Gastrointestinal Inflammation: Latest Advances and Prospects

Dear Colleagues,

Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract underlies a broad and clinically heterogeneous spectrum of disorders, ranging from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)—Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and pouchitis—to immune-mediated conditions of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, such as eosinophilic esophagitis, microscopic colitis, and celiac disease, and increasingly to functional disorders in which low-grade mucosal and neuroimmune inflammation is being recognized, including a subset of irritable bowel syndrome. The global burden of these diseases continues to rise in both Western and newly industrialized regions, and they share substantial pathophysiological ground: dysregulated mucosal immunity, altered epithelial barrier function, gut microbiota perturbation, and complex gut–brain interactions.

The therapeutic landscape has expanded dramatically in recent years. Novel biologics and small-molecule inhibitors, dietary and microbiota-targeted interventions, and refined endoscopic and imaging tools—including intestinal ultrasound and pan-enteric capsule endoscopy—are entering routine practice. Treat-to-target paradigms, biomarker-guided therapy, and precision-medicine approaches are reshaping how clinicians monitor disease activity and predict outcomes. Despite these advances, important gaps remain in early diagnosis, in the management of refractory disease and special populations, and in the integration of translational findings into daily clinical care.

This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances in the field of gastrointestinal inflammation. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and clinical perspectives spanning basic, translational, and clinical investigation, and addressing inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases throughout the gastrointestinal tract—esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, and the IBD spectrum—with particular interest in pathogenesis, diagnostic innovation, novel therapies, monitoring strategies, and patient-centered outcomes.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Pathogenesis and immunology of IBD and other immune-mediated gastrointestinal disorders;
• Novel biologic and small-molecule therapies in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease;
• Postoperative recurrence in Crohn’s disease: prediction, monitoring, and prevention;
• Intestinal ultrasound and non-invasive monitoring in IBD;
• Eosinophilic esophagitis and the emerging spectrum of esophageal inflammatory diseases;
• Microscopic colitis: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment;
• Celiac disease and non-celiac gluten/wheat-related disorders;
• Microbiota, diet, and short-chain fatty acids in gastrointestinal inflammation;
• Gut–brain axis and low-grade inflammation in functional gastrointestinal disorders;
• Treat-to-target and biomarker-guided strategies;
• Special populations: pediatric, elderly, pregnancy, and immunocompromised patients;
• Real-world evidence and patient-reported outcomes in inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases.

Dr. Luisa Bertin
Dr. Maria Manuela Estevinho
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Medicina is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• inflammatory bowel disease
• ulcerative colitis
• Crohn’s disease
• eosinophilic esophagitis
• microscopic colitis
• celiac disease
• gut microbiota
• intestinal ultrasound
• biologic therapy
• mucosal healing
• treat-to-target
• gut–brain axis