Cedars-Sinai investigators have identified a genetic variant that increases people’s risk of developing perianal Crohn’s disease, the most debilitating manifestation of Crohn’s disease. The variant generates changes to DNA that lead to a loss of protein function, which, in turn, alters how the body recognizes and handles bacteria, making it less effective at fighting infections. The discovery was published recently ...
Read More »Author Archives: Michelle Beaver
The Latest in Dress Code and Personal Hygiene for Endoscopy Processing Staff
By Nancy Chobin, RN, AAS, ASCP, CSPM, CFER Personal dress code and hygiene play an important role in infection prevention of staff and patients. Sometimes, we do not always take the time to ensure compliance, which is unacceptable. To understand this better, let’s look at the recommendations and their importance. Personal Hygiene Good personal hygiene involves keeping all parts of ...
Read More »Ethylene Oxide: Risk vs. Reward
By Seth Hendee, CSPDT, CFER, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CER I may be dating myself here, but I remember when ethylene oxide (EO) sterilization was a daily occurrence in my sterile processing department (SPD). Why did that change? In short, EO is seen as a risk with little reward. However, EO sterilization has continued to advance since the ’60s and ’70s, ...
Read More »Endoscopic Obesity Treatment: An Option With MERIT
By Barham Abu Dayyeh, M.D., MPH, FASGE, FAGA A Level 1 evidence study published in The Lancet offers an endoscopic procedure as new hope for patients suffering from obesity. Regardless of specialty or geography, every physician treats patients suffering from obesity and its associated comorbid conditions, and should stay apprised of the latest innovations intended to impact this growing epidemic. ...
Read More »Constipation Associated with Cognitive Decline, Gut Bacteria Linked to Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Experiencing less frequent bowel movements is associated with cognitive decline, according to new research reported in July at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Two additional studies define specific gut bacteria that are associated with increased dementia risk, as well as gut bacteria that may be neuroprotective. Previous research has connected the health and makeup of the gut ...
Read More »