Validation of a pre-endoscopy risk score for predicting the presence of gastric intestinal metaplasia in a U.S. population.

Background And Aims: Surveillance of gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) may lead to early gastric cancer detection. Our purpose was to externally validate a predictive model for endoscopic GIM previously developed in a veteran population in a second U.S.

Ethnicity Is an Important Consideration in Screening for Gastric Intestinal Metaplasia.

Background: Gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM) is a precursor to gastric adenocarcinoma, making it an attractive target for early detection by endoscopy. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, risk factors, and associated histologic findings of GIM among patients undergoing endoscopy in a diverse US population.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study of patients undergoing elective endoscopy with gastric biopsies at 6 academic and community centers in Houston, Texas.

Adenoma Detection Rate in Asymptomatic Patients with Positive Fecal Immunochemical Tests.

Background And Aims: The adenoma detection rate (ADR) is a powerful measure of screening colonoscopy quality. Patients who undergo colonoscopy for the evaluation of a positive fecal immunochemical test (FIT) have increased prevalence of colorectal neoplasia, but it is not known whether separate quality benchmarks are required. The aim of this study was to compare the conventional ADR to the ADR of colonoscopies performed for the evaluation of positive FIT, in asymptomatic average-risk patients.

Biomarkers of aging: from primitive organisms to humans.

Leading biologists and clinicians interested in aging convened to discuss biomarkers of aging. The goals were to come to a consensus, construct an agenda for future research, and make appropriate recommendations to policy makers and the public-at-large. While there was not total agreement on all issues, they addressed a number of questions, among them whether biomarkers can be identified and used to measure the physiological age of any individual within a population, given emerging information about aging and new technological advances.