Establishment of long-term primary cultures of human small and large intestinal epithelial cells.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Andus.
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BACKGROUND: During the last years, examination of autonomic nervous function and of autonomic neuropathy has attracted attention not only in diabetes mellitus research but also in other areas of internal medicine. However, patients with various chronic diseases with autoimmune phenomenons have never been investigated in a comparative study with standardized examination techniques. Hence, the aim of the study was to examine the prevalence and the severity of autonomic neuropathy in patients with the following chronic diseases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated 28 patients with Crohn's disease (CD: age: 32.4 +/- 2.0 y), 17 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC: 39.7 +/- 3.6 y), 39 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE: 34.9 +/- 2.0 y), 38 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (pSS; 51.5 +/- 2.4 y) and 65 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM: 35.5 +/- 1.6 y). Cardiovascular autonomic (cANP), pupillary autonomic (pANP), and sensorimotor (ssNP) neuropathy were assessed by standardized techniques. RESULTS: Prevalence rates for cANP, pANP and ssNP were found to be 0%, 19%, and 7% in CD, 6%, 25%, and 18% in UC, 5%, 29%, and 10% in SLE, 11%, 16%, and 32% in pSS, and 26%, 66%, and 29% in IDDM, respectively. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated patients with IDDM to have the highest prevalence rates of cANP and pANP. Patients with other chronic diseases, particularly SLE, pSS and UC, had high prevalence rates of pANP. This may be due to alterations of structures of the central nervous system in these patients. cANP was rare in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and ssNP was found very often in patients with pSS, probably due to local fibrotic lesions. The various disease groups differ in the pattern and severity of autonomic and sensorimotor neuropathy, which indicates that different structures and neuropathogenic mechanisms may be involved.
BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoids are an effective treatment of ulcerative colitis. The occurrence of steroid side effects depends on dosage and duration of steroid treatment. It may be a high as 80%. A rare side effect of glucocorticoid therapy is steroid induced myopathia. There exists an acute and a chronic form of steroid induced myopathia. Chronic steroid myopathia affects mainly the proximal musculature of the lower and upper extremities and leads to proximal muscle weakness. Histologically, an atrophy of type IIb-muscle fibers can be found. Chronic steroid myopathia occurs after prolonged treatment with higher doses of glucocorticoids. CASE REPORT: The case report describes a 25 year old male patient with left-sided ulcerative colitis who developed chronic steroid myopathia after several months of glucocorticoid treatment. After switching from systemic steroids to budesonide the symptoms of myopathia disappeared. Left-sided ulcerative colitis remained in remission. CONCLUSION: The case documents the disappearance of a severe steroid side effect after switching from a systemic steroid to budesonide.
The autonomic nervous system modulates gastrointestinal motility, secretion and mucosal immunity. Its dysfunction may be of pathogenetic importance in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aimed at investigating the autonomic nervous function in patients with IBD. Forty-seven patients with IBD, 28 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 19 with ulcerative colitis (UC), were investigated by means of 5 cardiovascular and 2 pupillary standardized autonomic nervous function tests. In CD and UC, cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy was very rare (0%, 5%), whereas pupillary autonomic neuropathy was more prevalent (21%, 21%). In contrast to autonomic neuropathy, overall cardiovascular (CD: 29%, UC: 26%) and pupillary autonomic hyperreflexia (46%, 37%) were found more often. Patients with CD and UC demonstrated elevated percentiles in the respiratory sinus arrhythmia test as compared to controls (RSA: 82.3 +/- 3.9%, 80.0 +/- 5.9%, controls: 50.0% +/- 1.5%, p < 0.0001). CD patients with, as compared to patients without, RSA hyperreflexia had significantly higher CDAIs (p < 0.001), increased erythrocyte sedimentation rates (p < 0.005) and more often extraintestinal disease manifestations (p < 0.001). UC patients with, as compared to patients without, pupillary latency time hyperreflexia had lower hemoglobin (p < 0.05), lower albumin (p < 0.01) and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rates (p < 0.05). Autonomic hyperreflexia was significantly associated with more severe inflammation and systemic disease in IBD. Hyperreflexia may be a response to inflammation or a pathogenetic element that drives mucosal inflammation.
Hepatic encephalopathy is a common problem in cirrhosis. The pathogenesis of this complication of advanced liver disease still remains unclear. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to assess prospectively cerebral metabolism in 51 patients with histologically proven cirrhosis (Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C, 18, 18, and 15, respectively) and 36 healthy volunteers. According to the results of psychometric tests, overt hepatic encephalopathy, subclinical encephalopathy, and no encephalopathy were found in 14, 21, and 16 patients, respectively. Myoinositol/creatine ratios in gray (.36 +/- .17) and white (.35 +/- .22) matter voxel were reduced significantly (P < .0001) in cirrhotic patients compared with healthy volunteers (gray matter, .51 +/- .11; white matter, .64 +/- .16). In addition, patients showed a significant reduction (P = .024) in white matter choline/creatine ratio (.77 +/- .27) compared with controls (.92 +/- .25), and glutamine/glutamate level was elevated in cirrhotic patients compared with controls (gray matter, P < .0001; white matter, P = .036). Changes in cerebral myoinositol and glutamine/glutamate levels correlated significantly with the severity of hepatic encephalopathy (P < .0001). However, these metabolic alterations were also detected in patients without hepatic encephalopathy (normal psychometric test results). N-acetyl aspartate/creatine ratios did not differ between patients and controls. Magnetic resonance imaging detected bright basal ganglia in 37 patients, which correlated significantly with portal-systemic shunting and elevation of glutamine/glutamate, but not with the degree of hepatic encephalopathy. In conclusion, magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy showed that alterations of cerebral metabolism are common in patients with cirrhosis, even without evidence of clinical or subclinical hepatic encephalopathy.
BACKGROUND: Intestinal macrophages play an important role in mucosal inflammation. In normal colonic mucosa we recently demonstrated a unique macrophage phenotype with attenuated immune functions. Here we present an analysis of the alterations of the phenotype of colonic macrophages in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: Intestinal macrophages were isolated from biopsies of patients with IBD (n =20). Flow cytometric triple fluorescence analysis was applied to study CD14, CD16, CD33, HLA-DR, CD44, CD11b, CD11c and CD3/CD19 expression. RESULTS: In IBD there was an increase in expression not only of CD14 compared to control mucosa (36.0% +/- 13.2% vs. 10.5% +/- 3.8%, P< 0.0001) but also of CD16 (28.6% +/- 10.3% vs. 10.1% +/- 3.9%, P< 0.0001), HLA-DR (53.1% +/- 15.9% vs. 27.3% +/- 9.2%, P< 0.0005), CD11b (42.8% +/- 14.2% vs. 17.4% +/- 6.8%, P< 0.0001) and CD11c (35.1% +/- 15.9% vs. 17.8% +/- 10.4%, P< 0.005.). Furthermore, a hitherto undescribed new population of macrophages could be detected by flow cytometry only in patients with ulcerative colitis (CD16++, CD11b++, CD14(low), CD33(low), CD11c-) accounting for 5.8% of all cells isolated. CONCLUSION: In contrast to colonic macrophages from normal mucosa, there is a significantly higher expression of CD14, CD16, HLA-DR, CD11b and CD11c in IBD, indicating additional macrophage populations in the inflamed mucosa. This may reflect either a recruitment of new cells from the circulation or a change in phenotype of resident cells.
The cytokines TNF and IL-1 have been implicated as mediators of the inflammatory processes in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). To investigate the role of these cytokines in mucosal inflammation we used anti-cytokine strategies in a mouse model of acute and chronic colitis. Mice which received 5% dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) in their drinking water showed signs of acute colitis on day 4, with severe weight loss and bloody diarrhoea. Chronic colitis was established after four cycles of feeding 5% DSS for 7 days and water for 10 days, with the mice showing diarrhoea but no weight loss. In acute colitis, treatment with anti-IL-1 reagents, anti-TNF MoAb, or dexamethasone (DEX) led to aggravation. By contrast, in chronic colitis, treatment of mice with several IL-1 activity-inhibiting reagents failed to show significant effects, whereas anti-TNF MoAb or DEX significantly reduced the colitis. We conclude that in acute colitis IL-1 and TNF are beneficial, whereas in chronic colitis, TNF but not IL-1 seems to play a major role in perpetuation of chronic inflammation.
BACKGROUND: Interleukin 1 (IL-1) alpha and beta are potent cytokines which play key roles in inflammation. They are controlled by IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). AIMS: To investigate the influence of mucosal inflammation and IL-1ra genotype on the IL-1ra:IL-1 balance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-1ra were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in biopsy specimens taken from inflamed and non-inflamed colon of 60 patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 34 with ulcerative colitis (UC), 15 inflammatory controls, and 103 non-inflamed controls. IL-1ra genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta were significantly increased in inflamed mucosa in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (CD: 53.5 (22.4) and 409.9 (118.7) pg/mg protein, respectively; UC: 18.9 (6.8) and 214.5 (78.2) pg/mg, respectively) and non-IBD patients (19.2 (7.4) and 281.4 (121.0) pg/mg, respectively; p < 0.0001) compared with normal controls (2.8 (0.6) and 30.6 (5.6) pg/mg, respectively). In CD IL-1 alpha and beta were also significantly increased in non-inflamed mucosa (6.1 (1.3) pg/mg and 88.7 (17.4) pg/mg, respectively; p < 0.0012). IL-1ra:(IL-1 alpha+beta) ratios were significantly decreased in inflamed mucosa of patients with CD (182 (45); p < 0.0001), UC (425 (136); p = 0.0018) and without IBD (221 (76); p < 0.0001), and in non-inflamed mucosa in CD (369 (149); p < 0.0001) compared with normal controls (1307 (245); p < 0.0001). Patients with IL-1ra genotype 2 had slightly but significantly reduced mucosal IL-1ra concentrations (p = 0.003). The greatest difference was seen in colonic biopsy specimens from patients with inflamed Crohn's disease. CONCLUSION: Mucosal inflammation can modulate the balance of the IL-1:IL-1ra system in colonic mucosa.
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OBJECTIVE: The pathophysiological significance of autoantibodies in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is still unclear. To assess specific immunological abnormalities we examined the distribution and restriction of immunoglobulin classes and subclasses of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) in ulcerative colitis and of antibodies to pancreatic juice (APJs) in Crohn's disease. METHODS: We tested 62 sera of patients with ulcerative colitis and 184 sera of patients with Crohn's disease for their immunoglobulin class and IgG subclass distribution of ANCAs (in ulcerative colitis patients) and APJs (in Crohn's disease patients) by fluorescence isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled anti-human antibodies in an immunofluorescence assay with human granulocytes or pancreas as substrate. Twenty-five patients with Wegener's granulomatosis were used for comparison. RESULTS: In ulcerative colitis ANCAs were found in 74% of the patients. They were predominantly of the IgG (96%) and IgA class (37%). In Crohn's disease APJs (present in 28% of the cases) were of the IgG (98%) and IgA class (71%). ANCAs in ulcerative colitis were of the IgG1 (73%) and IgG3 (5%) subclasses, APJs in Crohn's disease of the IgG1 (94%), IgG2 (20%) and IgG3 (2%) subclasses. The immunoglobulin class and IgG subclass distributions of ANCAs and APJs resembled the changes in total immunoglobulin classes and IgG subclasses in ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. CONCLUSION: The immunoglobulin classes and IgG subclasses of autoantibodies in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease differ from each other and from the distribution of autoantibodies in vasculitic diseases (Wegener's granulomatosis, microscopic vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosus). These alterations reflect specific pathophysiological features of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
To test whether there is a difference in the expression of interleukin 8 (IL8) between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and to determine the main site of its synthesis this study analysed IL8 in mucosal biopsy specimens of patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and by in situ hybridisation. IL8 was measured by ELISA in 38 normal control patients, eight inflammatory control patients, 55 Crohn's disease biopsy specimens (26 patients), and 67 ulcerative colitis biopsy specimens (35 patients). IL8 mRNA was determined in samples by in situ hybridisation using a specific IL8 RNA probe. IL8 protein was significantly increased in macroscopically inflamed specimens of Crohn's disease (median 118 pg/specimen, p < 0.0001), ulcerative colitis (median 140 pg/specimen, p < 0.001), and inflammatory controls (median 30 pg/specimen, p = 0.010) compared with normal controls (median 4 pg/specimen). IL8 was also increased in uninflamed specimens of Crohn's disease (median 46 pg/specimen, p < 0.001) but not of ulcerative colitis patients (median 9 pg/specimen, p = 0.3). IL8 protein in the mucosa correlated significantly with macroscopic inflammation in Crohn's disease (r = 0.47, p < 0.001) and in ulcerative colitis (r = 0.60, p < 0.001). IL8 mRNA was detected by in situ hybridisation in 31 of 55 biopsy specimens (56%) of Crohn's disease patients, in 38 of 67 specimens of ulcerative colitis patients (57%), in five of eight inflammatory controls (63%) and in five of 38 normal controls (13%). Mucosal IL8 mRNA expression correlated with mucosal IL8 protein (r = 0.46, p < 0.001). IL8 mRNA was only detected in inflammatory cells of the interstitium but not in mucosal epithelial cells. IL8 is produced mainly in the lamina propria of the colon in inflammatory bowel disease and correlates with mucosal inflammation.
OBJECTIVE: Corticosteroids are effective in acute Crohn's disease (CD). The present study assessed the effectiveness and safety of oral pH-modified release budesonide (BUD) in patients with active CD in comparison with 6-methylprednisolone (MPred). DESIGN: This was a prospective multicentre, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy study. METHODS: A total of 67 patients with active CD (CDAI > 150) were included. Patients were treated with 3 x 3 mg BUD (n = 34) or MPred (n = 33) according to a weekly tapering schedule (48-32-24-20-16-12-8 mg). The primary aim was remission of CD (CDAI < 150 and decrease by at least 60 points from baseline) after eight weeks. RESULTS: Baseline demographics, disease activity and localization of CD in the small bowel and the colon were similar in both treatment groups. On an intention-to-treat basis 19/34 patients in the BUD group (55.9%) and 24/33 patients in the MPred group (72.7%) were in remission after eight weeks (P = 0.237). Therapy failed in 15/34 patients (44.1%) of the BUD group and in 9/33 patients (27.3%) of the MPred group. The mean CDAI decreased from 262 +/- 50 to 118 +/- 69 in the BUD-group and from 262 +/- 81 to 95 +/- 61 in the Mored group (P = 0.183, final CDAI BUD vs. MPred). Steroid-related side effects appeared in 28.6% of the patients in the BUD group and in 69.7% of the patients in the Mored group (P = 0.0015). CONCLUSIONS: Oral pH-modified release budesonide (3 x 3 mg/day) is almost as effective as a conventional corticosteroid in patients with active CD but causes significantly less corticosteroid-related side effects.
BACKGROUND: Patient education has been accepted widely over the past years as a valid component of disease management in patients with chronic diseases. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of patient education in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Participation in a patient education program should increase the patient's disease-related knowledge and positively influence the patient's quality of life, depression, beliefs of internal control and social activity. METHODS: We studied 36 patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis: 18 were educated in four sessions, 18 were not educated (control-group). The following topics were presented: diagnosis, causes and course of disease; medication and surgery; nutrition and social benefits and stress management and coping with the disease. RESULTS: The effects of the program were evaluated before, immediately and three months after the intervention using questionnaires. Participants in the program showed a significant increase in knowledge after three months compared with the non-participants. There were positive, although not significant effects on psychosocial variables. CONCLUSION: Patient education is a valuable means to increase knowledge of disease and treatment in patient's with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Effects on psychosocial variables need to be examined on a long term basis in larger patient groups.
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Inflammatory bowel diseases are often associated with extra-intestinal manifestations, such as arthritis and iritis/uveitis. Using magnetic-resonance imaging we found hyperintense focal white-matter lesions in the brain in 20 of 48 (42%) patients with Crohn's disease, in 11 of 24 (46%) patients with ulcerative colitis, but in only 8 of 50 (16%) healthy age-matched controls (relative risk [95% CI] vs controls 2.6 [1.3-5.3] and 2.9 [1.3-6.2], respectively). These findings may represent another extra-intestinal manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease.
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BACKGROUND/AIMS: Interleukin (IL) 8 is a major neutrophil-activating cytokine synthesized by intestinal epithelial cell lines. The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of the regulation of IL-8 synthesis by investigating the roles of protein kinase C (PKC), protein kinase A (PKA), and protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) in the induction of IL-8. METHODS: HT-29 cells were stimulated with IL-1 beta or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) together with activators or inhibitors of PKC and PKA or with inhibitors of PTK. The presence of IL-8 protein was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and that of IL-8 messenger RNA by Northern blotting and in situ hybridization. RESULTS: TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta dose-dependently induced IL-8 production in HT-29 cells. Activation of PKC by phorbol myristate acetate also stimulated IL-8 production; however, the effects of IL-1 beta or TNF-alpha did not require PKC, as shown by the PKC inhibitor staurosporin or PKC depletion. Stimulation of PKA by forskolin or inhibition by H89 or H7 had no influence on the synthesis of IL-8. However, induction of IL-8 by IL-1 beta or TNF-alpha was reduced by the PTK inhibitors herbimycin (by 79% or 89%, respectively) and genistein (by > 95%). CONCLUSIONS: The synthesis of IL-8 is stimulated in HT-29 cells by IL-1 beta or TNF-alpha. This stimulation is independent from PKC or PKA but depends on protein tyrosine phosphorylation.
BACKGROUND: The value of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) in Crohn's disease (CD) is still under discussion. In a previous study 2 g 5-ASA per day were inferior to a standard glucocorticoid treatment with 6-methylprednisolone (6-MPred) (Can J Gastroenterol 1990; 4: 446-51). In the present study we tested whether in active CD response rates to 4.5 g 5-ASA/day were not different from those to 6-MPred. METHODS: Multicenter randomized double-blind double-dummy trial. 34 patients with active CD (CDAI > 150) were included. 17 patients were in the 5-ASA group (Salofalk, 4.5 g/day), 17 patients in the 6-MPred group (Urbason, initial dose 48 mg/day, weekly tapering). Duration of treatment was 8 weeks. Main outcome measure was remission of CD (CDAI < 150) and decrease of at least 60 points. RESULTS: Both groups were comparable with respect to demographic and clinical parameters. The median CDAI decrease in the 5-ASA group was 85, in the 6-MPred group 122 (p = 0.7437). The median AUC of the CDAI in the 5-ASA group was 1027, in the 6-MPred group 950 (p = 0.137). The median AUC of the CDAI per treatment day was 22.94 in the 5-ASA group, and 17.33 in the 6-MPred group (p = 0.0555). On an intention-to-treat basis remission rates after 8 weeks were 40.0% in the 5-ASA group and 56.3% in the 6-MPred group (p = 0.5867). CONCLUSIONS: Response rates to 5-ASA or 6-MPred were not significantly different although there was a trend towards a higher efficacy of 6-MPred. 5-ASA may be considered as alternative treatment in patients with activer CD who are intolerant to or refuse glucocorticoids.