In the News
New guidelines support probiotics for C. difficile prevention, but few other uses
The American Gastroenterological Association recommended that probiotics be used to treat patients with Clostridioides difficile infection, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or irritable bowel syndrome only in the context of a clinical trial.
Inflammatory bowel disease associated with higher risk for dementia
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease were diagnosed with dementia an average of seven years earlier than matched controls in a Taiwanese study.
Steroids may not be needed with anti-TNF induction in Crohn's disease
Rates of clinical remission and clinical response were 32.0% and 42.7%, respectively, in Crohn's disease patients receiving therapy with both corticosteroids and anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents and 35.5% and 46.8% in those receiving only anti-TNF agents, a systematic review and meta-analysis found.
MKSAP Quiz: A patient hospitalized with fever and rigors
A 48-year-old man with primary sclerosing cholangitis and ulcerative colitis presents to the hospital with fever, rigors, right-upper-quadrant pain, and leukocytosis. Blood cultures are pending. After giving IV saline and IV piperacillin-tazobactam, which next test is most appropriate?
Spotlight on colorectal cancer diagnosis
New diagnoses of colorectal cancer plummeted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and diagnosis and management were also the focus of recent research and a clinical practice update from the American Gastroenterological Association.
Single high-quality colonoscopy may provide mortality benefits for more than 10 years
Patients who received a high-quality colonoscopy had profound and stable reductions in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality throughout study follow-up, compared to the general population and to those who received low-quality colonoscopy, a Polish study found.
H. pylori treatment reduced risk for gastric cancer in patients with a family history of gastric cancer
While results of the trial support a test-and-treat screening approach for Helicobacter pylori in patients with a first-degree relative with gastric cancer, more research is needed before considering universal screening in this population, an ACP Journal Club commentary noted.