Klaus Fellermann

..Renal impairment was rare and subsided upon drug withdrawal. In conclusion. FK506 is effective in the treatment of refractory colitis with per oral dosing being equivalent to intravenous administration...

..033). In conclusion, a lower HBD-2 gene copy number in the beta-defensin locus predisposes to colonic CD, most likely through diminished beta-defensin expression...

..To elucidate the possible functional consequences of this deficiency antimicrobial activity in colonic mucosa from patients with inflammatory bowel disease and healthy controls was investigated...

..38, 95% CI 1.03 to1.84, p = 0.02882). The newly identified genetic association of TCF-4 with ileal CD provides evidence that the decrease in Paneth cell alpha-defensins is a primary factor in disease pathogenesis...

..coli strain ATCC 25922. H1 flagellin antiserum abrogated hBD-2 expression induced by flagellin as well as E. coli Nissle 1917 supernatant, confirming that flagellin is the major stimulatory factor of E. coli Nissle 1917...

..A better understanding of the exact molecular mechanisms behind ileal and colonic Crohn's disease may give rise to new therapeutic strategies based on a stimulation of the protective innate immune system...

..In addition, because standard laboratory inflammatory parameters are poorly correlated with disease activity in IBD, the relation between PCT levels and disease activity was investigated...

..Thus, defensin resistance is not only species- but also strain-specific and may be clinically relevant in the host-bacteria interaction influencing mucosal translocation and systemic infection...

..Our findings provide evidence for the epithelial expression and modulation of CD40 in IBD-affected mucosa and indicate its involvement in the proinflammatory function of IECs...

..The mechanism of action remains obscure. Here, we report about a case of steroid-refractory Sweet's syndrome accompanying Crohn's colitis treated by cyclophosphamide...

..This could contribute to the transmural depth of tissue destruction in CD. Elafin and SLPI may be added to the list of defensin-like peptides with diminished induction in CD versus UC...

..coli at 150 mM NaCl, whereas the activity towards S. aureus ATCC 25923 remained unaffected at physiological salt concentrations. DTT blocked the bactericidal effect of biopsy extracts completely...

..Conspicuously, inflammation is associated with an enhanced goblet cell differentiation in CD but not in UC, a defect possibly of pathogenic importance...

..Defensins may play a crucial role in controlling pathogen invasion in IBD, although the functional significance remains to be established...

..The missing induction of both inducible beta-defensins in CD as compared with UC may cause a defect in barrier function that predisposes to bacterial invasion...

..Flow measurements in the IMA and postprandial values for both arteries were less reliable. CONCLUSION: Repeated DUS measurements of the SMA PI predict response to AZA/6-MP in patients with chronic active CD...

..Hence, targeted therapy in CD seems to be still a myth at present owing to the complex nature of disease...

..The induction of hBD-2 may contribute to an enhanced mucosal barrier to the luminal bacteria...

..The hypothesis of an impaired mucosal antibacterial activity is also consistent with the benefit from antibiotic or probiotic treatment in certain inflammatory bowel disease states...

..This new link established between a human inflammatory bowel disease and the Wnt pathway/Tcf-4 provides a novel mechanism for pathogenesis in patients with ileal CD...

..Local defense mechanisms are important for the integrity of the peritoneum, but few details are known about the expression patterns of antimicrobial proteins such as human defensin in normal and damaged peritoneum...

..After six infusions of infliximab, the patient developed staphylococcal pneumonia resulting in fatal adult respiratory distress syndrome. The case is discussed in the context of the toxicity profile of infliximab...

..In the German outbreak, a substantial number of patients received prophylactic azithromycin treatment as part of a therapeutic regimen with the C5 antibody eculizumab...

..Herpes simplex virus colitis is a rare but potentially fatal complication of immunosuppressive treatment in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Prompt diagnosis and efficient antiviral therapy are mandatory to improve prognosis...

..In this study, the expression of human cathelicidin hCAP18/LL-37 was investigated in the intestinal mucosa from patients suffering from ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease...

..Thus, the specific deficiency of PC defensins that characterizes ileal CD may compromise innate immune defenses of the ileal mucosa and initiate and/or perpetuate this disease...

..The hypothesis of an impaired mucosal antibacterial activity is also consistent with the benefit from antibiotic or probiotic treatment in certain disease states...

..Inhibition of the antibiotic function mediated by the N-terminal region of BPI by these autoantibodies may contribute to a proinflammatory environment in IBD patients...

..Thus, it can be speculated that decreased defensin levels lead to a weakened intestinal barrier function to intestinal microbes and might be crucial in the pathophysiology of Crohn's disease...