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Can We Treat Chronic HCV Infection Without Interferon?
A potent combination of 2 drugs that directly target the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is effective in patients with chronic infection, and doesn’t require interferon therapy, according to an article in the...
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Can Patients With Crohn’s Disease Ever Stop Taking Infliximab?
Half of patients with Crohn’s disease treated with infliximab experience a relapse within the first year after they stop taking the drug, according to a study published in the January issue of...
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Treating Rumination and Supragastric Belching
Baclofen is an effective treatment for patients with rumination or supragastric belching/aerophagia, according to the April issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Rumination syndrome is...
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Could Intestinal Microbes Reduce Insulin Resistance?
The intestinal microbiota can be manipulated to increase insulin sensitivity in people with metabolic syndrome, according to a study published in the October issue of Gastroenterology. The trillions of...
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Can We Prevent Portal Vein Thrombosis in Patients With Cirrhosis?
The anti-clotting agent enoxaparin prevents portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with cirrhosis, according to the November issue of Gastroenterology. PVT can lead to portal hypertension and reduce...
View ArticleIs SVR12 As Good As SVR24?
In patients with chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, a sustained viral response to treatment regimens 12 weeks after therapy (SVR12) is a good indicator that the response will be maintained...
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Long-Term Effects of Teduglutide for Short-Bowel Syndrome
The glucagon-like peptide (GLP) teduglutide is effective for long-term treatment of patients with short-bowel syndrome intestinal failure, according to the July issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and...
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A More Effective Treatment for Achalasia
A specialized endoscopic procedure called peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a safe and effective treatment for esophageal achalasia, according to the August issue of Gastroenterology. Achalasia is...
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A New Drug for Diabetes and Fatty Liver Disease?
Obeticholic acid (OCA)—an agonist of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR)— increases insulin sensitivity and reduces markers of liver inflammation and fibrosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and...
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Can we Increase Detection of Duct Abnormalities by MRCP?
Administration of secretin improves noninvasive imaging of pancreatic duct abnormalities with higher levels of sensitivity than magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), researchers report in...
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FDA Approves New Obesity Drug
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the third new prescription drug for obesity since 2012. The drug, Contrave, to be used along with a low-calorie diet and exercise regimen, was...
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Can Mesalamine Prevent Diverticulitis Recurrence?
Mesalamine is no better than placebo in preventing recurrent diverticulitis, and is not recommended for its treatment, researchers conclude from 2 international phase 3 studies. The findings are...
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Relief from Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) had significant improvements in bowel habits and reductions in abdominal pain after taking a new drug called linaclotide, reports a study published in the...
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Does Mucosal Healing Determine Which Patients Will Recover From Ulcerative...
Lack of mucosal healing, based on endoscopic analysis, identifies patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) who are not likely to respond to corticosteroid therapy, according to Sandro Ardizzone et al. in...
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Constipation Relief
The drug bisacodyl is effective against chronic constipation and improves patients’ quality of life, according to a large study published by Michael Kamm et al. in the July issue of Clinical...
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An Immune Culprit in IBD?
Patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis have reduced levels of an important regulator of the immune response—the receptor for granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor...
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Why Do Only Some Gastric Tumors Respond to Therapy?
Tumors from patients with gastric cancer can be divided into subgroups, based on their gene expression pattern. This information can be used to select the best treatment, according to Patrick Tan and...
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New Treatment for IBS
LX1031, a drug that inhibits serotonin production, relieves symptoms and increases stool consistency in patients with nonconstipating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to a study by Philip...
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Successful Surgery for Children with Chronic Pancreatitis
Total pancreatectomy, accompanied by auto-transplantation of islet cells, increases the quality of life for children with severe chronic pancreatitis, according to Melena Bellin et al. in the...
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An Aspirin a Day Won’t Kill You, But it Might Cause GI Bleeding
Taking an aspirin a day reduces the risk for death, but increases odds of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, according to a large meta-analysis published in the September issue of Clinical...
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