In 1988, President Ronal Reagan declared May National Digestive Diseases Awareness Month, and since then activities and programs have been implemented to increase the understanding of causes and treatments for various digestive diseases. The World Gastroenterology Organization celebrates World Digestive Health Day on May 29. The focus of this year’s campaign is “Your Digestive Health: A Healthy Gut from the Start,” which highlights that the gastrointestinal tract promotes organ function from the time of birth through the rest of our lives. The campaign seeks to help individuals better understand the GI tract’s normal function, importance of diet and when to…
Author: Abhay Panchal
Key takeaways: Most medical practices subject to data security regulations of the HIPAA Security Rule have adopted administrative, physical and technical safeguards for electronic protected health information in accordance with the HIPAA Security Rule.
Dr. Mark Pimentel discusses the emerging science of blood and breath testing in IBS and SIBO.
An unexplained rise in colorectal cancer rates among younger adults is leading more people – including physicians – to get screened for the disease early, sometimes far ahead of the recommended age of 45 for those at average risk. Scientists racing to find clues toward understanding why cases of colorectal cancer are climbing among younger people. Some suspect factors driving this increase are environmental, while others wonder if they are dietary. One new study, to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in June, suggests that a young adult’s microbiome – the collection of…
A new screening test can detect colorectal cancer with a simple blood draw in people with an average risk of the cancer. The test can detect early-stage colorectal cancer with a sensitivity of 93%, according to mid-stage data shared by the test maker, Universal DX, in May. The test can also detect the pre-cancerous growths with 54% sensitivity. Colonoscopies are the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening. Not only can a provider find and diagnose cancerous growths, but they can also remove pre-cancerous polyps.
TORONTO, June 1, 2023 /CNW/ – Takeda Canada Inc. (“Takeda”) is pleased to announce the launch of the Takeda Canada Digital Health Innovation Challenge, an initiative to identify disruptive digital health solutions and explore new partnerships to accelerate and transform patient care in Canada. In the second challenge, Takeda is collaborating with Plug and Play Alberta (“Plug and Play”) to help broaden our reach and to harness their expertise in connecting innovative tech initiatives with large corporations to propel digital transformation.
Patient Case A 36-year-old woman presents with persistent abdominal pain and constipation (Table 1). Upon inquiry, she states that she has experienced abdominal and bowel-related symptoms since she was in college. Her abdominal symptoms include intermittent cramps that typically occur in the left lower quadrant, nearly constant bloating that worsens during menstrual periods, and frequent episodes of constipation. She reports that her hard, small stools are associated with a feeling of incomplete emptying. She typically moves her bowels every other day. She denies seeing blood in her stool, fever, or unexplained weight loss, and she is not awakened at night…
Scientific evidence, not popular ideas, should drive probiotic and prebiotic recommendations in clinical settings. Globally, evidence is continually emerging on how probiotics and prebiotics can be effectively used in patient care but health care professionals often struggle to find out where the evidence stands for a particular condition. The World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) recently published an updated guideline document, aimed at helping gastroenterologists and other physicians understand appropriate clinical applications for probiotics or prebiotics. The guideline was created with contributions from experts in gastroenterology, probiotics, and prebiotics, with the efforts co-led by experts from the International Scientific Association for Probiotics…
New research is evolving that may revolutionize the way we treat colorectal cancer. About 15% to 20% of patients with localized colon cancer and 5% to 7% of patients with rectal cancer have mismatch repair deficiency (MMRD) (World J Gastrointest Oncol 2020;12[8]:808-832), making them less responsive to conventional chemotherapy but highly responsive to immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. Studies already have shown the benefit of immunotherapy in patients with MMRD advanced-stage CRC (N Engl J Med 2020;383[23]:2207-2218). Recently published data demonstrate that immunotherapy also could be helpful for patients with localized CRC with MMRD, with trials reporting complete regression of such…