Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

MedPage Today reports on a study regarding nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in lean patients and how it’s linked with COVID-19 risk. “The results are interesting because the authors found a significantly increased prevalence of COVID compared to overweight/obese individuals even though the prevalence of risk factors for atherosclerotic disease and metabolic diseases were lower," said UB physician Andrew Talal, MD, MPH, who was not involved in the study.

Medpage Today reported on research that found that people who drink more than three cups of coffee a day are less likely to have liver fibrosis, a risk factor for liver disease. The story quoted Andrew Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who said: “These studies support the consumption of at least moderate amounts of coffee for its protective effects against liver scarring and the development or progression of chronic liver disease.”

Your gut affects your entire cardiovascular system in ways we’re learning more about every day, says Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. The digestive tract itself is home to over 100 trillion microorganisms (known as the gut microbiome). Most of that bacteria is healthy, but when your balance of good and bad bacteria is off, you can experience a build-up of cholesterol in your bloodstream, Talal says.

Shape magazine reported that the FDA is warning that Real Water, an alkaline water, has been linked to cases of non-viral hepatitis and quoted Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. He advised people who have consumed Real Water to watch for symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, GI symptoms, joint pain, yellow eyes or jaundice. If such symptoms appear, he advised consulting with a physician and having liver tests done. “With acute toxicity, it causes an injury similar to what could occur with (an overdose of) drugs or some other medications,” he said.

WBFO interviewed Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, about his mentor, Rockefeller University’s Charles Rice, sharing the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for the discovery of hepatitis C. Talal said Rice’s work is a classic example of what can be done in medicine. “Not only do we know what we are fighting, but over the course of the last 25 years, we identified that there was an organism. We identified what that organism was and we developed the ability to grow it so that the appropriate therapeutic interventions could be developed,” Talal said. Once the virus was found, doctors could begin to study it and find treatments.

Medical XPress reports on a new study that reveals how more individualized prescription of methadone could better serve patients. The study, led by Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, was begun by a desire to bring personalized medicine to methadone prescribing in the treatment of opioid use disorder.

Telemedicine can be beneficial for people in rural areas, older people, those in drug treatment programs, or patients with developmental delays or physical limitations. Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, says telemedicine is a good way to treat people in underserved communities and those who are typically difficult to engage, such as those in substance abuse treatment programs. Talal is leading a five-year study on the use of telemedicine in drug treatment programs, specifically how it can help patients with hepatitis C. “The ability to engage those individuals in the places where they feel comfortable, I think really is the power and perhaps the next phase of development of this new modality of health care delivery,” says Talal.

Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, is quoted in a story on hepatitis in Western New York and how the health care system is working to improve prevention and care for patients. The story discusses the Buffalo BOOTS (Bringing Outreach On The Streets) program, which enables people who have had hepatitis to receive training to help identify, educate and link patients to care for viral hepatitis. Talal notes that, “We have many more effective agents to treat and cure hepatitis C.”

A $7 million UB-led telemedicine study that can provide lifesaving treatment of Hepatitis C to those recovering from drug addiction has shown such promise that it has been expanded across New York State. “I think you'd want to do both at the same time because the treatment for Hep C in many ways helps substance users get control of their lives,” said Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of  Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. “Patients are very happy when they find out that they no longer have to deal with Hep C. It gives them a real benefit on the road to recovery.”

An article about medical innovations being developed in Western New York interviews Adnan Siddiqui, MD, PhD, professor of neurosurgery, about the Tigertriever, which can be manipulated while inside a blood vessel to change in size and dimensions, and Anthony D. Martinez, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, who discussed the FibroScan machine, which uses diagnostic imaging that takes about 10 minutes and can replace a more invasive, expensive and risky liver biopsy.

A perspective piece written by Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, describes a study that reported that low testosterone persists in men even after hepatitis C virus is cleared. “The study highlights the important relationships between common viral infections and male hypogonadism,” he wrote.

Articles focusing on next-generation leaders in the News’ annual Prospectus special section feature a number of individuals with UB connections, including: Anthony D. Martinez, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and medical director of hepatology at Erie County Medical Center.

UB researchers have received a five-year, $3 million grant to apply the power of big data to enhance liver health in the region. Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine and co-principal investigator on the grant, said “clearly, it’s not an exaggeration to say that we are seeing a national crisis of liver disease and liver cancer.”

An article about the rapid revolution of technology-aided care that is available through remote patient monitoring interviews Anne B. Curtis, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Charles and Mary Bauer Professor and chair of medicine; Ajay Chaudhuri, MD, clinical director of medicine and director of the endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes fellowship program; and Andrew H. Talal, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition; about the devices that can reduce patients’ trips to the doctor’s office.

An article about research that showed that in patients with hepatitis C virus infection who were receiving opioid substitutes, interferon-free drug regimens yielded better outcomes compared with regimens that contained interferon, and reports that a related editorial co-authored by Andrew H. Talal, MD, MPH, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, suggests that DAA efficacy should encourage people with substance use disorders to seek HCV treatment.