As early commencement of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment has been shown to substantially improve outcomes, it is of utmost importance to make a timely diagnosis of this disease. Despite undisputed sensitivity of fecal calprotectin, the most widely accepted IBD biomarker, in discriminating between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and IBD, as well as recognized role in monitoring disease activity and response to therapy, perhaps the biggest setback of calprotectin use in IBD is lack of specificity. Therefore, an additional biomarker in IBD is warranted. B-cell activating factor (BAFF), a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily, recently emerged as a viable candidate for this role. So far, overproduction of BAFF has been observed in various autoimmune diseases, most notably in systemic lupus erythematosus, where BAFF-inhibitor belimumab was approved for treatment. As BAFF levels were also shown to correlate with indices of IBD, in this review we aimed to summarize the current evidence with respect to the role of BAFF in diagnosis and assessing the activity of IBD, as well as putative therapeutic implications that may arise from exploring of this relation.

Gallbladder drainage is a treatment option in high-risk surgical patients with moderate or severe acute cholecystitis. It may be applied as a bridge to cholecystectomy or a definitive treatment option. Apart from the simple and widely accessible percutaneous cholecystostomy, new attractive techniques have emerged in the previous decade, including endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder drainage and endoscopic ultrasound-guided gallbladder drainage. The aim of this paper is to present currently available drainage techniques in the treatment of AC; evaluate their technical and clinical effectiveness, advantages, possible adverse events, and patient outcomes; and illuminate the decision-making path when choosing among various treatment modalities for each patient, depending on their clinical characteristics and the accessibility of methods.

Olive leaves are the richest source of phenolic compounds, particularly oleuropein, which has many beneficial effects on human health. This study compares the effect of three extraction techniques: ultrasonic-solvent extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and supercritical CO₂ extraction of freeze-dried wild olive leaves (Olea europea subps. oleaster, Hoffmanns. & Link) on oleuropein concentration in obtained extracts. The extract with the highest concentration of oleuropein was obtained after low-frequency ultrasound solvent extraction (WOLE-S) (71.97 µg/mL). Oleuropein from that extract showed low stability after simulated gastric digestion with human gastric juices (35.66%) and high stability after 60 min of intestinal phase (65.97%). The highest antiproliferative activity of WOLE-S and pure oleuropein was detected against T24 cancer cells. The antiproliferative activity of WOLE-S against MD-MBA-123, A549, and A1235 cells was moderate, while the activity of oleuropein was high. WOLE-S significantly down-regulated the expression of IL-6 in A549 cells, indicating a possible anti-inflammatory effect in lung cancer cells. The expression of IL-8 was slightly reduced by treating the cells with WOLE-S, while the expression of IL-10 was not altered by the treatment with WOLE-S or oleuropein.

To identify predictive factors of rebleeding and mortality after endoscopic therapy in patients with high risk peptic ulcers.