University Of Michigan Ann Arbor

ORLANDO — Knowing who to test, when to test and the implications of genetic testing give gastroenterologists the opportunity to proactively manage their patients with colorectal cancer, according to one expert at the GI Pathophysiology Course preceding the World Congress of Gastroenterology at ACG 2017.

The comparison of peripheral chronic total occlusions and coronary CTOs is like comparing apples to oranges.

The latest Republican legislation attempting to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act drafted by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy, MD, (R-La.), and thus deemed the Graham-Cassidy proposal, has gained growing disapproval from several health care organizations, including the AMA and the American College of Physicians.

Health care has seen an explosion of information that is approaching the order of yottabytes (1,024 gigabytes). Although randomized controlled trials are the only true way to establish causation, the use of observational big data can be less expensive, can evaluate the heterogeneity of treatment effect and can give feedback about ongoing processes. Other specialties (cardiology, transplant surgery, etc.) have established robust registries to record and evaluate patients’ outcomes, but orthopedic surgery has mostly lagged, save for some arthroplasty registries (Michigan Arthroplasty Registry Collaborative Quality Initiative, AJRR), which have shown promising results. Most health databases queried today (Medicare, National Inpatient Sample, etc.) use administrative data, which are not specific to orthopedic surgery, and thus lack laterality, implant type and specific orthopedic diagnostic/classification. To make robust conclusions and recommendations which the public demands, we, as a specialty, need to take ownership of not only the data, but also its evaluation. There has been good initial work by Saleh and Shaha looking at existing big data through an orthopedic lens. In “big data” articles by Shaha and colleagues and Anoushiravani and colleagues, the benefits and challenges of using these data were highlighted, as well as the potential to improve both health care quality and value through the development of national orthopedic registries. To accomplish this, we must collaborate not only with those outside of our field, such as in economics, social sciences and other medical specialties, but also collaborate across traditional institutional lines to develop resources and relationships if we are to be successful in this important enterprise going forward.

A quarter of women with early-stage breast cancer and a favorable prognosis strongly considered undergoing contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, according to a study published in Cancer.

In the current era of increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacillary infections, previously shelved last-line therapies, such as the polymyxin agents colistin and polymyxin B, have made an obligatory comeback. Polymyxin B is emerging as the polymyxin with the most favorable and predictable pharmacokinetics, and it more rapidly achieves therapeutic serum levels than does colistin. Additionally, recent reports suggest that the nephrotoxicity potential of polymyxin B might be less than that of colistin. Despite these favorable characteristics, polymyxin B is not available in many parts of the world, and current and past clinical use of colistin has been much greater than polymyxin B in the United States and worldwide. Furthermore, there is much less information available on the pharmacology and clinical outcomes with polymyxin B. Because it has been the preferred polymyxin, this article will focus on dosing of colistin.

Results showed the type of post-acute care setting for patients who underwent total hip replacement was associated with a wide variation in Medicare spending and that was also the case for coronary artery bypass grafting and colectomy.

In a 2015 publication, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine reported 100,000 to 250,000 ACL ruptures occur annually, and most occur during sporting activities, such as basketball, soccer, skiing and football. Despite advances in ACL surgery, some patients never make it back to sport or usual function. This can be due to technical failure with the treatment or other circumstances, sources told Orthopedics Today.

CHICAGO — FDgard, a medical food containing caraway oil/l-Menthol designed to help manage functional dyspepsia, showed symptom reduction and relief in patients with functional dyspepsia within 24 hours, according to findings presented at Digestive Disease Week.

CHICAGO — In this exclusive video from Digestive Disease Week, Grace H. Elta, MD, Chair of the DDW Council and faculty member at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, discusses a meeting organized by the AGA Committee for Gender and Diversity, which focused on gender and minority inequities in gastroenterology and medicine in general.