Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck

Nov 25, 2024 | nature.com | Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck |Jianying Hu |Vibha Anand |Eileen Koski |Akira Koseki |Akihiro Kosugi | +6 more

Although corticosteroids are an important treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, many subjects develop dependence, leading to serious long-term side effects. We applied causal inference analyses to investigate the length of steroid use on reoperations in IBD patients. We identified subjects in the UK Biobank general practice dataset with at least one major GI surgery and followed them for at least 5 years to evaluate subsequent operations. We defined steroid dependence as at least 12 weeks of use (vs. acute steroid use) prior to baseline surgery. Of the 363 subjects included in our analyses, 163 (45%) were prescribed steroids on or before baseline surgery, and of these (N = 125 of 163, 77%) were dependent. Additional analyses for time-dependent data on prescriptions found a link between prescription length and reoperation. Among UC subjects with acute use, the odds of reoperation were significantly lower (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.0–0.73). Steroid dependence resulted in a delay of reoperation (median 1.2 vs. 2.3 years, P = 0.01). Our findings indicate that long-term steroid use tends to increase the need for reoperation, whereas short-term use may reduce it.

Nov 1, 2024 | jci.org | Joel C. Bornstein |Hana Janova |Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck |Michael Diamond

AbstractLoss of enteric neurons leading to long-term gastrointestinal dysfunction is common to many diseases, and the path to functional recovery is unclear. In this issue of the JCI, Janova et al. report that West Nile virus killed enteric neurons and glia via CD4+ and CD8+ T cells acting through the perforin and Fas ligand pathways. Enteric glial cells contributed to neurogenesis and at least partial replacement of affected neurons.

May 4, 2024 | nature.com | Amnon Amir |Rotem Hadar |Yadid Algavi |Kathleen Abu-Saad |Thaddeus S. Stappenbeck |Lee A Denson | +4 more

AbstractCrohn disease (CD) burden has increased with globalization/urbanization, and the rapid rise is attributed to environmental changes rather than genetic drift. The Study Of Urban and Rural CD Evolution (SOURCE, n = 380) has considered diet-omics domains simultaneously to detect complex interactions and identify potential beneficial and pathogenic factors linked with rural-urban transition and CD.