Crohn's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Crohn's Disease, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, causes, medication.

Replication of signals from recent studies of Crohn's disease identifies previously unknown disease loci for ulcerative colitis.

Franke A, Balschun T, Karlsen TH, Hedderich J, May S, Lu T, Schuldt D, Nikolaus S, Rosenstiel P, Krawczak M, Schreiber S

Institute for Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University, D-24105 Kiel, Germany.

Following up on recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of Crohn's disease, we investigated 50 previously reported susceptibility loci in a German sample of individuals with Crohn's disease (n = 1,850) or ulcerative colitis (n = 1,103) and healthy controls (n = 1,817). Among these loci, we identified variants in 3p21.31, NKX2-3 and CCNY as susceptibility factors for both diseases, whereas variants in PTPN2, HERC2 and STAT3 were associated only with ulcerative colitis in our sample collection.

Published 29 May 2008 in Nat Genet, 40(6): 713-5.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Crohn's Disease published 29 May 2008:

Genetic determinants of ulcerative colitis include the ECM1 locus and five loci implicated in Crohn's disease.   Nat Genet, 40(6): 710-2.

We report results of a nonsynonymous SNP scan for ulcerative colitis and identify a previously unknown susceptibility locus at ECM1. We also show that several risk loci are common to ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease (IL23R, IL12B, HLA, NKX2-3 and MST1), whereas autophagy genes ATG16L1 and IRGM, along with NOD2 (also known as CARD15), are specific for Crohn's disease. These data provide the first detailed illustration of the genetic relationship between these common inflammatory bowel ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Crohn's Disease published 21 May 2008:

Using CT enterography to monitor Crohn's disease activity: a preliminary study.   AJR Am J Roentgenol, 190(6): 1512-6.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to determine whether imaging changes of Crohn's disease at sequential CT enterography examinations correlate with disease progression or regression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty CT enterography examinations in 20 patients (12 women, eight men; mean age, 55.5 years) with known Crohn's disease were retrospectively evaluated by a radiologist who was blinded to the clinical history. One radiologist determined whether imaging findings of Crohn's disease were ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Crohn's Disease published 14 May 2008:

Common misconceptions in the diagnosis and management of anemia in inflammatory bowel disease.   Am J Gastroenterol, 103(5): 1299-307.

Anemia is the most common systemic complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); so common that it is almost invariably not investigated and rarely treated. Several misconceptions are the reason for these clinical errors, and our goal will be to review them. The most common misconceptions are: anemia is uncommon in IBD; iron deficiency is also uncommon; just by treating the intestinal disease, anemia will be corrected; iron deficiency is the only cause for anemia in IBD; ferritin is an ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Relapses of inflammatory bowel disease during pregnancy: in-hospital management and birth outcomes.   Am J Gastroenterol, 103(5): 1203-9.

BACKGROUND: There are few studies that describe the medical treatment and colitis response rates among patients with a severe relapse of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) during pregnancy, and few studies of the effect of such a relapse on birth outcomes in these patients. OBJECTIVES: To describe the treatment and response rates of severe colitis in pregnancy, and to assess the effects of a severe relapse of colitis during pregnancy on birth outcomes. METHODS: We performed a case control study ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

NOD2/CARD15 gene variants are linked to failure of antibiotic treatment in perianal fistulating Crohn's disease.   Am J Gastroenterol, 103(5): 1197-202.

OBJECTIVES: The Crohn's disease (CD) susceptibility gene, nucleotide-binding oligomerizetion domain 2 (NOD2)/caspase recruitment domain 15 (CARD15), is linked to the innate immune response associated with altered epithelial bacterial defense. Its relevance in antibiotic therapy of perianal fistulating CD remains elusive. The aim of the study was to explore systematically the association between NOD2/CARD15 variants and clinical response of perianal fistulas in patients using antibiotic therapy. ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Incidence of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in a population-based cohort of patients with Crohn's disease and control subjects.   Am J Gastroenterol, 103(5): 1168-72.

OBJECTIVE: To define the incidence of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and in control subjects. METHODS: Blood samples from 361 CD patients from a previously described population-based inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) cohort and 200 blood donor controls, of known NOD2 genotype, were screened by PCR for MAP-specific IS900 DNA. These results were correlated with NOD2 genotype. RESULTS: The PCR assay was capable of detecting 20 fg of ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

A novel intravenous iron formulation for treatment of anemia in inflammatory bowel disease: the ferric carboxymaltose (FERINJECT) randomized controlled trial.   Am J Gastroenterol, 103(5): 1182-92.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Anemia is a common complication of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) This multicenter study tested the noninferiority and safety of a new intravenous iron preparation, ferric carboxymaltose (FeCarb), in comparison with oral ferrous sulfate (FeSulf) in reducing iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in IBD. METHODS: Two hundred patients were randomized in a 2:1 ratio (137 FeCarb:63 FeSulf) to receive FeCarb (maximum 1,000 mg iron per infusion) at 1-wk intervals until the patients' ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

IgG oligosaccharide alterations are a novel diagnostic marker for disease activity and the clinical course of inflammatory bowel disease.   Am J Gastroenterol, 103(5): 1173-81.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) share several immunologic similarities with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients with RA have significantly increased levels of serum agalactosyl immunoglobulin G (IgG). Our aim was to investigate the clinical significance of analyzing the oligosaccharide structure of serum IgG in patients with IBD. METHODS: Serum IgG oligosaccharide structures were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography in 60 patients with ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

© 2004-2008 Crohn's Disease Research Today. All Rights Reserved.