The article delves into the potential of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) as a treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC). A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials were conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of FMT for UC. The research incorporated data from 13 randomized controlled trials involving 580 patients. The findings revealed that the FMT group had a significantly higher rate of clinical remission compared to the control group. Furthermore, endoscopic remission was also better in the FMT group. Importantly, there were no significant differences in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups. The study…
Author: Abhay Panchal
A comprehensive review and meta-analysis of 25 studies, involving approximately 30,000 adults, revealed that behavioral interventions can significantly enhance colonoscopy screening rates. The interventions, which included methods like patient navigation, informational brochures, and primary care provider counseling, were found to increase colonoscopy screening completion by 54% compared to standard care. Among these, patient navigation and multi-component interventions were the most frequently studied and showed the highest effectiveness, with odds ratios of 1.78 and 1.84 respectively. The study, led by Stephanie Yakoubovitch, MD, from Florida Atlantic University, emphasizes the importance of adopting behavioral interventions in clinical practice to improve screening rates.…
While the overall incidence of cancer in the U.S. has decreased, liver cancer has seen a 48% increase since 2000. A recent study, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, delves into the racial and ethnic differences in liver cancer trends. The study, led by Paulo Pinheiro, MD, PhD, from the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami, found that while liver cancer due to hepatitis C has declined since 2015, cases from fatty-liver disease have increased, reflecting the rise in obesity and diabetes. The research emphasized that race, birthplace, and socioeconomic factors play a significant role in liver cancer causes. For…
As COO, Baer will take primary responsibility for enterprise operational efficiency and implementing processes to accelerate growth in collaboration with leaders and partners across the firm. She will report directly to CEO, David Pyle. “We are thrilled that Candace has agreed to join the ranks of our executive roster,” said Pyle. “She is an accomplished leader with a demonstrated ability to develop high-performing teams while driving strong organic growth and delivering value to all stakeholders. Candace is highly focused on improving patient outcomes and experience.” Baer has had a productive career in healthcare and brings over two decades of leadership…
According to a report, gastroenterology has high utilization of evaluation and management codes, which increased for 2021. Medicare ASC payments for colonoscopies with lesion removals and colonoscopies and biopsies are expected to increase in 2023, according to VMG Health’s “ASCs in 2022: A Year in Review” report. These factors put gastroenterology in a great spot for growth.
ChatGPT, a product of OpenAI, has shown potential as a clinical decision-support tool in assessing patients with acute ulcerative colitis (UC) in emergency departments (ED), according to a study led by Asaf Levartovsky, MD, from the Department of Gastroenterology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv University. The study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, evaluated GPT-4’s ability to gauge disease severity and decide on hospitalizations, using 20 distinct UC presentations. The AI’s assessments were consistent with expert gastroenterologists 80% of the time. However, while ChatGPT recommended hospital admission for 16 out of 18 patients, only 12 were actually hospitalized in…
The future of public health research is being revolutionized by wearable devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. These tools enable researchers to conduct large-scale studies on a variety of diseases, with current investigations spanning heart diseases, neurological disorders, cancers, and more. A significant project in this domain is the Apple Women’s Health Study, a collaboration between Harvard, Apple, and the NIEHS, aiming to gather menstrual cycle data from up to 1 million users to understand its correlation with various health conditions. The rise in wearables, with nearly half of Americans using them, has led to collaborations between academic medical…
One GI®, a management service organization (MSO) specializing in gastroenterology, is pleased to introduce Christa Newton as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). With an impressive tenure of leading multi-specialty practice healthcare systems, Christa’s appointment reaffirms the organization’s commitment to top-tier patient care. Christa previously served One GI® as the Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Christa has become a trusted leader to our physician partners and embodies the values and culture central to our organization. Christa brings a wealth of experience in propelling organizations toward heightened performance, seamless integration, and robust revenue growth. Outlining her aspirations for One GI®, she…
The research delves into the varying sedation techniques employed during the double-balloon endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (DB-ERCP) procedure, a topic of debate among medical professionals worldwide. The core objective was to gauge the performance of propofol sedation, administered by non-anesthesiologists, using a target-controlled infusion (TCI) mechanism in DB-ERCP. Spanning from May 2017 to December 2020, this retrospective analysis encompassed 156 DB-ERCP patients. These individuals were either given diazepam or propofol via a TCI system for sedation. The main focus was on contrasting the instances of inadequate sedation between the two methods. The findings revealed a higher occurrence of insufficient sedation with…
ISA Pharmaceuticals announced that the first patient has been treated in its first-in-human phase 1 trial of its novel immunotherapeutic agent, which is intended as a “functional cure” for patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The HEP-PEP trial aims to examine the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of three escalating doses of ISA Pharmaceuticals’ synthetic long peptide immunotherapy vaccine, ISA104, in comparison to a placebo among patients with HBV. Leon Hooftman, MD, expressed his delight at this significant milestone in their mission to develop an effective treatment for chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Study investigators from Erasmus MC University…