Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Gastroenterology for October 2007. 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.
S-1 Improves Gastric Cancer Surgery Outcome
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Locally advanced gastric cancer patients who undergo surgical resection fare better if they are also treated with adjuvant S-1 therapy, according to the results of a study published in the Nov. 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Imaging Technique Accurately Stages Liver Fibrosis
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Magnetic resonance (MR) elastography of the liver, a non-invasive technique that measures tissue displacement caused by mechanical waves transmitted through the liver, is highly accurate in staging liver fibrosis, and is superior to biochemical testing, according to study findings published in the November issue of Radiology.
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Planned Bowel Surgery Leads to Improved Outcomes
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may face a lower three-year mortality following elective colectomy compared to those admitted to the hospital with either an emergency colectomy or no procedure, according to a report published Oct. 30 in BMJ Online First.
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Lifestyle Key to Preventing Most Heart Attacks in Women
TUESDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Most heart attacks in women can be prevented with a combination of healthy diet and other heart-healthy lifestyle behaviors, researchers report in the Oct. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Food Poisoning Bacteria Produce Adherence Structure
MONDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteria produce a structure that helps them adhere better to cells and may contribute to pathogenicity, according to the results of a study published online Oct. 18 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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Diet Rich in Fruits, Vegetables Bolsters Colon Health
MONDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Making dietary choices that comply with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide recommendations, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Eating Plan, or a Mediterranean diet may lower the risk of developing potentially precancerous colorectal adenomas, particularly in men, according to research published in the November issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
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Hepatitis A Vaccine Good for Postexposure Prophylaxis
THURSDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- After exposure to hepatitis A, both immune globulin and vaccination confer good levels of protection against infection, but vaccination also offers long-term protection, according to the results of a study published in the Oct. 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Death Rates of Obese Remain High After Bariatric Surgery
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Obese patients who undergo bariatric surgery have substantially higher death rates than the average population, with especially elevated risks of coronary heart disease and suicide, researchers report in the October issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Weight Loss Prior to Gastric Bypass Improves Results
TUESDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) --Losing 5 percent to 10 percent of excess body weight before gastric bypass surgery may help shorten hospital stays and increase the odds of substantial weight loss in the following year, researchers reported in the October Archives of Surgery.
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Study Explores Esophagectomy Case Volume and Mortality
TUESDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Patient factors such as age, race and comorbid conditions more strongly influence mortality rates following esophagectomy than the esophagectomy case volume of a particular surgeon or hospital, according to research published in the Archives of Surgery in September.
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Obesity Increases Risk of Esophageal Cancer
FRIDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity and gastro-esophageal reflux increase the risk of developing esophageal cancer, according to a report published online Oct. 11 in Gut.
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Herbalife Products Linked to Toxic Liver Injury
FRIDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Dietary supplements from Herbalife have been implicated in several cases of hepatotoxicity, resulting in recommendations that herbal products and other complementary medicines be more closely regulated, according to a report published in the October issue of the Journal of Hepatology.
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Intestinal Function Altered in Patients with Heart Failure
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with chronic heart failure have altered intestinal morphology, permeability and absorption, according to the results of a study published online Oct. 1 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Disparities Found Between Medicaid, Commercial Patients
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Enrollees in Medicaid managed-care programs receive a poorer quality of health care than those in commercial managed-care programs, based on a variety of quality indicators, researchers report in the Oct. 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Virtual Colonoscopy Detects Advanced Colorectal Cancer
THURSDAY, Oct. 4 (HealthDay News) -- In primary colorectal cancer screening, computed tomographic colonography (CTC) and optical colonoscopy detect advanced cancers at similar rates, according to study findings published in the Oct. 4 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Polymeric Formula for Crohn's Doesn't Improve Adherence
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- In children with Crohn's disease, it has been suggested that liquid diet therapy with a whole-protein polymeric formula may be more palatable than an amino acid-based elemental formula. But adherence rates are similar for both approaches, although children on a whole-protein polymeric formula may be less likely to require nasogastric administration, according to study findings published in the September issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
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Diet May Play Protective Role Against Crohn's
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- A diet too low in fruits and vegetables or imbalanced in fatty-acid consumption may increase the risk of Crohn's disease in young people, according to research published in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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OTC Laxative Found More Effective Than Tegaserod
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- After a four-week treatment period, the laxative polyethylene glycol (PEG) was found to be more effective in treating constipation than tegaserod, according to research published in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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Hospital Burden of Clostridium difficile Infections Grows
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Clostridium difficile is a growing health care burden in U.S. hospitals that poses a significant risk factor for patients with underlying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a report published Sept. 28 in the online version of Gut.
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Interaction Seen Between Acetaminophen and Caffeine
TUESDAY, Oct. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The cooperative binding of acetaminophen and caffeine in the P450 3A4 enzyme disrupts the coordination of acetaminophen to the heme iron, enhancing the rate of oxidation of acetaminophen to its toxic metabolite, N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone (NAPQI), according to a study published online Sept. 26 in Chemical Research in Toxicology.
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Antiviral Therapy Effective in Advanced Hepatitis C
MONDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Eradication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is possible in patients who have already developed complications of cirrhosis and portal hypertension, and those with sustained virologic response to treatment experience fewer disease complications during a short follow-up period, according to a report published in the October issue of the Journal of Hepatology.
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Fecal Immunochemical Test Screens for Colorectal Cancer
MONDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- The fecal immunochemical test may be an alternative to the widely used unrehydrated guaiac fecal occult blood test for detecting left-sided colon cancer, according to study findings published in the Oct. 3 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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