In the News


ACG updates clinical guidelines on prevention, diagnosis, treatment of C. difficile infection

While the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) included new recommendations for using fecal microbiota transplantation in recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, it recommended against the use of probiotics for both primary and secondary prevention.

Mailed FIT screening for CRC effective, cost-effective in safety-net population

Patients at a federally qualified health center system in Central Texas who were not up to date on colorectal cancer (CRC) screening were mailed a packet containing an introductory letter, a fecal immunochemical test (FIT), easy-to-read instructions, and a postage-paid lab mailer.

Education for patients reduced upper GI endoscopies for uninvestigated dyspepsia

To reduce overuse, a Dutch trial provided a self-managed, web-based educational intervention containing information on gastric function, dyspepsia, and upper GI tract endoscopy to some patients referred for the procedure by their primary care clinicians.

Tenofovir alafenamide may safely replace tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in patients with drug-resistant HBV, trial finds

An industry-funded randomized trial found that tenofovir alafenamide could be substituted for tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in patients with multidrug-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) for improved bone and renal safety without a loss of efficacy; however, the former drug was associated with greater increases in body weight and cholesterol levels.

MKSAP Quiz: Dyspnea in a patient with liver disease

A 48-year-old woman with cirrhosis due to primary biliary cholangitis reports shortness of breath of six weeks' duration. Her oxygen saturation is 98% while supine, but it drops to 92% with standing. What is the most appropriate diagnostic test?

Spotlight on COVID-19's impact on gastroenterology

Speakers at Digestive Disease Week shared research on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected health care utilization, telehealth, and outcomes for patients with GI cancers.

Task Force lowers age for colorectal cancer screening to begin

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended colorectal cancer screening begin at age 45 years based on an evidence review finding with moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial.