Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been found to have decreased immune function. Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element that is beneficial for human health, which has a significant stimulating effect on immune function. We compared the effects of different Se forms on the alleviation of colitis in DSS-induced mice. Moreover, we also aimed to determine whether Se-enriched Lactobacillus paracasei CCFM 1089 could be used as a new organic Se supplement. Different Se supplements (Se-enriched L. paracasei CCFM 1089, Se-enriched yeast and sodium selenite) were given to Se-deficient mice suffering from colitis. Se-enriched L. paracasei CCFM 1089, which is based on selenocysteine (SeCys), had similar effects in terms of reducing oxidative stress and inhibiting pro-inflammatory factors to Se-enriched yeast; however, selenase activity in the Se-enriched L. paracasei CCFM 1089-treated mice was higher than that in other treatment groups. In addition, Se-enriched L. paracasei CCFM 1089 could better protect the intestinal mucosa, which increased the expression of tight junction proteins (ZO-1 and occludin) in mice. Thus Se-enriched L. paracasei CCFM 1089 was shown to alleviate IBD, suggesting that it has potential as a good organic Se supplement.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a worldwide chronic intestinal inflammatory immune-related disease. In this study, mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis were used to evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus on colitis. The results revealed that L. acidophilus CCFM137 and FAHWH11L56 show potential for relieving colitis symptoms, while L. acidophilus FGSYC48L79 did not show a protective effect. Moreover, L. acidophilus NCFM and FAHWH11L56 showed similar effects on various indicators of DSS-induced colitis, increasing the IL-10 and IL-17 in the colon, and modifying the CCL2/CCR2 axis and CCL3/CCR1 axis. For L. acidophilus CCFM137, its effects on colitis were different from the above two strains. Moreover, L. acidophilus FGSYC48L79 had negative effects on colitis by increasing the abundance of harmful bacteria in the gut microbiota and may promote the signaling of chemokines and their receptors. This may be related to its special genome compared to the other strains.

Cap-assisted endoscopic sclerotherapy (CAES) via a long needle optimizes the visualization of operation field and enables precise injection of sclerosant, yet evidence regarding its application in high-grade internal hemorrhoids (HDs) remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CAES therapy for bleeding-predominant grade III symptomatic internal HDs, and explore potential risk factors associated with postoperative bleeding persistence and recurrence. This single-arm retrospective observational study included 82 patients with bleeding-predominant grade III internal HDs who underwent a single CAES procedure by the injection of liquid polidocanol via a long needle. Treatment efficacy was assessed at 3 months post-CAES using the conventional Hemorrhoid Disease Severity Score (HDSS; based on the frequency of symptoms, including bleeding) and the score of the intensity dimension of the bleeding symptom. Bleeding recurrence was monitored during follow-ups. Logistic regression analysis was employed to explore potential risk factors associated with bleeding outcomes. (1) The overall efficacy rate was 85.4%. The effective rates for bleeding and prolapse symptoms were 96.3% and 58.2%, respectively. (2) During a follow-up of 24 months, the bleeding recurrence rate was 25.3% (20/79). (3) Exploratory logistic regression analysis suggested that a high pre-CAES bleeding intensity score (odds ratio [OR] = 2.887, p = 0.030) was significantly associated with non-excellent outcome (i.e., persistent bleeding); meanwhile, a high pre-CAES bleeding intensity score (OR = 3.981, p = 0.012) and a high post-CAES bleeding frequency score (OR = 3.803, p = 0.006) were significantly associated with post-CAES bleeding recurrence. (4) No severe complications were reported. CAES with long-needle injection of polidocanol may serve as an effective and safe therapeutic option for managing bleeding symptom in grade III internal HDs. The higher bleeding-associated scores, which encompass both bleeding frequency and intensity, may represent potential risk factors for persistent or recurrent bleeding after the CAES procedure.