Monthly Archives: July 2015

Rejected! Most Stool is Not Good Enough for FMT

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I found a recent study (Paramsothy S. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2015; 21: 1600-06) interesting in that it shows how few individuals would qualify as long-term stool donors for fecal microbiata transplantation (FMT).  In previous discussions with colleagues, I’ve thought that getting paid to donate stool would be a pretty sweet deal.

In this study, the authors examined 116 potential donors.  The donor screening protocols and donor inclusion/exclusion criteria were similar to many others (outlined in their Tables 1, 2 and 3 & noted in previous gutsandgrowth blog post on FMT). What the researchers found is that 47 prospective donors declined to participate after learning the requirements and only 12 of the remaining 69 (17%) remained eligible after concluding screening; this represents only 10% of the initial cohort.  A large proportion of healthy asymptomatic donors failed stool testing –40% of those tested. The next most common reasons for rejection were medication comorbidities (n=13) or risk factors for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (n=6).

Bottomline: Now, I realize how these stool donors should be justifiably proud of their carefully-balanced uncontaminated microbiome.  The difficulty in identifying suitable donors further reinforces the value of human stool banks.

Briefly noted:

Vandenplas Y, et al. “Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Just a Fancy Trend? JPGN 2015; 61: 4-7.  Brief overview which includes screening protocol used in Brussels.  One of the recommendations is to conserve a sample of the donated stool for >30 years.

Related blog posts:

Disclaimer: These blog posts are for educational purposes only. Specific dosing of medications/diets (along with potential adverse effects) should be confirmed by prescribing physician/nutritionist.  This content is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a condition.

Cumberland Island

Cumberland Island -Main Road

Not Using and Stopping Therapy in IBD

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Two recent articles show that a lot of patients are not receiving much therapy in inflammatory bowel disease.

  • Moreno-Rincon E et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2015; 21: 1564-71.
  • Melesse DY et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2015; 21: 1615-22.

In the first article, a multicenter retrospective study of 102 patients, the authors examined the relapse rates of patients with ulcerative colitis who had withdrawal of thiopurines.  They defined “significant clinical relapse” (SCR) as “the occurrence of UC typical signs or symptoms requiring a rescue therapy such as oral or intravenous corticosteroids, biological therapy, immunosuppressant drugs, recapture with TP [thiopurine] or surgery.”

Key findings:

  • Overall SCR was 32.35%.
  • Predictors of relapse included pancolitis (HR 5.01) and duration of treatment with thiopurines (HR 0.15).

Among those without relapse, the mean duration of remission prior to withdrawal of thiopurines was 54 months compared with 34 months in those who relapsed. In figure 2, the authors note that the rate of relapse was 19.2% for those who received >48 months of thiopurine treatment compared with a 45% rate of relapse for those who received treatment for 13-47 months.  The authors note that several studies have shown higher relapse rates than reported in this cohort and that interruption of therapy is associated with a considerable risk of relapse.

Limitations: small retrospective study and the expectation that their SCR would capture the true relapse rate.

The second study, using a Manitoba database, shows a strikingly-high rate of nonuse of medical therapy. Between 1996-2012, 3902 patients with IBD were identified; 47% with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 53% with ulcerative colitis (UC).  While only 11.7% of IBD patients did not have medication dispensed in the first year after diagnosis, beyond this period, “roughly half of all patients with IBD have not used IBD-specific medications in the previous year.”  The authors are not certain how much nonuse is due to nonadherence or nonprescription. They note that there was higher nonuse in patients with CD, possibly due to use of surgical treatment.  However, they note that multiple medications have been shown to reduce postsurgical relapse in CD.

My take: There are a lot of patients off therapy, both due to withdrawal of therapy when doing well and others due to nonadherence or nonprescription.  With or without overt symptoms, these studies make one wonder whether undertreatment will lead to long-term complications or whether there could be a significant number of patients who are overtreated.  Either way, it remains quite difficult to predict which patients will do well off medical therapy.

Broadcasters Really Know the Key Points to Winning!

Broadcasters Really Know the Key Points to Winning!

What HBV Testing is Needed Before Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor Therapy

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As noted in a previous blog post (What’s Going on with Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B?):

Hepatitis B Reactivation risk & recommendation: (For all of the specifics — Full text article link)

  • High risk of reactivation (>10%): B cell depleting agents (eg. rituximab, ofatumumab), anthracycline derivatives (eg. doxorubicin, epirubicin), and daily moderate to high dose steroids (>10 mg) for at least 4 weeks. Recommendation: Use HBV prophylaxis
  • Moderate risk of reactivation (1-10%): anti-TNF therapy, integrin inhibitors (eg. ustekinimab, vedolizumab), tyrosine kinase inhibitors, low-dose steroids daily (<10 mg/day) for at least 4 weeks.  Recommendation: Use HBV prophylaxis if HBsAg-positive but not if only anti-HBc-positive
  • Low risk of reactivation (<1%): azathiopurine, 6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate. Recommendation: No antiviral prophylaxis required.

For those interested in a more detailed summary of the recommendations: AGA Website HBV Reactivation Recommendations

In line with the reactivation risk, a new study (and editorial) (M Barone et al. Hepatology 2015; 62: 40-6; editorial BP Perillo. Hepatology 2105; 62: 16-8) indicates that for those receiving tumor necrosis inhibitor (anti-TNF) monotherapy, hepatitis B screening requires only checking HBsAg. The study examined a total of 1218 Caucasian rheumatologic patients (receiving biologic agents) between 2001-12. In this cohort, the authors identified 179 patients who had a previously resolved HBV infection; 146 treated with anti-TNF, 14 with rituximab, and 19 with other biologic therapy. Key finding: HBV reactivation was not seen in these patients.

Bottomline: For most pediatric patients receiving anti-TNF monotherapy (eg. infliximab, adalimumab), screening with HBsAg alone should suffice.

Disclaimer: These blog posts are for educational purposes only. Specific dosing of medications/diets (along with potential adverse effects) should be confirmed by prescribing physician/nutritionist.  This content is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a condition.

Grand Tetons from Jackson Lodge

Grand Tetons from Jackson Lodge

Is It Right? Anti-TNF Therapy Does Not Fix IBD-Related Anemia

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A surprising study (Koutroubakis, IE et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2015; 21: 1587-93) of prospectively-collected data from 430 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) showed that the rate of anemia did not change after 1 year in patients treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy and oral iron.

The data was derived from 2010-2012 and included 324 patients with Crohn’s disease (51.6% females) with a median age of 41 years.  Anemia was defined as hemoglobin (Hb) <13 g/dL in men and <12 g/dL in women.  Patients with Hb <10 g/dL were considered to have severe anemia. Key findings:

  • Prevalence of anemia in IBD patients treated with anti-TNF was 38.1% at baseline and then 36.6% at 1 year.
  • Severe anemia was identified in 10% at baseline and 9.9% at 1 year.
  • A hematopoietic response with a Hb ≥2 g/dL was observed in 33.6% (n=45 of 134 anemic patients) and 14 (40%) of those with severe anemia.
  • There were 45 new anemic patients at 1 year; 64.4% were nonresponders to anti-TNF treatment.
  • Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, the author noted that use of immunomodulators was associated with an odds ratio of 2.56 of improvement in hemoglobin levels.

The authors state that anemia is the most common extra intestinal manifestation of IBD and remains underappreciated.  Anemia in IBD correlates with the extent of intestinal disease and activity.

Bottomline: “Use of anti-TNF therapy had only a modest effect on patients’ Hb level.”

From related post: IBD Update January 2015 (Part 2)

Inflamm Bowel Dis 2014; 20: 2266-70.  This study with 749 patients from Sweden showed that a large number of inflammatory bowel disease patients did not receive with iron supplementation: “Only 46% of patients with anemia were treated with iron supplementation or blood transfusion.”  This study showed frequent persistence of anemia one year after diagnosis, especially in children. At time of diagnosis, 55% of children and 27% of adults had anemia and 28% and 16% at one year followup, respectively.

My take: Treatment of the underlying IBD, often helps anemia.  However, in some patients treating the anemia with iron may help improve symptoms as much or more than other aspects of treatment.

Related blog post: Microcytic Anemia Review | gutsandgrowth

Sandy Springs, Georgia

Sandy Springs, Georgia

 

Should We Be Excited About a New Medication (Liraglutide) for Obesity?

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Thus far, “the benefits of medications to treat obesity remain limited because of side effects and inadequate efficacy, especially in the long term.” This is part of an editorial (Siraj ES, Williams J. NEJM 2015; 373: 82-3) that explains a recent study (Pi-Sunyer X, et al. NEJM 2015; 373: 11-22). However, there is a huge need for a cost-effective medication because bariatric surgery is not feasible for 400 million obese persons worldwide.

Liraglutide (marketed as Victoza) has been approved by the FDA for weight loss in adults based on this published study and two other trials.  Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) mimetic.  The authors conducted a 56-week, double-blind trial with 3731 non-diabetic patients. In a 2:1 design, most patients received a once-daily subcutaneous 3.0 mg injection of liraglutide; some received placebo.  Both groups received lifestyle counseling.

Key finding:

  • At week 56, the treatment group had lost a mean of 8.4 kg compared with the placebo group which lost 2.8 kg.

There were similar rates of adverse events (mildly increased in treatment group); the rate of new diagnoses of diabetes was less than one-eighth that in the placebo group.  A 2-year extension trial is being analyzed to further pursue this finding.  Also, the authors note that 4 cases of breast cancer (0.2%) were detected in the treatment group compared with 1 (0.1%) in the placebo group.  This finding could have been due to easier exam following weight loss.  It is noted that the labeling for liraglutide has a black box warning regarding thyroid c-cell tumor risk which have occurred in rodents at clinically relevant doses.

A fairly good 2 minute summary: NEJM Short Take on Liraglutide

Despite the weight loss, the editorial has a cautious tone.

  • “There were statistically significant, although sometimes quantitatively modest, improvements in secondary end points, which included glycemic control, fasting insulin concentrations, cardiometabolic markers, and quality-of-life measures.”
  • “Most obese participants stayed obese, reversal of the metabolic syndrome was not quantified, and liraglutide may be required indefinitely, like statins, but with delivery by injection and at a nontrivial cost.”  According to http://www.goodrx.com, the approximate retail price is $596.01 for 18 mg. For type 2 diabetes, the dosage varies from 1.2 to 1.8 mg per day, after the first week which is dosed at 0.6 mg.

Take-home point: This new medication may help with modest weight loss but at a very significant cost.  In addition, long-term data are lacking. Thus, right now, this medication does not provide the cost-effective option to bariatric surgery.

Related blog posts:

Georgia Aquarium

Georgia Aquarium

Updated HCV Guidelines Published

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The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) has published updated Hepatitis C guidelines. The complete guidance is available online at www.hcvguidelines.org.

An updated edition of Recommendations for Testing, Managing, and Treating Hepatitis C is now published in HEPATOLOGY. This condensed version of the Guidance includes a summary of recommendations regarding treatment with direct-acting antiviral drugs. Download the PDF now.

Authors are now able to cite the guidelines in their publications as an Accepted Article, doi: 10.1002/hep.27950.

“What Causes Biliary Atresia?”

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Deceptive Tweet or Great ‘Hook?’

Deceptive Tweet or Great 'Hook?'

The title was tweeted by the AGA and definitely piqued my interest.  The link that was provided connects to a full-text article (Mack C, CMGH 2015; 1: 267-74) on the potential immunopathogeneis of biliary atresia in the neonatal period.  While the article provides a lot of information, it really does not come close to answering the title question.  In my view, this article reminds me of many other articles on other enigmatic liver diseases in which the clues on pathogenesis led in the wrong direction (eg. antioxidants for gestational alloimmune liver disease)

Here’s from the abstract and the summary:

From abstract:

The neonatal presentation of BA prompts the question of what potential modifications of unique aspects of the neonatal immune system set the stage for the progressive biliary disease. This review also discusses the characteristics of neonatal immune response and the theories on how alterations of this response could contribute to the pathogenesis of BA. These include aberrant type 1 helper T-cell (TH1) and TH17 responses, deficiencies in regulatory T cells, activation of humoral immunity, and autoimmunity. To advance our understanding of the etiology of BA, future studies should focus on the unique aspects of the neonatal immune system that have gone awry.

From summary:

Biliary atresia is a devastating disease wherein the vast majority of patients require liver transplantation for survival. It is critical to grasp the immunopathogenesis of BA in order to provide future therapies that control the intrahepatic biliary inflammation and prevent subsequent fibrosis. Evidence exists for a key role of both arms of the adaptive immune response in bile duct injury. The neonatal presentation of BA provides a clue to disease pathogenesis. Early events that impact the neonatal immune system (ie, perinatal virus infection) may alter the immune response and promote a progressive inflammatory or biliary autoimmune disease. To advance our understanding of the etiology of BA, future studies should focus on those unique aspects of the neonatal immune system that have gone awry, as detailed throughout this review.

Bottomline: Clues are important but do not answer the question of what causes biliary atresia.

Related blog posts:

Ulcerative Colitis with Questionable Response to Fecal Transplant

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Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is not going to be a “magic bullet” for most patients with inflammatory bowel disease. So far, it is unclear whether FMT works at all.  A recent study (full text link: Rossen NG et al. Gastroenterol 2015; 145: 110-8) with only 37 patients echo that experience. Here is the abstract:

Background & Aims

Several case series have reported the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for ulcerative colitis (UC). We assessed the efficacy and safety of FMT for patients with UC in a double-blind randomized trial.

Methods

Patients with mild to moderately active UC (n = 50) were assigned to groups that underwent FMT with feces from healthy donors or were given autologous fecal microbiota (control); each transplant was administered via nasoduodenal tube at the start of the study and 3 weeks later. The study was performed at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam from June 2011 through May 2014.

The composite primary end point was clinical remission (simple clinical colitis activity index scores ≤2) combined with ≥1-point decrease in the Mayo endoscopic score at week 12. Secondary end points were safety and microbiota composition by phylogenetic microarray in fecal samples.

Results

Thirty-seven patients completed the primary end point assessment. In the intention-to-treat analysis, 7 of 23 patients who received fecal transplants from healthy donors (30.4%) and 5 of 25 controls (20.0%) achieved the primary end point (P = .51). In the per-protocol analysis, 7 of 17 patients who received fecal transplants from healthy donors (41.2%) and 5 of 20 controls (25.0%) achieved the primary end point (P = .29). Serious adverse events occurred in 4 patients (2 in the FMT group), but these were not considered to be related to the FMT. At 12 weeks, the microbiota of responders in the FMT group was similar to that of their healthy donors; remission was associated with proportions of Clostridium clusters IV and XIVa.

Conclusions

In this phase 2 trial, there was no statistically significant difference in clinical and endoscopic remission between patients with UC who received fecal transplants from healthy donors and those who received their own fecal microbiota, which may be due to limited numbers. However, the microbiota of responders had distinct features from that of nonresponders, warranting further study. ClinicalTrials.gov Number: NCT01650038.

Related blog posts:

Cumberland Island

Cumberland Island

 

Preventing Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B with Telbivudine

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Briefly noted:

Wu Q et al. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2015; 13: 1170-76.  This was a prospective study of 450 Hepatitis B e antigen-positive pregnant women with HBV DNA levels greater than 10 to the 6th IU/mL.  279 women received telbivudine 600 mg daily starting between 24 to 32 weeks of gestation until delivery or up to a month thereafter; this treatment group was compared to 171 controls women unwilling to take the medication. All infants received vaccinations after birth along with hepatitis B immune globulin. None of the infants in the treatment arm acquired hepatitis B (negative HBsAg at 6 months) compared with 14.7% of infants in the control arm who were positive for infection.  no serious adverse effects were noted in the women receiving telbivudine or their infants.

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Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

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A recent study (Janczyk W. J Pediatr 2015; 166: 1358-63; editorial 1335-6) examines whether omega-3 fatty acid supplement would be helpful for overweight/obese children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).  This randomized controlled trial had 64 patients complete the study; the median age of enrolled patients was 13 years.

Free Full Text Article: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Therapy in Children with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The treatment cohort received doscosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapenatenoic acid (EPA) at a dose of 450-1300 mg/day.

Key finding:

  • After 6 months, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation did not increase the number of patients with decreased ALT levels and it did not affect liver steatosis on ultrasound.

The editorial reviews a previous positive study for DHA supplementation from Italy (n=60) but notes that other larger trials in adults have not shown efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids (Gastroenterol 2014; 147: 377-84.e1, Hepatology 2014; 60: 1211-21). It could be that much longer studies will be needed to determine whether omega-3 fatty acids will be helpful.

Take-home message: Overall, the sum of these studies indicates that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids has not been shown to be effective for NAFLD and it is not likely to be a significant breakthrough.  Even if it were shown to help modestly, would pediatric patients be placed on therapy indefinitely?

Briefly noted:

Kusters DM et al. “Efficacy and Safety of Ezetimibe Monotherapy in Children with Heterozygous Familial and Nonfamilial Hypercholesterolemia” J Pediatr 2015; 166: 1377-84.  Ezetimbe (10 mg), a cholesterol absorption inhibitor, lowered LDL by 27% after 12 weeks from baseline. It was well-tolerated