(Press-News.org) CHICAGO, IL (May 9, 2011) — Research being presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) focuses attention on the needs of pediatric patients, including screening for obesity and raising awareness of the increase risk of functional gastrointestinal disorders in athletes. Additional research emphasizes the need for more research in treating pediatric liver disease patients and shows the benefit of using smaller colonoscopies in young patients. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
"When coordinating the medical care of children, it is important for healthcare practitioners to remember that their bodies are not like adults'," said Miriam Vos, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. "Research into the screening, diagnosis and treatment of children with gastrointestinal illnesses is allowing us to better treat and manage our youngest patients to ensure better outcomes of care and higher quality of life."
Body Mass Index Screening Starting Between Ages Two to Five Years Impacts Obesity and Related Morbidity Better than Current Recommendations (Abstract #Mo1347)
Current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines recommend that children six to 18 years old should be screened for obesity and, if needed, referred for more comprehensive therapy. However, recent research evaluating children ages two to 21 found that those aged two to five years responded nearly seven times more favorably than older children after completion of six months in the same obesity program. Investigators employed a multidisciplinary behavioral intervention program to treat pediatric obesity. Patients and caregivers were taught behavior change techniques such as goal setting, accountability, self-monitoring and stimulus control.
Dr. Sather will present these data on Monday, May 9 at 8:00 a.m. CT in Hall A, McCormick Place.
A prospective clinical trial shows that intravenous N-acetylcysteine (NAC) does not improve survival in pediatric patients with non-Acetaminophen acute liver failure (Abstract #622)
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is the treatment of choice for patients with Acetaminophen toxicity, especially when associated with liver failure, but a new study shows it does not benefit children with acute liver failure who do not have acute Acetaminophen toxicity. Investigators sought to learn whether NAC would benefit children with acute liver failure that is not caused by Acetaminophen, and whether children given NAC had improved survival at one year, including those who received a liver transplant. Previous studies suggested NAC might be helpful, but investigators found that not only was it not helpful, but children under 2 fared worse than those who received the placebo.
Dr. Squires will present these data on Monday, May 9 at 8:30 a.m. CT in S105, McCormick Place.
Division I College Athletes of the Highest Intensity Sports Have More Functional GI Disorders (Abstract #Su1346)
College athletes involved in the highest intensity sports—such as crew, lacrosse and swimming—have more functional gastrointestinal disorders than their peers in other sports or general college students. They found that up to 60 percent of athletes on the university's Division 1 crew, lacrosse and swim teams experienced at least one symptom of a gastrointestinal (GI) problem, from constipation or diarrhea to abdominal bloating or pain. By comparison, half of non-athletes and less than 35 percent of athletes across all Drexel teams reported any GI symptom.
Dr. Eva Alsheik will present these data, on Sunday, May 8, at 12:00 p.m. CT in South Hall, McCormick Place.
Experience with the new ultrathin pediatric colonoscope: A case series (Abstract #Sa1608)
Researchers studying a new ultra-thin colonoscope (UT-CS) that was specially designed for infants and toddlers found it had excellent insertability and operability, and that the children did not suffer any complications related to the colonoscopy. Investigators used a colonoscope with an insertion diameter of 6.5mm, an outside diameter of the tip of 5.0mm, an accessory channel diameter of 2.0mm, a working length of 1100mm, and a 4-way angulation. The successful outcomes are important because previously there was no dedicated colonoscope for infants and toddlers. Dr. Nakayama cautioned that the pediatric colonoscope should be used only by a trained pediatric endoscopist who has extensive experience with conventional colonoscopes.
Dr. Nakayama will present these data on Saturday, May 7 at 8:00 a.m. CT in Hall A, McCormick Place.
###
Digestive Disease Week® 2011 (DDW®) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the AGA Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, DDW takes place May 7 – May 10, 2011 in Chicago, IL. The meeting showcases more than 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology.
END
Even short-term use of some painkillers could be dangerous for people who've had a heart attack, according to research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers analyzed the duration of prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) treatment and cardiovascular risk in a nationwide Danish cohort of patients with prior heart attack. They found the use of NSAIDs was associated with a 45 percent increased risk of death or recurrent heart attack within as little as one week of treatment, and a 55 percent increased risk ...
Overall, roughly half of U.S. children taken to hospital emergency departments (EDs) for a head injury receive a head CT scan, often to ease worried parents' concerns. Yet true traumatic brain injury is uncommon. A multi-center study of more than 40,000 children with minor blunt head trauma, led by Children's Hospital Boston and UC Davis, shows that allowing a period of observation can reduce the use of head CT by as much as half without compromising care – and without exposing children to ionizing radiation. Results appear in the June 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published ...
Despite the fact that silver has made less than optimistic headlines over the last few days, analysts predict that, in the medium to long term, the metal will continue to rise in value. Silver trading has been volatile recently, but the underlying economic and political conditions, that have supported its meteoric rise, remain unchanged. Debt issues in the US and many European countries have not disappeared, and the US dollar remains weak, following a brief rebound in the wake of the news of Bin Laden's death. Inflation fears also remain high, indicating continued support ...
Older, sicker heart-transplant recipients are significantly more likely to be alive a year after their operations if they have their transplants at hospitals that do a large number of them annually new Johns Hopkins research suggests. These patients fare less well at low-volume centers, the research shows.
The findings, to be presented May 9 at the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons' annual meeting in Philadelphia, add more support to the notion that patients do better when treated at medical centers that handle a higher number of cases similar to theirs.
"There's ...
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 9, 2011 – Unrealistic and uninformed media portrayals of weight not only can negatively influence individual behavior, but can impact how policymakers approach issues of weight and health. The result, according to experts from the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance and the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), is a continued belief that these issues are largely a matter of personal responsibility and that little can or should be done in policy to address them.
Susan Dentzer, editor of Health Affairs, moderated a panel ...
Joe Altman, president of Altmans Winnebago, announced today that the Altman family has made the difficult decision to wind down their dealership operations beginning today, May 6, 2010.
In 1971, Altmans opened its doors in Baldwin Park, California and grew to become a trusted fixture within the RV industry.
"Our family has experienced 40 years of great and challenging times," notes Altman, "but current market conditions suggest it's time to end this chapter of our business."
Over the next month or so, Altmans will be liquidating the remaining ...
Los Angeles, CA (APRIL XX, 2011) Despite contrary belief, reducing unemployment in locations with active insurgencies does not decrease the rate of insurgent attacks against government and allied forces. Additionally, it was found that unemployment in these same locations also had no impact in reducing the deaths of civilians.
A new study released in the recent issue of the Journal of Conflict Resolution (published by SAGE) found that there is no correlation that aiding countries with high rates of unemployed young men leads to a decrease in political violence. Additionally, ...
New Haven, Conn. —Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in South Korea affect an estimated 2.64% of the population of school-age children, equivalent to 1 in 38 children, according to the first comprehensive study of autism prevalence using a total population sample. The study—conducted by Young-Shin Kim, M.D., of the Yale Child Study Center and her colleagues in the U.S., Korea and Canada—identifies children not yet diagnosed and has the potential to increase autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates worldwide.
ASDs are complex neurobiological disorders that inhibit a ...
ASG Dine, a leading distributor of strategic risk management and employee benefits solutions for the restaurant and food service industries, has announced an exclusive partnership with Walmart to offer discounted prescription pharmaceuticals to our customers and corporate partners.
The program provides a company's employees with access to more than 300 different prescription pharmaceuticals for just $4/prescription with a 30-day supply, and only $10/prescription with a 90-day supply. Prescription drugs that are currently not included in the program will still maintain ...
In the first large trial of its kind in the United States, researchers have shown that estrogen-lowering drugs can shrink tumors and reduce mastectomy rates for patients with stage 2 or 3 breast cancer.
Patients with these larger breast tumors have two options, says Matthew J. Ellis, MD, PhD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and principal investigator of the trial conducted by the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group. "One option is to undergo mastectomy. The second is to receive medication before surgery to reduce the size of the tumor ...
