Current Gastroenterology Reports (Curr Gastroenterol Rep)

Publications in this journal

• Article: When does nutrition impact respiratory function?

  Karen S Allen, Ishan Mehta, Rodrigo Cavallazzi
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Nutrition therapy is an essential aspect of patient care and an important determinant of outcomes in the ICU. Nutrition can impact respiratory function in a myriad of ways. Under- and overfeeding are two well-established ways by which nutrition impinges on respiratory function. Route of feeding, method of feeding, and carbohydrate composition of the diet are also other key factors regarding nutrition that influence outcomes in ICU patients. Recent studies are now elucidating the role of immune therapy in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. In the ICU, nutrition dogmas, such as the necessity of checking gastric residual volumes or utilizing full-calorie enteric feeds, as opposed to trophic feeds, are constantly being challenged by innovative clinical studies. Basic research brings the prospect of testing new approaches for ICU patients, such as the use of antioxidants to prevent diaphragm weakness in these patients. In this review article, we evaluate the recent observational and randomized control trials to critically appraise the evidence regarding nutrition in the ICU.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 06/2013; 15(6):327.
• Article: Endoscopic closure of acute esophageal perforations.

  Rene Gomez-Esquivel, G S Raju
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Esophageal leak is a life-threatening problem that can result from spontaneous rupture of the esophagus, cancer, anastomotic dehiscence after surgery, or as a complication of endoscopy. During the last decade, developments in the minimally invasive endoluminal approach to the management of esophageal leaks include utilization of endoscopy not only for diagnosis but also for closure of leaks with clips or sutures, bypass of the leaks with stents, and/or endoluminal drainage of mediastinal infection. The aim of this review is to summarize recent advances and the principles of endoscopic management of acute esophageal perforations.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 05/2013; 15(5):321.
• Article: Intestinal Microbiota and its Role in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

  Lena Ohman, Magnus Simrén
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Gut microbiota alterations are increasingly being recognized as an important factor in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The onset of IBS symptoms after a bout of gastroenteritis comprises one of the strongest indications for the importance of gut microbiota for IBS. Moreover, recent studies have identified several susceptibility genes for IBS involved in the innate immunity and recognition of bacteria but also maintaining the integrity of the intestinal barrier. During recent years, it has also been demonstrated that IBS patients, or subgroups thereof, may have an altered microbiota composition relative to healthy individuals, mainly based on the analysis of fecal microbiota. Moreover, a positive effect of treatment with non-absorbable antibiotics and probiotics in IBS provides further indirect support for the relevance of gut microbiota alterations in IBS.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 05/2013; 15(5):323.
• Article: Chemoprevention of gastrointestinal neoplasia.

  Elizabeth Half, Nadir Arber
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Cancer chemoprevention is defined as the pharmacologic intervention, by drugs or nutrient-components, with the process of carcinogenesis, in order to prevent the development of invasive malignant neoplasms [1]. This preventive attempt is particularly challenging in cancer types, which have a long subclinical developmental phase, because of their low cellular proliferation rate and their slow pre-clinical evolution, until they become clinically detectable and therapeutically as well as prognostically relevant. Therefore, only certain specific cancer types are presently in the focus of clinical chemoprevention. Among the GI tract cancer, colorectal (CRC) as well as esophageal cancer have raised the most attention over the past decades, as they both share a long precancerous stage (the adenoma in CRC and Barrett's esophagus in the case of esophageal adenocarcinoma) which provides a window of opportunity to intervene and prevent development of cancer.In this review, we will focus on both CRC as well as esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 05/2013; 15(5):320.
• Article: Barrett's Esophagus in 2012: Updates in Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Surveillance.

  Subhash Chandra, Emmanuel C Gorospe, Cadman L Leggett, Kenneth K Wang
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the only established precursor lesion in the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and it increases the risk of cancer by 11-fold. It is regarded as a complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease. There is an ever-increasing body of knowledge on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of BE and its associated dysplasia. In this review, we summarize the latest advances in BE research and clinical practice in the past 2 years. It is critical to understand the molecular underpinnings of this disorder to comprehend the clinical outcomes of the disease. For clinical gastroenterologists, there is also continuous growth of endoscopic approaches which is daunting, and further improvements in the detection and treatment of BE and early EAC are anticipated. In the future, we may see the increased role of biomarkers, both molecular and imaging, in both diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for BE.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 05/2013; 15(5):322.
• Article: Esophageal stents in malignant and benign disorders.

  P Didden, M C W Spaander, M J Bruno, E J Kuipers
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Endoscopic stent placement is an effective palliative treatment for malignant dysphagia and fistula, leading to rapid symptom relief. However, recurrent dysphagia and other stent-related complications are common, for which reason continuously new design modifications are implemented. Although some of these changes facilitate stent placement, complications remain and occur at similar rates. Recently, stents have also been used in benign esophageal disorders. Covered stents have the ability to effectively seal esophageal perforations and leaks, reducing the need for invasive surgery. This benefit does not pertain to patients with refractory benign esophageal strictures, in whom stents have limited long-term effect and are associated with a high complication rate. The initial results of fully covered metal stents in refractory esophageal variceal bleeding are encouraging, but their definite role remains to be further elucidated. This review provides an overview of indications, techniques, and management of complications of stents in malignant and benign esophageal disease.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 04/2013; 15(4):319.
• Article: Extra-Esophageal Manifestations of Gerd: Who Responds to GERD Therapy?

  Rishi D Naik, Michael F Vaezi
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disease that is defined as a condition that develops when the reflux of stomach contents causes troublesome symptoms. In addition to the esophageal manifestations of heartburn and regurgitation, the role of GERD in causing extra-esophageal symptoms, such as laryngitis, asthma, cough, chest pain, and dental erosions, is increasingly recognized with renewed interest. Due to the poor sensitivity of endoscopy and pH monitoring, and the poor specificity of laryngoscopy, empiric therapy with proton pump inhibitors (PPI) is now considered the initial diagnostic step in patients suspected of having GERD-related symptoms. In those who are unresponsive to such therapy, other diagnostic testing such as impedance/pH monitoring may be reasonable in order to exclude continued acid or weakly acid reflux. Recent data suggest that patients with extra-esophageal symptoms who have concomitant typical symptoms, moderate-sized hiatal hernia and moderate reflux on pH testing may respond better to acid suppressive therapy. This group only accounts for 20-30 % of patients commonly referred for suspected GERD. PPI-unresponsive patients usually have causes other than GERD for their extra-esophageal signs and symptoms and continued PPI therapy in this group is not recommended.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 04/2013; 15(4):318.
• Article: Ambulatory Reflux Monitoring in GERD - Which Test Should be Performed and Should Therapy be Stopped?

  Andrew J Gawron, John E Pandolfino
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) often entails using a combination of patient symptoms, response to proton pump inhibitors (PPI), upper endoscopy, and ambulatory reflux testing. Each of these has limitations of which the clinician must be aware when managing patients with reflux symptoms. Ambulatory reflux monitoring, in particular, can potentially document the true presence of pathologic GERD. Consequently, reflux testing is often necessary in our evaluation of patients with reflux symptoms, and can be useful in distinguishing etiologies driving a lack of response to PPI therapy. Reflux testing results can be also used to guide appropriate PPI prescribing and clinical decision making for appropriate or unnecessary therapy. This review focuses on the limitations of our current diagnostic paradigm and highlights how reflux testing can be helpful in the diagnosis and management of patients with poor response to PPI therapy.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 04/2013; 15(4):316.
• Article: Update on foreign bodies in the esophagus: diagnosis and management.

  George Triadafilopoulos, Andrew Roorda, Junichi Akiyama
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Foreign body impaction in the esophagus is an important emergency that carries significant morbidity and potential mortality. The most common cause of esophageal foreign body obstruction in adults is meat bolus impaction above a pre-existing distal esophageal (mucosal) ring, peptic or malignant esophageal stricture, or eosinophilic esophagitis. Immediate evaluation of the airway, assessment of the urgency of removal, radiological evaluation to localize the object, endoscopic or surgical retrieval, and subsequent monitoring for complications are essential steps in the management.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 04/2013; 15(4):317.
• Article: Update in the Management of Extraintestinal Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

  Seema A Patil, Raymond K Cross
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Inflammatory bowel disease, comprised of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Up to 40 % of patients with inflammatory bowel disease can develop inflammation in other organ systems of the body. These extraintestinal manifestations (EIM) can affect the musculoskeletal, ocular, mucocutaneous, and hepatobiliary systems. Symptoms related to EIM can result in impaired quality of life, and complications of EIM can lead to disfigurement, functional deficits, and even life-threatening organ dysfunction. Some EIM parallel the activity of IBD, and respond to treatment of the underlying disease. Others, however, follow an independent course and require targeted treatment.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 03/2013; 15(3):314.
• Article: What can we learn from inflammatory bowel disease in developing countries?

  Sunny H Wong, Siew C Ng
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Inflammatory bowel diseases occur due to an aberrant immune response to luminal antigens in genetically predisposed individuals. Although specific genetic loci have been identified underlying the predisposition, they have not fully explained the disease etiology. Striking epidemiological observations implicate the critical role of environmental influences on disease penetrance. The emergence of disease consistently observed as a society becomes modernized or developed may be attributed to westernization of diet, changing antibiotic use, or improved hygiene status. These factors are linked with changes in the gastrointestinal microbiota which, in turn, may affect development of the immune system and influence the risk of disease occurrence. Geographic variations within developing countries suggest that the strength of influence by risk factors in a society varies greatly. Studies of IBD in populations of developing countries where there are opportunities to prospectively collect changing exposure data over time may provide clues to the disease etiology.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 03/2013; 15(3):313.
• Article: Deep remission in inflammatory bowel disease: looking beyond symptoms.

  Camille Zallot, Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic and disabling conditions. Accumulating evidence indicates that we need to look beyond clinical symptoms as current therapeutic strategies have not modified the course of IBD. Therapeutic goals for IBD have evolved from a mere control of symptoms to mucosal healing (MH). Achieving deep remission (clinical remission, biomarker remission and MH) might be the only way to alter disease course in IBD patients. In Crohn's disease (CD), deep remission has been recently defined as Crohn's Disease Activity Index <150 and complete MH. In ulcerative colitis (UC), there is no proposed definition of deep remission. It could be defined as clinical and endoscopic remission in UC. These definitions remain to be validated in large prospective studies. In the near future, the concept of deep remission might include transmural healing in CD and histologic healing in UC. Advances in drug development have provided highly effective treatments for IBD, making deep remission a realistic goal. Whether IBD patients may benefit by experiencing a 'deep' remission beyond the control of clinical symptoms, which might ultimately impact on important outcomes such as the need for surgery and the development of disability, needs to be evaluated in future disease modification trials.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 03/2013; 15(3):315.
• Article: An update on the hepatitis e virus.

  Seth N Sclair, Eugene R Schiff
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: There have been recent key advances in the understanding of hepatitis E virus infection. Since the early 1980s, when the virus was first discovered, hepatitis E has been described as a disease that is endemic only in the African and Asian subcontinents, a disease that is transmitted via the fecal-oral route, and a disease that causes an acute illness that typically resolves, with the exception of the third trimester of pregnancy, when infection can be deadly. We now know that genotype 3 is likely a porcine zoonotic disease that is quite prevalent in certain industrialized nations. Hepatitis E carries high morbidity and mortality in patients with underlying liver disease and can become a chronic infection that causes fibrosis in immunocompromised hosts. Lastly, two vaccines have been developed and studied in clinical trials, with excellent results.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 02/2013; 15(2):304.
• Article: Clinical outcomes and management of inflammatory bowel disease in the older patient.

  Christina Y Ha, Seymour Katz
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: The management of inflammatory bowel disease in the older patient extends beyond the gastrointestinal tract. Pre-existing comorbidities, polypharmacy, functional status and physical reserve can impact disease course, response to therapy and quality of life. Current therapeutic endpoints may not be as immediately applicable to the older IBD patient at higher risk for adverse outcomes. This review focuses on the latest studies addressing the natural history, clinical course and therapeutic outcomes among the older IBD cohort.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 02/2013; 15(2):310.
• Article: Novel targets for inflammatory bowel disease therapeutics.

  Mark Löwenberg, Geert D'Haens
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: In recent years, many new agents have been evaluated for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. In this paper, we critically review recently published literature about these novel therapies, which have been the result of extensive research identifying molecular targets. Of the various biologicals and small molecules that have recently been tested in clinical trials, several demonstrated clinical efficacy with a tolerable safety profile. We discuss a number of them with specific focus on vedolizumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against the alpha4beta7 integrin on lymphocytes, ustekinumab, a monoclonal antibody against the p40 subunit of interleukin-12 and interleukin-23, and tofacitinib, a small molecule targeting Janus-activated kinase. Most likely, these three agents will find their way to the market and offer significant therapeutic alternatives for the management of Crohn's disease and/or ulcerative colitis.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 02/2013; 15(2):311.
• Article: Treatment of hepatitis C: how will we use viral kinetics, response-guided therapy?

  Jean-Michel Pawlotsky
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA level monitoring is currently used to guide the duration of interferon-containing treatment regimens. Nowadays, HCV RNA level quantification is based on real-time polymerase chain reaction assays that are both sensitive and accurate. Assessing the virological response to therapy is used to shorten treatment duration in early responders, in order to reduce the cost and burden of adverse events of therapy without impacting the chance of success. Whether response-guided therapy will still be useful in the era of all-oral, interferon-free regimens remains uncertain.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 02/2013; 15(2):309.
• Article: Role of liver biopsy in the era of direct-acting antivirals.

  Humberto C Gonzalez, Syed Mohammed Jafri, Stuart C Gordon
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: An accurate assessment of the degree of fibrosis or presence of cirrhosis is critical both for the appropriate management of, and to provide prognosis for, patients with chronic hepatitis C infection. In the new era of direct acting antivirals, large numbers of patients may enter therapy, and although liver biopsy remains the gold standard, it is not practical in all settings. In recent years, a variety of noninvasive methods have been developed that may obviate the need for liver biopsy in most settings. Indirect laboratory formulas, tests, panels of biomarkers and imaging modalities may accurately stage the degree of fibrosis in hepatitis C monoinfection, hepatitis C/HIV coinfection, and post-transplant recurrent hepatitis C.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 02/2013; 15(2):307.
• Article: Portal vein thrombosis: should anticoagulation be used?

  Stephen E Congly, Samuel S Lee
  [show abstract] [hide abstract]
  ABSTRACT: Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) can contribute to significant morbidity and mortality; in patients with cirrhosis, this can make transplant more technically challenging. Additionally, the clot may extend further into the mesenteric and splenic veins, and disturbance of the hepatic blood flow may lead to faster progression of the cirrhosis. Development of PVT is associated with local risk factors, and many patients have associated systemic prothrombotic factors. Anticoagulation in noncirrhotic patients should be initiated at diagnosis, using low-molecular-weight heparin overlapping with vitamin K antagonists. Cirrhotic patients with PVT should be screened for varices and then anticoagulated with low-molecular-weight heparin for at least a 6-month period. All patients should be assessed for triggering factors and tumors, as well as systemic prothrombotic factors. Newer evidence suggests that prophylactic anticoagulation in patients with cirrhosis may have a role in clinical management with decreased incidence of PVT and improved survival; further study is needed.
  Current Gastroenterology Reports 02/2013; 15(2):306.