Dr. Michel Kahaleh Chosen to Present 3 Oral Presentations at DDW
April 27, 2007 - Dr. Michel Kahaleh has been chosen to present 3 oral presentations during the upcoming American Gastroenterology Association's prestigious annual conference; Digestive Diseases Week (DDW) May 19 - 24, the world's largest gathering of physicians and researchers in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Approximately 16,000 GI professionals attended DDW 2006. This year's meeting will be held at the Washington Convention Center, Washington D.C. where Dr. Kahaleh is presenting:
New Technologies and Approaches to Diagnosis and Therapy, at the Update in ERCP Clinical Symposium on Sun, May 20, 4:30 PMUnresectable cholangiocarcinoma: Does Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) with Stenting Increase Survival When Compared to Stenting alone? At the Biliary Imaging and Therapy Forum on Mon, May 21, 11:18 AM
Temporary Placement of Covered Self Expandable Metal Stents in Benign Biliary Strictures: Long term results, at the Advances in Biliary Imaging and Therapies Forum on Tue, May 22, 4:36 PM
Dr. Pat Northup Chosen for the Jan Albrecht Clinical Research Award
March 20, 2007 - Dr. Northup's application entitled "Clinical, Inflammatory and Economic Impact of Dextran-70 in Treating SBP" has been selected for funding by the AASLD Jan Albrecht Commitment to Clinical Research in Liver Diseases Award. This is a two year Career Development award. Please join us in congratulating Pat for receiving this prestigious award!
DHRC Pilot Grants Awarded
Nov. 30, 2006 - The NIH funded UVa Digestive Health Research Center announces this year's winners of the pilot feasibility award program. After careful selection by the center's advisory board six awards were given of up to $25,000/year to provide initial funds for the development of digestive health related research initiatives leading to the submission of competitive grants to traditional funding sources. Current winners include three investigators from the Department of Internal Medicine: Gastroenterology and three from other Medical and Academic Departments.
Department of Internal Medicine Winners: Dr. Brian Behm will study Pravastatin in Moderate to Severe Crohn's Disease, Dr. Diklar Makola will initiate a randomized study of gastric versus jejunal feeding in patients with acute severe pancreatitis, and Dr. Michael Smith is investigating Heparan sulfate proteoglycans and host response to Helicobacter pylori. Department of Pathology:
Dr. Janet Cross will test the role of a novel cytokine, Macrophage Migration Inhibition Factor (MIF), in H. pylori pathogenesis. Department of Biology:
Dr. Carla Green while studying circadian clock mechanisms has recently led her (somewhat unexpectedly!) into the field of metabolism and digestion. Department of Pharmacology:
Dr. William McIntire aims to investigate the effect of G protein a, β and γ Adenosine A2b receptor signaling in intestinal epithelial cells.Applications for next year's awards are now being accepted, for more information go to www.uvadigestivehealth.org/dhrc/pilot.cfm
Digestive Health Center Physicians Make Castle Connolly List for The 2006 America's Top Doctors for Cancer
Aug. 4, 2006 - Through nominations by their peers, 20 University of Virginia physicians were named to the 2006 list of America's Top Doctors for Cancer (second edition, Castle Connolly Medical). Among their ranks are DHC Physicians Drs. Reid Adams and Eugene Foley. The number of UVa doctors selected increased from 15 last year.America's Top Doctors for Cancer identifies the nation's most outstanding physicians for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers and includes a wide variety of specialists. This new edition of Castle Connolly's guide contains detailed profiles of the nation's leaders in more than 40 cancer sub-specialties, who work to diagnose and treat cancers in adults and children.
Congratulations to Dr. David Peura on a Succesful Year as AGA President
May 1, 2006 - Dr. David Peura's fruitful term as the American Gastroenterological Association's 100th (AGA) president will end this month after a year of successful service. Dr. Peura was instrumental in the establishment of the National Commission on Digestive Diseases allowing NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a Long-Range Plan for Digestive Diseases to focus on the needs of gastroenterologists and their patients. The Commission will assess the state-of-the-science in digestive diseases and the related NIH research portfolio, with a view toward identifying areas of research challenge and opportunity.
Peura becomes AGA president announcement
AGA interview of Dr. PeuraUVA Medical Student A. Parker Ruhl Wins at the Virginia Chapter of ACP
April 21, 2006 - Congratulations go to UVa medical student A. Parker Ruhl who was invited to give an oral presentation at the ACP Virginia Chapter on her recent GI case report with Dr. Stephen Bickston on "Neutrophilic Folliculitis" which was then selected from a national pool of candidates by the ACP abstract review board for poster presentation at the national ACP meeting. Her material was also accepted for publication in the peer reviewed journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences.
Photo of our winner with Dr. Michael Rein, Governor-Elect of Virginia ACP (.jpg)
The wining poster (.pdf)Nobel Prize Awarded to Former Digestive Health Center of Excellence Faculty Barry Marshall
October 3, 2005 - This year's Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine goes to Australian pathologists Robin Warren and Barry Marshall, who made the "remarkable and unexpected discovery" that gastritis and stomach ulcers are the result of an infection of the stomach caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. In 1982, when this bacterium was discovered by Messrs. Marshall and Warren, stress and lifestyle were considered the major causes of peptic ulcer disease, the Nobel Foundation notes. But even though peptic ulcers could be healed by inhibiting gastric acid production, they frequently relapsed, since bacteria and chronic inflammation of the stomach remained. Messrs. Marshall and Warren "with tenacity and a prepared mind challenged prevailing dogmas," the foundation says. "Thanks to the pioneering discovery by Marshall and Warren, peptic ulcer disease is no longer a chronic, frequently disabling condition, but a disease that can be cured by a short regimen of antibiotics and acid secretion inhibitors."
Kahaleh Abstract Chosen as a "poster of distinction" at the Upcoming World Congress of Gastroenterology
August 1, 2005 - Congratulations go to Dr. Michel Kahaleh for his abstract entitled "Interventional Endoscopic Ultrasound Cholangiography (IEUC): Mid-term follow-up of 18 cases" accepted as a "poster of distinction" at the upcoming World Congress of Gastroenterology on September 10-14, 2005 in Montreal, Canada. View the poster here (MS Powerpoint).
Crowe Becomes AGA Council Chair-elect
The AGA Council is pleased to welcome a new chair-elect of the Council, Sheila E. Crowe, MD, associate professor of internal medicine from the University of Virginia. Dr. Crowe was elected to serve by members of Council during a recently held election. She will serve as chair-elect for one year with Loren A. Laine, MD, current chair, and will succeed as chair from June 2006 to June 2009. As council chair, she will administer the Council, serve on the Leadership Cabinet, serve as Council’s liaison to the AGA Education Committee, and serve as an AGA representative to the DDW Council.
"I look forward to serving as the AGA Council chair, working with the other members of the AGA Council and the elected representatives of the AGA membership to achieve the goals and missions of the AGA Council,” said Dr. Crowe.
The Council is made up of 12 sections that represent clinical and research topics from all GI areas, each led by an elected chair and vice-chair. The Council’s primary mission is to further the Strategic Plan by developing high quality educational and scientific programming throughout the year, including for Digestive Disease Week; developing (using the Sections) recommendations for clinical practice and other educational resources to help AGA members provide better patient care; and advocating for the respective AGA Section memberships’ interests. The Council also serves as a resource for the AGA Governing Board and members by providing expertise across all areas of the field of gastroenterology.
METAL STENTS ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE FOR TREATMENT OF OBSTRUCTIONS FROM PANCREATIC CANCER
May 2, 2005 -- One key goal of treating pancreatic cancer, which is often fatal within a year, is making sure patients have a good quality of life with as few complications as possible. This is especially important if they are candidates for surgical removal of the cancer.
Now, doctors at the University of Virginia Health System report that placing self-expanding metal tubes or stents (covered with a synthetic material) to drain the common bile duct is a safe and effective treatment for a major complication of pancreatic cancer-- obstructive jaundice. This type of jaundice occurs frequently when pancreatic tumors block the flow of bile from the liver. Cancer patients can experience yellowing of the skin and eyes, itching and dark urine. If untreated, jaundice can lead to infection and abscesses in the liver, which can be fatal.
“It is important that we can now relieve these very significant complications without the major surgery that can often lead to long-term hospitalization and possibly death,” said Dr. Michel Kahaleh, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of internal medicine at UVa’s Digestive Health Center of Excellence. “We can provide resolution of jaundice and alleviate the symptoms for a long period of time, at least long enough until patients are able to have their cancer treated with surgery.”
Between March 2001 and November 2004, UVa doctors inserted 88 stents called covered Wallstents (manufactured by Boston Scientific, Inc.) in 80 patients at UVa with bile duct obstructions from malignant cancer. These stents were developed to prevent the growth of tumors into the stent itself and feature a metallic skeleton bound to a synthetic covering resistant to bile and other gastric and pancreatic juices.
Writing in the April 2005 issue of the journal Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Kahaleh and his UVa colleagues report that the stents were still open in 90 percent of the patients after three months and were open in almost 80 percent of patients after one year. Complications, however, included migration (movement) of the stent, occlusion of the stent and obstructions of the cystic duct. The stents were easily removed and replaced where needed.
In an accompanying editorial in the same issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Dr. David L. Carr-Locke of Harvard Medical School wrote that covered metal stentsto help palliate bile duct malignancy is “the appropriate step in stent technology development and probably confers a clinical advantage over its uncovered counterpart.”
Dr. Kahaleh and his UVa colleagues plan to present their findings about covered metal stents at the 2005 Digestive Disease Week conference in Chicago, Illinois May 14-19.
Co-authors of the study with Kahaleh from UVa were Dr. Paul Yeaton, Dr. Jeffrey Tokar, Mark Conaway, PhD, Dr. Andrew Brock, Dr. Tri Le and Dr. Reid B. Adams.
A Japanese Connection
Clinical dietetics is quite new in Japan - after a trip to the US, one of their premier nutritionists discovered that the rest of the world had a whole new specialty, that of clinical nutrition and nutrition support. They are now bringing Japan up to speed fast and furious. After scouting the US, the nutrition support team here at the Digestive Health Center of Excellence was chosen as the model they want to emulate in Japan. The NHK (Japanese public broadcasting) are therefore filming a documentary here in September 2004. They are especially interested in observing interactions of physicians and our team.
Digestive Health Center of Excellence Ranked in US News & World Report's Best Hospitals
July 2, 2004
Nine medical specialties at the University of Virginia Health System are listed in U.S. News & World Report's 2004 edition of "America's Best Hospitals," including one list veteran – digestive health – that moved five spaces from 29 to 24.UVa Wins Funding from National Institutes of Health to Start Digestive Health Research Center
June 14, 2004
The University of Virginia Health System has been awarded a $6 million five-year federal grant that will fund the operation and staffing of a new Digestive Health Research Center at U.Va. The center will bring vital research from the laboratory to the bedside, potentially serving thousands of patients with digestive diseases in Virginia and the eastern seaboard.Tips for Traveling with IBS
May 17, 2004
In this article on WebMD, Dr. Sheila Crowe reveals helpful summer travel tips for people with IBS.Pat Northup, MD, a third-year fellow in the DHCoE, will present a poster at the American Transplant Conference 2004 meeting in Boston, MA, May 15-19, 2004. His abstract entitled "Pre-Operative Delta-Meld Score Does Not Independently Predict Mortality After Liver Transplantation" was selected as a "Poster of Distinction". This honor is given to the top 10% in the submitted category.
Carol Rees Parrish, MS, RD, a Nutrition Support Specialist in the DHCoE, has been selected as a faculty presenter and panelist at the upcoming course Gastroparesis: a Symposium for Physicians & Patients on April 3, 2004. The program is sponsored by Johns Hopkins Office of CME and will be held at Pier 5 Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland.
UVA Investigators Received the Prestigious ACG/Centocor IBD Abstract Award for their paper "Low Bone Mineral Density in Inflammatory Bowel Disease -- A Study of the Prevalence and Risk Factors." Presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's Annual Meeting in Baltimore, the award went to Lawrence Comerford, MD, Stephen Bickston, MD, Kristen Arseneau, Meredith Gross and Fabio Cominelli, MD, PhD from the Digestive Health Center of Excellence.
Fabio Cominelli, MD, PhD, was selected for the editorial board of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. He is also serving a 3-year term as chair of the AGA Committee on Gastrointestinal Research Policy and just began a 3-year term as chair of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Research Initiative Committee.
UVA Doctors Rank Among Nation's Best
February 4, 2004
Dr. Sheila Crowe of the Digestive Health Center of Excellence has been named among the "best doctors" in America by Best Doctors®, Inc.Lactose Intolerant? Ditch Dairy.
February 4, 2004
Dr. Sheila Crowe discusses how to identify lactose intolerance and choose foods that alleviate symptoms on abcnews.com.Living Donor Liver Transplant Program Featured on NPR
November 17, 2003
The NIH recently selected UVA as one of 10 U.S. centers to conduct a national study focused on the factors influencing outcomes of living donor liver transplants for both donors and recipients. DHCoE physician Carl Berg, MD is co-chair of the national consortium, and Dr. Timothy Pruett is co-principal investigator of the UVA component of the study. Click on the title above to listen to a discussion with Dr. Berg and Dr. Pruett (using RealOne Player).Protein Identified That May Play Central Role in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Release Date: November 10, 2003
A team of researchers, led by Dr. Fabio Cominelli, have discovered that a protein expressed by the immune system, called TL1A, is linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in patients, especially Crohn’s disease. This is the first time TL1A has been linked to Crohn’s. In a study involving fifty patients at U.Va., published in the Nov. 1 issue of The Journal of Immunology, the research team found that TL1A was expressed in patients suffering from IBD, but not in control patients who are disease free. The finding could lead to new treatments for people who suffer from IBD.
UVA Doctors Make List of America's Top Doctors
Release Date: October 31, 2003
Dr. Fabio Cominelli, Dr. Eugene Foley & Dr. James Roche of the Digestive Health Center of Excellence made the 2003 list of America's Top Doctors.UVA Medical Staff Prepares for Annual Clinic in Southwest Virginia
Release Date: July 22, 2003
Digestive Health Center physicians and staff donated 114 volunteer hours to provide colon cancer screening tests and GI consultations for southwest Virginia residents.
10 UVA Medical Specialties Ranked in US News & World Report's Best Hospitals
Release Date: July 17, 2003
UVA specialties listed in the new guide and their rankings among hospitals nationwide are: hormonal disorders, 5; urology, 15; ear, nose and throat, 17; cancer, 23; gynecology, 24; orthopedics, 28; respiratory disorders, 28; digestive disorders, 29; neurology and neurosurgery, 34; and kidney disease, 40.New Mechanism of Action Discovered for Crohn's Disease Treatment
Release Date: June 23, 2003
“This dual effect is a surprising finding,” said Dr. Fabio Cominelli, director of the Digestive Health Center of Excellence at the U.Va. Health System and principal author of the study. “Importantly, this may allow us to create new drugs in the future specifically using this mechanism of action to target Crohn’s disease."
DHCoE Study Shows Gallstone Procedure Safe for Pregnant Women
Release Date: May 29, 2003
Pregnant women who also suffer from gallstones can reap the benefits from an x-ray therapy called ERCP without harming their baby, according to a study conducted at the University of Virginia Health System. “If pregnant women have stones in the bile duct or related disease and need immediate intervention, this study shows that the safest way is ERCP with minimal radiation and fetal monitoring,” said Dr. Michel Kahaleh.
University of Virginia Medical Center Ranks Among Top 100 Hospitals in the Country
Release Date: December 9, 2002
For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Virginia Medical Center has been recognized as one of the nation's top 100 hospitals, and one of only two top 100 hospitals in Virginia, according to Solucient's 100 Top Hospitals National Benchmarks for Success study.DHCoE Doctors Find Potential Breakthrough to Detect Gastrointestinal Cancers
Release Date: October 21, 2002
U.Va. doctors Tarun Mullick and Paul Yeaton, working with colleagues Jason Tasch, Ph.D., and Dr. Darwin Conwell at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, found that testing bile duct cells for the presence of telomerase can determine if the cells are cancerous or benign... This is an emerging concept that has the potential to revolutionize how we detect bile duct tumors and detect them earlier, thereby allowing for improved patient survival and earlier medical and surgical therapies, Mullick said.UVA Selected for National Study of Living Donor Liver Transplantation
Release Date: October 9, 2002
The NIH recently selected UVA as one of 10 U.S. centers to conduct a national study focused on the factors influencing outcomes of living donor liver transplants for both donors and recipients. "The seven-year NIH funded study will examine the optimization of living donor liver transplantation, a novel and life-saving form of liver transplantation that has generated significant national attention," says Carl Berg, MD, Director of Hepatology at UVA, who was selected to co-chair the national consortium.
In 2001, some 17,000 patients waited for livers to be donated, while fewer than 5,000 cadaveric livers were actually transplanted that year. This shortage of cadaveric organs has led surgeons to look to live donors to close the gap. While the majority of living donor liver transplants have been successful, there are few data to inform potential donors about risks. "Knowledge obtained during the study will permit even better education of donors and transplant recipients about options related to liver transplantation," says Dr. Berg.
