Study of Fecalibacteria prausntzii in Egyptian patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Introduction: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterised by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. There aetiopathogenesis has not yet been fully elucidated. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is one of the most abundant in human gut, and it is found in about 5% of the gut microbiota. Aim: To study the role of F. prausnitzii in Egyptian patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) and to assess its relationship with the disease activity. Material and methods: This study includes 80 patients divided as follows: group I: 30 patients with UC; group II: 30 patients with CD; and group III: 20 healthy patients as control. DNA execration was performed using a faecal extraction kit and quantitative SYBR green real time PCR to identify the core of F. prausnitzii. Results: In group 1 of UC patients, the level of bacteria was reduced by a mean of 1.68E-01, and in the control group by a mean of 2.72E-01 (p 2 = 0.004, significant). Regarding F. prausnitzii in UC patients according to Mayo score, in severe patients the level of bacteria was reduced significantly by a median of 4.80E-02. Regarding F. prausnitzii in group 2 of CD, the level of bacteria was significantly reduced by mean of 1.70E-01, and in the control group by a mean of 2.72E-01 (p 3 = 0.037, significant). Conclusions: There was a significant difference between CD and UC patients and the control group in F. prausnitzii. There was a significant reduction in the level of F. prausnitzii in severe UC cases.

The relationship between anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome symptoms among females: A cross-sectional study in Egypt.

There is a scarcity of studies focusing on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and anxiety in Egypt. Accordingly, our study aimed to assess the association between anxiety and IBS symptomatology among Egyptian females. Three hundred eighty-three females (145 IBS and 238 controls) were included in the study, and data were obtained using structured predesigned questionnaires. IBS and anxiety symptoms were assessed according to the Rome IV criteria and the Arabic version of the beck anxiety inventory, respectively. Both IBS and non-IBS groups showed increased anxiety during the pandemic, without a significant difference between both groups (P value = .657). Higher levels of education were significantly associated with severe anxiety (P value = .031). Multivariate analysis of IBS patients showed that intermediate education was significantly associated with 75% lower odds for increased IBS symptoms compared with illiterate or read-and-write IBS patients [odds ratio (OR): 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06-0.95, P value = .042]. Urban residence was significantly associated with 13.5 times greater odds of increased IBS symptoms, compared with rural residence (OR: 13.48, 95% CI 3.55-51.25, P value < .001). Moreover, patients who lost their job during the pandemic were 12.9 times more likely to have increased symptoms (OR: 12.89, 95% CI 1.84-90.15, P value = 0.01). A unit increase in patients age and beck anxiety inventory score was associated with 68% and 75% greater odds for increased IBS symptoms, respectively (OR: 1.68, 95% CI 1.12-2.53, P value = .012; OR: 1.75, 95% CI 1.08-2.84, P value = .024). Increasing anxiety is associated with increased IBS symptoms. Therefore, IBS patients should be screened for anxiety, and the role of psychiatric management of anxiety in the amelioration of IBS symptoms must be explored.

Study of the influence of heme oxygenase 1 gene single nucleotide polymorphism (rs2071746) on esophageal varices among patients with cirrhosis.

INTRODUCTION: Cirrhosis as a pathological term has some criteria known to be common in all cases of liver cirrhosis. Esophageal varices are portosystemic collaterals arising in the submucosa of the lower esophagus because of portal hypertension. Portal hypertension is defined as hepatic venous pressure gradient greater than 5 mmHg that arises often as a sequelae of mesenchymal dysfunction in a cirrhotic liver. This study was carried out on 120 personnel divided into three groups: group A included 50 cases of liver cirrhosis with esophageal varices, group B consisted of 50 cases of cirrhosis without esophageal varices, and group C had 20 healthy volunteers a control group. PATIENTS AND METHODS: DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of the study participants. Genotyping of the HO1 413A>T promoter SNP (rs2071746) was performed using TaqMan SNP genotyping assay according to the manufacturer's protocol by RQ-PCR. RESULTS: Patients carrying T allele of HO1 promoter were found to have 5.46-fold increased risk of esophageal varices development than patients with cirrhosis carrying A allele. T allele was significantly higher in cirrhotics with esophageal varices compared with those without esophageal varices (P<0.001). Rates of esophageal varices development in patients with cirrhotic liver were 52, 40, and 8% for genotypes TT, AT, and AA, respectively. CONCLUSION: The T allele of heme oxygenase 1 gene SNP polymorphism (rs2071746) is a risk factor for esophageal varices development in cirrhotics.