Correlation of mental and psychological status with disease activity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease using SCL-90 R Questionnaire.

Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can affect mental health. There is no evidence that stress is a direct cause of the disease. Most IBD patients describe an emotional impact, mainly feelings of depression and anxiety. Many questionnaires are used to assess anxiety in those patients, including SCL-90. Aim: To investigate the correlation between mental and psychological status to disease activity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease using 90-Item Symptom Checklist (SCL-90 R) questionnaire. Material and methods: The study included 100 patients (50 Crohn's disease (CD) patients - 50 ulcerative colitis (UC) patients). Detailed history taking, systemic physical examination, laboratory investigations, colonoscopy, and the SCL-90-R symptom checklist - a self-report psychometric instrument (questionnaire) for each patient. Results: The mean age of Crohn's disease patients was 24.2 ±3.6 years. In ulcerative colitis the mean age was 28.5 ±7.3 years. No age or gender relation could be detected with the SCL-90 score in both groups. Our study showed a direct correlation of CD disease activity (CDAI) and endoscopic activity (SES) according to the SCL-90 R questionnaire. There was direct correlation of UC disease activity (SCCAI) and endoscopic activity (UCEIS) according to the SCL-90 R questionnaire. Conclusions: There is a direct correlation between disease activity and endoscopic activity in UC and CD according to the SCL-90 R questionnaire.

Study of the gut microbiome in Egyptian patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease. The gut microbiota has been proposed as a key actor in the pathogenesis of T1DM. Aim: To identify the gut microbiome that are likely to be related to T1DM. This may have an impact on the future understanding of the pathogenesis of T1DM and possible approaches to prevent and treat it. Material and methods: The study included 40 T1DM patients and a cross-matching control group of 20 healthy subjects of matched age and sex; stool specimens were taken from each group. Quantitative SYBR Green Real-Time PCR technique targeting 16S rRNA was done for the identification and quantitation of Bacteroides, Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Veillonella. Results: T1DM patients showed significantly higher Bacteroides (p < 0.001) and Lactobacillus johnsonii (p = 0.003), but lower Veillonella (p = 0.013) than the control group. However, there was no statistical difference between T1DM and control cases as regards Prevotella (p = 0.204), Ruminococcus (p = 0.598), Lactobacilli (p = 0.901), and Lactobacillus reuteri (p = 0.332). Conclusions: Egyptian patients showed dysbiosis of the gut microbiome that can be related to the pathogenesis of T1DM. This hopefully points to the potential therapeutic benefits of manipulating the composition of the gut microbiome in the management of, or even protection from, T1DM.