{"title":"Response to Ye et al.","authors":"Qizhi Yang, Xiaozhu Liu, Dandan Xu, Liuhua Wang","doi":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000003098","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7608,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Gastroenterology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142456000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Resurgent Inflation and Its Impact on Medicare Reimbursements for Outpatient Gastroenterology Procedures.","authors":"Dipen D Patel, Stephen T Amann, Benjamin Hart","doi":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003131","DOIUrl":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003131","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Rising healthcare costs have led to decreasing reimbursements for various procedures and providers. We chose to analyze Medicare reimbursement trends for 26 esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and 31 colonoscopy current procedural terminology (CPT) codes from 2018 to 2023 for hospital outpatient centers, ambulatory surgical centers (ASC), and gastroenterologists. We also wanted to look at the effects of inflation on these Medicare reimbursements.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We calculated the nominal percentage change from 2018 to 2023 for each CPT code. We then took inflation data provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and calculated the real change in reimbursements from 2018 to 2023 for each of the 31 colonoscopy and 26 EGD CPT codes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our results show that although nominal reimbursements to physicians have been steadily declining for performing gastrointestinal procedures, nominal reimbursements to hospital outpatient and ASC have been increasing from 2018 to 2023. After taking into account inflation, physicians saw significant decreases in real purchasing power for performing EGD and colonoscopies. ASC and hospital outpatient centers saw reimbursements keep up with inflation.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Physician reimbursements for gastroenterology procedures make up a small portion of reimbursements by Medicare compared to Medicare reimbursements to facilities such as ASC and hospital outpatient centers. However, physicians have seen significant reimbursement cuts, whereas facilities have not. Moreover, higher inflation leads to increased expenses for gastroenterology practices. It remains to be seen how these reimbursement changes will affect patients access to care and physicians practice sustainability.</p>","PeriodicalId":7608,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Gastroenterology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Focusing on the Key Factors in the Treatment of Pediatric Crohn's Disease: A Re-Examination of the Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Antitumor Necrosis Factor Treatment Response.","authors":"Jie Chen, Changlin Zhai, Haihua Pan","doi":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000003101","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7608,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Gastroenterology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142492950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nan Du, Denis Chang, Jason Boisvert, Bridget Hron, Rachel Rosen, Tracy Punshon, Jocelyn Silvester
{"title":"Effect of Adopting a Gluten-Free Diet on Exposure to Arsenic and Other Heavy Metals in Children With Celiac Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Nan Du, Denis Chang, Jason Boisvert, Bridget Hron, Rachel Rosen, Tracy Punshon, Jocelyn Silvester","doi":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000003117","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) is the primary treatment of celiac disease (CeD), a gluten-driven enteropathy. Concerns have been raised about increased exposure to arsenic from a GFD because rice, which naturally bioaccumulates arsenic, is commonly used as a substitute for gluten-containing grains such as wheat. We hypothesize that arsenic exposure increases in newly diagnosed children with CeD after they adopt a GFD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a single-center prospective longitudinal cohort study of children (age 2-18 years) with elevated celiac serology who underwent a diagnostic endoscopy before initiation of a GFD between January and May 2022. The primary outcome was change in urinary arsenic concentration between endoscopy and after 6 months on a GFD.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 67 recruited participants, 50 had a biopsy diagnostic of CeD and were invited to continue the study. Thirty-five participants completed sample collection. Participants were from a middle-class, well-educated population that was predominantly White with presenting symptoms of abdominal pain (51%) and diarrhea (29%). After 6 months on a GFD, there was a significant increase in the median urinary arsenic concentration (3.3 µg/L vs 13.6 µg/L, P = 0.000004). In regression models, family history of CeD and Hispanic ethnicity were associated with having a higher urinary arsenic concentration after 6 months on a GFD.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Children with newly diagnosed CeD have increased arsenic exposure shortly after transitioning to a GFD. While the arsenic levels were well below acutely toxic concentrations, the clinical impact of chronic exposure to mildly elevated arsenic levels is unknown.</p>","PeriodicalId":7608,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Gastroenterology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142563757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jeremy Louissaint, Allison R Schulman, Elliot B Tapper
{"title":"The Role of Yes in Academic Medicine.","authors":"Jeremy Louissaint, Allison R Schulman, Elliot B Tapper","doi":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003126","DOIUrl":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003126","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7608,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Gastroenterology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142387273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond Depression and Anxiety in IBD: Forging a Path Towards Emotional Healing.","authors":"Maia A Chester, Laurie Keefer","doi":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000003125","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are chronic, often debilitating diseases characterized by inflammation of the digestive tract. IBDs affect up to 1% of the world's population and tend to be diagnosed in the second and third decades of life. In addition to physical burdens, IBDs have significant psychological manifestations stemming from bidirectional inflammatory and coping pathways and thus, are best understood from a biopsychosocial perspective. Though previous IBD literature has predominantly focused on traditional psychological comorbidities, such as anxiety and depression, recent studies have uncovered adjustment disorders, post-traumatic stress, and disordered eating as prevalent manifestations of the disease. This review will summarize the rates and postulated biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying these conditions to frame how cultivating resilience can protect against IBD symptoms and help forge a path towards emotional healing. We will also provide guidance to aid clinicians in screening for these conditions and creating a trauma-informed healthcare environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":7608,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Gastroenterology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142387266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maria José Temido, Sailish Honap, Anne Claire Bursztejn, Francisco Portela, Vipul Jairath, Silvio Danese, Ashley Spencer, Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet
{"title":"Drug-Induced Acne in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Practical Guide for the Gastroenterologist.","authors":"Maria José Temido, Sailish Honap, Anne Claire Bursztejn, Francisco Portela, Vipul Jairath, Silvio Danese, Ashley Spencer, Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet","doi":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003119","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000003119","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drug-induced acne is a common side effect to a wide array of pharmacological therapies and is characterized by a monomorphic, papulopustular eruption typically affecting the face, scalp, and the upper thorax. Corticosteroids and Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) are commonly used for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and are known to aggravate a prior tendency to acne or trigger the development of new acneiform eruptions. Recent attention on managing drug-induced acne has been driven by the increasing use of JAKi, an expanding therapeutic class in IBD and several other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Both randomized controlled trials and real-world studies have identified acne as one of the most common treatment-emergent adverse events in JAKi. Left untreated, this common skin reaction can significantly impact patient self-esteem and quality of life leading to poor treatment adherence and suboptimal IBD control. This review examines the characteristics of drug-induced acne in IBD treatments, provides a practical guide for gastroenterologists to manage mild to moderate occurrences, and highlights when to seek specialist dermatology advice. Such approaches enable early treatment of a common and often distressing adverse event and optimizes the management of IBD by preventing the premature discontinuation or dose reduction of efficacious IBD drugs.</p>","PeriodicalId":7608,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Gastroenterology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142387267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kai Gao, Huyi Jin, Yi Yang, Jiayu Li, Yuanliang He, Ruiyao Zhou, Wanting Zhang, Xiangrong Gao, Zongming Yang, Mengling Tang, Jianbing Wang, Ding Ye, Kun Chen, Mingjuan Jin
{"title":"Family History of Colorectal Cancer and the Risk of Colorectal Neoplasia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Kai Gao, Huyi Jin, Yi Yang, Jiayu Li, Yuanliang He, Ruiyao Zhou, Wanting Zhang, Xiangrong Gao, Zongming Yang, Mengling Tang, Jianbing Wang, Ding Ye, Kun Chen, Mingjuan Jin","doi":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000003120","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Although there is enough pooled evidence supporting the positive association between family history of colorectal cancer (CRC) in first-degree relatives (FDRs) and the risk of CRC, synthesized data on its association with the risk of other colorectal neoplasia are lacking. Therefore, we aimed to systematically assess this issue.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase from database inception through May 9, 2024, to identify observational studies investigating the association between family history of CRC in FDRs and the risk of colorectal neoplasia (excepting CRC). Adenoma, nonadvanced adenoma (NAA), advanced adenoma (AA), and advanced neoplasia (AN) were further chosen as main outcomes because of data availability. Random-effects model was used for data synthesis. Subgroup meta-analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness of results.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 5,172 initial records screened, 75 studies (with 931,515 participants) were identified for analysis. Family history of CRC in FDRs was associated with increased risk of adenoma (pooled odds ratio [OR] 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.46-1.91), NAA (pooled OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.21-1.51), AA (pooled OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.46-1.88), and AN (pooled OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.44-1.73). The positive associations persisted in all examined subgroups. The risk of adenoma (pooled OR 4.18, 95% CI 1.76-9.91), AA (pooled OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.72-3.40), and AN (pooled OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.68-2.38) was more evident among individuals with 2 or more affected FDRs.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Family history of CRC is associated with increased risk of adenoma, NAA, AA, and AN totally, and in all available subgroups. The findings further strengthen the necessity and importance of an intensified screening strategy for individuals with a positive family history of CRC, which is very useful for related health resource allocation and policymaking.</p>","PeriodicalId":7608,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Gastroenterology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142602606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Expected 8-Week Prenatal vs 12-Week Perinatal Tenofovir Alafenamide Prophylaxis to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus: A Multicenter, Prospective, Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial.","authors":"Qing-Lei Zeng, Yi-Hua Zhou, Xiao-Ping Dong, Ji-Yuan Zhang, Guang-Ming Li, Jiang-Hai Xu, Zhi-Min Chen, Ning Song, Hong-Xu Zhang, Ru-Yue Chen, Xue-Yan Lv, Shuo Huang, Wei-Zhe Li, Ya-Jie Pan, Ying-Hua Feng, Zhi-Qin Li, Guo-Fan Zhang, Wan-Bao Lin, Guo-Qiang Zhang, Guo-Tao Li, Wei Li, Yan-Li Zeng, Da-Wei Zhang, Guang-Lin Cui, Jun Lv, Yan-Min Liu, Hong-Xia Liang, Chang-Yu Sun, Fu-Sheng Wang, Zu-Jiang Yu","doi":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003122","DOIUrl":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003122","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The course of maternal antiviral prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV-MTCT) varies greatly, and it has not been demonstrated in a randomized controlled study.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial, eligible pregnant women with HBV DNA of 5.3-9.0 log 10 IU/mL who received tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) from the first day of 33 gestational weeks to delivery (expected 8 week) or to 4 weeks postpartum (expected 12 week) were randomly enrolled at a 1:1 ratio and followed until 6 months postpartum. All infants received standard immunoprophylaxis (hepatitis B immunoglobulin and vaccine). The primary end point was the safety of mothers and infants. The secondary end point was the HBV-MTCT rate of infants at the age of 7 months.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 119 and 120 intention-to-treat pregnant women, 115 and 116 women were followed until delivery, and 110 and 112 per-protocol mother-infant dyads in 2 groups completed the study. Overall, TAF was well tolerated, no one discontinued the therapy due to adverse events (0/239, 0%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0%-1.6%), and no infant had congenital defects or malformations at delivery (0/231, 0%, 95% CI 0%-1.6%). The infants' physical development at birth (n = 231) and at 7 months (n = 222) was normal. Furthermore, 97.0% (224/231, 95% CI 93.9%-98.5%) of women achieved HBV DNA <5.3 log 10 IU/mL at delivery. The intention-to-treat and per-protocol infants' HBV-MTCT rates were 7.1% (17/239, 95% CI 4.5%-11.1%) and 0% (0/222, 95% CI 0%-1.7%) at the age of 7 months. Comparatively, 15.1% (18/119, 95% CI 9.8%-22.7%) vs 18.3% (22/120, 95% CI 12.4%-26.2%) of women in the 2 groups had mildly elevated alanine aminotransferase levels at 3 months and 6 months postpartum, respectively ( P = 0.507); notably, no one experienced alanine aminotransferase flare (0% [0/119, 95% CI 0%-3.1%] vs 0% [0/120, 0%-3.1%]).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Maternal TAF prophylaxis to prevent HBV-MTCT is generally safe and effective, and expected 8-week prenatal duration is feasible. ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT04850950.</p>","PeriodicalId":7608,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Gastroenterology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142387269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ke Zhan, Yang Bai, Tianyu Liu, Xing Su, Qingqing Yang, Yang Liu, Xiangrong Zhou, Yichuan Zhang, Jianhua Tang, Zheng Jiang, Xin Yang, Weihui Liu
{"title":"Visual Endoscopic Retrograde Appendicitis Therapy versus Antibiotic Therapy for Treatment of Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis.","authors":"Ke Zhan, Yang Bai, Tianyu Liu, Xing Su, Qingqing Yang, Yang Liu, Xiangrong Zhou, Yichuan Zhang, Jianhua Tang, Zheng Jiang, Xin Yang, Weihui Liu","doi":"10.14309/ajg.0000000000003118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000003118","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Visual endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy (V-ERAT) involves a Single-use Video Scope, allowing real-time visualization of the appendiceal lumen during the procedure to treat uncomplicated acute appendicitis (AA). This study aims to compare V-ERAT to antibiotic therapy in treating uncomplicated AA.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This multicenter, retrospective cohort study was conducted at nine hospitals in China from August 2021 to July 2023. Propensity score matching was performed to minimize selection bias. A total of 692 uncomplicated AA patients were included, with 188 undergoing V-ERAT and 504 receiving antibiotic therapy. The primary outcome was treatment success rate. The secondary outcomes included recurrent appendicitis rate, the appendectomy rate during the initial hospitalization, length of initial hospitalization, time to disease recurrence, and overall adverse events.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The treatment success rate did not differ between the V-ERAT and antibiotic groups (93.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 89.1% to 96.7% vs. 90.5%; 95% CI, 87.6% to 92.9%) ( P = 0.225). However, V-ERAT demonstrated a significantly lower risk of appendicitis recurrence compared to antibiotic therapy during the follow-up (log-rank P < 0.001), with a hazard ratio of 0.14 (95% CI 0.07-0.29, P < 0.001). V-ERAT was associated with a lower appendectomy rate during the initial hospitalization (4.3%; 95% CI, 1.9% to 8.2% vs. 9.5%; 95% CI, 7.1 to 12.4%) (P = 0.027), a shorter length of initial hospitalization (3 [IQR, 3-4] vs. 4 [IQR, 4-6] days, P < 0.001), and a longer time to recurrence (269 [IQR, 210-318] vs. 70 [IQR, 21-103] days, P < 0.001). The overall adverse event rates did not differ between the two groups (log-rank P = 0.064).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>V-ERAT appears to be a safe and effective alternative to antibiotic therapy in treating uncomplicated AA, significantly reducing the risk of appendicitis recurrence.</p>","PeriodicalId":7608,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Gastroenterology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142387274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}