Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract,sometimes referred to as the GI tract, which includes the esophagus,stomach,small intestine and large intestine as well as the accessory organs of digestion which include the pancreas,gallbladder,and liver.
Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain,diarrhea,fever,abdominal distension,and weight loss. Complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract may include anemia,skin rashes,arthritis,inflammation of the eye,and fatigue. The skin rashes may be due to infections as well as pyoderma gangrenosum or erythema nodosum. Bowel obstruction may occur as a complication of chronic inflammation,and those with the disease are at greater risk of colon cancer and small bowel cancer.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),with the other type being Crohn's disease. It is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood (hematochezia). Weight loss,fever,and anemia may also occur. Often,symptoms come on slowly and can range from mild to severe. Symptoms typically occur intermittently with periods of no symptoms between flares. Complications may include abnormal dilation of the colon (megacolon),inflammation of the eye,joints,or liver,and colon cancer.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine,with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine and large intestine,as well as the mouth,esophagus,stomach and the anus,whereas UC primarily affects the colon and the rectum.
Colitis is swelling or inflammation of the large intestine (colon). Colitis may be acute and self-limited or long-term. It broadly fits into the category of digestive diseases.
Toxic megacolon is an acute form of colonic distension. It is characterized by a very dilated colon (megacolon),accompanied by abdominal distension (bloating),and sometimes fever,abdominal pain,or shock.
Abdominal distension occurs when substances,such as air (gas) or fluid,accumulate in the abdomen causing its expansion. It is typically a symptom of an underlying disease or dysfunction in the body,rather than an illness in its own right. People with this condition often describe it as "feeling bloated". Affected people often experience a sensation of fullness,abdominal pressure,and sometimes nausea,pain,or cramping. In the most extreme cases,upward pressure on the diaphragm and lungs can also cause shortness of breath. Through a variety of causes,bloating is most commonly due to buildup of gas in the stomach,small intestine,or colon. The pressure sensation is often relieved,or at least lessened,by belching or flatulence. Medications that settle gas in the stomach and intestines are also commonly used to treat the discomfort and lessen the abdominal distension.
The specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) is a restrictive diet originally created to manage celiac disease;it limits the use of complex carbohydrates. Monosaccharides are allowed,and various foods including fish,aged cheese and honey are included. Prohibited foods include cereal grains,potatoes and lactose-containing dairy products. It is a gluten-free diet since no grains are permitted.
The interleukin-23 receptor is a type I cytokine receptor. It is encoded in human by the IL23R gene. In complex with the interleukin-12 receptor β1 subunit (IL-12Rβ1),it is activated by the cytokine interleukin 23 (IL-23). The IL23R mRNA is 2.8 kilobases in length and includes 12 exons. The translated protein contains 629 amino acids;it is a type I penetrating protein and includes a signal peptide,an N-terminal fibronectin III-like domain and an intracellular part that contains three potential tyrosine phosphorylation domains. There are 24 IL23R splice variants in mitogen-activated lymphocytes. IL23R includes some single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the region encoding the domain that binds IL-23,which may lead to differences between people in Th17 activation. There is also a variant of IL-23R that consists of just the extracellular part and is known as soluble IL-23R. This form can compete with the membrane-bound form to bind IL-23,modulating the Th17 immune response and regulation of inflammation and immune function.
Vedolizumab,sold under the brand name Entyvio,is a monoclonal antibody medication developed by Takeda Oncology for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. It binds to integrin α4β7,blocking the α4β7 integrin results in gut-selective anti-inflammatory activity.
Prof. Herbert Lochs,MD was a prominent German and Austrian medical doctor and scientist.
Lloyd Mayer was an American gastroenterologist and immunologist. He was Professor and Co-Director of the Immunology institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center,now known as the Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute.
The Journal of Crohn's and Colitis is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering inflammatory bowel diseases. It was established in 2007 and was originally published by Elsevier,but has been published by Oxford University Press since January 2015. It is the official journal of the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. The editor-in-chief is Laurence J. Egan. The journal has a 2022 impact factor of 8.0. In 2022,it was ranked 7th by Scimago journal rankings in the field of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of inflammatory bowel disease. It was established in 1995 and is published by Oxford University Press. It is the official journal of the Crohn's &Colitis Foundation. The editor-in-chief is Fabio Cominelli. According to the Journal Citation Reports,the journal has a 2021 impact factor of 7.29,ranking it 22nd out of 93 journals in the category "Gastroenterology &Hepatology".
David T. Rubin is an American gastroenterologist and educator. He is the Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago,where he is also the Chief of the Section of Gastroenterology,Hepatology and Nutrition. He also serves as the Co-Director of the Digestive Diseases Center.
Joseph Barnett Kirsner was an American gastroenterologist and Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. He was a pioneer in the field of digestive system disorders and was the first person to show the increased risk of colon cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis.
World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day, also known as World IBD Day, is an annual event to raise awareness of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis,known collectively as inflammatory bowel disease. The day is coordinated by the European Federation of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis Associations (EFCCA). It was created in 2010 during Digestive Disease Week in the United States and takes place on 19 May.
Aleixo M. Muise is a Canadian scientist,pediatrician and gastroenterologist known for contributions to the understanding of very early onset inflammatory bowel disease. He is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto,a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease,and a pediatric gastroenterologist at the Hospital for Sick Children.
Maria Teresa Abreu is an American gastroenterologist with a focus on inflammatory bowel disease. She was inducted into the Academy of Science,Engineering and Medicine of Florida for "her research in advancing understanding of therapeutic drug monitoring genotype–phenotype associations in inflammatory bowel diseases."
Shomron Ben-Horin is an Israeli physician,a co-founder &Chief Medical Officer of Evinature,and professor of medicine at the Tel-Aviv University.
