Gender Trends in Authorship of Gastroenterology Randomized Controlled Trial Literature.

INTRODUCTION: We describe female authorship trends in gastroenterology (GI) randomized controlled trial literature as a novel focus on gender bias in academic GI. METHODS: Using a systematic PubMed search, we extracted GI randomized controlled trial reports published from 2011 to 2022. We describe time trends in proportions of females among first and last authors overall and within GI subspecialties and high-impact journals. RESULTS: The proportion of females increased from 25.4% to 36.8% and from 14.3% to 24.8% among first and last authors, respectively. Smaller increases in female authorship occurred in most subgroups, although there were proportionately fewer females among authors in high-impact journals and advanced therapeutic endoscopy publications. DISCUSSION: Over the past decade, female authorship in GI RCT reports has increased. However, female representation, particularly among senior authors and in high-impact journals, remains significantly lower. Despite recent improvements, female still constitutes a minority of the authors of original GI RCTs.

Changes in Gastric Pathology after H. pylori Treatment in Community-Driven Research Aimed at Gastric Cancer Prevention.

Community-driven projects have characterized Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in Indigenous communities in the Northwest Territories (NT) and Yukon (YT), Canada. These projects address concerns about the frequent diagnosis of Hp infection among community members and its relation to gastric cancer deaths, perceived to occur with alarming frequency in this region. Projects included breath-test screening for Hp infection, gastroscopy with gastric biopsies, and treatment to eliminate Hp infection. Previous project results showed a high prevalence of stomach pathologies associated with increased cancer risk among Hp-positive participants at baseline. This analysis describes changes in precancerous gastric pathologies in project participants who had gastroscopy before baseline treatment during 2008-2013 and again in 2017. Throughout the study period, the same pathologist graded Hp density, active gastritis, chronic gastritis, atrophic gastritis, and intestinal metaplasia using the updated Sydney System. Of 310 participants from three communities with baseline pathology data, 69 had follow-up pathology data. Relative to baseline, the prevalence of Hp infection and precancerous gastric pathology was substantially lower at follow-up; most participants who were Hp-positive at baseline and Hp-negative at follow-up had reduced severity of active, chronic, and/or atrophic gastritis at follow-up. Though follow-up numbers are small, these results yield evidence that successful Hp treatment has the potential to reduce the risk of gastric cancer in Arctic Indigenous communities.