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Biomedical subjects

J B Kirsner

Publications and source records attributed to J B Kirsner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

The scientific growth of gastroenterology during the 20th century. The 1994 G. Brohee Lecture.

Energized by the growth of the basic sciences during the latter half of the 20th century, gastroenterology advanced from a modest clinical activity to an increasingly scientific discipline. The decisive change followed World War II, when the Office of Scientific Research and Development transferred university and industry wartime research contracts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), followed by establishment of the National Science Foundation and the General Medicine Study Section (NIH). Other factors contributing to the progress of gastroenterology included: (1) the increasing body of scientific knowledge; (2) innovative technological advances; (3) philanthropic, pharmaceutical, and governmental (NIH) support of research; (4) emphasis on controlled clinical and laboratory studies; and (5) the enlarging global scientific communication network. Selected highlights on the evolving knowledge of gastrointestinal hormones and the discovery of cholecystography illustrate some of the pathways of gastroenterology's 20th century advance.

Cholecystography↗
PubMed1991

Inflammatory bowel disease. Part I: Nature and pathogenesis.

Once regarded as medical curiosities, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have achieved a remarkable change in status recently and today are among the more compelling of all human illnesses. The cause(s) of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are not known. Genetic, environmental, microbial, and immunologic factors are involved, but the precise mechanisms are obscure. The incidence of ulcerative colitis is relatively stable, while Crohn's disease continues to increase in frequency. In 10% to 15% of patients, it is hard to differentiate between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's colitis; however, problems with diagnosis usually resolve with time and repeated examinations. In part I of his two-part monograph on IBD, Dr. Kirsner addresses the nature and pathogenesis of the disease. Increased study of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in recent years has generated new knowledge regarding their etiology. Part I focuses on microbial, immunologic, and genetic mechanisms and the inflammatory processes involved in the disease. In part II, which will be presented in next month's issue of Disease-a-Month, Dr. Kirsner deals with the clinical features, course, and management of IBD, based on the author's 55 years of experience with these problems and supplemented by critical examination of the recent (1988-1990) literature. Particular attention is directed to the symptoms and physical findings of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, the laboratory, radiologic, endoscopic, and pathologic features, and the many systemic complications. The IBDs are mimicked by several enterocolonic infections and other conditions, making differential diagnosis necessary. Inflammatory bowel disease in children and the elderly conforms to conventional clinical patterns modified by the health circumstances of the respective age groups. Because the cause of IBD has not been established, current medical therapy is facilitative and supportive rather than curative. The principles of medical treatment are approximately the same for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Treatment emphasizes a program rather than a drug and also considers the individuality of the therapeutic response. A clearer understanding of dietary and nutritional needs, including hyperalimentation and electrolyte and fluid balance, aids treatment. Antidiarrheal and antispasmodic preparations and sedatives are prescribed for symptom relief. The bowel inflammation is controlled with sulfasalazine or the newer 5-amino salicylic acid (5-ASA) compounds, antibacterial drugs for complications of Crohn's disease and IBD, adrenocortical steroids, and the immunosuppressive compounds 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), azathioprine, and cyclosporine, as determined in each patient. The surgical procedures available for treatment of ulcerative colitis include total proctocolectomy and ileostomy or ileoanal anastomosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Inflammatory bowel disease. Part II: Clinical and therapeutic aspects.

Once regarded as medical curiosities, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have achieved a remarkable change in status recently and today are among the more compelling of all human illnesses. The cause(s) of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are not known. Genetic, environmental, microbial, and immunologic factors are involved, but the precise mechanisms are obscure. The incidence of ulcerative colitis is relatively stable, while Crohn's disease continues to increase in frequency. In 10% to 15% of patients, it is hard to differentiate between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's colitis, however, problems with diagnosis usually resolve with time and repeated examinations. In part I of his two-part monograph on IBD, Dr. Kirsner addressed the nature and pathogenesis of the disease. Increased study of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in recent years has generated new knowledge regarding their etiology. Part I focused on microbial, immunologic, and genetic mechanisms of, and the inflammatory process involved in the disease. In this part, Dr. Kirsner deals with the clinical features, course, and management of IBD, based on the author's 55 years of experience with these problems and supplemented by critical examination of the recent (1988-1990) literature. Particular attention is directed to the symptoms and physical findings of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The laboratory, radiologic, endoscopic, and pathologic features, and the many systemic complications. IBDs are mimicked by several enterocolonic infections and other conditions making differential diagnosis necessary. Inflammatory bowel disease in children and the elderly conforms to conventional clinical patterns modified by the health circumstances of the respective age groups. Because the cause of IBD has not been established, current medical therapy is facilitative and supportive rather than curative. The principles of medical treatment are approximately the same for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Treatment emphasizes a program rather than a drug and also considers the individuality of the therapeutic response. A clearer understanding of dietary and nutritional needs, including hyperalimentation and electrolyte and fluid balance, aids treatment. Antidiarrheal and antispasmodal preparation and sedatives are prescribed for symptom relief. The bowel inflammation is controlled with sulfasalazine or the newer 5-amino-salicylic acid (5-ASA) compounds, antibacterial drugs for complications of Crohn's disease and IBD, adrenocortical steroids, and the immunosuppressive compounds 6-mercaptopurine (6MP), azathioprine, and cyclosporine, as determined in each patient. The surgical procedures available for treatment of ulcerative colitis include total proctocolectomy and ileostomy or ileoanal anastomosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Colitis, Ulcerative↗
PubMed1990

Limitations in the evaluation of therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: suggestions for future research.

The current treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), though improved over earlier therapies, remains variable rather than consistent and supportive rather than curative. The similar management of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), which are thought to be differing though related disorders, suggests that therapy is nonspecific. The variation in therapeutic practices results from the fact that the etiologies of the diseases are obscure, from limited knowledge of the biological and pharmacological actions of drugs commonly prescribed (sulfasalazine, 5-ASA compounds, steroids, 6-MP and azathioprine), from an inadequate understanding of genetic differences influencing drug metabolism, from insufficient awareness of the factors influencing drug efficiency (concurrent use of antimotility drugs, cigarette smoking, food combinations), from the variability of the patient groups studied (extent and severity of disease), and from incomplete documentation of the clinical status of patients at the time of therapeutic trial. Future advances in treatment will depend on gaining new information about the nature of IBD and of drug pharmacology and bioavailability, derived from collaborative studies by clinicians, clinical investigators, and basic scientists. Important areas for IBD research include the biology of intestinal epithelium, the nature of the IBD inflammatory reaction and of gut mucosal immune regulation (via the application of new biotechnologies) and more representative experimental animal models. Decisive multicenter therapeutic studies require agreement on definitions of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, accurate characterization of patient groups, acceptable objective criteria of IBD severity and activity, and reliable indicators of therapeutic response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Forecasting↗
PubMed1989

Sigmoid volvulus as a complication of ileal Crohn's disease.

Intestinal volvulus in patients with Crohn's disease is rare and we could find only one report of sigmoid volvulus with active Crohn's colitis. We have seen a 54-year-old woman with long-standing Crohn's disease who developed large-bowel obstruction. After eventual detorsion of the sigmoid volvulus, we found that her ileum was involved with active Crohn's disease and that her colonic mucosa was free of mucosal lesions. In this case, we suspect that the reactivation of the ileal Crohn's disease as well as other features commonly associated with Crohn's disease contributed to the development of sigmoid volvulus by causing fixation, torsion, and dilatation of distal bowel.

Crohn Disease↗
PubMed1989

Cigarette smoking in Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease is a chronic disease of unknown etiology. Previous reports have suggested that cigarette smoking may be associated with the development of Crohn's disease. To examine this association, we conducted a case-control study of patients referred to a single practice over a 7-month period. The cigarette-smoking habits of 115 patients with Crohn's disease were compared with the cigarette-smoking exposure of 109 patients with the irritable bowel syndrome. Patients with Crohn's disease were more likely to smoke at the time of symptom onset than were irritable bowel syndrome controls (age and sex adjusted odds ratio 3.71, 95% confidence interval 1.93-7.13). After the diagnosis of Crohn's disease, patients were less likely to quit smoking (odds ratio 0.35, 95% confidence interval 0.18-0.69) than controls. This study demonstrates an association and a temporal relationship between cigarette smoking and Crohn's disease. For the exposure to be considered an etiologic factor for disease, biologic plausibility and pathophysiologic mechanisms require elucidation.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Historical aspects of inflammatory bowel disease.

Ulcerative colitis and regional enteritis (Crohn's disease), probably first appeared as isolated cases, several centuries ago; but not until the latter half of the 19th century did their clinical presentation attract medical interest as definable entities. This review of the early medical literature reveals a surprising number of reports of inflammatory bowel disease consistent with present descriptions of these conditions. As with other diseases, the steadily increasing numbers of patients with ulcerative colitis during the first third of the 20th century and of patients with regional enteritis during the latter two thirds of the century follows a familiar pattern encountered with diseases wherein environmental factors play a pathogenetic role. The early history of ulcerative colitis is lost in the complex mixture of infectious colitides, only partially unraveled in the past 100 years. The early history of regional enteritis probably is linked with the numerous European and American reports of tumor-like granulomas of the small intestine, initially regarded as neoplastic lesions requiring surgical removal. It now seems possible that physicians over a period of several centuries may have encountered these conditions but were not in a position to appreciate their uniqueness. The careful accounts of many authors, especially Morgagni (1761), Wilks (1859), Fenwick (1889), Dalziel (1913) and of Crohn, Ginzburg, and Oppenheimer (1932) of then obscure intestinal inflammatory processes thus re-emphasizes the importance of meticulous clinical and pathological descriptions in the subsequent elucidation of obscure disorders. If the course of ulcerative colitis and of Crohn's disease follow the historical pattern of other once important and later disappearing human illnesses, we may have reason to anticipate clarification of their etiology and possible relationship in the not too distant future.

Colitis, Ulcerative↗
PubMed1986

Prevalence and incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in family members.

To determine the risk of having or developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a family member of an IBD patient, a population of 245 IBD probands was randomly selected from the University of Chicago IBD Registry and their family history was elucidated by questionnaire and follow-up telephone call. One hundred seventy-nine (73%) probands responded to the questionnaire. There were no demographic distinctions between those eligible for the study, those who were complete responders, those who were nonresponders, and those with a positive family history of IBD. Fifty-four family members from 40 proband families (22%) had confirmed IBD. Prevalence of IBD in family members at the time of diagnosis of the proband was highest for parents (4.6%), siblings (2.6%), and children (1.9%). Grandparents, aunts and uncles, and first cousins had prevalence of IBD of less than 1%. Incident case frequency was determined by dividing the number of cases incident after the diagnosis of the proband by all those ever at risk. The incident case frequency was highest for siblings (1.9%), parents (1.0%), and children (1.0%). There was concordance noted for type of disease in the proband and the relative. No association could be discerned between the familial risk of IBD and gender, race, or religion of the proband. Despite a high occurrence rate of proband families with IBD, the specific risk to first, second, or third degree family members is low.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Acute pancreatitis associated with high-concentration lipid emulsion during total parenteral nutrition therapy for Crohn's disease.

A 17-yr-old boy with Crohn's disease and growth retardation developed an acute abdominal crisis while receiving total parenteral nutritional support. Acute pancreatitis was confirmed surgically. After recovery, in an attempt to provide adequate calories and to elucidate the inciting agent, he was rechallenged with his original total parenteral nutritional solution which contained 500 ml/day of a 20% fat emulsion. Symptoms and signs of acute pancreatitis quickly returned. Total parenteral nutrition was continued without the fat emulsion and symptoms and signs disappeared. This case suggests that acute pancreatitis was due to intolerance of high-concentration lipid emulsion.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1985

Inflammatory bowel disease in the pregnant woman.

This article discusses fertility and inflammatory bowel disease, the influence of inflammatory bowel disease on pregnancy, the influence of pregnancy on inflammatory bowel disease, the safety of breast-feeding while taking medication for active disease, and abdominal pain in the pregnant woman with inflammatory bowel disease.

Abdomen↗