Introduction: The aim of this study was to provide an external validation of bowel ultrasound (US) predictors of activity in ulcerative colitis (UC) and quantitative Milan Ultrasound Criteria (MUC).Methods: Forty‐three consecutive patients with UC (16 in endoscopic remission and 27 with endoscopic activity) underwent bowel US and colonoscopy in a tertiary referral inflammatory bowel disease unit.Results: An MUC score >6.2 discriminated patients with active versus non‐active UC with a sensitivity of 0.85 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66–0.96), specificity of 0.94 (95% CI 0.70–0.99) and an area under the curve of 0.902 (95% CI 0.772–0.971) in complete agreement with the derivation study.Conclusion: The external validation of MUC confirms that it is an accurate tool for assessing disease activity in patients with UC.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affect the gastrointestinal tract: they include Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Each has a different phenotypic spectrum, characterized by gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal manifestations. People living with IBD are very interested in diet, but little is known about the impact of diet on these patients; no guidelines are available yet. In this review, we analyze the dietary patterns of patients with IBD and the approach to the choices of foods both in adults and pediatric patients. Very often, IBD patients report an intentional avoidance of gluten to manage the disease; furthermore, a proportion of IBD patients believe that dairy products worsen their symptoms and that avoidance may help the disease. They have a low compliance with the Mediterranean Diet, which is considered to have potential benefits but is little used in practice. In conclusion, the review underscores the pivotal role of nutritional counselling in IBD patients, and the importance of future clinical studies to evaluate the beneficial effects of dietary recommendations in the management of IBD.

Background: Gastrointestinal infections represent a risk factor for functional gastrointestinal and somatoform extraintestinal disorders. We investigated the prevalence and relative risk (RR) of gastrointestinal and somatoform symptoms 5 months after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection compared with a control cohort.Methods: One hundred and sixty‐four SARS‐CoV‐2 infected patients and 183 controls responded to an online questionnaire about symptoms and signs during the acute phase of the infection and after 4.8 ± 0.3 months. Presence and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms, somatization, anxiety, and depression were recorded with standardized questionnaires. Stool form and presence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were also recorded. Any association between exposure to infection and symptoms was evaluated by calculating crude and adjusted RR values and score differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI).Key Results: Fever, dyspnea, loss of smell/taste/weight, diarrhea, myalgia, arthralgia, and asthenia were reported by more than 40% of patients during the acute phase. Compared with controls, adjusted RRs for loose stools, chronic fatigue, and somatization were increased after infection: 1.88 (95% CI 0.99–3.54), 2.24 (95% CI 1.48–3.37), and 3.62 (95% CI 1.01–6.23), respectively. Gastrointestinal sequelae were greater in patients with diarrhea during the acute phase.Conclusions & Inferences: Mild gastroenterological symptoms persist 5 months after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, in particular in patients reporting diarrhea in the acute phase. Infected patients are at increased risk of chronic fatigue and somatoform disorders, thus supporting the hypothesis that both functional gastrointestinal and somatoform disorders may have a common biological origin.

Liver transplantation is the only curative alternative for selected patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are not eligible for resection and/or with decompensated cirrhosis. According to Milan criteria the 5-year survival rate is 70–85%, with a recurrence-free survival of 75%. However, HCC recurrence rate after liver transplantation remains a significant problem in the clinical practice. The prognosis in patients with HCC recurrence is poor. The treatment of choice for HCC recurrence is surgery, but it seems that a systemic treatment based on combination of an mTOR inhibitor with sorafenib can be used. Data on safety and efficacy are limited, clinical monitoring is necessary. The aim of this review is to underline the main concerns, pitfalls and warnings for these patients.