Don Rockey

..CONCLUSIONS: Air-contrast barium enema accurately detects colon cancer and diverticula. Its sensitivity for detection of polypoid lesions or adenomas is poor and was confounded by the presence of diverticula...

..Computed tomographic (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) colonography are new noninvasive techniques to examine the colon...

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..To identify potential biomarkers of fibrosis, we compared serum protein expression profiles in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) virus infection and fibrosis...

..The development of safe, inexpensive, and reliable noninvasive fibrosis measurement tools remains a research priority in clinical hepatology...

..Both groups of patients are clinically challenging and require a focused and experienced team approach to diagnosis and therapy...

..Preclinical studies have indicated several putative therapies that might abrogate fibrogenesis. This article emphasizes mechanisms underlying fibrogenesis and reviews available and future therapeutics...

..Computed tomographic colonography is a new and noninvasive method to evaluate the colon. The goal of this review is to discuss the latest data and define outstanding issues related to computed tomographic colonography...

..Given the central role of stellate cell activation in hepatic fibrogenesis (and portal hypertension), effective therapy for hepatic fibrogenesis is most likely will be directed at this event...

..Although much about CT colonography has already been learned, more remains to be learned in the future...

..The aggregate data has not only helped lead to an understanding of the pathophysiologic basis of hepatic fibrogenesis, but it has also provided an important context with which to base novel antifibrotic therapy...

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..In this Review the causes, diagnostic evaluation and treatment of occult and obscure gastrointestinal bleeding are discussed...

..Accordingly, a more objective, reliable, and reproducible means of assessing DILI causality is still needed...

..For primary and secondary prevention of esophageal variceal hemorrhage, beta-blockers remain the mainstay therapy...

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..3, Table 2). In patients who have aggressive bleeding or recurrent bleeding, it is critical for the practitioner to judge when angiography and surgery are necessary...

..We conclude that therapeutic endoscopy can be performed safely for early bleeding after RYGBP. In patients with early bleeding after RYGBP, use of endoclips is mechanistically preferable to other options...

..Data on the number of individuals eligible for screening, and rates of screening, are necessary to assess national colorectal cancer screening efforts. Such data are sparse for safety-net health systems...

..there would be differences in practice patterns among different groups of endoscopists...

..Patient and physician behavior are influenced by personal beliefs and prior experience. Thus, we aimed to understand patient and physician preferences after finding polyps on CT colonography...

..We hypothesized that size measurement by CT colonography varies substantially compared with measurement by other methods...

..Patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, fecal occult blood, and/or weight loss should undergo endoscopy...

..This report summarizes the causes, clinical features, and outcomes from the first 300 patients enrolled...

..To the extent that transient elastography is able to measure "liver stiffness," which is proportional to the degree of liver fibrosis, this technique holds great promise...

..Although early colonoscopy appears to shorten hospital length of stay, prospective studies of inpatient colonoscopy are needed to determine the impact of this approach on outcomes...

..Thus, decisions concerning care for patients with acute LGIB should be based on individual experience and local expertise...

..Further studies are needed to clarify the role of PHG in suspected chronic gastrointestinal bleeding...

..This work implies that, to achieve comparable gene expression in the injured liver, higher adenoviral titers may be required, an important consideration as gene therapy in disease states is considered...

..Follow-up evaluation of positive FOBT in the absence of GI bleeding symptoms was very low. Low utilization and follow-up rates may limit the utility of admission DRE with FOBT for cancer screening...

..We speculate that TGF-beta signaling proceeds through differential signaling pathways depending on the mechanism of liver injury that leads to stellate cell activation...

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..The data imply a relationship between hepatic fibrogenesis or fibrosis and vasomotor responses...

..02) inflammatory grade (P=.02), and fibrosis (P=.07). Six months of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet led to significant weight loss and histologic improvement of fatty liver disease. Further research is into this approach is warranted...

..As the potential of this or other similar compounds for treatment of portal hypertension is evaluated, effects on the systemic vasculature will also need to be considered...

..We aimed to evaluate the ability of capsule endoscopy (CE) to detect small intestine (SI) lesions, especially SI varices, in patients with intrahepatic cirrhosis, portal hypertension (PHTN), and chronic anemia...

..We hypothesized that a noninvasive test of liver fibrosis can accurately stage liver fibrosis. We prospectively evaluated the FIBROSpect II (FSII) biomarker panel versus pathology assessment and a quantitative measure of fibrosis...

..This article emphasizes mechanisms underlying fibrogenesis, and reviews current antifibrotic therapies as well as potential future approaches...

..Such findings have major translational implications for therapeutic strategies aimed at TGF-beta...

..Many hospitalized anemic patients do not undergo appropriate evaluation. We hypothesized that specific clinical variables were likely to be important in triggering evaluation for iron deficiency anemia...

..Treatment for vascularectasias, the most common cause of obscure GI bleeding, is currently inadequate,and typically requires a combination of multiple management approaches...

..Surgery offers the opportunity for definitive therapy at the cost of higher morbidity. At this time, the approach to evaluation and management should be based on the specific clinical situation and available local expertise...

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..We investigated whether iron deficiency, with or without anemia, is associated with an increased likelihood of gastrointestinal malignancy...

..Up-regulation of leptin signaling in liver injury could contribute to enhanced fibrogenesis, particularly in states in which leptin levels are high...

..To retrospectively evaluate if false-negative interpretations at computed tomographic (CT) colonography are due to observer error...

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..This finding has important implications for physicians considering different colon imaging tests...

..The data highlight a critical role for PPARgamma during in vivo fibrogenesis and emphasize the importance of the PPARgamma pathway in stellate cells during liver injury...

..Thus, an important mechanism underlying impaired activity of eNOS in injured sinusoidal endothelial cells is defective phosphorylation of Akt caused by overexpression of GRK2 after injury...

..It is clear that CTC has great promise, but also that many questions about its use remain to be answered...

..No viable tumor was identified in the explanted liver. This case establishes that long-term complications associated with PSC and biliary-enteric surgery such as CCA may become apparent in new grafts post-transplant...

..Anticoagulation and antiplatelet medications may potentiate GI bleeding, and their use may lead to an increased need for a GI endoscopy. We hypothesized that there might be different practice patterns among international endoscopists...

..These studies have direct relevance to human liver disease and will lead to new approaches for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension as well as other forms of fibrosing injury. ..

..Physiologic endpoints will be an important focus. The proposed studies will shed light on the molecular basis of stellate cell contractility and moreover have direct relevance to human liver disease. ..

..These studies have direct relevance to human liver disease and will lead to new approaches for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension as well as other forms of fibrosing injury. ..

..These studies have direct relevance to human liver disease and will lead to new approaches for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension as well as other forms of fibrosing injury. ..

..This leads to intestinal bleeding and severe clinical consequences. This proposal aims to understand the cause of elevated resistance to blood flow and would shed light on potential treatments for this problem. ..

..These studies have direct relevance to human liver disease and are likely to lead to new approaches for the treatment of portal hypertension, hepatic fibrosis and possibly other forms of fibrosing injury. ..

..The information gained from this study is expected to form the basis for national policy and decision making with reward to colonic imaging tests. ..

..The dates of the entire AASLD scientific meeting are November 3rd to November 5th. The participants will be invited speakers and attendees of the annual 2002 AASLD meeting. ..

..These studies have direct relevance to human liver disease and will lead to new approaches for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension as well as other forms of fibrosing injury. ..