Home Gastroenterology July 2020 Briefing – Gastroenterology

July 2020 Briefing – Gastroenterology

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Gastroenterology for July 2020. 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.

Telemedicine Use Explodes During COVID-19 Pandemic

FRIDAY, July 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The emergence of telemedicine has accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. HD Live! sat down with Rujuta Saksena, M.D., an oncologist at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, New Jersey, and Ateev Mehrotra, M.D., associate professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston, to discuss the future of telemedicine and its impact on health care.

Survivors of Adolescent, Young Adult ALL May Suffer Late Effects

FRIDAY, July 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) may experience late effects, with a high incidence of subsequent endocrine disease and cardiac disease, according to a study published in the August issue of JNCI Cancer Spectrum.

Sex Differences in Income Vary With Proportion of Male Doctors

FRIDAY, July 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For surgical and nonsurgical specialists, sex differences in income vary with the proportion of male physicians in a practice, according to a study published online July 30 in The BMJ.

Cancer-Related Encounters Down Since Start of COVID-19

WEDNESDAY, July 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There has been a decrease in cancer-related encounters and in cancer screening since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online July 27 in JCO: Clinical Cancer Informatics.

Obesity Diagnoses Up Among Hospitalized Patients in the U.S.

MONDAY, July 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There was an increase in obesity diagnoses in hospitalized patients and bariatric surgeries among those diagnosed with obesity from 2011 to 2014, according to a study published online July 5 in Clinical Obesity.

CDC Guidance Issued for Testing, Management of HCP Exposed to Hep C

FRIDAY, July 24, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance report, published in the July 24 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, recommendations are presented for testing and clinical management of health care personnel (HCP) exposed to the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Financial Health of Hospitals ‘Dire’ Due to COVID-19

THURSDAY, July 23, 2020 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 continues to cause financial peril for U.S. hospitals, according to a report released by the American Hospital Association (AHA).

Routine Hepatitis C Testing at FQHCs Would Be Cost-Effective

WEDNESDAY, July 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Routine hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing at federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) would be cost-effective and could improve outcomes for people with HCV infections, according to a study published online June 27 in The American Journal of Medicine.

Rise in Avoidable Cancer Deaths Expected Due to COVID-19

TUESDAY, July 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — An increase in the number of avoidable cancer deaths is expected in England as a result of diagnostic delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online July 20 in The Lancet Oncology.

Assessing Symptoms, Blood, Stool Markers Best for Identifying Pediatric IBD

TUESDAY, July 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For pediatric patients with nonbloody diarrhea, evaluating symptoms plus blood and stool markers is the optimal test strategy for predicting inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a study published online July 21 in Pediatrics.

Periodontal Disease, Tooth Loss Linked to Esophageal, Gastric Cancer

TUESDAY, July 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Periodontal disease and tooth loss, indicative of oral microbial dysbiosis, are associated with esophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma, according to a research letter published online July 20 in Gut.

Surgical Delay Worsens Survival for Some Gastrointestinal Cancers

MONDAY, July 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Surgical delay is associated with an increased risk in some gastrointestinal malignancies, and understanding the impact on outcomes may assist surgeons in triaging patients whose surgeries were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research published online June 30 in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Demographic, Clinical, Hospital Factors Tied to COVID-19 Death

MONDAY, July 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), demographic, clinical, and hospital-level risk factors are associated with death, according to a study published online July 15 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Reminder + FIT Test Cost-Effective for Promoting CRC Screening

MONDAY, July 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Sending a mailed reminder to promote colorectal cancer (CRC) screening with an included fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) kit is cost-saving for each additional Medicaid enrollee screened compared with just sending a reminder, according to a study published online July 20 in Cancer.

Variety of Symptoms Reported for COVID-19 Patients

FRIDAY, July 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Nearly all symptomatic COVID-19 patients experience fever, cough, or shortness of breath, and a wide variety of other symptoms are reported, according to research published July 17 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Physical Distancing Interventions Cut Incidence of COVID-19

THURSDAY, July 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Physical distancing interventions are associated with a reduced incidence of COVID-19 globally, according to a study published online July 15 in The BMJ.

Premature Mortality Dropped With Adoption of Food Guidelines

THURSDAY, July 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Adoption of national food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) is associated with about a 15 percent reduction in premature mortality, according to a study published online July 15 in The BMJ.

Global Population Anticipated to Peak in 2064

WEDNESDAY, July 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The global population is anticipated to peak in 2064 and then decline to year 2100, according to a study published online July 14 in The Lancet.

Layoffs Cost 5.4 Million Americans Their Health Insurance

TUESDAY, July 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — About 5.4 million Americans lost their health insurance after being laid off between February and May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study shows.

The New York Times Article

Risk for COVID-19 Increased for Adults Taking PPIs

FRIDAY, July 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Adults taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have an increased risk for having a positive COVID-19 test, with evidence of a dose-response relationship, according to a study published online July 7 in preprint format in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Viral Exposure Signature Predicts Hepatocellular Carcinoma

FRIDAY, July 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A viral exposure signature can predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk before clinical diagnosis among at-risk patients, according to a study published online June 10 in Cell.

Electronic Health Records Fail to Detect Many Medication Errors

THURSDAY, July 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There is wide variation in the safety performance of electronic health record (EHR) systems used in U.S. hospitals, according to a study recently published in JAMA Network Open.

Odds of Surgery Lower for Black Patients With Esophageal Cancer

THURSDAY, July 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Black patients with esophageal cancer have a reduced likelihood of receiving surgery, and patients not undergoing surgery have higher mortality, according to a study published online June 4 in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Oral Corticosteroid Bursts Carry Risk for Severe Adverse Events

TUESDAY, July 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Prescriptions for oral steroid bursts are associated with a 1.8- to 2.4-fold increased risk for severe adverse events within the first month after initiation of drug therapy, according to a study published online July 7 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Review: Pre/Probiotics May Be Useful for Depression, Anxiety

TUESDAY, July 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Pre/probiotic therapy may be useful for patients with depression and/or anxiety disorders, according to a review published online July 6 in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.

CRC Risk Down With ACEi, Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Use

MONDAY, July 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The use of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers is associated with a lower risk for colorectal cancer that develops within three years after index colonoscopy, according to a study published online July 6 in Hypertension.

Medicaid Expansion Contributing to Earlier Cancer Diagnosis

MONDAY, July 6, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Among low-income adults, the odds of being diagnosed with metastatic breast, cervical, colorectal, or lung cancers decreased following Medicaid expansion in Ohio, according to a study published online July 6 in Cancer.

Roughly 2 Million Americans Buy Prescriptions From Outside the Country

THURSDAY, July 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) — An estimated 1.5 percent of American adults purchase prescription medication from outside of the United States to save money, according to a study published online June 24 in JAMA Network Open.

Spectrum of Imaging Findings Described in COVID-19 MIS-C

WEDNESDAY, July 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The spectrum of imaging findings in children with post-COVID-19 inflammatory condition (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children [MIS-C]) is described in a case series published online June 25 in Radiology.

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