The American journal of gastroenterology
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Scientific and medical authors tend to be biased toward submitting "statistically significant" findings for publication. Journals show a similar bias in publishing such "positive" studies. ⋯ Failing to publish studies that do not show a treatment or exposure effect creates a literature conspicuously absent of trials necessary for unbiased meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Furthermore, by shelving or rejecting studies with nonstatistically significant outcomes, authors and editors censor the most important contributors to medical research: our consenting volunteers.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jul 2008
Nurse-administered propofol sedation for upper endoscopic ultrasonography.
Limited data exist regarding the safety of nurse-administered propofol sedation (NAPS) for advanced endoscopy. ⋯ NAPS for upper EUS is safe and may be performed without major complications. Four patients (0.5%) required assisted ventilation. Minor complications occurred in 21% of patients, but were not associated with patient age, propofol dose, or procedure time.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jun 2008
A national survey of the prevalence and impact of Clostridium difficile infection among hospitalized inflammatory bowel disease patients.
We sought to determine nationwide, population-based trends in rates of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection among hospitalized inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in the United States, and to determine its mortality and economic impact. ⋯ C. difficile infection is a growing public health issue among hospitalized IBD patients, especially those with UC, and is associated with higher mortality and resource utilization, prompting the need for better preventative measures and early detection.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jun 2008
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Controlled Clinical TrialComparison of an established simple office-based immunological FOBT with fecal tumor pyruvate kinase type M2 (M2-PK) for colorectal cancer screening: prospective multicenter study.
The immunological fecal occult blood test (IFOBT) has established itself as a more precise marker for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening than traditional guaiac-based FOBT. The simpler, cheaper, and more convenient newer office-based IFOBTs have been validated for diagnosing CRC. Dimeric isoenzyme of pyruvate kinase, M2-PK, expressed by tumor cells, has as well been proposed as a screening tool for CRC. This is the first study comparing fecal M2-PK as a screening biomarker for CRC against previously evaluated office-based IFOBT and colonoscopy. ⋯ This office-based IFOBT was found to have significantly higher specificity, PPV, and positive LR as compared with M2-PK. IFOBT proved to be a convenient, noncumbersome, quick, and cheap tool in patients with above-average risk for detection of CRN.