Pardi, Darrell S.

Background and aims: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) will become increasingly important as primary endpoints in future clinical trials. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the combination of patient-reported clinical symptoms (ClinPRO2) and Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods: We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study of 90 consecutive UC patients who were scheduled for sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. All patients completed the following questionnaires: (1) self-rated rectal bleeding and stool frequency (ClinPRO2); (2) Short Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (SIBDQ); (3) European Quality of Life 5-Dimensions 3-Level (EQ5D3L); (4) Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI); (5) Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F); and (6) Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The endoscopic images were graded according to the MES. “No symptoms” was defined as a symptom score of 0, and “mucosal healing” was defined as MES score of 0–1. Correlations between the combined ClinPRO2 and MES with HRQoL were assessed using Spearman’s correlation coefficients. Results: The combination of the ClinPRO2 and MES was well correlated to SIBDQ (r = −0.70), EQ5D3L (r = −0.51), WPAI (r = 0.62), FACIT-F (r = −0.58), and HADS-depression (r = 0.45). SIBDQ scores had strong correlations with FACIT-F (r = 0.86), WPAI (r = −0.80), and HADS-depression (r = −0.75) (p < 0.05 for all correlations). Patients with no symptoms reported the greatest all HRQoL scores. Conclusions: In patients with ulcerative colitis, the combination of a ClinPRO2 and the MES had good correlation with the SIBDQ. In addition, SIBDQ was well correlated to the various HRQoL.

Increased amino acids in the dysbiotic gut influences susceptibility to Clostridioides difficile infection in mice and humans.

Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an independent risk factor for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), and CDI often precipitates IBD exacerbation. Because CDI cannot be distinguished clinically from an IBD exacerbation, management is difficult. We aimed to assess factors associated with adverse outcomes in IBD with CDI, including the role of escalating or de-escalating IBD therapy and CDI treatment. Methods Records for patients with IBD and CDI from 2008 to 2013 were abstracted for variables including IBD severity before CDI diagnosis, CDI management, subsequent IBD exacerbation, CDI recurrence, and colon surgery. Colon surgery was defined as resection of any colonic segment within 1 year after CDI diagnosis. Results We included 137 IBD patients (median age, 46 years; 55% women): 70 with ulcerative colitis (51%), 63 with Crohn’s disease (46%), and 4 with indeterminate colitis (3%). Overall, 70% of CDIs were mild-moderate, 14% were severe, and 15% were severe-complicated. Clostridium difficile infection treatment choice did not vary by infection severity (P = 0.27). Corticosteroid escalation (odds ratio [OR], 5.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.03–17.44) was a positive predictor of colon surgery within 1 year after CDI; older age (OR, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01–0.44) was a negative predictor. Modifying the corticosteroid regimen did not affect CDI recurrence or risk of future IBD exacerbation. Adverse outcomes did not differ with CDI antibiotic regimens or biologic or immunomodulator regimen modification. Conclusions Corticosteroid escalation for IBD during CDI was associated with higher risk of colon surgery. Type of CDI treatment did not influence IBD outcomes. Prospective studies are needed to further elucidate optimal management in this high-risk population.

Abstract Background Efforts towards antibiotic stewardship help reduce risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) but there is a need to delineate antibiotic choices to reduce CDI risk. Tetracyclines may be associated with a low risk for CDI but the evidence is conflicting. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the relationship between tetracyclines use and CDI. Methods A systematic search of Medline, Embase, and Web of Science was performed from January 1978 up to December 2016 including studies assessing the association between tetracyclines and CDI; compared with other antibiotics; to assess the risk of CDI after exposure to tetracyclines vs. other antibiotics. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Weighted summary estimates were calculated using generalized inverse variance with random-effects model using Review Manager version 5.3 (Cochran Inc). Results Six studies; 4 case control and 2 cohort studies reported the association of CDI with tetracyclines or other antibiotics prior to CDI including patients from 1993 to 2012. Meta-analysis of all studies using the random-effects model demonstrated that tetracyclines were associated with decreased risk of CDI compared with other antibiotics (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.47–0.81; P = .0005). There was significant heterogeneity among the studies, with an I2 of 53% (Figure 1). No publication bias was seen. Subgroup analysis of studies evaluating the risk of CDI with doxycycline only also demonstrated a decreased risk of CDI with doxycycline compared with other antibiotics (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.40–0.75; P = 0.0002). A subgroup analysis based on CDI diagnosis definitions revealed a decreased risk of CDI with tetracyclines (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.44–0.80; P = 0. 0006) in studies that used clinical definitions (presence of diarrhea with a positive stool test), but not among the studies that used ICD-9 codes for CDI diagnosis (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.45–2.01; P = 0.90). Conclusion Tetracyclines are associated with a lower risk of developing CDI compared with other antibiotics. It is reasonable to use these over other antibiotics when appropriate (community acquired pneumonia, bronchitis, chlamydia, rickettsial or spirochetal infections) to reduce the risk of CDI. Forest plot demonstrating decreased odds of CDI with tetracyclines use by a random-effects model Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.