Metabolic syndrome (MetS), as a chronic inflammatory disorder has a potential role in the development of inflammatory and cancerous complications of the colonic tissue. The interaction of DNA damage and inflammation is affected by the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) signaling pathway. The IGF1R pathway has been reported to regulate autophagy, as well, but sometimes through a bidirectional context. Targeting the IGF1R-autophagy crosstalk could represent a promising strategy for the development of new antiinflammatory and anticancer therapies, and may help for subjects suffering from MetS who are at increased risk of colorectal cancer. However, therapeutic responses to targeted therapies are often shortlived, since a signaling crosstalk of IGF1R with other receptor tyrosine kinases or autophagy exists, leading to acquired cellular resistance to therapy. From a pharmacological point of view, it is attractive to speculate that synergistic benefits could be achieved by inhibition of one of the key effectors of the IGF1R pathway, in parallel with the pharmacological stimulation of the autophagy machinery, but cautiousness is also required, because pharmacologic IGF1R modulation can initiate additional, sometimes unfavorable biologic effects.

Liver damage in COVID-19 patients was documented as increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels or an elevated AST/ALT ratio, known as the De Ritis ratio. However, the prognostic value of the elevated De Ritis ratio in COVID-19 patients is still unknown. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the De Ritis ratio compared to other abnormal laboratory parameters and its relation to mortality. We selected 322 COVID-19 patients in this retrospective study conducted between November 2020 and March 2021. The laboratory parameters were measured on admission and followed till patient discharge or death. Of the 322 COVID-19 patients, 57 (17.7%) had gastrointestinal symptoms on admission. The multivariate analysis showed that the De Ritis ratio was an independent risk factor for mortality, with an OR of 29.967 (95% CI 5.266–170.514). In ROC analysis, the AUC value of the the De Ritis ratio was 0.85 (95% CI 0.777–0.923, p < 0.05) with sensitivity and specificity of 80.6% and 75.2%, respectively. A De Ritis ratio ≥1.218 was significantly associated with patient mortality, disease severity, higher AST and IL-6 levels, and a lower ALT level. An elevated De Ritis ratio on admission is independently associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients, indicating liver injury and cytokine release syndrome.

Summary Enzootic diarrhea of calves has formed a serious problem and caused losses for years in the dairy herd kept at Vienna Veterinary University's Field Station. In previous investigations bovine coronavirus had been determined as the most pathogenic enteric agent, bovine rotavirus as secondary causal virus, whereas enteropathogenic E. coli and Cryptosporidia were present but insignificant causally. Two earlier systematic immunoprophylactic trials to reduce the incidence and severity of diarrheas of newborn calves failed. Vaccinating pregnant dams twice with a trivalent commercial vaccine containing live attenuated rotavirus and coronavirus plus K 99 + antigen of E. coli (Scourguard 3 [R]) mediated most remarkable results. These were recorded clinically and were assessed by performing daily ELISAs on calf fecal samples up to day 14 after birth for both rotavirus and coronavirus antigens. Shedding of enteropathogenic E. coli and of cryptosporidia were also controlled. Furthermore, antibody titres against rotavirus and coronavirus were determined in cows' blood serum, colostrum and whole milk as well as in calf sera, including control data from unvaccinated cows and their offspring. In addition, a number of calves originating from vaccinated or unvaccinated dams were perorally challenged with rotavirus and coronavirus, again daily screening their fecal samples for virus‐shedding by ELISA. Very remarkable protective effects of dam vaccination were found clinically as well as regarding the number and shortened duration of calf shedding of rotavirus. None of 242 fecal samples contained coronavirus and none of 80 contained enteropathogenic E. coli. It is emphasized that calves must be fed milk of their vaccinated dams for a full 14 days after birth, so as to extend the continuous lactogenic immunity over the period of maximal susceptibility to the 3 enteropathogenic agents incorporated in the vaccine. Zusammenfassung Reduktion der mit Rotavirus, Coronavirus und E. coli assoziierten Durchfälle neugeborener Kälber in einem großen Milchviehbestand durch Mutterkuh‐Impfungen mittels eines trivalenten Impfstoffes Enzootische Kälberdurchfälle bildeten seit Jahren ein ernsthaftes Problem und verursachten Verluste in der Rinderherde des Lehr‐ und Forschungsgutes der Veterinärmedizinischen Universität Wien. In früheren Erhebungen hatten wir ermittelt, daß bovines Coronavirus das Agens von höchster Pathogenität darstellte, daß bovines Rotavirus causal als zweitwichtigster Erreger fungierte, wogegen enteropathogene E. coli und Cryptosporidien wohl vorhanden aber ohne ursächliche Bedeutung für das Durchfallgeschehen waren. Zwei frühere systematische immunoprophylaktische Versuche, Häufigkeit wie Schweregrad der Durchfälle neugeborener Kälber zu reduzieren, hatten ihr Ziel nicht erreicht. Demgegenüber erbrachte nunmehr die zweimalige Schutzimpfung trächtiger Kühe mittels eines trivalenten Marktimpfstoffs, welcher lebende attenuierte Rotaviren und Coronaviren plus K 99 + Antigen von E. coli enthält (Scourguard 3 [R]), sehr bemerke...

This pilot study was devoted to the effect of static magnetic field (SMF)-exposure on erosive gastritis. The randomized, self- and placebo-controlled, double-blind, pilot study included 16 patients of the 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University diagnosed with erosive gastritis. The instrumental analysis followed a qualitative (pre-intervention) assessment of the symptoms by the patient: lower heartburn (in the ventricle), upper heartburn (in the oesophagus), epigastric pain, regurgitation, bloating and dry cough. Medical diagnosis included a double-line upper panendoscopy followed by 30 min local inhomogeneous SMF-exposure intervention at the lower sternal region over the stomach with peak-to-peak magnetic induction of 3 mT and 30 mT m −1 gradient at the target site. A qualitative (post-intervention) assessment of the same symptoms closed the examination. Sham- or SMF-exposure was used in a double-blind manner. The authors succeeded in justifying the clinically and statistically significant beneficial effect of the SMF- over sham-exposure on the symptoms of erosive gastritis, the average effect of inhibition was 56% by p = 0.001, n = 42 + 96. This pilot study was aimed to encourage gastroenterologists to test local, inhomogeneous SMF-exposure on erosive gastritis patients, so this intervention may become an evidence-based alternative or complementary method in the clinical use especially in cases when conventional therapy options are contraindicated.

The etiology and pathogenesis of collagenous colitis (CC) is poorly understood and probably multifactorial; many potential pathophysiological mechanisms have been described, although none have been conclusively proved. Circumstantial evidence suggests that CC appears as an autoimmune response to a luminal or epithelial antigen of unknown origin. Infections and certain drugs (e.g. NSAID, lansoprazole) may act as triggers for an immune-mediated process. CC is characterized clinically by chronic watery, nonbloody diarrhea with normal endoscopic appearance and without radiological abnormalities, but specific microscopic changes in the colon. Histopathology is featured by the presence of a thickened subepithelial collagen band adjacent to the basal membrane. Up to 40% of patients with CC have associated diseases of autoimmune or inflammatory origin, such as thyroid disease, coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, Sjögren's syndrome, CREST syndrome, scleroderma, pernicious anemia, and sarcoidosis. Prurigo nodularis is a chronic condition characterized by intensely pruritic, lichenified, or excoriated papules and nodules of unknown etiology. It is assumed to represent a cutaneous reaction pattern to repeated scrubbing or scratching caused by pruritus. We report a case of CC and prurigo nodularis. To our knowledge, this association has not been reported earlier.