Gastroenterology

Women suffering from ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) experience lower success rates per embryo transfer when they undergo assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments than women who do not have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The hepatitis C virus has contributed to an increased rate in liver cancer and related deaths during a time when overall cancer deaths continue to decline, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Researchers evaluated the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid supplementation on nutritional status in patients with mild liver disease.

A global study conducted by 50 different research centers has discovered hundreds of genes that cause five common, hard-to-treat inflammatory diseases

With the announcement of a new medical school thanks to a partnership between Seton Hall University and Hackensack University Health Network the two New Jersey institutions are working to address a growing shortage of physicians in a number of specialties across the country.

Hackensack University Medical Center can trace its roots back to a blizzard back in the late 1800's when residents in northern New Jersey could not get across the Hudson River to get the care they needed. Since that time it has grown into the flagship of one of the largest health networks in the metropolitan area.

The Affordable Care Act has had a significant impact on the health care landscape beyond patients having more access to health insurance. For hospitals and health care systems they have also had to adjust to provide a high quality of care for patients.

Even if you know what you’re doing, it can be hard to make good hires. Because doctors are trained to practice medicine, many receive little or no training in how to run a business—or how to make great hires for non-clinical positions. Here are some tried-and-true tips to help you make sure your next hire doesn’t turn into your next headache.

The practice of medicine moves pretty fast, leaving little time for doctors to involve themselves with insurance, paperwork and office business processes. Of course, quality doctors and nurses are critical to excellent patient care. But without the right office staff, your practice could quickly be sent into a tailspin.

Researchers in China reported that combination treatment with daclatasvir and asunaprevir produced a sustained virologic response in 91% of patients after 24 weeks of treatment.

Hepatitis C treatment will now be made available to all US military veterans who are infected with the virus as a result of recent expanded federal funding.

Although generally the most effective intervention for morbid obesity, bariatric surgery does not result in predictable weight loss patterns.

Bariatric surgery is rapidly becoming a favorable gastrointestinal procedure, and surgeons have performed more than 500,000 procedures annually worldwide.

Despite green tea’s many health benefits, combining it with dietary iron does not produce any benefits for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.

Chimpanzees that are more social have richer and more diverse gut microbiomes than those who are socially isolated, according to research published in the journal Science Advances.

Colorectal cancer is more likely to affect minority patients at a younger age compared to their white counterparts, according to findings presented in Cancer Medicine.

In the first global study of its kind, researchers put a number on the amount of people who are infected with both the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C.

The US Food and Drug Administration announced recently that labeling for the hepatitis C drug Olysio has been updated to reflect that higher plasma exposures have been recorded in patients of East Asian ancestry.

As with many areas of health care the easiest way to treat a patient is to find a problem before it becomes to big to tackle. This is the same in gastroenterology where a problem caught early can make a world of difference in a patient's likelihood of survival.

As the only National Pancreas Foundation Center for Excellence in New Jersey and one of only 30 in the country Hackensack University Medical Center has made a point of providing the best care possible to patients when it comes to pancreatic health.

The treatment of pancreatitis has taken great strides in recent years including the ability to help patients through non-surgical options.

In my last post, I discussed the characteristics that good nurses possess that enable them to make a positive impact on a patient’s care experience. Unfortunately, bad nurses can make a significant negative impact on patient care—sometimes even more profoundly.

New guidelines from the Canadian Medical Association suggest that colonoscopies should not be the primary screening tool for low risk adults aged 50 to74 years.

A more effective treatment for Clostridium difficile (C. diff), or hospital-acquired diarrhea, may be on the horizon.

The shape of mammals’ microbiome can prevent the development of intestinal diseases, according to findings presented in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway in colorectal cancer patients could play an important role in making the immune system aware of the abnormality, according to findings published in the journal Cell Reports.

Generation after generation, a low fiber diet can contribute to irreversible depletion of gut bacteria, reported findings published in the journal Nature.

In the years leading up to Hurricane Katrina striking New Orleans one of the leading health care providers in the city was working on finding its footing and direction heading into the 21st century. In the wake of the storm there was more flexibility to chart a new course into the future.

HCVGuidelines.org recently posted several updates related to the approval of Zepatier, including guidance on the role of testing patients for NS5A resistance-associated variants (RAVs) before they begin therapy with Zepatier to determine the dose and duration of the drug.

At major institutions like Tulane University there is a considerable amount of focus and work on finding better ways to diagnose and treat sarcoidosis.