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Gastroenterology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in gastroenterology.

Slippery Slope: Fen-Phen Users Recall a 'Miracle' Turned Nightmare

Fen-phen use was linked to heart valve damage, as these two cases illustrate.

Part 2: Oncologists Weigh In on PBS Cancer Documentary

Six specialists share their impressions of Ken Burns' cancer opus.

Dorry Segev, Extreme Renaissance Man

"Every day, I try to take on something Im not good at," says renowned transplant surgeon.

CRC Regimens Give Survival Bump in Second Line

Ramucirumab trial meets primary endpoint; famitinib offers respectable disease control rate.

More Drugs, Better Survival in Metastatic Colon Cancer

Addition of oxaliplatin to FOLFIRI and bevacizumab doubled 5-year survival.

Diclegis: Drug Makes 30-Year Comeback

Class A morning sickness medication gains FDA approval after decades of being misunderstood.

Investigative Combo Pill Effective Against HCV Infection

Treating refractory HCV without ribavirin onboard.

No Need for Cancer Watch in Cirrhotic Wilson's Disease

Hepatocellular carcinoma is too infrequent to merit regular surveillance.

Are There Fewer 'Tasty' Meals After Bariatric Surgery?

Taste buds may be diminished by weight-loss surgery.

Two Gastric Balloons May Be Better than One

A dual-balloon intragastric device helped patients shed more pounds.

Frozen or Powdered: Fecal Transplant Works in C. Diff

Donor stool need not be fresh for treating C. diff.

'Yes' to Routine Colonoscopies in IBD

Screening lowered colorectal cancer incidence and colon cancer mortality.

Case Study: Fecal Transplant Clears K. Pneumoniae

Treatment of teenage girl suggests another use for fecal microbiota transplant.

Vancomycin May Protect Against C. Diff Recurrence

WASHINGTON -- Prophylaxis with oral vancomycin (Vancocin) appeared to protect at-risk patients from experiencing a recurrence of Clostridium difficile infection, researchers reported here.

Tesamorelin May Help HIV Patients Shed Fat

MELBOURNE, Australia -- HIV-infected patients treated with tesamorelin, a growth hormone releasing hormone analog, achieved modest reductions in abdominal and liver fat, researchers said.

Obesity, T2D May Alter Gut Bacteria

CHICAGO -- The portfolio of gut bacteria in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes may look different from that of healthy people, researchers reported here.

AMA Clamps Down on MOC, But Punts on Gun Regs

CHICAGO -- The AMA鈥檚 House of Delegates drew the line on this year's hot button topic -- maintenance of certification (MOC), saying it should not be mandatory, nor should it be a condition of licensure.

Victoza Accused of Causing Pancreatitis

The watchdog group Public Citizen has conducted its own analysis of FDA adverse event reports and concluded that the type 2 diabetes drug liraglutide(Victoza) likely causes pancreatitis, the group said.

Gastro Effects Dog Oral MS Drug Tecfidera

DALLAS -- Large proportions of patients starting on dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera) for multiple sclerosis need additional medications to manage the drug's GI and other side effects, and a substantial minority ultimately find the drug intolerable.

Edible Dynamite, Cockney Rhyming Medical Slang: That's Improbable!

A weekly report from our friends at Improbable Research.

Nasogastric Tube May Be Obsolete for GI Bleeds

CHICAGO -- Placement of a nasogastric tube for determining treatment of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding may be unnecessary since almost all these patients will eventually undergo an endoscopic procedure, researchers argued here.

Cutting Sugar May Ease IBS in Kids

CHICAGO -- A diet low in foods with certain sugars known as FODMAPs appears to reduce symptoms in children diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, researchers said here.

Dieting Shrinks Liver, Eases Gall Bladder Surgery

CHICAGO -- A 2-week-long restrictive diet appears to shrink obese patients鈥� livers enough to make gall bladder laparoscopic surgery quicker and easier, researchers reported here.

Simple, Short HCV Regimen Has High Cure Rate

LONDON -- A single pill once a day for 8 weeks is enough to cure more than 90% of hepatitis C virus patients with relatively uncomplicated disease, a researcher said.

Fatty Liver Tied to Diabetes, Atherosclerosis

LONDON -- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an independent predictor of both type 2 diabetes and carotid atherosclerosis, according to two studies presented here at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver.

Cologuard Cancer Test Aces FDA Panel Review

WASHINGTON -- An FDA advisory committee unanimously affirmed the safety and efficacy of a DNA stool test for colorectal cancer screening.

Treating HCV -- Is the Price Right?

New drugs on the horizon hold out the promise of being able to cure up to 90% of people with chronic hepatitis C (HCV). They are also promising to be expensive.

Combo Active in Neuroendocrine Cancers

SAN FRANCISCO -- More than 90% of patients with neuroendocrine tumors had objective responses or stable disease when treated with an off-the-shelf chemotherapy doublet, results of a small study showed.

Colonoscopies: The Longer the Better

Polyp and adenoma detection rates were highest when the colonoscopy withdrawal time was 9 minutes long, near the upper limit of the recommended 6 to 10 minutes withdrawal time, researchers found.

ACA: When Is a Screening Not a Screening?

A provision in the Affordable Care Act that waives patients' payments for colonoscopies is an example of how good intentions in the law can lead to a tangle of unforeseen consequences.

Studies 'Validate' CDC HCV Testing Advice

WASINGTON -- Thousands of people in the U.S. -- including an estimated 50,000 veterans -- are infected with the hepatitis C virus, and don't know it, researchers reported here.

Supplements Blamed for Liver Toxicity

WASHINGTON -- The rate of liver damage caused by dietary and herbal supplements -- especially those used for bodybuilding -- appears to be on the rise, a researcher said here.

Babies Do OK if Mom on Tenofovir for Hepatitis B

WASHINGTON -- Pregnant women being treated for hepatitis B virus infections with the nucleotide inhibitor tenofovir (Viread) appeared to avoid transmission of the pathogen to their unborn children, researchers reported here.

Wyeth Settles Rapamune Marketing Charge

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Pfizer's Wyeth Pharmaceuticals unit will pay $490.9 million to resolve state and federal allegations that it marketed rapamycin (sirolimus, Rapamune) for unapproved indications.

FDA Adds GI Warning to Benicar Label

WASHINGTON -- The FDA ordered the maker of the blood pressure drug olmesartan (Benicar) to add a warning about risk of the intestinal condition known as sprue-like enteropathy to the drug's label.

Medicare to Pay for More FDG-PET Scans

WASHINGTON -- Up to three scans using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-enhanced positron emission tomography technology can be covered by Medicare for oncology treatment planning, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said.

Diabetes Experts Divided About 'Lone Wolf' Butler

Top experts in diabetes and endocrinology have offered mixed reactions to a profile of Peter Butler, MD, chair of endocrinology at the University of California Los Angeles, in the New York Times.

Shots Best Way to Give B12 After Bariatric Surgery

Vitamin B12 injections are the preferred treatment for patients who develop a deficiency following bariatric surgery, researchers found.

Low Potassium Linked with Liver Disease

Patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease also had low potassium levels, researchers in China found.

Early pH Test in GERD May Save Money

ORLANDO -- Early referral of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) for pH monitoring can help avoid extensive and costly use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a researcher said here.

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