Equity and Gender Issues Among Members of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology.

Background: Gender equity has historically been a challenge within gastroenterology.

Aims: The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) developed a survey to identify issues pertaining to equity and gender faced by its membership and to determine areas of action.

Methods: In 2014, the survey was emailed to all 1155 CAG members, and the data were analyzed using statistical methods.

Use of Nutrition and Physical Activity Modules to Promote Continuing Professional Development: A Pilot Test.

Background: The authors developed five online modules about physical activity and nutrition.

Methods: Registered nurses completed surveys before and after each module.

Results: Evaluations showed an increase in knowledge and skill, but the psychometric parameters of the evaluation tool were poor.

Gastroenterology Curriculum in the Canadian Medical School System.

Gastroenterology is a diverse subspecialty that covers a wide array of topics. The preclinical gastroenterology curriculum is often the only formal training that medical students receive prior to becoming residents. There is no Canadian consensus on learning objectives or instructional methods and a general lack of awareness of curriculum at other institutions.

Piloting online WellnessRx learning modules: demonstration of developmental evaluation.

WellnessRx is a health initiative focusing on healthy living through education, knowledge translation, and community engagement. Stakeholders of WellnessRx identified web-based education learning modules on nutrition and physical education as a priority to be integrated into existing health sciences curricula, as well as adapted for use by health professionals. Five learning modules were created with essential knowledge, skills, attitudes and resources or tools for health professional students and practitioners.

Canadian Association of Gastroenterology policy on the application for, and implementation of, clinical practice guidelines.

An important mandate of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG), as documented in the Association's governance policies, is to optimize the care of patients with digestive disorders. Clinical practice guidelines are one means of achieving this goal. The benefits of timely, high-quality and evidenced-based recommendations include: Enhancing the professional development of clinical members through education and dissemination of synthesized clinical research; Improving patient care provided by members by providing focus on quality and evidence; Creating legislative environments that favour effective clinical practice; Enhancing the clinical care provided to patients with digestive disease by nongastroenterologists; and Identifying areas that require further information or research to improve clinical care.

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction: managing the patient with chronic biliary pain.

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) is a syndrome of chronic biliary pain or recurrent pancreatitis due to functional obstruction of pancreaticobiliary flow at the level of the sphincter of Oddi. The Milwaukee classification stratifies patients according to their clinical picture based on elevated liver enzymes, dilated common bile duct and presence of abdominal pain. Type I patients have pain as well as abnormal liver enzymes and a dilated common bile duct.

Polycystic liver disease: experience at a teaching hospital.

Objectives: This study describes the natural history of patients with polycystic liver disease, a rare disorder characterized by multiple hepatic cysts.

Methods: Cases were identified through review of charts from a hepatology practice, a hepatobiliary surgery practice and a retrospective chart review of inpatient charts from 1990 to 2002. All patients had greater than four simple liver cysts without infectious etiology.

Targeted delivery, safety, and efficacy of oral enteric-coated formulations of budesonide.

Budesonide is a potent corticosteroid with a high first-pass metabolism rate. Two commercially available enteric-coated pH-dependent release formulations (Entocort EC and Budenofalk) deliver budesonide to the ileum and proximal colon, regions most commonly affected in Crohn's disease. The drug's effectiveness in this disease has been proven in multiple, placebo-controlled trials, where it has been shown to be superior to mesalamine and placebo, and equivalent to prednisolone for the control of mild to moderately active right-sided Crohn's disease.

Diabetes and coronary artery bypass surgery: an examination of perioperative glycemic control and outcomes.

Objective: To determine the adequacy of perioperative glycemic control in diabetic patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and to explore the association between glycemic control and in-hospital morbidity/mortality.

Research Design And Methods: Retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients with diabetes undergoing CABG between April 2000 and March 2001 who survived at least 24 h postoperatively.

Results: Of the 291 patients in this study, 95% had type 2 diabetes and 40% had retinopathy, nephropathy, or neuropathy at baseline.