Ulcerative Colitis: Barta Z

Barta Z, Tóth L, Zeher M. · 3rd Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Medical and Health Science Centre, University of Debrecen, H-4012 Debrecen, Moricz Zs. krt 22, Hungary. · World J Gastroenterol. · Pubmed #16534885 links to  free full text

Abstract: AIM: To assess the efficacy of intravenous cyclophosphamide pulse therapy for refractory inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: We included in our cohort eight patients with (moderate/severe) steroid refractory IBD (4 with ulcerative colitis and 4 with Crohn's disease). They all received 6 cycles of intravenous cyclophosphamide (800 mg) per month. RESULTS: Patients entered into remission after the second/third cyclophosphamide pulse. Disease activity decreased. There were no side effects and toxicity. All the patients went into long lasting remission. All Crohn's disease patients and 3 of 4 ulcerative colitis patients achieved complete remission. One patient with ulcerative colitis showed an impressive clinical response but did not enter into remission. For the maintenance, patients with Crohn's disease were treated with methotrexate (15 mg/wk) and patients with ulcerative colitis were treated with azathioprine (2.5 mg/kg body weight/d). CONCLUSION: Remission was maintained in all patients for 6 mo on the average. The drug was well tolerated. These findings suggest that aggressive immunosuppressive therapy may be useful in some refractory patients and further controlled study should be considered in order to fully evaluate this type of treatment as a potential therapy for IBD.

Lakatos PL, Altorjay I, Szamosi T, Palatka K, Vitalis Z, Tumpek J, Sipka S, Udvardy M, Dinya T, Lakatos L, Kovacs A, Molnar T, Tulassay Z, Miheller P, Barta Z, Stocker W, Papp J, Veres G, Papp M, Anonymous00019. · 1st Department of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. · Inflamm Bowel Dis. · Pubmed #18972554 No free full text.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Pancreatic autoantibodies (PAB) and goblet cell autoantibodies (GAB) are specific for Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), but the sensitivity alone is low. Conventional antibodies and carbohydrates (glycans) are associated with disease phenotype and may be of diagnostic importance in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our aim was to determine the accuracy of PAB and GAB autoantibodies as well as to study relevant phenotype-serotype associations. METHODS: A Hungarian study cohort of 1092 subjects, including 689 well-characterized, unrelated IBD patients (CD: 579, m/f ratio: 274/305, duration: 7.9 +/- 11.2 years; UC: 110, m/f ratio: 53/57, duration: 8.9 +/- 9.8 years), 139 celiac patients, 100 healthy, and 64 non-IBD gastrointestinal controls were investigated. Sera were assayed for PAB-GAB IgA/IgG, anti-Omp, anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA), and anti-glycans. TLR4 and NOD2/CARD15 was tested by polymerase chain reaction / restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Detailed clinical phenotypes were determined. RESULTS: The prevalence of PAB was significantly more frequent in CD (41.1%) versus UC (22.7%), celiac (22.3%), and controls (8% and 4.6%, P < 0.01 for each), while GAB detection was poor in all groups except UC (15.4%). In CD the combination of PAB and/or anti-glycans/ASCA increased the sensitivity to 72% and 59%, respectively, for isolated colonic disease. PAB was associated to gylcans (odds ratio [OR] 1.74,P = 0.002), ASCA IgG/IgA (OR 1.75, P = 0.002), Omp (OR 1.86, P = 0.001) as well as perforating, perianal disease, arthritis, ocular, and cutaneous manifestations (P = 0.002-0.032). In contrast, PAB and GAB antibodies were not associated with NOD2/CARD15 or TLR4, response to medical therapy, or need for surgery. No associations were found in UC. CONCLUSIONS: PAB autoantibodies in combination with ASCA or anti-glycan antibodies increase the sensitivity for detecting CD, especially isolated colonic CD. Antibody response to PAB was associated with complicated disease phenotype and extraintestinal manifestations in this Eastern European IBD cohort.

Mekkel G, Barta Z, Ress Z, Gyimesi E, Sipka S, Zeher M. · Orvos- és Egészségtudományi Centrum, Altalános Orvostudományi Kar, Belgyógyászati Intézet, III. Belgyógyászati Klinika. · Orv Hetil. · Pubmed #17918636 No free full text.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder characterized by symptoms of abdominal pain that is associated with disturbed defecation. Crohn's disease (CD) and Ulcerative colitis (UC) are collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). IBD appears to result from dysregulated immune response with contributions from genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Among environmental factors the enteric microflora and the components of food (eg. antigens) may play important role in the pathogenesis of IBD. The aim of the authors' study was to detect IgE type antibodies against the most frequent food allergens in patients with IBD and IBS. METHODS: Antibodies against food allergens (IgE type) with ELISA method in patients with CD, UC and IBS were quantitatively measured. The figures were compared to the result of a healthy control group contains the same number of participants, and the frequency of food allergy in these patient groups were determined. RESULTS: On the basis of the study the presence of increased IgE type immune response against any food allergens was 34.5% (p = 0.01) in the group of IBS. In patients with CD or UC the immune response against food allergens was also more frequent than in the control group. The order of frequency of food allergens in IBS was the following: milk protein, soybean, tomato, peanut, egg white. CONCLUSION: As the occurrence of food allergens was significantly higher in IBS group than in the control group, the role of food allergy in the symptoms of IBS can be come up. The frequency of food allergy in patients with diagnosis of IBS, and the similarity of symptoms of this two diseases give an obvious opportunity for the patients with IBS to use a diet avoiding the most frequent food allergens, or take e.g. Na-cromoglycate which is useful therapy in food allergy.

Barta Z, Csípõ I, Szabó GG, Szegedi G. · 3rd Dept. of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Moricz Zs. Krt.22. 4004 Debrecen, Hungary. · World J Gastroenterol. · Pubmed #14562398 links to  free full text

Abstract: AIM: To explore whether there was anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) positivity in our patients with biopsy-confirmed celiac disease. METHODS: A cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (42 patients with Crohn's disease and 10 patients with ulcerative colitis) and gluten sensitive enteropathy (16 patients) from Debrecen, Hungary were enrolled in the study. The diagnosis was made using the formally accepted criteria. Perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (pANCA) and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA), antiendomysium antibodies (EMA), antigliadin antibodies (AGA) and anti human tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA) were investigated. RESULTS: The results showed that ASCA positivity occurred not only in Crohn's disease but also in Celiac disease and in these cases both the IgG and IgA type antibodies were proved. CONCLUSION: It is conceivable that ASCA positivity correlates with the (auto-) immune inflammation of small intestines and it is a specific marker of Crohn's disease.

Barta Z, Csípö I, Antal-Szalmás P, Sipka S, Szabó G, Szegedi G. · Debreceni Egyetem, Orvos- és Egészségtudományi Centrum, Altalános Orvostudományi Kar, III. Belgyógyászati Klinika. · Orv Hetil. · Pubmed #11760647 No free full text.

Abstract: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases are a group of diseases with chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, but without proven etiology. Immunologic, environmental, infective and genetic factors equally can play role in their development. Antibodies to an oligomannose epitope of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae demonstrated in 60-70% of the patients with Crohn's disease. The origin and the clinicopathological role are not clarified. It is important that there are no surveys with patients suffering in gluten sensitive enteropathy in the literature. As there are no ASCA survey in Hungary, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the ASCA. The authors examined at their patients the ASCA's occurrence and compared with the clinical picture of the Crohn's disease. The results supported the theory that ASCA positivity correlates with small intestines' Crohn's disease and in these cases both the IgG and IgA type antibodies proved. The antibodies in the sera at the analyzed ASCA positive cases prove a systemic immune response against Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the authors suggest the end of the oral tolerance against the yeast's antigens. The diet restriction (elemental diet, total parenteral nutrition, and fecal diversion) may ameliorate the status of the patients with Crohn's disease. It is speculated that the yeast-free diet as a part of the therapy for the ASCA positive patients can be reasonable: moreover the permanent "forbidding" of the yeast can be an acceptable alternative in case of getting well.

Barta Z, Toth L, Szabo GG, Szegedi G, Zeher M. · No affiliation provided · Gut. · Pubmed #15194669 links to  free full text

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