Aims: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional dyspepsia (FD), and their overlap syndrome (OS) in the Bulgarian population and to assess the risk factors associated with these disorders. Methods: We sent an internet-based survey to Bulgarian adults. The survey collected data on socio- demographic, behavioral and lifestyle characteristics, and diagnostic questions following the Rome IV criteria to assess IBS, FD and their overlap occurrence. Results: Data was collected from 1,896 individuals (mean age = 35.5 years, 18-65, SD=11.7), 73.1% females. The prevalence of IBS was 20% (14% were with predominant constipation, 32% with predominant diarrhea, 52% had IBS with mixed bowel habits, and 2% unclassified IBS). Gender (p=0.005), age (p<0.001), marital status (p=0.009), occupation (p=0.001), alcohol consumption (p=0.013), sexual problems (p<0.001), FD (p<0.001), and milk intolerance (p<0.001) were significantly associated with IBS. Females (p=0.032; OR: 1.50), patients with FD (p<0.001; OR: 104.98), sexual problems (p= 0.001; ОR: 1.55 ), and milk intolerance (p<0.001; OR: 2.22) are at a higher risk of having IBS. The prevalence of FD was 12.7% (39% had postprandial distress syndrome, 33% epigastric pain syndrome, and 28% had the overlapping variant). Patients with IBS (p<0.001; OR: 127.88) and milk intolerance (p<0.001) were significantly associated with FD prevalence. The prevalence of OS was 11.7%. Gender (p=0.013), milk intolerance (p<0.001, OR: 1.65), urinary (p=0.035) and sexual problems (p<0.001, ОR: 1.80) were associated with OS prevalence. Conclusion: This is the first study to estimate the prevalence of IBS, FD, and their OS and assess the behavioral and demographic risk factors associated with these disorders in the Bulgarian population. Our results are valuable in filling in the epidemiological data gap regarding IBS, FD, and OS in Eastern Europe.

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Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastric corpus and fundus. Although still unclear, genetic and environmental factors, antigenic mimicry or cross-reactivity are proposed pathogenic mechanisms. Parietal cells destruction results in loss of intrinsic factor and increased gastric pH due to hypochlorhydria and G-cell proliferation. Furthermore, atrophy, intestinal, pancreatic and spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia are observed. AIG is underdiagnosed, however, proper diagnostic approach, including endoscopic, serological and histopathological assessment, is required. Gastroscopy with corpus and fundus biopsies is a gold standard. A serological combination of anti-parietal cell antibodies, intrinsic factor antibody, anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG, gastrin, pepsinogen I and pepsinogen I/II ratio improves the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity and allows atrophy level prediction. AIG might manifest with multifactorial iron deficiency anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia), neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and gastrointestinal infections. AIG association with other autoimmune diseases is wellestablished. Gastric cancer and gastric carcinoid are neoplastic transformations of a continuous chronic inflammation. Patients with AIG should be carefully monitored as no specific AIG therapy is available and disease complication could be fatal.

Background Bile acid malabsorption is common in microscopic colitis, irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, and inflammatory bowel disease. We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of 7-alfa-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one and compared it with fibroblast growth factor-19 as biomarkers for bile acid malabsorption. Methods We enrolled consecutively 109 chronic diarrhea patients with standard laboratory tests, fecal calprotectin, and endoscopy separated into six groups: n = 30 with active inflammatory bowel disease, n = 21 with inflammatory bowel disease in remission reporting >3 bowel movements per day, n = 21 with inflammatory bowel disease after surgery, n = 23 with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, n = 14 with microscopic colitis and 11 healthy subjects (controls). We defined bile acid malabsorption as >3 bowel movements and lower fibroblast growth factor-19 (<60 pg/ml). Results Median levels of 7-alfa-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one in inflammatory bowel disease active were 53.1 ng/ml, inflammatory bowel disease remission were 52.2 ng/ml, inflammatory bowel disease after surgery were 85.7 ng/ml, irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea were 7.5 ng/ml, microscopic colitis were 69.3 ng/ml, and healthy controls were 3.7 ng/ml. We estimate a 7-alfa-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one cutoff of 48.9 ng/ml with 82.6% sensitivity and 84.3% specificity for detecting bile acid malabsorption. Both 7-alfa-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one >48.9 ng/ml and fibroblast growth factor-19 (<60 pg/ml) were found in 52% of the patients, compared with those 8% of patients below this 7-alfa-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one cutoff (P < 0.001). Serum 7-alfa-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one correlated with the number of bowel movements/day (r = −0.709; P < 0.001) and correlated inversely with fibroblast growth factor-19 (r = −0.741; P < 0.001). Conclusions Serum 7-alfa-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one above 48.9 ng/ml and fibroblast growth factor-19 below 60 pg/ml identify patients with diarrhea likely attributable to bile acid malabsorption with high diagnostic accuracy and they can be used as screening biomarkers for bile acid malabsorption in microscopic colitis and inflammatory bowel disease.

The use of polarized light for biomedical diagnostics of skin and mucosa has already a long history. Prior studies have shown a contrast enhancement of the polarimetric values and in images of cancerous and healthy zones tissues. In the present study, reflectance-geometry polarization measurements were made with gastrointestinal tissue (GIT) samples containing normal and neoplastic mucosa. We investigated ex vivo the characteristic differences in the polarimetric parameters, including Stokes vector elements, degree of polarization, azimuth and ellipticity angles of cancerous and healthy colorectal tissues. A model PAX1000VIS/M polarimeter (400 – 700 nm, ThorLabs Inc.) was used in reflectance mode to obtain information about these polarimetric parameters of the GIT samples investigated. The most significant differences were observed in the long-wavelength region (>600 nm) in the case of circular polarization of the illuminating and probe axes of the measurement unit. Histological analysis was used as a “gold standard” to compare the optical and pathological diagnosis.