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Background: The worldwide prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing, with its potential evolution as a global disease and a consequent increase in its burden on healthcare systems. These estimates do not factor in the 'real' price of IBD, which, beyond curbing career aspirations, instilling social stigma, and impairing the quality of life in patients, could also significantly affect the environment. Aim: To highlight potential areas for intervention and develop management strategies aimed at minimising environmental impacts in the field of IBD over time. Methods: Various aspects of IBD care (organisation of IBD centres, diagnostics and therapeutics) are examined from an environmental sustainability perspective. Results: Each stage, from the patient's means of transport to the hospital to the physician's diagnostic and therapeutic decisions, contribute to CO2 and waste production. Strategies to contain the environmental impact are feasible. Some are easy to implement, such as ensuring the appropriateness of the diagnostic and therapeutic pathway for patients; others need to be implemented in synergy with healthcare providers' policies and pharmaceutical companies. Conclusions: With an inevitable increase in the number of patient visits, endoscopies, laboratory testing, and long‐term therapeutic strategies for IBD, the clinical community should be aware of environmental concerns and investigate possible strategies to reduce the environmental impact of IBD care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is effective against recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI), but its safety is jeopardized by the potential transmission of pathogens, so international guidelines recommend either a quarantine or a direct stool testing. Whereas reports of the quarantine-based approach are emerging, data on the direct testing-based approach are not available. Our aim is to report outcomes of a donor screening framework for FMT including direct stool testing. In this prospective cohort study, all donor candidates recruited at our FMT centre underwent a four-step screening process to be enrolled as actual donors. Each collected stool donation was then evaluated with a direct stool testing including a molecular assay for gut pathogens and a culture assay for multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO). From January 2019 to June 2023, 72 of 227 candidates (32%) were considered eligible and provided 277 stool donations. Ninety-nine donations (36%) were discarded for positivity to intestinal pathogens, most commonly enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (n = 37) and Blastocystis hominis (n = 20). Overall, 337 stool aliquots were obtained from 165 approved donations. All suspensions were used for patients with rCDI, and no serious adverse events or clinically evident infections were observed at 12 weeks after procedures. In our study, screening of donor faeces including direct stool testing led to the discard of a considerable rate of stool donations but was also extremely safe. This approach may represent a reliable strategy to guarantee the safety of FMT programs, especially in countries with high prevalence of MDRO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Pancreatic cancer is a devasting disease that has unfortunately proven very difficult to treat. Exploring new therapeutic options and getting an early diagnosis is crucial to improve the outcomes for those affected. Studying the intestinal, pancreatic, and oral microbiota offers exciting perspectives to understand the development of pancreatic cancer better. Particular expressions of the microbiota could help both for early diagnosis and for predicting the response to chemotherapy or immunotherapy. This area of research is very promising; therefore, further studies are needed to increase the available data. Pancreatic cancer (PC) has an unfavorable prognosis with few effective therapeutic options. This has led researchers to investigate the possible links between microbiota and PC. A disrupted gut microbiome can lead to chronic inflammation, which is involved in the pathogenesis of PC. In addition, some bacterial strains can produce carcinogens that promote the growth of cancer cells. Research has also focused on pancreatic and oral microbiota. Changes in these microbiota can contribute to the development and progression of PC. Furthermore, patients with periodontal disease have an increased risk of developing PC. The potential use of microbiota as a prognostic marker or to predict patients' responses to chemotherapy or immunotherapy is also being explored. Overall, the role of microbiota—including the gut, pancreatic, and oral microbiota—in PC is an active research area. Understanding these associations could lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for this deadly disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep disorders are frequent in acute stroke. The Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) is a validated scale for the sleep assessment in intensive care unit. The aim of the present study is to validate RCSQ for use in patients with acute stroke. We performed a validation study by comparing the RCSQ with polysomnography (PSG), the standardized measure of sleep. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 18 years and a radiologically confirmed diagnosis of stroke. Exclusion criteria were global aphasia, extreme severity of clinical conditions and inability to attend PSG. All patients underwent PSG in a stroke unit, the day after a subjective sleep assessment by means of the RCSQ. The RCSQ was compared with PSG parameters to assess the degree of concordance of the two measures. The cohort consisted of 36 patients. Mean RCSQ score was 61.5 ± 24.8. The total score of the RCSQ showed a good degree of concordance with the sleep efficiency index of PSG. Accuracy of the RCSQ was 70%, sensitivity 71% and specificity 68%. The RCSQ is a good tool for screening the sleep quality in the setting of a stroke unit. Therefore, it could be useful to select the patients who might beneficiate from an instrumental sleep evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]