Prevalenza e andamento dell'anemia nei bambini con malattia infiammatoria cronica intestinale: studio italiano [Gastroenterologia ed epatologia]

Oltre un terzo dei bambini con MICI presenta anemia al momento della diagnosi, soprattutto di grado moderato. La forma severa è più comune nella colite ulcerosa e a distanza di un anno, quasi un paziente su quattro resta anemico, evidenziando che la sola terapia della MICI non è sufficiente per una completa risoluzione dell’anemia. Sono alcuni dei risultati che emergono da uno studio tutto italiano pubblicato sulla rivista Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

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Corrigendum

Bredon M, le Malicot K, Louvet C, et al. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Is Associated With Clinical Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients With Advanced Gastric Adenocarcinoma: Results of Microbiota Analysis of PRODIGE 59-FFCD 1707-DURIGAST Trial. Gastroenterology 2025;168:601–603.e2.

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Microbiota intestinale nella fibromialgia: un ruolo emergente? [Dolore]

Una recente review pubblicata su Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology ha messo in luce le nuove evidenze del possibile coinvolgimento del microbiota intestinale nella patogenesi della fibromialgia. Gli autori, tra cui compaiono due esperti italiani il prof. Piercarlo Sarzi Puttini e la prof.ssa Laura Bazzichi, sottolineano che in attesa di studi più approfonditi su tale coinvolgimento è importante adottare un approccio olistico che tengo conto anche della valutazione nutrizionale e di eventuali disbiosi.

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Tumori: l'immunoterapia pre-intervento rivoluziona le cure. Convegno a Napoli [Oncologia-Ematologia]

Dal melanoma al tumore del polmone, dal cancro al seno triplo negativo a quello del colon-retto e della vescica: sono sempre più numerosi i tumori per cui la somministrazione dell’immunoterapia neoadiuvante, cioè del trattamento prima dell’intervento chirurgico, mostra evidenze di maggiore efficacia. Questa nuova evoluzione dell’immunoterapia è al centro della seconda edizione di “I.N.N.O.VA.T.E. – International Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Across Cancers”, al via oggi, e fino a domani, a Napoli.

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Cancro della prostata non metastatico ormono-sensibile, Aifa approva  la rimborsabilità di enzalutamide. Cambia il paradigma di cura [Italia]

L’Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco (Aifa) ha riconosciuto la rimborsabilità di un’ulteriore indicazione terapeutica per enzalutamide, sulla base dei risultati dello studio di Fase 3 EMBARK. Con questa autorizzazione enzalutamide diventa il primo ed unico inibitore del segnale del recettore degli androgeni che ha ottenuto la rimborsabilità per il trattamento di uomini adulti con cancro della prostata non metastatico ormono-sensibile (nmHSPC) con recidiva biochimica (BCR) ad alto rischio non idonei alla radioterapia di salvataggio

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ProVag: the effect of oral probiotics on the vaginal microbiota composition in women receiving medical assisted reproduction in a Dutch fertility clinic – protocol of a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind study

Introduction
Differences in the profile of the vaginal microbiota (VMB) have been associated with pregnancy rates after medical assisted reproduction (MAR) such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Monitoring the VMB profile of IVF patients creates an opportunity to identify the best window for IVF treatment and embryo transfer. The ReceptIVFity test is a predictive test that assesses the chances of becoming pregnant in women undergoing IVF treatment based on the VMB composition. A VMB profile dominated by beneficial strains, most notably Lactobacillus species, is associated with increased pregnancy chances. However, to date, limited evidence is available on the effect of active modification strategies to facilitate the modulation of the VMB profile to help restore a VMB dominated by Lactobacillus species.

Methods and analysis
This is a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind intervention study. The study will involve 1:1 randomisation to one of the two arms: oral probiotic or placebo. Vaginal and rectal swabs will be collected at intake and 4, 6 and 8 weeks after the start of the treatment. Our objective is to determine if oral probiotic treatment improves the VMB profile of IVF patients from a low to a medium/high ReceptIVFity score, compared with placebo treatment. Secondary outcomes are: the potential of the bacterial strains in the oral probiotic to be detected in the vaginal tract and/or in the gut, and if the treatment leads to an increased ongoing pregnancy rate after IVF.

Ethics and dissemination
Ethical approval was obtained by the local medical ethical review committee at the Maastricht University Medical Centre. Findings from this study will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and presented at one or more scientific conferences.

Trial registration number
CCMO NL81210.068.22, registered 25 September 2023.

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GI highlights from the literature

Basic scienceComing out of my (glyco)cage Ma W, Wang C, Kothandapani J, et al. Bespoke plant glycoconjugates for gut microbiota-mediated drug targeting. Science 2025; eadk7633. doi: 10.1126/science.adk7633. Targeted drug delivery to the colon is somewhat of a ‘holy grail’ in gastrointestinal medicine. The need to get the right drug to the right place at the right time to treat intestinal inflammation without the collateral damage of unwanted systemic uptake has led to several novel solutions over the years. These include multimatrix delivery systems, administration of prodrugs and pH-dependent and time-dependent carriers. Our ever-increasing knowledge of the human gut microbiota is allowing us to harness its activity to achieve the same ends. Xyloglucans (XyG) are polysaccharides found in fruit and vegetables. While humans lack enzymes to degrade XyG, human gut microbiomes all contain genes coding for these enzymes in abundant bacteria such as Bacteroides sp. In this study,…

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Gut microbial-derived N-acetylmuramic acid alleviates colorectal cancer via the AKT1 pathway

Background
Gut microbial metabolites are recognised as critical effector molecules that influence the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). Peptidoglycan fragments (PGFs) produced by microbiota play a crucial role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis, but their role in CRC remains unclear.

Objective
Here, we aimed to explore the potential contribution of PGFs in intestinal tumourigenesis.

Design
The relative abundance of peptidoglycan synthase and hydrolase genes was assessed by metagenomic analysis. Specific PGFs in the faeces and serum of CRC patients were quantified using targeted mass spectrometry. The effects of PGF on intestinal tumourigenesis were systematically evaluated using various murine models of CRC and organoids derived from CRC patients. Downstream molecular targets were screened and evaluated using proteome microarray, transcriptome sequencing and rescue assays.

Results
Metagenomic analysis across seven independent cohorts (n=1121) revealed a comprehensive reduction in peptidoglycan synthase gene relative abundance in CRC patients. Targeted mass spectrometry identified significant depletion of a specific PGF, N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM) in CRC patients, which decreased as tumours progressed (p

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Unravelling the causality between inflammatory bowel disease and polycystic ovary syndrome mediated by gut microbiota and blood metabolism: insights from two prospective cohort studies

We read with interest the Australian inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) consensus statements for pregnancy by Laube et al, which highlights that patients with IBD in the active stage have reduced fertility with unclear reasons.1 IBD, encompassing ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), involves gut microbiota and metabolites as key players in its development.2 A recent study revealed ovarian impairment in CD, while polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common cause of ovarian dysfunction and infertility in women.3 4 Mounting evidence supported an association between gut microbiota and ovarian function,5 and our recent work revealed that gut microbiota was involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS.6 7 Therefore, we speculated that IBD may induce PCOS by disrupting gut microbiota, leading to alterations in plasma metabolites. Initially, we performed a phenome-wide Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis based on…

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