Citations

SummaryBackgroundThe Th2 allergic pathway in eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE) responds to food antigen exposure.AimTo compare the presence and temporal pattern of food antigen penetration in oesophageal mucosa in active and inactive EoE and controlsMethodsThirty‐two patients with EoE (20 active) and 10 controls were asked to eliminate all wheat and/or dairy 12, 24, 48, 72 or 96 hours before endoscopy. Immunostaining on endoscopic biopsies was performed for gliadin, casein and whey.ResultsGluten, casein and whey were detected by positive staining in 17/32 (53.1%), 21/32 (65.6%), and 30/32 (92.0%) of patients, respectively. In active vs inactive EoE, 70.0% vs 25.0% (P < 0.05), 80.0% vs 41.5%, and 90.0% vs 90.9% patients had detectable gliadin, casein and whey, respectively. Casein and whey (20.0% and 100%, respectively) but not gliadin, were present in controls. The gliadin staining density was greater in active compared to inactive disease at ≤ 24 vs >24 hours after exposure (P = 0.05) but no differences were detected when comparing active and inactive patients for casein and whey. There was greater staining density for whey than casein for all patients at ≤24 hours (mean 2.14 ± 0.91 and 1.07 ± 1.33, P = 0.02). In active EoE, IgG4 was present in 14/20 compared to one inactive patient.ConclusionThe oesophageal epithelium is selectively permeable and has relatively long dwell times for food antigens known to trigger EoE. The precise mechanism of antigen‐specific mucosal entry and the factors that determine the induction or effector trigger of the Th2 pathway activation merit further study.

SummaryBackgroundColitis is a significant complication of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Currently, clinical and endoscopic severity are used to guide therapy.AimsTo investigate associations between clinical, endoscopic, and histological features with outcomesMethodsWe identified 149 patients from seven institutions with biopsy‐proven ICI colitis. Biopsies were evaluated for histological features including the Geboes score, and the Robarts histopathological index (RHI) was calculated. Clinical, endoscopic, and histological data were tested for associations with biological use and adverse colitis outcomes (biological‐refractory colitis, colectomy or death from colitis).ResultsThree mutually exclusive histological patterns were identified: acute colitis, chronic active colitis and microscopic colitis. Microscopic colitis was associated with older age (68.5 vs 61 years for acute colitis pattern, P = 0.02) and longer time to colitis (5.5 vs 3 months for the other patterns, P = 0.05). Biological use was associated with earlier time to colitis (2 vs 3 months, P = 0.04) and higher RHI (18 vs 12, P = 0.007). On multivariate analysis, RHI ≥14 was associated with biological use with an odds ratio of 4.5 (95% CI 1.4‐13.8; P = 0.01). Adverse colitis outcomes were associated with shorter time to colitis (2 vs 3 months, P = 0.008) and higher RHI (24 vs 14, P = 0.001). On multivariate analysis, RHI ≥24 was associated with adverse colitis outcomes with an odds ratio 9.5 (95% CI 2.1‐42.3 P = 0.003).ConclusionHistological activity as measured by RHI is the only factor independently associated with biological use and adverse colitis outcomes. Prospective studies are needed to validate these findings to determine if histological activity should be incorporated into therapeutic algorithms.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) also referred to as Churg-Strauss syndrome is a rare vasculitis of the small to medium vessels. We present a rare case of acute coronary artery dissection brought on by EGPA, which generally has a poor prognosis. A 41-year-old male with history of bronchial asthma presented to the emergency room with a 2-week history of dyspnea, cough with clear phlegm, and fever. For the past eight months he had experienced episodes with similar symptoms relieved by steroids. CT chest showed bilateral upper lobe patchy opacities with extensive workup for infectious etiology being negative. He had peripheral eosinophilia with sinusitis. He had acute coronary syndrome and Coronary angiogram showed Right coronary artery dissection. After making a diagnosis of EGPA based on American college of Rheumatology criteria, he was successfully treated with high dose immunosuppression. Coronary artery dissection is a fatal and uncommon complication of EGPA which is usually diagnosed postmortem. Early recognition of this condition ante mortem and aggressive treatment can be lifesaving as demonstrated in our case.

Summary Background A subset of patients with chronic constipation has associated slow colonic transit and reduced faecal bile acid excretion. In addition to traditional approaches to treat chronic constipation, a novel therapeutic option is to increase the colonic concentration of intraluminal bile acids. This can be achieved through inhibition of the ileal bile acid transporter. Aim To evaluate the evidence for efficacy and safety of an ileal bile acid transport inhibitor in the treatment of chronic constipation Methods We reviewed published literature on elobixibat, based on a PubMed search. Results Elobixibat is a novel ileal bile acid transport inhibitor that has demonstrated efficacy in proof of concept studies in experimental animals as well as phase 1, 2 and 3 trials in humans. Phase 4 studies have now documented that the beneficial effects are related to increase in the secretory bile acids in the colon as measured by stool bile acid content. The studies documented efficacy in patients with severe constipation, which is often associated with slow colonic transit. These changes in bile acid composition were associated with minor differences in the faecal microbiota in patients treated with elobixibat compared to placebo. Elobixibat appears to be safe. The only adverse effects of note are associated with its pharmacological actions in patients with chronic constipation,namely the induction of diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Conclusion This new class of compound appears to be safe and efficacious in the treatment of chronic constipation.

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Pai et al and Buckle & Christensen papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16142 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16203

LINKED CONTENTThis article is linked to Khanna & Camilleri and Tobi et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16143 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.16270

Abstract Background Adalimumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody developed against tumor necrosis factor (TNF), used for the treatment of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases. Immunogenicity to this drug may lead to therapeutic failure. Various laboratory assays are used for measuring serum adalimumab and anti-drug antibodies (ADA) to adalimumab, for therapeutic monitoring and evaluation of clinical non-responsiveness. This study compared the performance of 2 clinical assays used by different reference laboratories. Methods In total, 120 residual clinical samples were tested at both laboratories. A sandwich ELISA for adalimumab detecting free drug and a bridging ELISA capable of detecting both free and bound ADA were performed at the Mayo Clinic. A functional cell-based reporter gene assay (RGA) was used at ARUP Laboratories for measuring bioactive serum drug concentrations, and neutralizing ADA. Results Seventy-eight samples had measurable concentrations of adalimumab by both methods and yielded a correlation coefficient r = 0.93, slope = 0.886, and intercept = 0.950. Overall agreement of 92.5% was observed between the assays, with most discrepant drug results being attributed to a higher positivity rate with ELISA (8/9). One outlier positive with RGA and negative with ELISA was confirmed by LC-MS/MS to be attributed to infliximab. Overall agreement of 79.2% was observed between the ADA assays. Differences in ADA results may be due to the bridging ELISA detecting total ADA (free, drug-bound, neutralizing, and non-neutralizing), while RGA detects free, neutralizing ADA only. Conclusions Although the assays are fundamentally different, the results show significant concordance between the clinically validated tests performed in different laboratories.

Abstract Objectives Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for plasma cell neoplasms (PCNs) requires plasma cell (PC) identification or purification strategies to optimize results. We compared the efficacy of cytoplasmic immunoglobulin FISH (cIg-FISH) and fluorescence-activated cell sorting FISH (FACS-FISH) in a clinical laboratory setting. Methods The FISH analysis results of 14,855 samples from individuals with a suspected PCN subjected to cytogenetic evaluation between 2019 and 2022 with cIg-FISH (n = 6917) or FACS-FISH (n = 7938) testing were analyzed. Results Fluorescence-activated cell sorting–FISH increased the detection rate of abnormalities in comparison with cIg-FISH, with abnormal results documented in 54% vs 50% of cases, respectively (P &lt; .001). It improved the detection of IGH::CCND1 (P &lt; .001), IGH::MAF (P &lt; .001), IGH::MAFB (P &lt; .001), other IGH rearrangements (P &lt; .001), and gains/amplifications of 1q (P &lt; .001), whereas the detection rates of IGH::FGFR3 fusions (P = .3), loss of 17p (P = .3), and other abnormalities, including hyperdiploidy (P = .5), were similar. Insufficient PC yield for FISH analysis was decreased between cIg-FISH and FACS-FISH (22% and 3% respectively, P &lt; .001). Flow cytometry allowed establishment of ploidy status in 91% of cases. In addition, FACS-FISH decreased analysis times, workload efforts, and operating costs. Conclusions Fluorescence-activated cell sorting–FISH is an efficient PC purification strategy that affords significant improvement in diagnostic yield and decreases workflow requirements in comparison with cIg-FISH.

Abstract Background Sinonasal neoplasms, whether benign and malignant, pose a significant challenge to clinicians and represent a model area for multidisciplinary collaboration in order to optimize patient care. The International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Sinonasal Tumors (ICSNT) aims to summarize the best available evidence and presents 48 thematic and histopathology‐based topics spanning the field. Methods In accordance with prior International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology documents, ICSNT assigned each topic as an Evidence‐Based Review with Recommendations, Evidence‐Based Review, and Literature Review based on the level of evidence. An international group of multidisciplinary author teams were assembled for the topic reviews using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses format, and completed sections underwent a thorough and iterative consensus‐building process. The final document underwent rigorous synthesis and review prior to publication. Results The ICSNT document consists of four major sections: general principles, benign neoplasms and lesions, malignant neoplasms, and quality of life and surveillance. It covers 48 conceptual and/or histopathology‐based topics relevant to sinonasal neoplasms and masses. Topics with a high level of evidence provided specific recommendations, while other areas summarized the current state of evidence. A final section highlights research opportunities and future directions, contributing to advancing knowledge and community intervention. Conclusion As an embodiment of the multidisciplinary and collaborative model of care in sinonasal neoplasms and masses, ICSNT was designed as a comprehensive, international, and multidisciplinary collaborative endeavor. Its primary objective is to summarize the existing evidence in the field of sinonasal neoplasms and masses.