‘Constipation Cookies’; Antibiotics and IBS; Primary Biliary Cholangitis Guidelines

A gastroenterologist shared her recipe for “constipation cookies,” the key being fiber-rich ingredients. (Washington Post)

Can blowing bubbles while on the toilet help with constipation? (Today)

The controversial CDC-backed hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau has been halted, the lead researcher said. (The Guardian)

An individualized prehabilitation program involving exercise and dietary changes may improve the chances that liver transplant candidates survive to receive an organ, according to research in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Research presented at the annual United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week meeting linked antibiotic use in childhood and young adulthood to increased odds of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

In other research from UEG Week:

• Gilead Sciences announced promising phase II data on its investigational oral α4β7 integrin inhibitor emvistegrast for ulcerative colitis.
• And AbbVie presented findings of a phase IIa trial in Crohn’s disease of a novel therapy that targets interleukin (IL)-23 and integrin α4β7 (ABBV-466), showing higher endoscopic remission rates compared with anti-IL-23 or anti-α4β7 alone.

In other drug development news, pharmaceutical company Cosmo said its placebo-controlled phase II trial of rifamycin 1% topical gel met its primary endpoint of improving clinical remission rates for patients with mildly to moderately active distal ulcerative colitis and ulcerative proctitis.

The International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) reviewed updated treatment targets in IBD. (Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology)

A scoping review lent support for population screening for celiac disease. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

Are ultraprocessed foods linked with colorectal cancer? It’s complicated. (PLoS Medicine)

Screening colonoscopy could be a good opportunity to non-invasively check for steatotic liver disease. (American Journal of Gastroenterology)

Simedeutirom, a novel thyroid hormone receptor-beta agonist, showed promise in a Chinese phase II trial of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. (Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology)

Can body composition changes on abdominal CT imaging help detect pancreatic cancer earlier? (Pancreatology)

The American Gastroenterological Association and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases published joint guidelines on the management of primary biliary cholangitis. (Hepatology)

Over 500 people in South Africa have fallen ill from a gastrointestinal illness that causes stomach cramps and diarrhea, which authorities are blaming on poor water quality in two cities. (AP)