Home Gastroenterology January 2019 Briefing – Gastroenterology

January 2019 Briefing – Gastroenterology

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Gastroenterology for January 2019. 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.

Liver Transplant Wait List May Not Prioritize High-Risk Patients

THURSDAY, Jan. 31, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The current method for ranking patients on the liver transplantation wait list may not prioritize some of the sickest candidates, according to a study recently published online in Gastroenterology.

Public Health Interventions Could Cut Global Burden of Hepatitis C

TUESDAY, Jan. 29, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Public health interventions can go a long way toward meeting World Health Organization hepatitis C virus (HCV) targets, according to a study published online Jan. 28 in The Lancet.

New Guidelines Introduced for Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Pregnancy

TUESDAY, Jan. 29, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) report, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in Pregnancy Clinical Care Pathway, was published online Jan. 15 in Gastroenterology.

Gender Gap Seen in Accessing Alcohol Treatment With Cirrhosis

MONDAY, Jan. 28, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Women with alcohol-associated cirrhosis (AC) are less likely to receive alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment than men with the disease even though such treatment is associated with improved outcomes at one year, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Direct-Acting Antivirals Not Tied to Liver Cancer Recurrence

FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy is not associated with increased overall or early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence among patients with a previous complete response to HCC treatment, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in Gastroenterology.

Assay Aids Anticoagulant Dosing of Obese Patients for Bariatric Sx

FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) may provide better information than anti-factor Xa (anti-XA) in determining the best dosage for blood thinners among obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery, according to a study recently published in Surgery for Obesity and Related Disorders.

Report IDs Areas Lacking Good Practice in Health Tech Assessment

FRIDAY, Jan. 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) — In a report published in the January issue of Value in Health, an ISPOR–The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research working group indicates the lack of good practices in three areas of health technology assessment (HTA).

CDC: Proportion of Increased-Risk Deceased Organ Donors on Rise

THURSDAY, Jan. 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Among deceased organ donors, there has been an increase in the proportion at increased risk for transmitting hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV to recipients, according to research published in the Jan. 25 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Liver Transplants for Alcohol-Linked Disease Increased From 2002 to 2016

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The proportion of liver transplants for alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) increased from 2002 to 2016, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

CDC: Slight Hike in Prevalence of Gastroschisis Since 2006-2010

TUESDAY, Jan. 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Over time, the prevalence of gastroschisis has increased, with more babies born with gastroschisis in areas with high and medium versus low opioid prescription rates, according to research published in the Jan. 18 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

FDA Down to 5 Weeks of Funding to Review New Drug Applications

THURSDAY, Jan. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Due to the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only about five weeks of funding left to review new drug applications, according to Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D.

CNN News Article

Hemochromatosis Mutation Linked to Other Morbidity

THURSDAY, Jan. 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — HFE p.C282Y homozygosity, the most common gene mutation causing hereditary hemochromatosis (type 1), is associated with other morbidity in men and women, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in The BMJ.

Adoption of Advanced Health IT Capabilities Inconsistent

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Adoption of advanced health information technology (HIT) capabilities is inconsistent across health care systems, with electronic health record (EHR) standardization being the strongest predictor of advanced capabilities, according to a study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Managed Care.

Liver Transplant Survival May Improve With Race Matching

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For African-American patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing liver transplantation, donor-recipient race matching is associated with improved survival, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Suicide Risk Up More Than Fourfold for Cancer Patients

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Cancer patients have an increased suicide risk, which is predominant among men and white patients, according to a study published online Jan. 14 in Nature Communications.

Guideline Issued for Treatment of Mild/Moderate Ulcerative Colitis

TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A new clinical guideline from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) published Dec. 18 in Gastroenterology focuses on the medical management of patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC).

Abstract/Full Text – Guideline (subscription or payment may be required)
Abstract/Full Text – Technical Review (subscription or payment may be required)

Study Explores Influence of Genetics, Environment in Disease

TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The influence of heritability and environmental factors has been identified for a large number of phenotypes, according to a study published online Jan. 14 in Nature Genetics.

American College of Physicians Releases 7th Edition of Ethics Manual

TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Ethical principles are discussed in an updated Ethics Manual, issued by the American College of Physicians (ACP) and published as a supplement to the Jan. 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

American College of Physicians Ethics Manual
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)

Comorbidities Adversely Linked to Cancer Trial Participation

TUESDAY, Jan. 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For cancer patients, the presence of comorbidities is adversely linked to trial discussions, trial offers, and trial participation, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in JAMA Oncology.

Postpartum New-Onset Mental Illness Risk Up With IBD

MONDAY, Jan. 14, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an increased risk for new-onset psychiatric diagnosis in the postpartum period, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in Gut.

Number of Colorectal CA Deaths Projected to Rise Worldwide

FRIDAY, Jan. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — An overall rise in the number of colorectal cancer deaths worldwide is expected through 2035, according to a study recently published in the International Journal of Cancer.

Prices Still Explain High U.S. Health Care Spending

FRIDAY, Jan. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The difference in health spending between the United States and other countries is still explained by health care prices, according to a study published in the January issue of Health Affairs.

High Fiber Intake Tied to Lower Risk for Noncommunicable Disease

FRIDAY, Jan. 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — High intake of fiber is associated with a reduced risk for several noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), according to research published online Jan. 10 in the The Lancet.

FDA: Chocolates, Candies May Be Contaminated With Hepatitis A

THURSDAY, Jan. 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A public health alert about possible hepatitis A contamination in Modjeskas from Bauer’s Candies was announced Thursday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

CDC: E. Coli Outbreak Linked to Romaine Lettuce Is Over

THURSDAY, Jan. 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The Escherichia coli outbreak linked to California-grown romaine lettuce appears to be over, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

Private Equity Acquisition of Physician Practices Discussed

THURSDAY, Jan. 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The phenomenon of private equity acquisition of physician practices is discussed in an Ideas and Opinions piece published online Jan. 8 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Fewer Complications Found With Hybrid Surgery for Esophageal Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy results in lower incidence of intraoperative and postoperative major complications compared with open esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, according to a study published in the Jan. 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Many Female Health Care Workers Live in Poverty

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Many U.S. female health care workers, particularly women of color, live in poverty and lack health insurance, according to a study published online Dec. 20 in the American Journal of Public Health.

Increase in Brand-Name Drug Cost Mainly Due to Existing Drugs

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The costs of oral and injectable brand-name drugs increased from 2008 to 2016, with most of the increase due to existing drugs, while new drugs accounted for cost increases in specialty and generic drugs, according to a study published in the January issue of Health Affairs.

Medical Marketing Has Increased in Past 20 Years

TUESDAY, Jan. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — From 1997 through 2016, there was an increase in medical marketing, especially direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, according to research published in the Jan. 1/8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Costs Higher for Those With Comorbid Noncommunicable Diseases

TUESDAY, Jan. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The costs of having two noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is generally superadditive, according to a study published online Jan. 8 in PLOS Medicine.

Cancer Death Rate in U.S. Decreased Continuously From 1991 to 2016

TUESDAY, Jan. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The overall cancer death rate decreased continuously by 27 percent from 1991 to 2016, according to a report published online Jan. 8 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

ACA Coverage Gains Could Erode Without Individual Mandate

TUESDAY, Jan. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Eliminating the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty is unlikely to destabilize the individual market in California but could roll back coverage gains, according to a study published in the January issue of Health Affairs.

About 11 Percent of U.S. Adults Have Food Allergy

MONDAY, Jan. 7, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Nearly 11 percent of U.S. adults are estimated to be food-allergic, but 19 percent believe they have a food allergy, according to a study published online Jan. 4 in JAMA Network Open.

Childhood Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivors at Risk for Later Cancers

MONDAY, Jan. 7, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Survivors of childhood Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) remain at increased risk for developing subsequent malignant neoplasms (SMNs), according to research published online Dec. 17 in Cancer.

Anemia Criteria Assist Decision on Type of Colorectal Cancer Screen

THURSDAY, Jan. 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) — In patients without broad-definition anemia and/or abdominal mass, flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS), instead of colonoscopy, may suffice to rule out colorectal cancer, according to a study published online Dec. 19 in the British Journal of Cancer.

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