Expert Position Statement: Defining the Role of Intestinal Ultrasound in Assessing Constipation and Faecal Loading.

Background: Intestinal ultrasound has been proposed as a tool to assess non-inflammatory functional gastrointestinal disorders, including constipation and faecal loading. However, well-defined sonographic criteria for these conditions are currently lacking.

Aim: To identify and establish specific sonographic parameters that could be used to assess constipation and faecal loading with intestinal ultrasound.

Determining efficacy of dynamic multimedia bowel preparation instructions versus standard instructions on adenoma detection and patient reported measures (DIGICLEAN trial): a study protocol for a multicentre, colonoscopist-blinded, randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Colonoscopy plays important roles in bowel cancer screening and treatment. Poor bowel preparation occurs in 20-25% of colonoscopies. This negatively impacts adenoma and sessile serrated lesion detection rates, procedural time, requirement for repeat colonoscopies, healthcare costs and likelihood of patient withdrawal from screening programmes.

Safety of drugs used for the treatment of Crohn's disease.

Introduction: Medications in treating Crohn's disease (CD) have evolved over the last two decades, particularly with the use of biologic agents. There are, however, concerns about the safety and adverse events associated with these medications. The authors review the safety profile of immunosuppressive medications used in Crohn's disease in adult patients.

A Global Survey of Gastroenterologists' Travel Advice to Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease on Immunosuppressive Agents and Management of Those Visiting Tuberculosis-Endemic Areas.

Background: With increasing use of biological therapies and immunosuppressive agents, patients with inflammatory bowel disease[IBD] have improved clinical outcome and international travel in this group is becoming common. Adequate pre-travel advice is important. We aim to determine the proportion of gastroenterologists who provided pre-travel advice, and to assess their management strategies for patients on biological therapies visiting tuberculosis[TB]-endemic areas.

Entyvio lengthen dose-interval study: lengthening vedolizumab dose interval and the risk of clinical relapse in inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: Vedolizumab (VDZ), an α4β7 anti-integrin antibody, is efficacious in the induction and maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). In the GEMINI long-term safety study, enrolled patients received 4-weekly VDZ. Upon completion, patients were switched to 8-weekly VDZ in Australia.

α-Methyldopa-induced hepatitis during the postpartum period.

A 34-year-old woman, with a history of pre-eclampsia, was diagnosed with α-methyldopa-induced hepatotoxicity, after she presented with severe jaundice and hepatitis 8 weeks following delivery. Laboratory investigations and liver biopsy ruled out other causes of hepatitis. She continued to improve clinically after cessation of α-methyldopa, and was discharged 10 days after admission.

Instituting surveillance guidelines and adverse outcomes in preeclampsia.

Objective: To assess the incidence of combined adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes in women with preeclampsia before and after introducing standardized assessment and surveillance.

Methods: This study was a preintervention (retrospective) compared with a postintervention (prospective) cohort comparison in a single-tertiary, perinatal unit that included women admitted to hospital with preeclampsia. We interrogated an existing retrospective 24-month database and then introduced the guidelines, assessing the incidence of the combined adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes for 41 months (September 2003 through February 2007).