Author: Praveen Suthrum

Newswise — Bethesda, MD (January 5, 2022) – The January issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology includes updated ACG Clinical Guidelines on the diagnosis and management of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), as well as updated guidelines on the age to start and stop colorectal cancer screening from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. This inaugural issue under the new leadership of Co-Editors-in-Chief Jasmohan S. Bajaj, MBBS, MD, MS, FACG and Millie D. Long, MD, MPH, FACG includes articles on topics including colorectal cancer risk and screening, bariatric and metabolic therapies for obesity, endoscopic technique, pediatrics, inflammatory bowel disease, hepatology, GI symptoms in…

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This follow-up post makes 2022 predictions on the Covid-19 pandemic and public health. A previous post predicted the economy, politics, and drug pricing reform in 2022. Covid-19 The Covid-19 pandemic is leaving an indelible mark in the U.S. and across the globe. There have been more than 847,000 deaths in the U.S. alone, with tens of thousands more fatalities projected in 2022. Even when armed with the best models, it’s impossible to forecast the course of the Covid-19 pandemic with accuracy and consistency.

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Among patients with large serrated polyps, the risk for bleeding after endoscopic mucosal resection was low, with no significant benefit seen with resection clipping, according to a study. “[This] study suggests that endoscopic clipping is not necessary to prevent post-polypectomy bleeding after [endoscopic mucosal resection] of large serrated polyps,” Seth D. Crockett, MD, MPH, associate professor in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “In contrast, there does appear to be a significant benefit of clipping after resection of large adenomatous polyps, particularly those located in the proximal colon.”

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Dr. Markus Wilhelms, CEO and co-founder of MOWOOT, said: “The Breakthrough Device Designation is a significant milestone for our company and validates our belief that our solution offers significant advantages over existing approved or cleared alternatives, per FDA requirements. Our clinical results show clear benefits for severely constipated patients, and we look forward to working with the FDA to introduce our technology to the US market as quickly as possible to improve bowel management in patients with neurogenic bowel disorders, for better patient outcomes and reduced healthcare expenditures.”

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When Teladoc first struck an $18.5 billion deal to acquire Livongo last year, experts predicted that it would herald an era of digital health mergers hitherto unseen. So far, that prediction has held up. For the first three quarters of 2021, Rock Health tracked 216 digital health mergers and acquisitions, outpacing the entirety of last year’s deal count of 146. By comparison, in 2019, there were 113 M&A deals, according to Rock Health.

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The belief that fecal matter contains harmful poisons is very old, Greek historian Herodotus reported that the ancient Egyptians used enemas 3 d/mo along the lunar cycle because they were “convinced that all the diseases incident to man have their origin in the food that he takes.” The association of bacteria and cancer has long been discussed by the scientists. Louis Pasteur was the first to suggest that the composition of microflora within an individual could affect their overall health. Scottish pathologist William Russell reported circumstantial evidence for a bacterial cause of cancer as early as 1890.

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Symptomatic strictures related to Crohn’s disease (CD) may respond to immunosuppressive drug therapy, with improvements in symptoms and stricture morphology, according to results of a study from Australia. “This study shows that Crohn’s disease-associated bowel wall damage, characteristic of inflammatory strictures, is potentially reversible with drug treatment,” the study team reports in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

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