The Innate Immune Response and Enteric Nervous System in Crohn's Disease.

Det medfødte Immunforsvar og Det Enteriske Nervesystem Ved Crohns Sygdom

The study aims to explore the relationships between inflammation, nerve changes, and the expression of interferon-stimulated proteins in inflamed and non-inflamed bowel areas from patients with Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory condition with complex causes and mechanisms that remain uncertain despite extensive research.

Methods and Procedures This exploratory study utilizes tissue samples from a clinical biobank at Aalborg University Hospital. The samples are paraffin-embedded blocks from which tissue sections are prepared for immunohistochemical and histological staining. The study focuses on assessing the expression of interferon-stimulated proteins through optimized immunohistochemical staining methods, ensuring reproducibility via automated machines. The protein expressions are then analyzed qualitatively and semi-quantitatively and compared with structural changes in the bowel tissues.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Histological preparations (tissue samples) from patients with Crohn's disease who have undergone bowel resection at Aalborg University Hospital in the period from 2012 to 2023.

Exclusion Criteria:

• If the tissue material does not include the ileocecal region.
• If the pathology report does not indicate that there is tissue material from both inflamed and non-inflamed areas.
• If the patient has registered a prohibition against research in the Tissue Utilization Registry.
• The selection of cases starts with the most recent (by date) and stops when 25 suitable cases are found.