The American journal of gastroenterology
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jun 2012
The diagnostic accuracy of fecal calprotectin during the investigation of suspected pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.
Fecal calprotectin (FC) is elevated in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Studies evaluating FC during the initial investigation of children with suspected IBD have been limited, especially with regard to their small patient groups. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of FC in a large regional cohort of children undergoing full upper and lower endoscopy for suspected IBD, comparing FC with six common blood parameters. ⋯ This study demonstrates that FC is an invaluable tool in determining those children who may require endoscopy for suspected IBD, and elevated values should prompt further investigation.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jun 2012
Review Meta AnalysisAcupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Evidence-based treatment guidelines have been unable to provide evidence-based guidance on the effects of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) because the only previous systematic review included only small, heterogeneous, and methodologically unsound trials. We conducted a new systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to estimate the effects of acupuncture for treating IBS. ⋯ Sham-controlled RCTs have found no benefits of acupuncture relative to a credible sham acupuncture control on IBS symptom severity or IBS-related quality of life. In comparative effectiveness Chinese trials, patients reported greater benefits from acupuncture than from pharmacological therapies. Future trials may help clarify whether or not these reportedly greater benefits of acupuncture relative to pharmacological therapies are due entirely to patients' preferences for acupuncture or patients' greater expectations of improvement on acupuncture relative to drugs.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jun 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialSaccharomyces boulardii for the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in adult hospitalized patients: a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) and Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) are common complications of antibiotic use. Probiotics were effective in preventing AAD and CDAD in several randomized controlled trials. This study was aimed at testing the effect of Saccharomyces boulardii on the occurrence of AAD and CDAD in hospitalized patients. ⋯ In elderly hospitalized patients, S. boulardii was not effective in preventing the development of AAD.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jun 2012
Relationship between gallbladder surgery and ethnic admixture in African American and Hispanic American women.
The objective of this study was to investigate whether differences in admixture in African American and Hispanic American adult women are associated with differences in gallbladder surgery. ⋯ AMI admixture is strongly associated with gallbladder surgery in women, even after adjustment for selected risk factors for cholelithiasis. Additional studies to ascertain the specific genetic risk factors underlying these associations are warranted.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jun 2012
Incidence of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome and functional intestinal disorders following a water-borne viral gastroenteritis outbreak.
Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS) may develop in 4-31% of affected patients following bacterial gastroenteritis (GE), but limited information is available on long-term outcome of viral GE. During summer 2009, a massive outbreak of viral GE associated with contamination of municipal drinking water (Norovirus) occurred in San Felice del Benaco (Lake Garda, Italy). To investigate the natural history of a community outbreak of viral GE, and to assess the incidence of PI-IBS and functional gastrointestinal disorders, we carried out a prospective population-based cohort study with a control group. ⋯ Our study provides evidence that Norovirus GE leads to the development of PI-IBS in a substantial proportion of patients (13%), similar to that reported after bacterial GE.