Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) resulted in sustained high response rates in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and resulted in only mild side effects after 3 years, new data show. Nearly three out of four people in a clinical trial experienced fewer symptoms and fatigue and a greater quality of life at both 2 years and 3 years after FMT, in Norway. Those FMT-treated patients who relapsed subsequently responded to FMT upon retransplantation, report the authors, who also correlated individual microbial profiles with clinical outcomes.

@dimple There were 24 menstrual blood samples that had incomplete concordance or discordant results when compared with cervical tissue samples. This included 11 samples that had additional high-risk HPV genotypes, 5 true-negative samples, and 2 samples with high-risk HPV genotypes correctly identified by target-capture screening. When researchers looked at outcomes based on different menstrual cycle days used for blood sample collection, the found detection of high-risk HPV was similar on different cycle days. The menstrual blood high-risk HPV positivity rate was 96.4% on menstrual cycle day 1, 91.2% on menstrual cycle day 2, and 96.4% on menstrual cycle day 3. All four samples from menstrual cycle day four were positive as well. In addition, the sensitivity of high-risk HPV screening based on sequencing of menstrual blood samples was 97.7%

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) appears safe and effective as a treatment for most Clostridioides difficile infections as it is currently being administered, researchers say. The finding, published online today in the journal Gastroenterology could allay concerns about a treatment that has yet to gain full approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), despite successful clinical trials. C diff infections are common and increasing in the United States, often can't be cured with conventional treatments such as antibiotics, and can be deadly. Transplanting fecal matter from a donor to the patient appears to work by restoring beneficial microorganisms to the patient's gut. The procedure is also under investigation for a wide range of other ailments, from irritable bowel syndrome to mood disorders. But much remains unknown. Researchers have counted a thousand bacterial species along with viruses, bacteriophages, archaea, and fungi in the human gut that interact in complex ways, not all of them beneficial.

A controlled study of sleep-deprived young adults has provided the first causal evidence linking the lack of sleep to abdominal obesity and harmful visceral, or "belly" fat. In what the researchers claim is the first-ever study evaluating the relationship between sleep restriction and body fat distribution, they've reported the novel finding that the expansion of abdominal adipose tissue, and especially visceral fat, occurred as a function of shortened sleep.

Patients with low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) undergoing thyroidectomy show no improvements in outcomes with the use of postoperative radioiodine ablation compared to those who do not receive this therapy, suggesting these patients can be spared the previously common treatment. The new findings are from the prospective, randomized, phase 3 Essai Stimulation Ablation 2 (ESTIMABL2) trial, in which 730 patients at 35 centers in France with low-risk DTC scheduled to undergo thyroidectomy were enrolled between May 2013 and March 2017. Patients were randomized to receive either postoperative radioiodine ablation (1.1 GBq) after injections of recombinant human thyrotropin (n = 363) or no postoperative radioiodine (n = 367).

@ajmal This is the first time that it has been shown in a longitudinal study that it is possible to reduce the risk of cognitive decline with lifestyle changes. The primary outcome — mean change in cognition as measured through the comprehensive neuropsychological test battery Z score at 2 years — was 0.20 in the intervention group and 0.16 in the control group. Between-group difference in the change of neuropsychological test battery total score per year was 0.022 (P = .030).

Hello, . Who are eligible to take Gardasil vaccine. Can it prevent cervical cancer? Please provide me some useful information on that so that I can avail this.

@shikha In most cases, viruses are the cause of sore throats. In some cases, Group A Streptococcus can cause a throat infection. The only way to identify Group A Streptococcus is by taking a rapid strep test. Therefore, you should be referred to a health care practitioner who can test for the virus. For lowering fever, acetaminophen typically works within 2 hours at the recommended dosage.

Hello, my 14-year-old girl student is admitted to the hospital with a 3-week history of sore throat leading to significantly decreased oral intake. She reports progressive worsening of a painful sore throat resulting in avoidance of nearly all oral intake and an associated 22-lb weight loss. She has presented to care twice, 2 weeks and 2 days earlier. During each of those visits, rapid group A streptococcal (GAS) antigen testing and follow-up GAS culture were negative. She was discharged with symptomatic care for presumed viral pharyngitis. She vomited twice but has not had fevers, cough, rash, or diarrhea. Her medical history is noncontributory. Her immunizations are up to date. She reports one lifetime sexual partner and reports condom use with every encounter. Doctor told that this is a case of neisseria gonorrhoeae infection. What are the therapy to treat this?

Hi, a 19-year-old female college student had numbness and the sensation of coldness of her left toes. She had a 3-year smoking history. Gangrene of the left foot developed rapidly. Angiography revealed peripheral arterial occlusion of both legs and arms. Detailed laboratory examination excluded collagen disease, a hypercoagulable state, and juvenile atherosclerosis. Below-knee amputation of the left leg was performed. Typical histologic findings of Buerger’s disease were observed in the crural arteries and saphenous veins. Please let me know the treatment options for this condition.