In the News
Intensive fecal microbiota transplant may improve outcomes in active ulcerative colitis
Researchers at three Australian hospitals assigned patients with active ulcerative colitis to receive fecal microbiota transplant infusions from three to seven unrelated donors or placebo infusions.
Endoscopic eradication therapy plus reflux control associated with decreased Barrett's recurrence rates
Standard reflux management protocol involved initial consultation that emphasized reflux control and proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) adherence, initiation or continuation of PPI therapy as described, medication reconciliation and assessment or remediation of PPI adherence at each study visit, and on-treatment reflux testing.
Probiotics reduce C. difficile in hospitalized patients on antibiotics, review finds
In 19 randomized controlled trials of 6,261 hospitalized patients on antibiotics, the incidence of C. difficile was 1.6% among patients taking probiotics compared to 3.9% in controls.
MKSAP quiz: Follow-up after hospitalization for right flank pain
A 53-year-old woman is evaluated in follow-up after a recent hospitalization for right flank pain.
Spotlight on cirrhosis
Patients with cirrhosis were the focus of several recent studies, which reviewed the evidence behind nutritional assessment, calculated the cost-effectiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma screening, and estimated the prevalence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-associated cirrhosis.
C. diff recurrence risk reduced with bezlotoxumab versus placebo, industry study finds
The number needed to treat to prevent one Clostridium difficile recurrence was 10 in the overall patient population and 6 in patients age 65 years and over and those with previous infections.
In uncomplicated, left-sided acute diverticulitis, observation did not differ from antibiotics for recovery
At 6-month follow-up, no differences were found in time to recovery, readmission, development of complications, or mortality in patients assigned to observation or those assigned to antibiotics.