MedPage Today reports two interesting pieces of reporting simultaneously this week. First, Public Citizen published a report showing from 1991 through 2017, a total of 412 legal settlements were reached between the federal and state governments and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The fines, settlements, and fees comprised a whopping total of $38.6 billion. For 2016 and 2017, 38 settlements
Several articles have shown an increased risk of fractures with PPI use as patients get older. Sanna Torvinen-Kiiskinen, PhD, of Kuopio Research Centre of Geriatric Care at the University of Eastern Finland, and colleagues wrote that an association between proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use and risk for fractures remains unclear due to contradictory study findings, and
Researchers conclude that fecal profiling of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) may provide a low cost, non-invasive tool to predict the responses of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients to probiotics and diets low in fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAP’s). Modeling baseline fecal VOC’s, and using key features of VOC profiles, correctly predicted response to
Two US House lawmakers say more must be done to reduce the mortality rate associated with colorectal cancer, including funding research into preventing and treating the disease. Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., and Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., are sponsoring the bill. The Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act, in part corrects a glitch in Medicare
Teens and young adults who are cancer survivors appear to have more social networks and support than those who have not had cancer, according to a study in the journal Cancer. Overall, the cancer survivors were found to have more emotional and other types of support and to get more advice on health topics such
A recent study showed that men who watched more than four hours of TV daily had a 35% higher risk of colorectal cancer, compared with those who watched for no more than one hour per day. The study did not find a similar association among women but noted that men with higher levels of physical activity had
In children with Crohn’s Disease, early use of biologic therapies helped prevent disease progression. However, it did not delay or avoid the need for surgery. Among 1,442 children with Crohn’s disease enrolled in the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Collaborative Research Group registry from 2002 to 2014, the risk of disease progression from inflammation alone to stricturing
A study published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics showed bariatric surgery increased the odds of developing inflammatory bowel disease for some patients. Researchers said the risk was small and did not outweigh the benefits of weight-loss surgery. A longer length of time from surgery correlated with increased risk. Patients whose surgery had been done more
A study in the journal Gut found taking daily calcium supplements may increase the risk of serrated colon polyps, a precursor lesion to colon cancer. People who took calcium or calcium plus vitamin D were more likely to develop polyps from six to 10 years after the study began, but calcium from dietary sources was
