Falk Gastro Info 7/2023

Effect of pre-resection biopsies on detection of advanced dysplasia in large non-pedunculated colorectal polyps: Analysis of a large cohort of non-pedunculated polyps ≥ 20 mm indicates that routine pre-resection biopsies prior to endoscopic mucosa resection (EMR) do not reliably detect advanced dysplasia but may negatively affect the EMR complexity.

Prevalence of colorectal neoplasia 10 or more years after a negative screening colonoscopy: The results of a German cross-sectional study suggest that the prevalence of advanced neoplasia detected in screening colonoscopies conducted 10 or more years after a negative screening endoscopy is rather low, especially in female and younger participants without gastrointestinal symptoms.

Progress towards elimination of viral hepatitis: A recent WHO-initiated study indicates that hepatitis C mortality is declining due to a 10-fold increase in antiviral therapies. However, nearly 90% of global hepatitis B virus infections and nearly 80% of hepatitis C virus infections have not yet been diagnosed and this represents a major obstacle towards global elimination of viral hepatitis.

Semaglutide 2.4 mg for 48 weeks does not result in regression of cirrhosis in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): A recent, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial in patients with NASH and cirrhosis showed that semaglutide for 48 weeks significantly improved obesity, diabetes mellitus and transaminases. However, this did not translate to any regression of cirrhosis, at least during the 48-week study period.

Rifaximin as treatment option for alcohol-associated hepatitis: Severe alcohol-associated hepatitis is associated with a high mortality rate, mainly due to complications such as sepsis, liver failure and gastrointestinal bleeding. A recent meta-analysis indicates that rifaximin treatment is associated with a lower infection rate while it did not significantly reduce mortality. Randomized controlled trials should evaluate the benefit of rifaximin with or without prednisolone in this serious condition.

Dual therapy with vonoprazan and amoxicillin as first-line therapy of Helicobacter pylori infection: Dual therapy with high-dose amoxicillin and vonoprazan for 10 days provided satisfactory eradication rates > 90%, lower rates of adverse events and similar adherence compared to conventional bismuth-containing quadruple therapy in a randomized trial.