Falsified IBS Data; Patients’ Top Choice for CRC Screening; Fertility and IBD Drugs

Two women from Florida pleaded guilty in connection to a conspiracy to falsify data for clinical trials evaluating therapies for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), among other conditions, the Department of Justice announced.

Doctors Without Borders and health workers in South Sudan carried out the first vaccination campaign to control an outbreak of hepatitis E. (Lancet Infectious Diseases)

Fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) every 3 years was most preferred for colorectal caner (CRC) screening among unscreened individuals ages 40 and up, survey data indicated. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

From 2008 to 2018, U.S. mortality from variceal upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage declined overall, but Black individuals remained at significantly higher risk for death compared to white and Hispanic patients. (JAMA Network Open)

A large randomized trial from China lends further support for the inclusion of artificial intelligence in CRC screening. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

Genome-wide association studies showed significant genetic overlap with a correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and gastrointestinal tract disorders. (Communications Biology)

Calls for a shift to redefine non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as metabolic associated fatty liver disease could result in the exclusion of lean patients with NAFLD, a meta-analysis suggested. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

Taiwanese researchers say their country’s hepatitis B vaccination and antiviral program could serve as a model for hitting the World Health Organization’s goal of eliminating hepatitis B by 2030. (JAMA Network Open)

In the largest U.S. study of its kind, researchers take a comprehensive look at the various gastrointestinal manifestations in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. (Gastro Hep Advances)

Commonly used drugs for inflammatory bowel disease in men were not associated with male fertility impairment or with adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to a meta-analysis. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

Ten-year outcomes after liver transplantation were “excellent” for hepatocellular carcinoma patients whose disease was successfully downstaged to within Milan criteria, validating national downstaging policies. (JAMA Surgery)