The notion of Crohn's disease (CD) as a chronic, progressive and disabling condition has led to the development of new indexes: the Lémann Index measuring cumulative bowel damage and the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Disability Index, assessing functional disability.

There is an increasing body of evidence showing that earlier use of biologics improves clinical outcomes in Crohn's disease (CD).

Few data exist to select a second biologic agent in patients with refractory ulcerative colitis (UC).

Although nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, their role in preventing post‐colonoscopy CRC (PCCRC) remains undetermined.

Tacrolimus is a calcineurin inhibitor commonly used for prophylaxis of rejection in renal and liver transplantation. There are limited but favourable data regarding its possible use in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Uncertainty exists concerning the risk of infection and cancer associated with biologic therapies in elderly patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

APT‐1011, a fluticasone propionate orally disintegrating tablet formulation, is under investigation for the treatment of eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE).

Growth retardation is well described in childhood‐onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Incidence and mortality of gastric cancer (GC) are high in Mongolia despite Helicobacter pylori in the Mongolian population being less virulent.

Helicobacter pylori infection is the most important risk factor for non‐proximal gastric adenocarcinoma, yet some posit it is protective against oesophageal adenocarcinoma and proximal gastric cancers.

Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) account for an increasing proportion of liver disease in the Asia‐Pacific region. Many areas in the region are experiencing epidemics of metabolic syndrome among rapidly ageing populations.

BACKGROUND Managing chronic constipation is challenging as patients frequently remain dissatisfied with laxative treatments. Novel studies using transabdominal electrical interferential therapy in children have shown benefit but there are inadequate adult studies. AIM To examine the effects of transabdominal interferential stimulation on bowel symptoms and quality of life in women with refractory constipation

BACKGROUND The management of Crohn's disease patients with perianal lesions and anti-TNF failure is challenging. AIMS To assess the effectiveness of vedolizumab in perianal Crohn's disease and the predictors of success in a real-life cohort. METHODS We conducted a nationwide multicentre cohort study in patients with perianal Crohn's disease who received vedolizumab. In patients with active perianal

BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori is the most infamous constituent of the gastric microbiota and its presence is the strongest risk factor for gastric cancer and other gastroduodenal diseases. Although historically the healthy stomach was considered a sterile organ, we now know it is colonised with a complex microbiota. However, its role in health and disease is not well understood. AIM To systematically

BACKGROUND Standard high-resolution manometry (HRM) protocols are based on 10 single water swallows acquired in the supine position. AIMS To assess the impact of position, rapid drink challenge and solid test meal on the diagnosis of oesophageal motility disorders. METHODS Seventy-two healthy volunteers (20-76 years) and 366 consecutive patients (18-90 years) completed HRM with 10 single water swallows

BACKGROUND There is still controversy with regard to the efficacy of individual probiotic strains for the management of acute gastroenteritis. AIM To update evidence on use of Saccharomyces boulardii for treating acute gastroenteritis in children. METHODS The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched from inception to December 2019 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared

BACKGROUND Patients with chronic constipation (CC) or with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation are often dissatisfied about their medical therapy, but their condition remains poorly defined. AIM To evaluate the patients' satisfaction rates and which factors predict favourable outcomes through the aggregate analysis of N-of-1 trials. METHODS Eighty-one outpatients with CC or with irritable bowel

BACKGROUND The causes of seronegative villous atrophy can be grouped as coeliac or noncoeliac related. There is no consensus on how to approach subjects with seronegative coeliac disease. AIM To evaluate the accuracy of both an increase in CD3+ T-cell receptor gamma delta+ (TCRγδ+ ) intraepithelial lymphocytes and coeliac lymphogram for the diagnosis of coeliac disease in patients with seronegative

BACKGROUND Histologic healing is emerging as a new therapeutic goal in both routine practice and clinical trials in ulcerative colitis (UC). However, it requires repeated endoscopies and biopsies. Faecal calprotectin is a non-invasive marker of mucosal healing (endoscopic and histologic healing). AIM To conduct a systematic review to clarify the correlation between faecal calprotectin levels and histologic

BACKGROUND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It is not well understood, however, which individuals with NAFLD are at highest risk for cardiovascular disease. AIMS To determine the factors associated with incident cardiovascular events in a prospective cohort of individuals with biopsy-proven NAFLD without pre-existing cardiovascular

BACKGROUND Significant hepatic fibrosis is associated with higher mortality. However, data on the estimated prevalence of liver fibrosis in the general population are scarce. AIM To use magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) to investigate the prevalence of hepatic fibrosis in a Korean health check-up clinic cohort. METHODS We enrolled 2170 participants at our health check-up clinic between January

BACKGROUND Due to a substantial first-pass metabolism of oral budesonide, systemic bioavailability is low compared to other oral corticosteroids, thereby possibly avoiding adverse effects of systemic corticosteroid use. AIM To determine whether use of oral budesonide is associated with osteoporotic fractures in patients with microscopic colitis (MC). METHODS Applying data from the Danish nationwide

BACKGROUND Vonoprazan (V), a potassium-competitive acid blocker, has a more durable acid-inhibitory effect as compared with standard-dose proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) but has not been compared with 2-4 times higher daily PPI doses administered in two divided doses. AIMS To evaluate the acid-inhibitory effect of V 10/20 mg once-daily (OD; V10/V20) vs rabeprazole (R) 10/20 mg twice-daily (BID; R20/R40)

BACKGROUND Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are widely used to treat acid-related disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract. However, large observational studies have raised concerns about PPI-associated adverse events. In recent years, data from next-generation sequencing studies suggested that PPIs affect the composition of the intestinal microbiota, while a balanced gut microbiome is essential for

BACKGROUND Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL) is a rare, poorly treatable malignancy associated with therapy for IBD. Current knowledge of HSTCL risk in IBD comes from an era of step-up therapy, before earlier use of biologics or combination therapy was advocated to achieve deep mucosal healing. HSTCL risk among newer biologic classes has also not been evaluated. AIMS To systematically characterise

BACKGROUND Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a leading cause of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) across the world. Ibuprofen is one of the most commonly used and safest NSAIDs, nevertheless reports on ibuprofen-induced hepatotoxicity are available. AIM To analyse previously published information on ibuprofen-induced liver injury for a better characterisation of its phenotypic expression

BACKGROUND Clinical application of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) to optimise anti-TNF therapies in patients with IBD depends upon target ranges. AIMS To review methodology used to determine therapeutic ranges and critically compare and contrast its application to infliximab and adalimumab. METHODS A systematic review was performed, and relevant literature was summarised and critically examined

BACKGROUND The FDA approved 'label' for metformin lists hepatic insufficiency as a risk for lactic acidosis. Little evidence supports this warning. AIMS To investigate the safety and pharmacokinetics of metformin in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). METHODS Chronic liver disease patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were studied by a cross-sectional survey of patients already

BACKGROUND Opioids are often prescribed for pain in cirrhosis and may increase the risk of hepatic encephalopathy (HE). AIM To assess the association between opioids and HE in patients with well-compensated cirrhosis. METHODS We used the IQVIA PharMetrics (Durham, NC) database to identify patients aged 18-64 years with cirrhosis. We excluded patients with any decompensation event from 1 year before

BACKGROUND Gestational reflux is common, affecting up to 80% of pregnant women. Most symptoms will abate during lactation. During both of these periods, interventions used to relieve symptoms focus on a "step-up" methodology with progressive intensification of treatment. This begins with lifestyle modifications. AIM To provide guidance in the treatment of reflux in pregnancy and lactation, as well

BACKGROUND The effect of baseline resistance-associated substitutions (RAS) on the sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR12) among chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients receiving the second generation, pan-genotypic glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P) regimen is unclear. AIM To assess the effect of RAS on the SVR12 in CHC patients treated with G/P regimen. METHODS The EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane central

BACKGROUND Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) such as health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms associated with chronic hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection have not been well-described in North American cohorts. AIMS To evaluate several PROs and associations with HBV disease activity markers. METHODS Cross-sectional analysis including 876 adults who completed PRO measures during the Hepatitis

BACKGROUND To date, 14 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified as susceptibility loci for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). AIM To investigate if these SNPs are associated with treatment response of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive CHB patients. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of 1623 Han Chinese HBeAg-positive CHB patients (782 patients treated with pegylated interferon

BACKGROUND The effect of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on pregnancy-related outcomes remains unknown. AIM To determine the risk of adverse maternal, placental and obstetric outcomes in IBD METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase and Cochrane library through May 2019 for studies reporting adverse maternal, placental and obstetric outcomes in patients with IBD. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals