There is sometimes heated discussion about adherence to medical regimens being of value, both to an individual patient and to broader patient categories. Inflammatory bowel disease is certainly one of these contentious areas. Patients often seem to go from doctor to doctor, seeking out one who agrees with the decisions they have already made. Even
Researchers at the University of California, Davis found that chronic liver inflammation is associated with a Western diet via the type of bacteria present in the gut. “We know the transition from steatosis, or fatty liver, to steatohepatitis (inflammation in the fatty liver) plays a crucial role in liver injury and carcinogenesis,” Yu-Jui Yvonne Wan, professor
It’s no surprise that better insurance coverage means more accessibility to tests. This includes higher rates of colon cancer screening, and of course better outcomes for those patients who do get screened. What’s surprising though, is that the extent of coverage can also mean that a patient is more likely to have tests not necessarily
Computer simulations may get a role alongside human testing as part of an effort to bring new medications and medical devices to market more quickly and cheaply. The approval process for medical devices and drugs could incorporate computer modeling and virtual testing in an effort to modernize and streamline the regulatory pathway and make drugs
Fueling the fire of debate on PPI safety, a new observational study in BMJ Open found the use of proton pump inhibitors for at least a year was associated with a 51% higher risk of early death, compared with 31% among those treated for six months to a year and 17% for three- to six-month
C. difficile infection rates climbed annually from 2000 to 2010, and in 2011 caused almost 500,000 illnesses and killed about 29,000 people in the US according to the CDC. However, preliminary analysis of data from the CDC’s Emerging Infections Program showed that the rate of new Clostridium difficile infections in hospitals and nursing homes nationwide
A healthy diet and exercise could reduce colon cancer patients’ chance of death and simply walking could improve survival rates for breast cancer survivors, studies presented at the world’s largest cancer conference have found. A study of nearly 1,000 colon cancer patients found that those who exercised regularly, ate more fruits and vegetables and avoided
“A lot of people are afraid of colonoscopies but very few studies have documented the reasons why,” according to James M. Church, MD, of the department of colorectal surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. “Colonoscopy screening is the best way to prevent colorectal cancer but people often do not make use of the test because they are afraid of it.
An analysis of eight studies found continuous endurance exercise, such as running or cycling, for more than two hours may lead to exercise-induced gastrointestinal syndrome, which includes gut injury and impaired gut function, researchers wrote in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Prolonged vigorous exercise can cause a stress response that shuts down gut function,
