Gastroenterology

Francisco Sylvester, MD, UNC School of medicine emphasized the importance of applying study findings to early interventions in treatment.

Study results show that patients with ulcerative colitis who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) had higher rates of opportunistic infections and inpatient mortality compared to transplant patients who did not have UC.

Russell Cohen, MD, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Center at The University of Chicago Medicine continued to discuss the relevance of healthcare economics specific to IBD at the 2015 Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is significantly more expensive when treated in secondary care settings than it is when treated in primary care settings -- without a corresponding increase in treatment effectiveness.

A US Senate investigation found that drug maker Gilead Sciences sought to maximize profits of its blockbuster hepatitis C drug, without any significant consideration of the thousands of patients who could not afford its pricey pill.

Researchers have developed a method to screen for hepatitis C using a urine test that is faster and cheaper than traditional blood tests.

In the past patients with alcoholic liver disease may not have been considered viable options for liver transplants. A recent study looked at whether an artificial device could help these patients return to a normal quality of life.

Several prior studies have noted that Roux-Y gastric bypass surgery often leaves patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, but new research from Switzerland indicates that different flavors of the procedure expose patients to greatly different risks.

Coconut oil can control the overgrowth of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans (C. albicans) in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Obese people are generally less healthy than those of normal weight, but that should not be a barrier to liver transplantation, researchers said at the 2015 Liver Meeting (AASLD) in San Francisco, CA.

Donor livers are scarce, donated organs are precious, and transplant surgeons make the final call on whether to transplant. When the question of whether to give a liver to a patient who uses marijuana, drinks too much alcohol, or even smokes tobacco comes up, the issue gets tricky.

Although there are now effective treatments for several genotypes of hepatitis C, certain patient groups continue to present challenges for the pharmaceutical and medical communities. Work is being done to overcome those challenges around the world.

The high costs of direct-acting antivirals to treat hepatitis C infection is no secret, but neither is the fact that the drugs are cost-effective. Pennsylvania researchers found insurers were lagging in approving payment for the drugs in their four-state region, with Medicaid programs the worst offenders.

Changes in gut bacterial growth rates may be linked to onset of diseases, such as type 2 diabetes or irritable bowel syndrome, for example, according to research published in the journal Science.

Dried plums may decrease the risk for colon cancer.

Viruses are present in the guts of newborn babies, according to findings published in Nature Medicine.

Some experts contend that hiatal hernia-related symptoms improve after weight-loss surgery, making repair of the hiatus unnecessary. Yet, simultaneous repair during bariatric surgery may be more efficient than undergoing separate procedures. A study published in the journal Surgery suggests repair of hiatal hernia during bariatric surgery appears safe and feasible.

Researchers say that identifying HCV transmission hotspots and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of exactly how hepatitis C virus is transmitted during times of significant spread could facilitate public health initiatives to reduce the prevalence of HCV in people who contract it through intravenous drug use.

AbbVie's hepatitis C antivirals now come with a warning. In a Q&A with MD Magazine, Barry Bernstein, MD, the company's vice president for infectious disease product development, discusses the ramifications. It's not just AbbVie, he says, more post-market reports on other companies drugs are likely coming.

The evidence indicates resistant starches improve glucose metabolism beyond what would be expected from its reduced glycemic index.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), has officially classified processed and red meat products like bacon and salami "carcinogenic to humans".

Raised lesions of dysplatic Barrett's esophagus (BE) are treated with endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) before ablation. But the procedure causes bleeding in 10% of cases.Mayo Clinic researchers said they found a way to reduce those adverse events.

C. Difficile is big. It has surpassed MRSA as the most common hospital acquired infection.

Pennies, chicken bones, and dishwasher cleaning powders. Gastroenterologists who work at hospitals are likely to get called in when people either accidentally or purposefully swallow something they should not. At the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Scientific Meeting in Honolulu, a physician at NYU Langone Medical Center offered a treatment primer.

Pancreatic cancer is hard to cure and even diagnosing it is challenging. Among the eagerly awaiting research topics to be presented at the American College of Gastroenterology Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii are reports on new developments in detecting malignancies.