Using High Definition for Chromoendoscopy to Detect Dysplasia in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis
Gastroenterologist Venkat Subramanian, MD, discusses the use of high-definition screens and dyes during endoscopy to detect cancerous and noncancerous lesions in patients with ulcerative colitis
Hepatitis C Drugs: Insurers' Reasons for Coverage Denials
Treating hepatitis C with new antivirals saves lives and-in the long run-money spent on patient care. But some patients and their physicians are learning there are barriers to getting prescriptions approved by patients' insurance carriers.
Race Not a Factor in Hepatitis C Survival
African Americans are more likely to be infected with the hepatitis C virus than Caucasians. But that does not mean they are more likely to die from the disease, researchers reported at the 2015 Digestive Disease Week conference in Washington, DC.
Hep C: Baby Boomer Test Results
A relatively higher rate of hepatitis C infection in US adults considered to be part of the baby boom generation is starting to decline, researchers report. The statistical drop started the year after a CDC push for all US adults to get tested.
Hep C Drugs: Not Always Covered
A recent study found that while most insurers are paying for the new hepatitis C antivirals, disparities exist. More than 20% of patients at the hospital studied who had private insurance were refused their prescriptions for sofosbuvir with simeprevir, the researchers found.
Promising Drug for C. difficile Infection Prevention
A drug that shows promise in protecting the human gut microbiome from antiobiotic assaults that can lead to C. difficile infection is about to enter Phase 2 trials. So far, it has worked well in lab pigs, researchers said at Digestive Disease Week 2015.
FMT: Colonoscopy Outperforms Endoscopy
Reporting at the 2015 Digestive Disease Week conference in Washington, DC, a research team from Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas, found that colonoscopy has the edge over upper endoscopy in fecal microbiota transplant.
Fecal Transplant Overprescribed?
Transplanting a healthy person's fecal microbiota into the digestive tract of a patient believed to have a recurrent C. difficile infection has gone from obscurity to an accepted treatggggment. But a new study finds it was wrongly proposed for more than 25% of patients referred for treatment.
Proximal and Distal Colon Have Different Vitamin D Responses
The proximal and distal colon act like two different organs when it comes to biological function and the microbiota that live there. The difference is seen even at the gene transcriptional level and response to vitamin D, a team of researchers from the University of Chicago reported.
Stool Banks and Their Role in Fecal Microbiota Transplantation
With the incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile infection increasing every year, the growing acceptance of fecal transplant as a viable treatment may mean stool banks will become as common as sperm and blood banks.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Now and in the Future
For patients with C. difficile infection, fecal micriobiota transplantation may be their best bet when medication is not effective. Even as transplant becomes a more accepted approach for treating C. diff infection, researchers are investigating other areas it can be applied to.
Colonoscopy Prep Made Palatable
Patients recommended for screening colonoscopy often resist because the bowel cleansing regimen is unpleasant. In an abstract presented at the 2015 Digestive Disease Week conference in Washington, DC, Campbell Levy, MD, of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH, and colleagues at other institutions reported on a novel edible product that achieves the desired results.
New Prep Method Looks to Make Colonoscopy Easier to Swallow
For anyone who has undergone a colonoscopy the worst part of the procedure is usually the preparation. Between the fluids that need to be ingested and the necessary fasting, it can be a long process before ever seeing the doctor. A recent pilot study looked at ways to change that.
International Fecal Bank Feasible
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a proven therapy for recurrent C. difficile infection. A team of researchers from OpenBiome outlined plans for a depository for frozen stool from screened donors. The goal is to have a consistent and safe product for use by clinicians who treat patients with this ailment.
Diabetes Increases IBD Infection Risk
Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases are sometimes treated with immunosuppressive drugs, particularly if they have a significant co-morbidity. A Boston team of researchers found that when that co-morbidity is diabetes, patients are at greater risk of coming down with infections.
Promising Results for First Pharmacologic Treatment for Celiac Disease
May 7th 2014Patients with celiac disease treated with larazotide acetate experienced improvements in GI symptoms and non-GI symptoms such as headache and fatigue, as well as significant reductions in the number of symptomatic days.
Triple Antiviral Therapy Achieves Near 100% Response in Patients with Hepatitis C Genotype 4
May 6th 2014An all-oral, ribavirin-free, interferon-free combination of three direct-acting antiviral agents that had achieved sustained virologic response in 92% of patients with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection has demonstrated even greater response in patients with genotype 4 infection.
Combination Treatment with Sofosbuvir plus Ledipasvir Highly Effective After Only Eight Weeks
May 6th 2014Treatment with an 8-week regimen of combination sofosbuvir plus ledipasvir with or without ribavirin produced sustained virologic response rates (SVR) similar to those achieved with a 12-week regimen in non-cirrhotic, previously untreated, genotype 1 hepatitis C patients, according to results from the ION-3 trial.
Study Provides More Evidence that Statins Help Slow Liver Fibrosis in Hepatitis C
May 5th 2014Patients in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment Against Cirrhosis trial who were also treated with statins experienced a significant decrease in time to histological disease progression compared to patients who did not receive statin treatment.
Approval of Newer, More Effective Hepatitis C Drugs Means a Cure Is Within Reach for Most Patients
May 5th 2014Within the next two years, treatments for hepatitis C with 95% cure rates that are all-oral, interferon-free, and effective within 12 weeks or less with negligible side effects will be readily available.
Promising Initial Results from Novel Treatment for Ulcerative Colitis
May 5th 2014Phase 2 study results show patients with ulcerative colitis treated with an investigational oral compound achieved higher rates of remission, reduced rectal bleeding, and increased mucosal healing compared to patients who received placebo.