Goals: We performed a systematic review with meta-analysis to examine the efficacy and safety of oral fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) capsules for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI). Background: FMT through colonoscopy is established as effective and safe in treating multiple recurrences of CDI, but consensus has not been established on delivery through oral capsules. Study: A systematic literature search was performed with multiple databases including MEDLINE and EMBASE to identify original studies including at least 10 patients that investigated the role of oral FMT capsules to treat rCDI. Cure rates were pooled by a random effects model and publication bias was assessed with the Egger test. Secondary analyses assessed for differences between capsule preparation (frozen vs. lyophilized stool) and delivery modality (capsule vs. colonoscopy). Results: Fifteen studies (12 case series and 3 randomized controlled trials) encompassing 763 patients were identified for inclusion. Significant variability existed in baseline patient characteristics and protocols. Meta-analysis of proportions showed efficacy of oral FMT capsules to be 0.821 (95% confidence interval: 0.762-0.874). No evidence for publication bias was found (P=0.51). Secondary analyses did not find significant differences in efficacy. Fourteen adverse events leading to death or hospitalization were noted, none of which were attributed to FMT. Conclusions: Oral FMT capsules for rCDI are promising because of ease of administration and noninvasive delivery. We found an overall efficacy of 82.1% with a low rate of serious adverse events. Further studies are needed to optimize protocols and outcomes.

Article Processing Charges (APCs) are significant charges for publishing Open Access (OA), and have no accepted standards for authors to source the funds or negotiate the charges. While there is a growing body of literature exploring academic authors’ perceptions of OA publishing, there is little data on how authors pay for APCs. The aim of this study was to examine how authors prepare for and fund APCs, as well as their perceptions of these charges. In early 2021 the authors deployed a survey to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai faculty members via email. The survey was completed by 310 faculty, representing 10.6% of the active researcher population. Our findings show that about 50% of respondents include anticipated APC costs in grant applications, and that 16% of faculty will pay APCs using personal funds. Questions evaluating perception of APCs show that while the majority of respondents support the concept of Open Access, most believe that charges are too high and should not fall on authors.

Background Incidentally-diagnosed terminal ileitis (IDTI) has been reported among asymptomatic persons undergoing non-diagnostic colonoscopy. The purpose of our study was to determine the prevalence and long-term outcomes of asymptomatic terminal ileitis. Methods We performed a systematic review using three biomedical databases (Medline, Embase and Web of Science) and relevant scientific meeting abstracts. We identified observational studies that reported the prevalence of IDTI in adults undergoing screening or polyp surveillance colonoscopy and/or the long-term outcomes of such lesions. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to determine the pooled prevalence rate of IDTI. The progression of IDTI to overt Crohn’s disease (CD) was also described. Results Of 2,388 eligible studies, 1,784 were screened after excluding duplicates, 84 were reviewed in full text, and 14 studies were eligible for inclusion. Seven studies reported the prevalence of IDTI in 44,398 persons undergoing non-diagnostic colonoscopy, six studies reported follow-up data, and one study reported both types of data. The pooled prevalence rate of IDTI was 1.6% (CI 0.1–21.8%) with significant heterogeneity (I 2 = 99.7). Among patients who had undergone non-diagnostic colonoscopy and had follow-up data (range 13–84 months reported in five studies), progression to overt CD was rare. Conclusion IDTI is not uncommon on non-diagnostic colonoscopies. Based on limited data, the rate of its progression to overt CD seems low, and watchful waiting is likely a reasonable strategy. Further long-term follow-up studies are needed to inform the natural history of incidental terminal ileitis, factors that predict progression to CD, and therapeutic implications.

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