Publications by authors named "Linda A Feagins"

Objectives: Fatigue is commonly reported in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), including patients with inactive disease. We explored the impact of fatigue on healthcare utilization (HCU) and work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI).

Methods: Data collected between 2017 and 2022 were analyzed from the CorEvitas IBD Registry.

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Background: Because biologic and small molecule therapy is expensive, payors have mandated pre-authorizations for these medications, often resulting in a lengthy approval process. The aims of this study are to assess the frequency of and risk factors for delays in starting advanced therapies assessing insurance, care team, and patient-related factors.

Methods: Retrospective, multi-center study of adult inflammatory bowel disease patients with prescriptions for an advanced therapy in two geographically distinct academic gastroenterology practices; one with and the other without a dedicated pharmacist.

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  • Current guidelines on octreotide therapy duration for esophageal variceal hemorrhage (EVH) are unclear, prompting a randomized clinical trial comparing 24-hour and 72-hour infusions of the drug.
  • The study, which was terminated early due to recruitment issues during COVID-19, found no significant differences in complications or rebleeding rates between the two infusion durations.
  • Results suggested that a 24-hour infusion may be just as effective as a 72-hour infusion, potentially leading to shorter hospital stays and reduced healthcare costs.
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  • - Cronkhite-Canada Syndrome (CCS) is a rare polyposis condition affecting 1 in a million, with unknown causes and treatments due to its scarcity and lack of research models.
  • - Researchers created human intestinal organoids (HIOs) from two CCS patients, finding that these organoids are highly proliferative and produce more serotonin (5HT), which is linked to the growth of intestinal tissue.
  • - The study highlights how organoid cultures can help understand CCS's disease mechanisms and could lead to personalized treatments, demonstrating the impact of intestinal hormones on epithelial cell growth.
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The microenvironment of solid tumors is characterized by oxygen and glucose deprivation. Acss2/HIF-2 signaling coordinates essential genetic regulators including acetate-dependent acetyl CoA synthetase 2 (Acss2), Creb binding protein (Cbp), Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1), and Hypoxia Inducible Factor 2α (HIF-2α). We previously shown in mice that exogenous acetate augments growth and metastasis of flank tumors derived from fibrosarcoma-derived HT1080 cells in an Acss2/HIF-2 dependent manner.

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Background And Aims: After EMR, prophylactic clipping is often performed to prevent clinically significant post-EMR bleeding (CSPEB) and other adverse events (AEs). Prior evidence syntheses have lacked sufficient power to assess clipping in relevant subgroups or in nonbleeding AEs. We performed a meta-analysis of individual patient data (IPD) from randomized trials assessing the efficacy of clipping to prevent AEs after EMR of proximal large nonpedunculated colorectal polyps (LNPCPs) ≥20 mm.

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Crohn's disease (CD) is chronic immune-related disease of the gastrointestinal tract hypothesized to be caused by an interplay of genetic predisposition and environmental exposures. With the global incidence increasing, more patients are exploring dietary exposures to explain and treat CD. However, most patients report minimal nutritional education from their provider, and providers report few nutritional resources to help them educate patients.

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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) consists of chronic, relapsing-remitting autoimmune diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract with an increasing global disease burden. Pathogenetic mechanisms are not well understood, but current hypotheses involve the role of environmental factors, including dietary antigens, in immune dysregulation and proinflammatory shifts in microbial composition (gut dysbiosis) in genetically susceptible individuals. Increased metabolic demand and malabsorption secondary to systemic inflammation, coupled with significant GI symptoms that lead to reduced oral food intake, may leave patients with IBD vulnerable to developing malnutrition.

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Background: Optimal timing for anticoagulation resumption after polypectomy is unclear. We explored the association between timing of anticoagulation resumption and occurrence of delayed post-polypectomy bleeding (PPB) and thromboembolic (TE) events.

Methods: We performed a post-hoc analysis of patients in an earlier study whose anticoagulants were interrupted for polypectomy.

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Background: Data describing the effect of obesity on antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment response are inconsistent. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a superior marker of adiposity to body mass index. However, its effect on treatment response is unclear.

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Paneth cell defects in Crohn's disease (CD) patients (called the Type I phenotype) are associated with worse clinical outcomes. Recent studies have implicated mitochondrial dysfunction in Paneth cells as a mediator of ileitis in mice. We hypothesized that CD Paneth cells exhibit impaired mitochondrial health and that mitochondrial-targeted therapeutics may provide a novel strategy for ileal CD.

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Background/aims: Safety for tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) in cancer has been focused on risk of incident malignancies, but studies on prognostic effects have been scarce. We determined survival and recurrence rates at 1, 2, and 5 years after cancer diagnosis in patients with and without concurrent TNFi use.

Methods: Chart reviews were performed between 1996 and 2015 at the VA North Texas Healthcare System.

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Objective: Although perturbations in mitochondrial function and structure have been described in the intestinal epithelium of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients, the role of epithelial mitochondrial stress in the pathophysiology of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is not well elucidated. Prohibitin 1 (PHB1), a major component protein of the inner mitochondrial membrane crucial for optimal respiratory chain assembly and function, is decreased during IBD.

Design: Male and female mice with inducible intestinal epithelial cell deletion of ( ) or Paneth cell-specific deletion of ( ) and control mice were housed up to 20 weeks to characterise the impact of PHB1 deletion on intestinal homeostasis.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to evaluate how common sexual dysfunction (SD) is among male veterans with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and what factors contribute to it.
  • Researchers surveyed 171 men, average age 50, finding that 85% experienced SD, with 92% suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED).
  • Results showed that more severe ED, reduced sexual desire, and decreased satisfaction were linked to lower quality of life (QOL), with biologic treatments increasing SD risk and hypertension reducing sexual desire.
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Background And Aims: Clip closure of the mucosal defect after resecting large (≥20 mm) nonpedunculated colorectal polyps reduces postprocedure bleeding and is cost saving for payers. Clip costs are not reimbursed by payers, posing a major barrier to adoption of this technique in the community. We aimed to determine appropriate clip costs to support broader use of this procedure in practice.

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Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more susceptible to mental health problems than the general population; however, temporal trends in psychiatric diagnoses' incidence or prevalence in the United States are lacking. We sought to identify these trends among patients with IBD using national Veterans Heath Administration data.

Methods: We ascertained the presence of anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder among veterans with IBD (ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease) during fiscal years 2000-2015.

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Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the USA. Interestingly, recent studies suggest that patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of developing prostate cancer. Importantly, patients with IBD who develop prostate cancer require thoughtful care when using immunosuppressants to treat the IBD in the setting of malignancy.

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Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic immune-related diseases hypothesized to be a sequela of an interplay of genetic predisposition and environmental exposures. The global incidence of IBD is increasing, and more patients are exploring diet as a means to explain and treat their IBD. In fact, many patients strongly believe diet plays a fundamental role in the onset and management of their IBD.

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Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk for pneumonia, and corticosteroids are reported to amplify this risk. Less is known about the impact of corticosteroid-sparing IBD therapies on pneumonia risk or the efficacy of pneumococcal vaccination in reducing all-cause pneumonia in real-world IBD cohorts.

Methods: We performed a population-based study using an established Veterans Health Administration cohort of 29,957 IBD patients.

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Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be at higher risk for complications from radiation treatment for prostate cancer. However, available data are limited, and controversy remains regarding the best treatment approach for IBD patients who develop prostate cancer.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study across 4 Department of Veterans Affairs hospital systems.

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  • A study was conducted to see if using hemoclips after removing large colonic polyps can reduce the risk of delayed bleeding.
  • 1,098 patients were involved, with half receiving hemoclips and the other half not, and they were monitored for bleeding complications for 30 days post-procedure.
  • The results showed no significant difference in delayed bleeding between the two groups, suggesting routine use of hemoclips may not be necessary and could be an unnecessary expense.
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Colonoscopy with polypectomy is the means by which the incidence of colon cancer may be reduced; however, polypectomy is not without risk. Physicians must carefully weigh the risks and benefits of colonoscopy, particularly when patients are given prescriptions for antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants. This article discusses the risks of colonoscopy and polypectomy and reviews the most recent data for managing antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants in the periendoscopic period.

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