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Gastroenterology news

Liver transplant linked to significantly extended survival for alcohol-associated disease yet access is not equitable

People with alcohol-associated liver disease who received a liver transplant survived years longer than those who did not, but there are disparities in which patients receive a transplant. A large study published in Alcohol: ...

Cannabis use linked to higher death rates in people with alcohol-associated hepatitis

People with alcohol-associated hepatitis are more likely to die from the disease if they use cannabis. A large multinational study just published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research is the first to identify active ...

Common gut virus infects bacteria—not human cells

Thriving alongside trillions of bacteria in the human digestive tract is a vast population of viruses. Ever since one such denizen of the gut microbiome, known as picobirnavirus, was first spotted decades ago, researchers ...

Improve IBD bowel checks for early cancer detection

The first U.K.-wide analysis of bowel screening for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has identified opportunities to improve the early detection of cancer. The study—the largest of its kind globally—found that ...

Genetic marker may flag severe IBD earlier in some patients

In the largest genetic study of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) traits to date, researchers have identified a genetic marker associated with more severe ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease—the major forms of IBD.

Megacolon: When constipation becomes something more serious

The colon is about one and a half meters long and plays a vital role in moving waste through the body. In rare cases, it can become so stretched that it begins to lose its ability to work properly, like an elastic band that ...

Engineers find a way to deliver drugs directly to the esophagus

There are few treatment options available for people with disorders of the esophagus. Delivering drugs directly to this part of the body is difficult, so patients are usually treated with systemic drugs, which can have unwanted ...