Five mucosal transcripts of interest in ulcerative colitis identified by quantitative real-time PCR: a prospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The cause and pathophysiology of ulcerative colitis are both mainly unknown. We have previously used whole-genome microarray technique on biopsies obtained from patients with ulcerative colitis to identifiy 5 changed mucosal transcripts. The aim of this study was to compare mucosal expressions of these five transcripts in ulcerative colitis patients vs. controls, along with the transcript expression in relation to the clinical ulcerative colitis status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Colonic mucosal specimens from rectum and caecum were taken at ambulatory colonoscopy from ulcerative colitis patients (<it>n </it>= 49) with defined inflammatory activity and disease extension, and from controls (<it>n </it>= 67) without inflammatory bowel disease. The five mucosal transcripts aldolase B, elafin, MST-1, simNIPhom and SLC6A14 were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant transcript differences in the rectal mucosa for all five transcripts were demonstrated in ulcerative colitis patients compared to controls. The grade of transcript expression was related to the clinical disease activity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The five gene transcripts were changed in patients with ulcerative colitis, and were related to the disease activity. The known biological function of some of the transcripts may contribute to the inflammatory features and indicate a possible role of microbes in ulcerative colitis. The findings may also contribute to our pathophysiological understanding of ulcerative colitis.</p

Effects of a supplementary diet with specially processed cereals in patients with short bowel syndrome

Objective Short bowel syndrome patients frequently experience impaired health-related quality of life. This syndrome is also associated with increased costs for the individuals concerned and the community. Intake of specially processed cereals has been demonstrated to decrease intestinal secretion. This study evaluates the effect of a supplementary diet with specially processed cereals compared with nonprocessed cereals. Methods This investigation is a randomized double-blind, cross-over multicentre prospective study of 26 intestinal resected out patients, considered as short bowel syndrome patients. The patients were divided into groups A or B, in accordance with the first allocated treatment. Subgroup analyses of the underlying diagnoses and type of surgical procedure were performed. The studied parameters were faecal volume, nocturnal stools, abdominal pain/discomfort, health-related quality of life, peripheral blood tests and anthropometric data. Results In both groups, intake of norprocessed cereals significantly decreased the faecal volume. The subgroup analyses of patients with a history of ulcerative colitis (compared with Crohn's disease) and nonileostomy-operated procedure (compared with ileostomi-operated procedure) showed significantly decreased faecal volume during nonprocessed cereals intake. Peripheral blood tests, quality of life and anthropometry were not affected. Conclusion In this study, norprocessed cereals seemed to be as effective as specially processed cereals in decreasing faecal volume in general and especially in ulcerative colitis patients (mainly operated with nonileostomy techniques). Our results indicate that use of supplementary cereals is safe for this group of patients, but should optimally include evaluation of the underlying diagnosis and the surgical method used. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 20:1085-1093 (C) 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins