Falk Gastro Info 10/2023

Placebo-controlled trial for 6-mercaptopurine for the treatment of ulcerative colitis: Optimized 6-mercaptopurine treatment including regular dose adjustments was superior to placebo in achieving clinical, endoscopic and histological outcomes at week 52 following corticosteroid induction treatment.

Preoperative treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer: In patients eligible for sphincter-sparing surgery, preoperative FOLFOX was non-inferior to preoperative chemoradiotherapy with respect to disease-free survival.

Risk of parenterally transmitted hepatitis following invasive procedures: The Italian surveillance registry for acute viral hepatitis shows that even in the 21st century, surgical and endoscopic procedures are associated with a significantly increased risk of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infection.

Diabetes and risk of progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): A large, multicenter cohort study of well-characterized participants with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and paired liver biopsies demonstrates that fibrosis progresses faster in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared with people without T2DM.

Quantifying the benefit of non-selective beta-blockers in the prevention of liver decompensation: A Bayesian reanalysis of clinical trial data suggests that 500 to 1600 decompensation-free years per 1000 patients can be gained by prevention with non-selective beta-blockers.

No association of proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) intake and incident dementia: In a prospective cohort study with more than 18.000 older adults ≥ 65 years there were no associations between use of PPI or histamine-2 receptor antagonists and incident dementia or cognitive decline over time.

Hemostatic powder for gastrointestinal tumor bleeding: The hemostatic powder TC-325 results in greater immediate hemostasis followed by lower 30-day rebleeding rates when compared to standard endoscopic therapy in a randomized multicenter trial.