In the News

Fatty liver disease associated with increased risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization

However, patients who were obese but did not have fatty liver disease were not at increased risk of hospitalization for COVID-19, according to a study of healthy people in a U.K. database who underwent MRI assessment of liver fat markers.

AGA issues guidelines on use of intragastric balloon therapy for patients with obesity

Intragastric balloon therapy can be considered as a weight loss intervention in patients with obesity who have not seen success with conventional therapies, according to the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).

Failure to undergo colonoscopy after positive FIT may double risk for death from colorectal cancer

A retrospective cohort study in Italy compared 10-year cumulative incidence and mortality among patients with a positive result on a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) who completed a diagnostic colonoscopy versus those who did not.

MKSAP Quiz: Management of HBV infection

This month's quiz asks readers to determine the most appropriate next step in management of a 29-year-old woman with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and normal liver enzyme levels.

Spotlight on functional GI disorders

Research in the past month focused on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia, finding a worse disease prognosis among patients with both conditions versus IBS alone, as well as sex-based differences and an inverse association between fruit intake and functional dyspepsia symptoms.

Watch out for NAFLD, treat ASAP

Identifying nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the primary care setting and deploying effective interventions early can help prevent the slowly progressive disease from becoming an even bigger problem.

Problem of PPIs complicated by COVID-19

While recent studies have suggested that physicians should be careful when using proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, none have shown a causal relationship between PPIs and COVID-19 infection or severity.

In eosinophilic esophagitis, budesonide orodispersible tablets maintained remission at 48 wk

While a 0.5-mg dose twice daily may be enough to maintain remission, patients with long-standing symptoms or extensive disease might benefit from a 1-mg dose twice daily, according to an ACP Journal Club commentary.

First immunotherapy approved for initial treatment of gastric cancer

Nivolumab (Opdivo) is approved in combination with certain types of chemotherapy for the initial treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer, gastroesophageal junction cancer, or esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Marketing authorized for first AI device to detect potential signs of colon cancer

The device uses artificial intelligence (AI) based on machine learning to assist clinicians in the real-time detection of lesions, such as polyps or suspected tumors, in the colon during a colonoscopy.