OBJECTIVES: Patients who are immunocompromised (IC) are at increased risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), which has increased to epidemic proportions over the past decade. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) appears effective for the treatment of CDI, although there is concern that IC patients may be at increased risk of having adverse events (AEs) related to FMT. This study describes the multicenter experience of FMT in IC patients.

METHODS: A multicenter retrospective ...

OBJECTIVES: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has increased to epidemic proportions over the past 15 years, and recurrence rates of 30-65% with failure to respond to multiple courses of antimicrobials are common. The aim of this study was to report the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in patients with recurrent CDI in five geographically disparate medical centers across the United States.

METHODS: A multicenter long-term follow-up study was performed on the use of ...

OBJECTIVES: Over the past decade, the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has shown a remarkable increase in incidence with an associated increase in severity. This study was designed to compare the demographics, medication exposure, evaluation, treatment patterns, and outcomes of patients with CDI in two different time periods: 2006-2008 and 2009-2011. We hypothesized that mortality is decreasing with increasing appropriateness of medical management.

METHODS: We ...

OBJECTIVES: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in the elderly has a higher prevalence, greater morbidity and mortality, and lower response to conventional treatment than the general population. Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is highly effective therapy for CDI but has not been studied specifically in the elderly. This study aims to determine the long-term efficacy and safety of FMT for recurrent (RCDI), severe (SCDI), and complicated (CCDI) CDI in elderly patients.

METHODS: A ...

Bacterial communities from subjects treated for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (rCDI) by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), using either heterologous donor stool samples or autologous stool samples, were characterized by Illumina next-generation sequencing. As previously reported, the success of heterologous FMT (90%) was superior to that of autologous FMT (43%) (P = 0.019), and post-FMT intestinal bacterial communities differed significantly between treatment arms (P < ...

Background: To date, evidence for the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has been limited to case series and open-label clinical trials.

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of FMT for treatment of recurrent CDI.

Design: Randomized, controlled, double-blind clinical trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01703494).

Setting: Two academic medical centers.

Patients: 46 patients who had 3 or more recurrences of CDI and ...

GOAL: Our aim was to investigate fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) efficacy in patients with severe and/or complicated Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).

BACKGROUND: FMT is successful for recurrent CDI, although its benefit in severe or complicated CDI has not specifically been evaluated.

STUDY METHODS: A multicenter long-term follow-up study was performed in patients who received FMT for severe and/or complicated CDI (diagnosed using standard criteria). Pre-FMT and post-FMT ...

BACKGROUND: In general, ischemic colitis has a very good prognosis, but there is concern that when ischemia affects the right side of the colon in an isolated fashion, the prognosis may not be so favorable.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical features and outcomes of ischemia isolated to the right side of the colon with those of ischemia involving other areas of the colon.

METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken of patients with colon ischemia hospitalized ...

OBJECTIVES: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional disorder. 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a key modulator of gastrointestinal sensorimotor function. Many patients have IBS that can be difficult to treat, which has led to the development of newer agents, such as 5-HT(3) antagonists and 5-HT(4) agonists. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to estimate the efficacy of all available 5-HT agents in IBS.

METHODS: MEDLINE, ...

BACKGROUND: Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has shown promise in alleviating the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); however, controlled data on this technique are scarce. The aim of this clinical trial was to assess the efficacy of FMT in alleviating diarrhoea-predominant IBS (IBS-D).

METHODS: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled crossover trial in patients aged 18-65 years with moderate-to-severe IBS-D defined by an IBS-Symptom Severity Score (IBS-SSS) ...

OBJECTIVES: Previous reports on the anatomic portions of colon involved in cases of supposed ischemic colitis (IC) have been limited by the absence of confirmation of the true nature of the disease. This is the first anatomic study to define the patterns of colon involvement in which only cases with biopsy-proven or -compatible IC and in which the entire colon had been visualized at surgery or at colonoscopy were included. The aims of this study were to re-examine patterns of colonic ...

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the most common nosocomial infection in the US and cirrhotic patients with CDI have increased risk for poor outcome.

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of CDI on short-term mortality in patients with cirrhosis and identify predictors of mortality in these patients.

METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients at Montefiore Medical Center from 2010 to 2014 with cirrhosis, diarrhea and a C. difficile toxin assay. ...

INTRODUCTION: Probiotics may benefit irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms, but randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have been conflicting; therefore a systematic review was conducted.

METHODS: MEDLINE (1966 to May 2008), EMBASE (1988 to May 2008) and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (2008) electronic databases were searched, as were abstracts from DDW (Digestive Diseases Week) and UEGW (United European Gastroenterology Week), and authors were contacted for extra information. ...