Medscape Gastroenterology Headlines

The Skinny on Weight Loss Supplements: Fact or Fantasy?

Fri, 9 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Patients who want to lose weight are likely to try an over-the-counter product that promises success.
Medscape Pharmacists

Icyou: How Social Media Is the New Resource for Online Health Information

Fri, 9 May 2008 09:16:25 EDT

Prerna Mona Khanna, MD, MPH, Medical Editor, Icyou.com, Charleston, South Carolina, describes another promising use of the health Internet.
The Medscape Journal of Medicine

Spotting an Asymptomatic Meckel's Diverticulum During Surgery -- What Next?

Fri, 9 May 2008 15:24:18 EDT

Commentary on a study on Meckel's diverticulum, published February 2008 in The Annals of Surgery
Medscape General Surgery

Is Surveillance Recommended for Patients With Crohn's Colitis?

Fri, 9 May 2008 17:39:56 EDT

Should patients with Crohn's colitis undergo the same surveillance as those with chronic ulcerative colitis? Sunanda V. Kane, MD, MSPH, FACG, explores the issues.
Medscape Gastroenterology

Amitriptyline May Alleviate Irritable Bowel Symptoms in Teens

Fri, 9 May 2008 23:10:53 EDT

Treatment with the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline can reduce symptoms and improve quality of life in adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the results of a small study suggest.
Reuters Health Information

GI Bleeding in Patients Receiving Standard Treatment for Acute Coronary Syndrome

Thu, 8 May 2008 10:48:34 EDT

Dr. Johnson comments on a study in Am J Gastroenterol assessing the incidence of GI bleeding and its risk factors in patients receiving standard combination therapy for acute coronary syndrome.
Medscape Gastroenterology

Performing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Outside the Hospital -- Is It Safe?

Thu, 8 May 2008 13:05:20 EDT

Commentary on a study on laparoscopic cholecystectomy in a nonhospital setting, published February 2008 in The British Journal of Surgery
Medscape General Surgery

Congress Passes Genetic Privacy Bill

Thu, 8 May 2008 16:33:16 EDT

In this videoblog, Dr. Eric Topol updates us on some of the details and discusses what this might mean for the future if it is signed into law.

FDA Approvals: Advair, Relistor, Aplenzin

Thu, 8 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT

The FDA has approved an expanded indication for fluticasone propionate/salmeterol inhalation powder, methylnaltrexone bromide subcutaneous injection, and bupropion HBr extended-release tablets.
Medscape Medical News

Assays Predict Clinical Efficacy of Infliximab in Crohn's Disease

Fri, 9 May 2008 04:15:00 EDT

Assays of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha binding capacity and anti-infliximab antibodies can predict the clinical efficacy of infliximab in patients with Crohn's disease, according to a report in the April issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Reuters Health Information

Estrogen Hormone Therapy May Raise Risk of Reflux: Study

Fri, 9 May 2008 04:18:00 EDT

The results of a Swedish population-based twin study provide evidence that postmenopausal estrogen hormone therapy (HT) increases the risk of gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, independent of heredity, body weight, and tobacco use.
Reuters Health Information

Weight-Loss Drugs May Harm Developing Brain: Study

Fri, 9 May 2008 22:53:03 EDT

A drug from a new class of weight-loss treatments disrupted brain development in young mice, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday, raising concerns about using these drugs in children.
Reuters Health Information

Gastroesophageal Reflux Inversely Associated With Blood Pressure

Wed, 7 May 2008 21:25:00 EDT

Patients who experience daily gastric acid reflux have lower blood pressure than those who experience fewer GERD episodes or none, according to study findings published April 15th by BMC Gastroenterology.
Reuters Health Information

American Founder Mutation in Lynch Syndrome May Have Occurred 500 Years Ago

Fri, 9 May 2008 04:01:29 EDT

New research shows that a mutation responsible for hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (Lynch syndrome) originated centuries earlier and is more prevalent than previously believed.
Reuters Health Information

Bowel Tumor Resection Improves Outcomes in Unresectable Liver Metastases

Fri, 9 May 2008 04:04:19 EDT

Bowel tumor resection before chemotherapy leads to better survival than first-line chemotherapy in patients with unresectable colorectal hepatic metastases, according to a report in the April issue of the Archives of Surgery.
Reuters Health Information

A Case of Adult Hepatic Toxocariasis

Tue, 6 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Toxocariasis can present with severe symptoms. The current case report describes these symptoms as well as how to diagnose and treat toxocariasis.
Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Sulfasalazine for Rheumatoid Arthritis May Cause Severe Hepatotoxicity

Wed, 7 May 2008 00:37:20 EDT

Potentially fatal hepatotoxicity can be triggered by sulfasalazine therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, according to a series of case reports investigated by UK researchers.
Reuters Health Information

Low BMI Linked to Squamous Cell Esophageal Cancer in China

Wed, 7 May 2008 13:04:00 EDT

Similar to evidence from studies conducted in the west, an inverse association between body mass index (BMI) and the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus has been shown in a population-based study conducted in China.
Reuters Health Information

Premalignant Gastric Lesions Need Routine Surveillance: Dutch Study

Wed, 7 May 2008 13:06:00 EDT

Patients diagnosed with premalignant gastric lesions are at significant risk of gastric cancer, according to results of a nationwide cohort study in the Netherlands.
Reuters Health Information

Proton Pump Inhibitors Don't Appear to Influence Colorectal Cancer Risk

Wed, 7 May 2008 13:13:00 EDT

Exposure to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) does not appear to increase the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a report in the April issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Reuters Health Information