Biomedical subjects

Monia Fekih

Publications and source records attributed to Monia Fekih.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

[The pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome].

The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a frequent gastrointestinal disorder (10 -15% of the population). It is characterized by chronic abdominal pain with modification in the bowel habits. The diagnosis is based of ROME II criteria. The pathophysiology of the SII remains unknown . It result from visceral hypersensitivity with anomalies of the digestive motility. These anomalies are secondary of dysfunction of the brain - gut axis modulated by environmental and the psychosocial factors. The understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of the SII and in particular the function of the brain-gut axis will permit a better handling of the patients. Indeed, the present knowledge of the neurotransmitter implied in the communication between the central nervous system and the digestive tract are currently the basis of the new therapies aimed to modulate the mechanisms implicated in the causation of the several symptoms of IBS. These novel pharmacotherapy should reduce the indirect societal and costs of IBS.

Brain↗

PubMed2006

[Microscopic colitis. A 20 cases series].

Microscopic colitis are defined as a chronic inflammation of a normal macroscopic colonic mucosa. We report 20 cases of microscopic colitis. Chronic diarrhea revealed the diagnosis in 95% of cases. Endoscopic examination was normal in 95% of patients. We diagnosed collagenous colitis in 65% of cases and lymphocytic colitis in 35% of cases. The treatment was based on sulphasalazine in 16 patients, on 5 aminosalicylic acid in 1 case, on gluten free diet in 2 cases and a symptomatic treatment was prescribed to one patient. A clinical remission was observed in 41.2% of patients taking sulphasalazine.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

CARD15/NOD2 in a Tunisian population with Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a heterogeneous disorder. A genetic linkage to chromosome 16 (IBD1) has been previously observed and replicated in unrelated populations. Recently, in this region, NOD2/CARD15 has been identified as a susceptibility gene. The aim of this report is to determine whether this gene is implicated in CD in a Tunisian population. One hundred thirty patients with CD and 90 healthy individuals were genotyped for the three common NOD2 variants (C2104T in exon 4, G2722C in exon 8, and 3020insC in exon 11). Furthermore, the 11 exons of the NOD2 gene were sequenced in 20 patients with CD. Results showed that the frequency of the CARD15 variants in the Tunisian population is significantly lower than that observed in the European and American population. Direct sequencing of CARD15 did not permit us to identify a characteristic mutation in our population. No association was confirmed between CD and the NOD2 gene in our Tunisian population. Furthermore, the NOD2/CARD15 gene has a variable association with CD in different populations. These results indicate the genetic variation of CD in different ethnic groups.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

[Corticosteroid dependence and resistance in Crohn's disease: prevalence and predictive factors].

The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of corticosensibility, corticodependency, and corticoresistance in patients with Crohn's disease. Ninety four treatments with corticoids were prescribed to the patients during the follow-up. The rates of corticosensibility, corticodependency, and corticoresistance were 66%, 16%, 18%. Corticodependency and corticoresistance are frequent in Crohn's disease. Corticodependency is more frequent in young patients and when corticoids were previously taken. A high CDAI was the only factor associated with a higher risk of corticoresistance.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

PubMed2003

[Osteoporosis and inflammatory bowel disease: prevalence and risk factors in Tunisian patients].

OBJECTIVES: The study was aimed to evaluate osteoporosis prevalence in a group of Tunisian patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), to determine its risk factors, and to describe its mechanisms. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We included 67 IBD patients, 43 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 24 with ulcerative colitis (UC). Bone mineral density was measured at the lumbar spine and left femoral neck by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. We used T score to express bone loss (osteopenia: -2.5 SD 2 years and active disease tended to be associated with lumbar osteoporosis; the ORs were respectively 4.87 [0.92-25.80] (P=0.06), 4.21 [0.87-20.57] (P=0.06), and 2.33 [0.78-6.67] (P=0.13). No association was found with cumulated dose of steroids even when considering only CD. Patients with osteoporosis showed significant increased CrossLaps and interleukin-6 levels that indicate both high bone resorption and inflammatory activity. CONCLUSIONS: Osteoporosis is frequent in IBD patients, especially in CD patients. Female gender, malnutrition (body mass index <20 kg/m2), disease course (> 2 years) and active disease would be risk factors of bone mineral loss in IBD. Osteoporosis is associated with enhanced bone resorption, that seems be linked to excessive intestinal inflammation.

Adolescent↗