Background: Accumulating evidence has proposed phase angle (PhA) as a marker for assessing cellular integrity and nutritional status in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients; the aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of PhA in assessing nutritional status in patients with UC, investigating its potential as a biomarker of disease activity. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in patients with UC and healthy controls. We determined PhA by electrical bioimpedance and categorized participants through bioelectrical impedance analysis. They were classified as normal PhA > 6.1° and low PhA < 6.1° in men and normal PhA > 5.6° and low PhA < 5.6° in women. Results: PhA was significantly lower in UC patients than in controls (5.8 ± 0.8 vs. 6.6 ± 0.7°; p < 0.001). Among UC patients, participants with low PhA showed a decrease in lean, dry mass (LDM) (p < 0.001), total body water (p = 0.008), and intracellular water (p = 0.005), accompanied by an increase in extracellular water (p = 0.001) compared to UC patients with normal PhA. Conclusions: PhA significantly decreases in UC patients compared to healthy controls and is even more reduced when UC is active. A cut-off point of <6.1 for men and <5.6 for women could be suitable for nutritional diagnosis in patients with UC, but it still needs to be validated.

Health care workers (HCW) are at high risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCW has been examined in cross-sectional studies by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests, which may lead to underestimating exact incidence rates. We thus investigated the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a group of HCW at a dedicated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospital in a six-month follow-up period. We conducted a prospective cohort study on 109 participants of both sexes working in areas of high, moderate, and low SARS-CoV-2 exposure. qPCR tests in nasopharyngeal swabs and anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG serum antibodies were assessed at the beginning and six months later. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters were analyzed according to IgG seropositivity by paired Student’s T-test or the chi-square test. The incidence rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection was considerably high in our cohort of HCW (58%), among whom 67% were asymptomatic carriers. No baseline risk factors contributed to the infection rate, including the workplace. It is still necessary to increase hospital safety procedures to prevent virus transmissibility from HCW to relatives and non-COVID-19 patients during the upcoming waves of contagion.

The low-FODMAP diet (LFD) reduces gastrointestinal symptoms, restricting poorly absorbed short-chain carbohydrates to reduce colonic fermentation. It has been proposed as a dietary strategy for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. However, this diet could affect patients’ nutritional status and alter their gut microbiota. We aimed to evaluate the effects of a 10-week LFD on nutritional status, quality of life, and gut microbiota in patients with IBS, UC, and a control group without gastrointestinal symptoms. A randomized, single-blind clinical trial was conducted, including adults with IBS and UC, as well as a control group. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either an LFD or a standard diet (STD). Nutritional status, stool consistency, bowel habits, and quality of life were assessed, and stool samples were collected. Stool microbiota was profiled by 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V3) and analyzed for alpha diversity, beta diversity and differential abundance. Body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impedance. The follow-up period lasted 10 weeks (W0 to W10). Analyses were conducted in the per-protocol population. In total, 86 patients were included (IBS n = 40, UC n = 34, Control n = 12) with an average age of 40 ± 11 years. After adjustment for baseline values, no statistically significant differences in anthropometric or body-composition outcomes were observed between the LFD and STD groups. Similarly, there was a notable reduction in diarrhea frequency (53.3% vs. 20%, p = 0.058). Additionally, patients with IBS and UC exhibited similar microbiota profiles at W0. Among UC patients following the LFD, there was increased presence of BX12, CAG-1427, Holdemania, Evtepia, and Granulicatella, while Angelakisella and CAG-177 were less abundant. LFD was associated with changes in stool consistency, bowel habits, quality of life, and gut microbiota in patients with UC and IBS.