Briefs

Study: Night Shifts Influence Colon Cancer Development

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found nurses who work night shifts are more likely to develop colon cancer.

The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, studied more than 78,000 nurses participating in the long-term Nurses’ Health Study. They found nurses who worked night shifts at least three times a month during the 15-year study period were over 35 percent more likely to develop colon and rectal cancer.

The researchers theorized those working night shifts produced less melatonin — a natural anticarcinogenic. Melatonin production peaks in the middle of the night, but is hampered by artificial light, which is usually found in night-shift settings.

According to government data, an estimated 4 percent of American adults work night shifts.

For more information, visit: http://jncicancerspectrum.oupjournals.org.

Endoscopic Breakthroughs Announced at DDW

By Kelli M. Donley

Many companies specializing in endoscopy technologies made significant announcements at the 2003 Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference in Orlando.

Those included:

Exact Sciences’ PreGen-Plus
The Clinical Colorectal Cancer Journal published results showing PreGen-Plus, a non-invasive DNA-based method of colorectal cancer detection, demonstrated a 64-percent sensitivity and 96- percent specificity for invasive cancer.

“Not only were we able to confirm the ability of PreGen-Plus to detect early-stage cancer in a large group of more than 50 cancer patients, but we also were encouraged by our ability to detect advanced adenomas,” says Michael Ross, MD, company vice president of clinical affairs.

Given Imaging’s Capsule Endoscopy
Officials from Given Imaging presented data for six separate studies involving their capsule endoscopy technology and Crohn’s disease diagnosis. The results found the capsule method was effective in diagnosing the chronic illness, providing a higher diagnostic field without the radiation associated with traditional methods.

“Capsule endoscopy will play an important role in the diagnosis of Crohn’s disease,” says Asher Kornbluth, MD, with the department of medicine at New York City’s Mount Sinai Medical Center. “It may also play a role in the follow-up of medically treated patients both in the numerous clinical trials underway as well as in daily clinical practice to determine mucosal healing.”

Pfizer’s Celebrex
New information shows arthritis drug Celebrex (celecoxib) reduces more lesions in the small bowel than non-steroidal antiinflammatories (NSAIDs) and acid-reducing drugs.

Using capsule endoscopies, patients taking Celebrex showed a nine-fold lower incidence of mucosal lesions in the small bowel in comparison to research participants taking 1000mg of naproxen and 20mg of omeprazole daily.

These data extend our understanding of the gastrointestinal safety of celecoxib beyond what is already known,” says Jay Goldstein, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Illinois.

“They add further evidence that chronic blood loss and development of anemia associated with non-specific NSAIDs may be related to medication-induced damage along the entire length of the small bowel tract, where proton pump inhibitors like omeprazole do not confer protection. They also expand the celecoxib GI safety profile by broadening the concept of GI safety beyond safety in the upper GI tract alone.”

Schering-Plough’s Remicade
Long recognized as the intravenous treatment option for Crohn’s patients, the drug was recently approved by the European Union (EU) for treatment of ankylosing spondylitis(AS).

The drug is the first to be accepted as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s and AS — a disease characterized by inflammation of the joints in the spine.

“The approval of Remicade in the EU represents a significant advance in the treatment of AS, a serious disease that affects a relatively young group of patients and has a significant impact on quality of life and overall function,” says Jurgen Braun, MD, lead investigator and medical director of Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet in Herne, Germany.

DDW, organized by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), is touted as the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics working in the field of gastroenterology. The conference usually takes place during the same time as the annual SGNA conference, allowing healthcare facilities to avoid scheduling appointments during that time to allow their physicians and nurses to attend.

For more information, visit: www.ddw.org.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval to Alliance Medical Corporation to reprocess endoscopic trocars and cannulas.

Alliance, based in Phoenix, specializes in reprocessing single-use medical devices. The company secured the approval after developing its “UltraClean 6” process that charts each reprocessed device and tests it to make sure it meets the FDA’s national and international standards. The trocars and cannulas to be reprocessed include those manufactured by Ethicon Endo-Surgery, U.S. Surgical Auto Suture, Core Dynamics and Apple Medical.

“Reprocessors are subject to the same FDA oversight as original equipment manufacturers (OEMS),” says Don Selvey, company vice president of regulatory affairs and quality assurance.

Alliance officials report facilities that use their full complement of reprocessing services can save more than $24 per surgical procedure.

For more information, visit: www.alliance-medical.com

From the Mail Bag...

In the ‘Pharma Update’ department of the April/May 2003 issue of EndoNurse, you review a study by Herbert C. Wolfsen. The study referred to was actually a “Stretta Registry” of patients who had undergone Stretta. A questionnaire created by Wolfsen was used to interview the patients who had previously undergone Stretta. The patient data were collected by gastroenterologists from several different locations in the United States who then submitted the data to Wolfsen for analysis. That data was presented at DDW 2002. Our facility, Feather River Hospital, was one of the numerous contributors to this registry. We have found Stretta to be a useful adjunct in the treatment of GERD and we presented data on our first 29 patients in abstract form at DDW 2002.”

— Richard Sunderman, RN, Grace Mansell, RN, MD, Donald Mansell, MD Feather River Hospital, Paradise, Calif.

Submit your letter to the editor by emailing kdix@vpico.com.

Upcoming Endo Events:

September
6 Fall Seminar
Central Oklahoma SGNA
Integris Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Contact: Kathy South

13 Fall Course
New York/New Jersey SGNA
Mt. Sinai Medical Center

20 Annual Fall Half Day Course
New England SGNA
Burlington Marriott, MA
Contact: lisa.heard@tch.harvard.edu

20 Fall Conference Northern California SGNA
San Francisco
Contact: marian.kerbleski@med.va.gov

19-20 Beyond the Scope
Connecticut SGNA
Fox Woods Casino
Contact: Gail Steel: 860.225.4770

20 Fall MSGNA Educational Course
Michigan SGNA
Grand Rapids, MI
Contact: DebAnderson:e.msgna@inserv.net

27 Fall Meeting
Arkansas SGNA
Little Rock, AR
Contact: Faith Morrison: 501.364.4633

October:
4 Fall Conference
Wisconsin SGNA
Embassy Suites, Brookfield, WI
Contact: Nancy Megow: Nmegow530@aol.com

18-19 Tennessee SGNA 23rd Annual Course
"Hitting the Jackpot with Continuing Education"
Grand Casino Convention Center, Tunica, MS.
Contact: Diane Moore: dmoore@vista-express.com.

18-19 Multi-Regional Conference
Marriott O'Hare, Chicago
Contact: Diane Thompson: dathompson@genesys.org

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