INTRODUCTION Fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) has shown promise at inducing remission in ulcerative colitis. This study is the first of its kind to evaluate the efficacy and safety of FMT at inducing remission in Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS This double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in three Canadian academic centers; randomized patients with mild to moderate CD received FMT or

BACKGROUND Intravenous albumin reduces mortality in SBP. We sought to characterize albumin use for SBP over time and investigate patient and hospital-level factors associated with use. METHODS A retrospective cohort study in the Veterans Health Administration between 2008 and 2021 evaluated trends and patient, practice-, and facility-level factors associated with use among patients with cirrhosis hospitalized

BACKGROUND and Importance: Growing gastrointestinal cancers in the U.S. necessitate further research due to substantial healthcare and economic impacts. This study aims to analyze trends and future projections for five major gastrointestinal cancers (colorectal, pancreatic, liver, stomach, and esophageal). METHODS Data were sourced from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, National

The development of new image enhancement modalities and improved endoscopic imaging quality have not led to increased adoption of resect-and-discard in routine practice. Studies have shown that endoscopists have the capacity to achieve quality thresholds to perform optical diagnosis, however, this has not led to acceptance of optical diagnosis as a replacement for pathology for diminutive (1-5mm) polyps

BACKGROUND Endoscopy, standard-of-care for monitoring Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), assesses mucosal inflammation. The Esophageal String Test (EST®), a minimally invasive swallowed capsule and immunoassays, quantifies EoE inflammation. We determined whether the EST/EoEScore can monitor disease in patients undergoing treatment. METHODS Thirty-three samples from 14 EoE patients (7 children, 7 adults)

INTRODUCTION Accurate assessment of alcohol use informs prevention and management of liver disease. We examined whether phosphatidylethanol (PEth, an alcohol metabolite) blood concentrations are associated with liver fibrosis risk independently of self-reported alcohol use, among persons with and without HIV. METHODS We pooled individual-level data from 12 studies from the United States, Russia, Uganda

AIM To review stool diagnostic tests in acute and chronic diarrhea. METHOD Narrative review of published literature. RESULTS (A). In acute diarrhea, stool tests are indicated when there is strong pre-test probability of infectious etiology or C. difficile infection (CDI) suggested by >3 unformed bowel movements per 24h, symptoms lasting >7 days, and circumstances that are suggestive of infection. Several

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Artificial intelligence-based chatbots offer a potential avenue for delivering personalized counselling to Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH) patients. We assessed accuracy, completeness, comprehensiveness and safety of ChatGPT-4 responses to 12 inquiries out of a pool of 40 questions posed by four AIH patients. METHODS Questions were categorized into three areas: Diagnosis(1-3), Quality

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are rare, chronic cholestatic diseases that can progress to liver failure. The goals of treatment are to halt the progression of liver disease to cirrhosis and/or liver failure, and alleviate symptoms associated with these diseases. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has historically been the first-line treatment for PBC, with obeticholic

INTRODUCTION Ulcerative jejunitis (UJ) or ulcerative enteritis (UE) is a rare complication of celiac disease (CeD). Guidelines regarding diagnosis and management are missing and these cases have seldom been reported in the United States. DESIGN Single center case-series of CeD in which UE developed at a large academic center in the USA. Clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and evolution of

INTRODUCTION Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is caused by pathogenic variants in the APC gene. FAP is usually categorized according to phenotype: classical FAP (CFAP) and attenuated FAP (AFAP); the latter is considered to have a milder disease course. We aimed to assess the risk of overall and specific cancers in CFAP and AFAP patients compared to matched, non-exposed individuals. METHODS All

BACKGROUND AND AIMS TM6SF2-rs58542926-T is associated with increased cirrhosis and modestly decreased coronary artery disease prevalence. However, relative effects of TM6SF2 genotype on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) vs. liver-related events (LRE) is not known. APPROACH We utilized the UK Biobank, a prospective cohort with genetic and inpatient diagnosis data. The primary predictor was

INTRODUCTION Postcolonoscopy colorectal cancers primarily occur in the right-sided colon because of missed adenomas and serrated polyps (SPs). Water exchange (WE) improves cleanliness and visibility of the right-sided colon. We hypothesized that WE could reduce the right-sided colon adenoma (rAMR) and SP miss rate (rSPMR) compared to standard colonoscopy. METHODS We randomly assigned 386 colonoscopy

INTRODUCTION Social determinants of health (SDOH) may impact chronic liver disease (CLD) outcomes but are not clearly understood. We conducted a systematic review to describe the associations of SDOH with mortality, hospitalizations, and readmissions among patients with CLD. METHODS This review was registered (PROSPERO ID: CRD42022346654) and identified articles through MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library

INTRODUCTION The Controlled Attenuated Parameter (CAP) score derived from vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE, i.e. Fibroscan®) is a well-validated marker of hepatic steatosis. It is unclear if CAP scores are associated with risks of liver-related outcomes or all-cause mortality. METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, we identified 7,587 U.S. Veterans (2,689 with cured hepatitis

OBJECTIVES Little is known about the interdependence of psychological distress among patients with decompensated cirrhosis (DC) and their caregivers. METHODS In this cross-sectional study we examined the interdependence of psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) among 127 patient-caregiver dyads using Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling. RESULTS Among dyads, 26% had both partners

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) that can affect multiple body systems. EIMs are seen in up to 50 % of patients with IBD. [1] Skin involvement is particularly common occurring in up to 15-20% of patients. [1] Skin reactivity presents in multiple forms with unique pathology. Therapy for IBD also may affect the skin directly though inflammatory

INTRODUCTION There is paucity of data on the incidence of severe thiopurine (TP)-induced myelosuppression (TIM) among inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. METHODS Utilizing the Veterans Affairs Healthcare system we identified IBD patients with normal pre-treatment thiopurine S-methyltransferase(TPMT) levels who received TPs for 6 months and developed severe TIM. RESULTS Among 73,392 IBD patients

OBJECTIVES HLA DQA1*05 has been associated with the development of anti-drug antibodies (ADA) to tumor necrosis factor antagonists (anti-TNF) and treatment failure among adults with Crohn's disease (CD). However, findings from other studies have been inconsistent with limited pediatric data. METHODS We analyzed banked serum from patients with CD < 21 years of age enrolled in COMBINE, a multi-center

INTRODUCTION Four-dimensional high-resolution impedance manometry (4D HRM) uses impedance to estimate esophageal luminal cross-sectional area and track nadir impedance to measure intrabolus pressure (IBP). We aimed to determine whether 4D HRM metrics could define abnormal esophagogastric junction (EGJ) opening between Chicago Classification version 4.0 motility disorders and compare 4D HRM with functional

BACKGROUND Hyman Zimmerman observed that hepatocellular (HC) drug-induced liver injury (DILI) with jaundice had a mortality rate of ≥10% (Hy's Law). Hy's Law does not specify the timing of liver tests nor the definition of HC DILI versus cholestatic or mixed (C/M) DILI. We aimed to assess the validity of Hy's Law in the prospective Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network (DILIN) cohort. METHODS Drugs with

BACKGROUND Little is known about how patients make decisions about and prioritize, therapies and disease management in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). We aimed to systematically identify and characterize patient perspectives and attitudes that influence decision making for EoE management. METHODS To understand the diverse attitudes and values of EoE patients, we designed a study using the Q-method

BACKGROUND The RECAM is an updated, electronic version of the RUCAM to diagnose DILI. The primary aim of this study was to compare RECAM versus RUCAM in patients with suspected DILI. METHODS Patient encounters from 10/1/2015 to 9/30/2019 were searched for suspected DILI using ICD-10 K71 codes for toxic liver disease. DILIN expert opinion scores were assigned to each case (1/2/3= probable DILI, 4/5=

OBJECTIVE To update the global burden of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. METHODS Data from GBD 2021 were analyzed to assess the IBD burden. RESULTS In 2021, there were 375,140 new cases and 3.83 million total cases of IBD. Elderly-onset IBD accounted for 11% of incidences. 167 countries increased IBD incidence rate, with rates rising in females

Potassium-competitive acid blockers (P-CABs) constitute a relatively new class of gastric acid-suppressing drugs. Among this class, vonoprazan is the first to have been approved in the United States. However, some P-CABs including vonoprazan, tegoprazan and fexuprazan have been available in other countries since at least 2014. The first aim of this article is to review pharmacological differences between

INTRODUCTION Pouchitis and Crohn's-like disease of the pouch (CLDP) are common in patients who undergo ileal pouch anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis. We conducted separate systematic reviews to evaluate the effectiveness of available interventions to prevent and treat pouchitis and CLDP. METHODS Through systematic literature reviews, we identified studies that evaluated the effectiveness of probiotics

INTRODUCTION Quality of life (QOL) is critical in screening and management of chronic medical conditions, including celiac disease (CD). This project aimed to develop a CD-specific pediatric QOL measure ("CDLIFE") with parallel self- and parent-report forms by generating items through concept elicitation interviews, iterative refinement using cognitive debriefing interviews, and evaluating its psychometric

INTRODUCTION Rising healthcare costs have led to decreasing reimbursements for various procedures and providers. We chose to analyze Medicare reimbursement trends for 26 esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and 31 colonoscopy current procedural terminology (CPT) codes from 2018 to 2023 for hospital outpatient centers, ambulatory surgical centers and gastroenterologists. We also wanted to look at the effects

INTRODUCTION Although there is enough pooled evidence supporting the positive association between family history of colorectal cancer (CRC) in first-degree relatives (FDRs) and the risk of CRC, synthesized data on its association with the risk of other colorectal neoplasia are lacking. Therefore, we aimed to systematically assess this issue. METHODS We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase from

INTRODUCTION Lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) is the primary treatment of celiac disease (CeD), a gluten-driven enteropathy. Concerns have been raised about increased exposure to arsenic from a GFD because rice, which naturally bioaccumulates arsenic, is commonly used as a substitute for gluten-containing grains such as wheat. We hypothesize that arsenic exposure increases in newly diagnosed

INTRODUCTION The course of maternal antiviral prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV-MTCT) varies greatly, and it has not been demonstrated in a randomized controlled study. METHODS In this multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial, eligible pregnant women with HBV DNA of 5.3-9.0 log 10 IU/mL who received tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) from the