Background and Aim Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a prevalent and complex gastrointestinal disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. Observational studies have suggested a relationship between serum vitamin D levels and IBS symptoms. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to investigate the clinical effects of vitamin D supplementation on IBS symptom severity and quality of life (QoL) measures. Methods Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched. Data abstraction and quality assessment were conducted by four authors independently, and discrepancies were resolved through consensus from the senior author. Continuous data were pooled with standardized mean difference (SMD) using the DerSimonian and Laird's random‐effects model. Sensitivity analysis by risk of bias and potentially “predatory” publication were performed as well. Results A total of 685 patients across eight studies were included in the meta‐analysis. Vitamin D supplementation significantly improved IBS symptom severity scale scores, with a SMD of −0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI] −1.47 to −0.07, P = 0.04, I2 = 91%). Improvements in IBS‐QoL scores were also observed, albeit not statistically significant (SMD 0.54; 95% CI −0.34 to 1.41, P = 0.15, I2 = 87%). However, small sample sizes, a relatively young study population, limited ethnicities, and varied vitamin D dosing strategies across the studies were notable limitations. Conclusions Vitamin D supplementation could be part of our clinical armamentarium when managing IBS patients due to the potential efficacy and good safety profile. Further randomized, controlled trials are required to confirm the therapeutic effects.

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Irritable bowel syndrome is a prototypical disorder of the brain–gut–microbiome axis, although the underlying pathogenesis and mechanisms remain incompletely understood. With the recent advances in ‘omics’ technologies, studies have attempted to uncover IBS-specific variations in the host–microbiome profile and function. However, no biomarker has been identified to date. Given the high inter-individual and day-to-day variability of the gut microbiota, and a lack of agreement across the large number of microbiome studies, this review focused on omics studies that had sampling at more than one time point. A systematic literature search was performed using various combinations of the search terms “Irritable Bowel Syndrome” and “Omics” in the Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library up to 1 December 2022. A total of 16 original studies were reviewed. These multi-omics studies have implicated Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Ruminococcus spp., and Bifidobacteria in IBS and treatment response, found altered metabolite profiles in serum, faecal, or urinary samples taken from IBS patients compared to the healthy controls, and revealed enrichment in the immune and inflammation-related pathways. They also demonstrated the possible therapeutic mechanisms of diet interventions, for example, synbiotics and low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyol (FODMAP) diets on microbial metabolites. However, there was significant heterogeneity among the studies and no uniform characteristics of IBS-related gut microbiota. There is a need to further study these putative mechanisms and also ensure that they can be translated to therapeutic benefits for patients with IBS.

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Background and Objectives: Acute cholecystitis (AC) is a common surgical emergency. Recent evidence suggests that serum procalcitonin (PCT) is superior to leukocytosis and serum C-reactive protein in the diagnosis and severity stratification of acute infections. This review evaluates the role of PCT in AC diagnosis, severity stratification, and management. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched from inception till 21 August 2022 for studies reporting the role of PCT in AC. A qualitative analysis of the existing literature was conducted. Results: Five articles, including 688 patients, were included. PCT ≤ 0.52 ng/mL had fair discriminative ability (Area under the curve (AUC) 0.721, p < 0.001) to differentiate Grade 1 from Grade 2–3 AC, and PCT > 0.8 ng/mL had good discriminatory ability to differentiate Grade 3 from 1–2 AC (AUC 0.813, p < 0.001). PCT cut-off ≥ 1.50 ng/mL predicted difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy (sensitivity 91.3%, specificity 76.8%). The incidence of open conversion was higher with PCT ≥ 1 ng/mL (32.4% vs. 14.6%, p = 0.013). A PCT value of >0.09 ng/mL could predict major complications (defined as open conversion, mechanical ventilation, and death). Conclusions: Current evidence is plagued by the heterogeneity of small sample studies. Though PCT has some role in assessing severity and predicting difficult cholecystectomy, and postoperative complications in AC patients, more evidence is necessary to validate its use.