Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Gastroenterology for September 2006. 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.
Gender Disparity Seen in Liver Transplant Survival Time
FRIDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Among liver transplant recipients who survive more than six months after the operation, women significantly outlive men, according to a report published Sept. 28 online ahead of print in Gut.
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Push-and-Pull Enteroscopy Best for Small-Bowel Bleeding
FRIDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- When examining patients with suspected small-bowel bleeding, push-and-pull enteroscopy (PPE) gives a better diagnostic yield and enables more visualization of the small bowel compared with push enteroscopy, according to a report published in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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Restricted Fetal Growth Raises Later Risk of Irritable Bowel
FRIDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome is greater among people who weighed less than 1,500 g at birth compared to those who weighed more than 1,500 g, and patients with a lower birth weight tend to develop the condition earlier than their heavier counterparts, according to study findings published online Sept. 28 in Gut.
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Immune Cells in Tumor Predict Colorectal Cancer Outcome
THURSDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have discovered that the characteristics of immune cells infiltrating colorectal tumors, including type, density and location, are better predictors of clinical outcome than standard histopathological staging methods, according to a report in the Sept. 29 issue of Science.
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Esomeprazole Helps Most Barrett's Esophagus Patients
THURSDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- A five-day esomeprazole regimen significantly cuts esophageal acidity in most Barrett's esophagus patients, but abnormal acidity lingers in 16 to 23 percent of patients, researchers report in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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FDA Approves Vectibix for Colorectal Cancer
THURSDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug called Vectibix (panitumumab) for use in colorectal cancer patients with metastasis after chemotherapy. Vectibix, a monoclonal antibody made by Amgen, Inc., was given rapid-track approval after a study showed it slowed tumor growth and extended time to relapse or death.
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Bispectral Monitoring No Help for Colonoscopy Sedation
THURSDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- Bispectral monitoring, a non-invasive way to measure consciousness, does not seem to help during nurse-administered propofol sedation for colonoscopy, according to a report in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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Poor Staging Adversely Affects Gastric Cancer Survival
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Despite 1997 American Joint Commission on Cancer (AJCC) guidelines recommending the resection of at least 15 lymph nodes in patients with gastric cancer, fewer than one-third of such patients are receiving adequate lymph node assessments. Poor staging methods are compromising survival, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in Cancer.
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Endoscopic Biliary Drainage Best for Pancreatic Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who require treatment of biliary obstruction, endoscopic biliary drainage is cheaper and also gives patients a better quality of life than surgery, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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New Models Better Predictors of Lynch Syndrome Mutations
TUESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- The PREMM model (Prediction of Mutations in MLH1 and MSH2) can accurately predict genetic-testing outcomes for those at risk for Lynch syndrome, while the MMRpro can be an accurate model for screening and genetic counseling for those at high risk for the syndrome who have no tumor samples, according to two papers in the Sept. 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Caveolin-1 Plays Key Role in Liver Regeneration
TUESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Caveolin-1, a protein responsible for lipid droplet formation in hepatocytes, is essential for liver regeneration after traumatic injury, according to a report in the Sept. 15 issue of Science.
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Pepcid May Help Treat Chronic Heart Failure
TUESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Famotidine (Pepcid), the over-the-counter medication for the treatment of heartburn and acid reflux, reduces both cardiac symptoms and ventricular remodeling associated with chronic heart failure, according to a study published online Sept. 25 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Nitroglycerin Best Treatment for Chronic Anal Fissure
MONDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Nitroglycerin ointment is more effective, cheaper and less invasive than botulinum toxin A in treating chronic anal fissure, but it causes more mild side effects, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
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Duodenal Switch May Be Best for Super-Obese Patients
MONDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- A duodenal switch may be a better weight-loss procedure than the standard gastric bypass for patients with a body mass index of 50 or greater, according to a report published online Sept. 22 in Annals of Surgery.
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Bowel Endometriosis Seen As Potentially Serious Condition
FRIDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Bowel endometriosis should no longer be considered a clinically benign disease because it can affect substantial areas of the bowel wall and involve the lymph nodes, according to a study in the September issue of Fertility and Sterility.
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Vitamin D May Lower Risk of Pancreatic Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Higher intakes of vitamin D may reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a study in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
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Transfusion-Free Liver Transplant Found Successful
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20 (HealthDay News) -- A transfusion-free surgical program developed for Jehovah's Witnesses who undergo liver transplantation has helped decrease use of blood products for all patients who undergo the procedure, according to a study published in the September issue of the Archives of Surgery.
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Aspirin Use Does Not Cut Colorectal Cancer Risk
TUESDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Aspirin use may have little effect on reducing the risk of colon cancer, according to findings from a prospective study of more than 91,000 women with a six-year follow-up. The results are published in the Sept. 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
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More Spinach-Linked E. coli O157:H7 Cases Reported
MONDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- A multi-state outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 associated with consumption of bagged fresh spinach or bagged salad products containing fresh spinach has widened, with a total of 109 cases in 19 states. Sixteen cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome and one death have been reported, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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Bagged Spinach Possible Cause of E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak
FRIDAY, Sept. 15 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers not to eat bagged fresh spinach because it has been linked to an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in eight states. The outbreak has affected 50 people so far, causing eight cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome and one death.
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Inflammatory Bowel Disease Survival Similar to Population
THURSDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have similar overall survival as the general U.S. population over the last 60 years, although patients with Crohn's disease have a greater risk of dying from gastrointestinal diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a study in the September issue of Gut.
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Risk Score Devised for Esophagectomy Survival
THURSDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- A simple risk score can broadly predict surgical mortality after esophagectomy, based on clinical characteristics and hospital volume, according to a study in the Sept. 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Chemotherapy Cuts Local Recurrence in Rectal Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Adding fluorouracil-based chemotherapy to the treatment regimen of patients with resectable rectal cancer significantly improves local control of the disease, no matter if it is administered before or after surgery, according to a report in the Sept. 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Study Examines Food Allergy, Rheumatoid Arthritis Link
TUESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The intestinal fluid of rheumatoid arthritis patients contains higher levels of cross reactive antibodies to food-related proteins than that of people without rheumatoid arthritis, according to a report in the Sept. 8 issue of Gut.
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Hepatic Imaging May Predict Drug Pharmacokinetics
TUESDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Functional hepatic nuclear imaging and genotyping may be useful in predicting the pharmacokinetics of the anti-cancer drug irinotecan, which has a narrow therapeutic window, according to a study in the Sept. 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Oral Tacrolimus Effective in Refractory Ulcerative Colitis
MONDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Oral tacrolimus can reduce symptoms as well as the need for prednisolone in patients with refractory ulcerative colitis, according to the results of a placebo-controlled study published in the September issue of Gut.
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Anti-Inflammatory Prevents Liver Cancer After Cirrhosis
MONDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The anti-inflammatory agent colchicine prevents and delays the development of liver cancer and improves survival in patients with hepatitis virus-related liver cirrhosis, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in the journal Cancer.
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Cancer Cell Genome Sequence Reveals New Culprits
THURSDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Large-scale sequencing of human tumor cell genes has uncovered a set of "candidate cancer" genes -- many of which have never been linked to cancer -- that are frequently mutated in breast and colorectal tumors, according to a report published online Sept. 7 in Science.
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Serum GGT Linked to Fatal, Non-Fatal Heart Disease
THURSDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Elevated levels of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (serum GGT) are modestly associated with coronary heart disease in the general population, although a stronger association is seen in subjects younger than 60 years, alcohol drinkers and type 2 diabetics, according to a study in the September issue of the European Heart Journal.
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