the reaction reached end point within 1 min. In summary, this study has shown that the F-C reagent is significantly reactive toward other compounds besides phenols. As other investigators have suggested, the F-C assay should be seen as a measure of total antioxidant capacity rather than phenolic content. Because phenolics are the most abundant antioxidants in most plants, it gives a rough approximation of total phenolic content in most cases.