Latest Conference Articles

Clinicians should be familiar with all current testing options and assessment tools and be prepared to offer support and guidance to patients who may be embarrassed or unwilling to discuss this aspect of their health.

Despite many technological advances, better training and education are the most important factors to boost the detection of adenomas in the colon and reduce interval colorectal cancer.

Without proper assessment and treatment, a patient with mild colitis or Crohn's disease can easily transition into more severe disease.

With renewed attention on maximizing return on every dollar spent on health care, gastroenterologists need to take a thoughtful approach that takes cost and the overall patient experience into account when they make testing and treatment decisions with patients who have inflammatory bowel disease.

Polyethylene glycol in conjunction with fiber supplementation is an effective treatment for occasional constipation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.

With fecal microbiota transplantation, patients with recurrent C. difficile infection can avoid prolonged, repeated courses of antibiotics. The procedure can also help to re-establish normal intestinal microbiome diversity, assisting patients in restoring colonization resistance.

With nearly one-third of US adults suffering from vitamin D deficiency, and studies showing a strong association between vitamin D deficiency and hypertension risk, supplementation with vitamin D may increase the effectiveness of hypertension treatments.

Although there appears to be no difference in blood pressure reduction in patients who take aspirin at bedtime compared to those who take it when they awake in the morning, bedtime aspirin may be associated with reduced morning platelet reactivity.

A recent study of thienopyridine use among patients who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a large hospital network found that the antiplatelet drug ticagrelor was more frequently prescribed in higher risk, less stable patients.

Treatment with rivaroxaban reduced the long-term risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke in patients with ACS on a thienopyridine such as clopidogrel, regardless of PPI use.

Initial results from human clinical trials involving the use of bioengineered blood vessels could point the way to cost-effective alternative therapies for hemodialysis patients with end-stage renal disease.

Patients with heart failure who received left ventricle augmentation with Algisyl-LVR hydrogel implant experienced improved quality of life and functional capacity compared to similar patients treated with optimal medical therapy.

Results from a recent study show that intensive statin therapy in patients with acute coronary syndrome does not increase the risk of kidney injury.

Patients with non-ST-segment elevation (non-STEMI) acute coronary syndrome and peripheral artery disease (PAD) treated with the PAR-1 antagonist vorapaxar experienced a reduction in ischemic events and other outcomes compared to patients who received placebo, with no increased risk of bleeding compared to patients who did not have PAD.

Antiarrhythmic drug therapy was associated with increased risk of rehospitalization after one year in a population of elderly patients with atrial fibrillation and CAD.

Although they had more cardiovascular comorbidities, patients with atrial fibrillation and diabetes experienced rates of ischemic stroke comparable to those in AF patients without diabetes.

Analysis of health claims data indicates that physicians are underprescribing anticoagulant treatment in large numbers of patients with atrial fibrillation who are at high risk of stroke and low risk of bleeding.

Researchers reported finding large differences in the incidence rates of major cardiovascular disease across a broad range of immigrant groups to Canada.

Although oral antiplatelet therapy is broadly supported as preventive therapy for patients with established atherosclerotic vascular disease, researchers say emerging evidence for specific agents shows heterogeneous outcomes by symptomatic vascular bed, and patterns of use may vary by symptomatic territory.

Treating Hispanic patients with stable CAD with daily low-dose aspirin plus ticagrelor provided lower levels of on-treatment platelet reactivity with a faster onset and greater extent of platelet inhibition, compared to treatment with aspirin plus clopidogrel.

Study results confirm the validity of the Seattle Angina Questionnaire section focusing on chronic angina frequency, showing it correlated strongly with patients' daily diary entries regarding angina frequency and medication use.

Researchers with the Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study are working to understand the mechanisms of sudden cardiac arrest by "searching for novel determinants of this condition that will facilitate the identification of subjects at risk, with the overall goal of improving prevention of sudden cardiac arrest" and improving the current low rate of successful resuscitation.

Study results presented at AHA 2013 show that nearly half of patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) are at high risk of discontinuing their medications. However, patients taking novel anticoagulants such as dabigatran or rivaroxaban were less likely to stop their medications.

Long term survival after cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation and atrioventricular junction ablation is similar to that observed in patients in sinus rhythm, but death rate is elevated for atrial fibrillation patients treated with rate-slowing drugs.

Executive function disorder and ADHD share several overlapping symptoms, and the presence of executive function impairment is often associated with a diagnosis of ADHD. Clinicians should be aware of the testing modalities that can help accurately identify executive function disorder, and also be aware of the limitations of current medications when it comes to mitigating symptoms.

Depot antipsychotic medications for patients with schizophrenia are often associated with improved treatment adherence.

Creating a safer environment for clinicians and patients starts with better formalized reporting of aggressive and violent behavior, and should also include more rigorous screening and assessment for risk markers of violent behavior.

Genotyping and access to more genetic information about patients may allow clinicians to minimize side effects associated with treatment for schizophrenia by choosing antipsychotic agents based on their unique molecular binding profiles and using the lowest effective doses.

Evidence shows that interventional approaches such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, electroconvulsive therapy, deep brain stimulation, and bright light therapy, coupled with mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, can be an effective part of treatment for major depressive disorder.

Study looks at an integrated care model for treating bipolar depression that incorporates a multidisciplinary care team, individualized lifestyle interventions, focused patient education, weight loss and nutrition counseling, and efforts to promote treatment adherence.