Gender authorship in major American and European gastroenterology journals: the gap is still unfilled.

BACKGROUND: The gender gap in the authorship of scientific research may affect career advancement. Our aim was to assess the potential gender gap in gastrointestinal (GI) journals. METHODS: A systematic review was performed of the GI literature and ongoing research in the period 2020-2022. A total 10 GI journals and ongoing research on clinicaltrials.gov were selected for review. The gender gap in first and senior authorship was evaluated for each article and ongoing research project. Associations between the gender gap and possible predictors were measured and results are presented as odds ratios (ORs) with 95%CI. RESULTS: The number of first female authors (FFAs) and senior female authors (SFAs) in published articles were 1408/4207 (33.5%) and 911/4207 (21.7%), respectively. There were 781/2654 (29.4%) female principal investigators (PI)s for the ongoing research. On comparison of non-endoscopic vs. endoscopic topics, the latter were associated with the gender gap (hepatology, OR 2.15 [95%CI 1.83-2.55]; inflammatory bowel disease, OR 2.12 [95%CI 1.60-2.45]; upper and lower GI, OR 1.31 [95%CI 1.18-1.73]); as well as the type of article (original article vs. editorial, OR 1.92 [95%CI 1.58-2.33]). The type of research was also associated with the gender gap (clinical vs. preclinical studies, OR 0.88 [95%CI 0.66-0.91]). CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated a correlation between the gender gap and the design and topic of the research. Future strategies for improving equity in career development in GI endoscopy should focus on closing the gender gap in equity of authorship.

Endoscopic Resections in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Multicentre European Outcomes Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, with estimates ranging 2-18%, depending on the duration of colitis. The management of neoplasia in colitis remains controversial. Current guidelines recommend endoscopic resection if the lesion is clearly visible with distinct margins. Colectomy is recommended if complete endoscopic resection is not guaranteed. We aimed to assess the outcomes of all neoplastic endoscopic resections in inflammatory bowel disease. METHODS: This was a multicentre retrospective cohort study of 119 lesions of visible dysplasia in 93 patients, resected endoscopically in inflammatory bowel disease. RESULTS: A total of 6/65 [9.2%] lesions <20 mm in size were treated by ESD [endoscopic submucosal dissection] compared with 59/65 [90.8%] lesions <20 mm treated by EMR [endoscopic mucosal resection]; 16/51 [31.4%] lesions >20 mm in size were treated by EMR vs 35/51 [68.6%] by ESD. Almost all patients [97%] without fibrosis were treated by EMR, and patients with fibrosis were treated by ESD [87%], p < 0.001. In all, 49/78 [63%] lesions treated by EMR were resected en-bloc and 27/41 [65.9%] of the ESD/KAR [knife-assisted resection] cases were resected en-bloc, compared with 15/41 [36.6%] resected piecemeal. Seven recurrences occurred in the cohort. Seven complications occurred in the cohort; six were managed endoscopically and one patient with a delayed perforation underwent surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Larger lesions with fibrosis are best treated by ESD, whereas smaller lesions without fibrosis are best managed by EMR. Both EMR and ESD are feasible in the management of endoscopic resections in colitis.

Bone disorders in patients with chronic liver disease awaiting liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: An important complication of chronic liver disease is osteodystrophy, which includes osteoporosis and the much rarer osteomalacia. Both conditions are associated with significant morbidity through fractures resulting in pain, deformity, and immobility. Liver transplantation may further deteriorate bone metabolism. The aim of the present study was to investigate the frequency and severity of hepatic osteodystrophy among patients with liver cirrhosis who were referred for liver transplantation. We also evaluated modifications in bone metabolism after liver transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recruited 35 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease who were undergoing assessment for transplantation over a 1-year period. Bone mass in the total skeleton and proximal hip was evaluated using a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry device (Lunar Prodigy Advance, GE Healthcare, USA). According to World Health Organization recommendations, osteoporosis was defined as a T score < -2.5 and osteopenia as T score between -1 and -2.5. RESULTS: We enrolled in the study 35 patients, including 8 females and 27 males of overall mean age of 57 +/- 7, who showed a viral etiology (57%) or alcohol etiology (28%), Child-Pugh 8.7 +/- 2.3. The overall prevalence of osteodystrophy was 40% (26% osteopenia and 14% osteoporosis). No difference was evident according to gender, severity of liver disease (Child-Pugh, Model for End-stage Liver Disease), or origin of liver disease. A subgroup of 10 transplanted patients reached 3-month follow-up, showing total body T score with a significant decrease after 3 months while femoral T scores tended to decrease insignificantly. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed a high prevalence of low bone mineral density among cirrhotic patients before liver transplantation. We suggest that both bone mineral density and biochemical examinations should be considered to be routine tests to identify the status of bone mass and bone metabolism among recipients prior to liver transplantation.