Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Gastroenterology for March 2009. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Safe Practice Scores Do Not Add Up to Fewer Patient Deaths
TUESDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- In hospitals, higher self-reported scores for improvements in safe practices do not correlate with reduced mortality rates, researchers report in the April 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Repair Defects Linked to Risk of Familial Colorectal Cancer
THURSDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of colorectal cancer in first-degree relatives of colorectal cancer patients increases if the tumors are defective in repairing their DNA and if patients developed disease early, but most of the excess risk cannot be accounted for by defects in known genes, according to research published online March 23 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Report Calls for Separate US Food Safety Agency
THURSDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- A dedicated agency for food safety is needed to combat food-related health threats, according to a report, Keeping America's Food Safe, produced by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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Cost Barriers Slow Adoption of Electronic Health Records
WEDNESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Citing cost barriers, relatively few U.S. hospitals have adopted electronic health records, posing a major obstacle for policy makers who say health information technology is critical to the improvement of health care quality and cost-effectiveness, according to an article published online March 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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C-Reactive Protein Levels Associated With Cancer Risk
WEDNESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with increased risk of cancer and earlier death after cancer diagnosis, according to a report published online March 16 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Smoking Linked to Risk of Acute, Chronic Pancreatitis
TUESDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking is independently associated with an increased risk of pancreatitis, according to study findings published in the March 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Dyspepsia May Improve With Dietary Changes
MONDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with functional dyspepsia may have improved symptoms when they eat smaller meals with lower fat content, according to a study published in the March issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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Pregnant Women With Bowel Disease Face Higher Risks
FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Pregnant women with inflammatory bowel disease have an elevated risk of developing adverse pregnancy and maternal outcomes, according to research published in the March issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
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Imatinib Improves Survival After Gastrointestinal Tumor
THURSDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- A phase III trial of imatinib mesylate adjuvant therapy has shown that the drug is safe and increases the odds of recurrence-free survival after primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor resection, according to study findings published online March 19 in The Lancet.
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Obesity Boosts Postoperative Pancreatic Cancer Risks
TUESDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Obese pancreatic cancer patients who undergo surgery have higher cancer recurrence and metastasis rates and a greater risk of death than non-obese patients, according to research published in the March issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Receptor Contributes to Control of Food Intake
MONDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Endogenous hindbrain glucagon-like-peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) activation contributes to the control of food intake by mediating gastric satiation signaling, according to the results of an animal study published online ahead of print March 5 in Endocrinology.
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Fast-Track Program Offers Benefits After Colon Surgery
THURSDAY, Mar. 12 (HealthDay News) -- A fast-track protocol for patients undergoing elective colon surgery was linked to lower morbidity and a shorter hospital stay, according to research published in the March issue of Gastroenterology.
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Gluten-Free Diet May Be Useful in Wider Population
THURSDAY, Mar. 12 (HealthDay News) -- A gluten-free diet may be beneficial for individuals with mild enteropathy and endomysial antibodies, according to research published in the March issue of Gastroenterology.
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Tube Feeding Shows Benefits in Short Bowel Syndrome
WEDNESDAY, Mar. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Following the postoperative period, patients with short bowel syndrome may have greater nutrient absorption with tube feeding than oral feeding, according to research published in the March issue of Gastroenterology.
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Poor Infection Control Caused Kidney Unit Hep C Infections
MONDAY, Mar. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A failure to adequately test patients for hepatitis C and poor infection control led to the infection with the virus of nine hemodialysis patients in New York City, according to a report published in the Mar. 6 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Radiation Reduces Rectal Cancer Recurrence
FRIDAY, Mar. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Preoperative radiation is more effective than postoperative radiation in reducing local recurrence in patients with rectal cancer, researchers report in the Mar. 7 issue of The Lancet.
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Distress Linked to Lower Activity in Cancer Survivors
FRIDAY, Mar. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Colorectal cancer survivors who show high levels of somatization, or physical symptoms of psychological distress, are less likely to be physically active, while patients who have a more positive view of their cancer are more likely to be physically active, according to the results of a study published online Mar. 2 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Transdermal Patches Pose Burn Risk During Scans
FRIDAY, Mar. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about the risk of burns as a result of wearing medicated patches, such as those used for smoking cessation or pain relief, during MRI scans.
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Less Intraperitoneal, Liver Fat Seen in Black Patients
THURSDAY, Mar. 5 (HealthDay News) -- In a study including black, white and Hispanic patients, black patients appeared to be particularly resistant to the accumulation of triglycerides in the liver associated with insulin resistance, according to research published in the March issue of Hepatology.
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Positive Outcomes for Cancer Patients in Poor Condition
THURSDAY, Mar. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Advanced colorectal cancer patients with poor performance status still derive benefit from chemotherapy, although with a higher risk of toxicity and death, according to study findings published online Mar. 2 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Unnecessary Laparotomies Prevented in Pregnant Women
THURSDAY, Mar. 5 (HealthDay News) -- MRI can help to prevent unnecessary laparotomies in pregnant patients with suspected acute appendicitis, according to research published in the March issue of Radiology.
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Obama Wants to Spend $630 Billion on Health Care Reform
THURSDAY, Mar. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Achieving health care reform is one of President Barack Obama's major challenges, and his newly released spending plan calls on Congress to commit $630 billion over the next decade to finance that reform, according to an article published online Mar. 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Distinct Liver Cancers
WEDNESDAY, Mar. 4 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma whose only risk factor for liver disease is evidence of metabolic syndrome, the cancer typically occurs without significant fibrosis in the surrounding liver, according to research published in the March issue of Hepatology.
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Alcohol Linked to Modest Pancreatic Cancer Risk
WEDNESDAY, Mar. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Alcohol consumption is associated with a small increase in risk of pancreatic cancer, according to research published online Mar. 3 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Proton Pump Inhibitors May Reduce Benefits of Clopidogrel
TUESDAY, Mar. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Acute coronary syndrome patients who are prescribed clopidogrel in combination with a proton pump inhibitor are at increased risk of adverse outcomes compared with patients prescribed clopidogrel alone, according to a report published in the Mar. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Vitamin K Doesn't Reduce Bleeding in Warfarin Patients
TUESDAY, Mar. 3 (HealthDay News) -- In patients receiving warfarin, vitamin K does not reduce bleeding, according to study findings published in the Mar. 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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MET Gene Variant Linked to Autism, GI Disorders
TUESDAY, Mar. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Alterations of the MET gene, encoding an enzyme involved in brain development and gastrointestinal repair, may be associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder with associated gastrointestinal dysfunction, according to research published in the March issue of Pediatrics.
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US Motor Vehicle-Related Death Rates Vary Geographically
MONDAY, Mar. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Although the mortality rate related to motor vehicles remained almost unchanged from 1999 to 2005 in the United States, on closer inspection the data reveals wide variations from state to state, as well as by gender and ethnicity, according to a report published in the Feb. 27 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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