People Still Have Reflux Symptoms Despite Taking Meds

Cedars-Sinai\’s Nationwide Study Shows Most Patients Still Have Symptoms Despite Taking Medications

Newswise — LOS ANGELES (Dec. 19, 2019) —

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a digestive disorder that causes heartburn and other uncomfortable symptoms, may affect nearly a third of U.S. adults each week, and most of those who take certain popular medications for it still have symptoms, according to a new Cedars-Sinai study.

Also known as acid reflux,

GERD

is caused by gastric acid from the stomach flowing back up into a person\’s food pipe, or esophagus. This backup can happen when the lower esophageal sphincter, a muscle that briefly opens to let food into the stomach and closes to take food inside, relaxes too often or too long. Besides causing the burning sensation in the throat and chest known as heartburn, GERD can damage tissues and cause food to be regurgitated.

For their research, published today in the journal

Gastroenterology

, investigators conducted an online survey of more than 71,000 people age 18 or over across the U.S., asking them if they experienced specific GERD symptoms and how often, and if they were taking drugs for it.

\”Our study is among the largest and most diverse population-based studies on gastrointestinal symptoms ever conducted,\” said

Brennan Spiegel, MD, MSHS

, director of Cedars-Sinai\’s Health Service Research, professor of Medicine and corresponding author of the journal article. Most previous published research on GERD, which found a somewhat lower incidence of the disease than this study did, was conducted within limited geographic areas or with a less representative sampling of U.S. adults, he explained.

An important feature of the new study was its finding that more than half of GERD patients who took popular over-the-counter drugs known as proton pump inhibitors, designed to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach, still reported persistent symptoms.

The survey also indicated that certain categories of people, including younger people, women, Latinos, and people with irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn\’s disease, were less likely to respond to proton pump inhibitors.

\”Given the significant effect of GERD on quality of life for millions of Americans, further research and development of new therapies are needed to help patients whose disease does not respond to proton pump inhibitors,\” said Spiegel, who also directs the Cedars-Sinai Center for Outcomes Research and Education.

The investigators conducted their nationwide survey in October and November 2015 using MyGiHealth, a mobile app that asked respondents to select any symptoms they had experienced in the past week or \”ever experienced.\” Investigators measured the severity of patients\’ symptoms, using validated questionairres from the National Institutes of Health. The symptoms included GERD-relevant ones — such as heartburn, acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux — plus other general gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation and nausea.

Out of 71,812 people who responded to the survey, 44.1% reported experiencing GERD symptoms in the past and 30.9% in the last week. More than a third of the GERD sufferers said they were currently on therapy, mostly involving proton pump inhibitors. Of those taking daily proton pump inhibitors, 54.1% reported persistent GERD symptoms.

\”The MyGiHealth digital platform allowed us to efficiently recruit a large, highly diverse, representative population in a very short period of time,\” said

Christopher Almario, MD

, MSHPM, assistant professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai. Yet it also carried potential limitations because individuals with limited computer skills or poor access to the internet may be underrepresented, he explained. In addition, since the study was described as a \”GI Survey\” to potential respondents, it may have led to overestimating GERD prevalence since those without gastrointestinal issues may have opted not to complete the survey.

The other authors of the study were Sean Delshad, MD, MBA, a former research intern at the Cedars-Sinai Center for Outcomes Research and Education, and William Chey, MD, professor in the Division of Gastroenterology at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Disclosures

: Brennan Spiegel and William Chey are consultants for Ironwood Pharmaceuticals and patent holders and principals at My Total Health. Christopher Almario has a stock option grant in My Total Health.

Funding

: This study was funded by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, which did not have a role in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, or drafting of the manuscript. The Cedars-Sinai Center for Outcomes Research and Education is supported by The Marc and Sheri Rapaport Fund for Digital Health Sciences & Precision Health. Christopher Almario was supported by a career development award from the American College of Gastroenterology. Almario and Spiegel are supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Science of the National Institutes of Health under UCLA CTSI Grant Number UL1TR001881.

Pennsylvania senators call for more information about Gov\’s judicial nominations

By Steve Bittenbender |

The Center Square

HARRISBURG, PA–Four Pennsylvania Senators say they are pushing for legislation to reform the state’s judicial nominating process, calling for more information about the individuals the governor picks to fill vacant seats to be made public.

A news conference this week to announce Senate Bill 978 came just hours before the state Senate voted 42-7 to affirm the nomination of Drew Crompton to fill an opening on the Commonwealth Court, an appellate-level court that hears cases involving state and local governments.

Nominated by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, Crompton served for nearly three decades as a legislative counsel, currently working as the chief counsel for state Sen. Joe Scarnati, the Senate President Pro Tempore.

While his name was mentioned in the news conference, state Sen. Anthony Williams, the Democratic whip in the state Senate, said he didn’t want to make it “the Drew Crompton Show.” While saying it was fair to call into question Crompton’s credentials, Williams – who voted for Crompton – said his issues with the process began well before that particular nomination.

“I don\’t want to draw to just one singular personality because I think that frankly, it underwhelms the argument for change,” the Philadelphia senator said. “It makes it more difficult for people to digest that. It could be a Democrat. It could be a Republican. If they don\’t qualify, they don\’t qualify.”

However, his colleagues at the presser certainly didn’t have qualms speaking out against a candidate they felt was unqualified. State Sen. Katie Muth, D-Royersford, said she wasn’t in Harrisburg to “appease the governor.” State Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Pittsburgh, spoke out against a process that she said allowed nominations to be made in backrooms.

State Sen. Maria Collett, D-Lower Gwynedd, said she came away concerned about Crompton’s qualifications after questioning him in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday morning.

“He has never practiced law outside of these walls, and that\’s problematic when we\’re putting someone on the court that doesn\’t have a varied level of experience and a varied level of experiences dealing with people from different walks of life,” she said.

Muth, Collett and Lindsey Williams were among those who voted against Crompton.

The senators’ bill does have the support of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts. Maida Milone, the group’s president and CEO, said the organization has pushed for a merit-based process to fill vacancies for 30 years.

“I do see this legislation as a step in that direction by making the nomination process much more open and transparent to everyone and allowing for more public participation in the process,” she said.

published here with permission of The Center Square

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass Schedule at Cathedral Basilica

PHILADELPHIA PA (Dec. 22, 2019)–Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

will be the principal celebrant and homilist at the Midnight Mass on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25, 2019.

The Holy Day of Christmas is a most special occasion for Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as we celebrate the Birth of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. All are welcome to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord at the mother church of the Archdiocese, the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia, PA 19103

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

– Christmas Eve Masses will be celebrated in the Cathedral Basilica at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Music for the 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Masses will be provided by the Cathedral Schola and Instruments. The 7:30 p.m. Mass will be a bilingual celebration in English and Spanish.

– Beginning at 11:00 p.m. – Cathedral Basilica Choir and Instruments will provide the Choral Prelude to the Midnight Mass with sacred music and carols.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

-12:00 a.m. – Solemn Midnight Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., with music provided by the Cathedral Basilica Choir and Instruments. The Midnight Mass will be streamed live on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s and Archbishop Charles J. Chaput’s Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/ArchPhila

and

http://www.facebook.com/archbishopchaput

beginning at 12:00 a.m. (EDT).

-10:00 a.m. – Solemn Mass with music provided by the Cathedral Basilica Choir and Instruments.

Additional Christmas Day Masses will be celebrated in the Cathedral Basilica at 8:00 a.m. with music provided by a cantor and an organist and 12:00 Noon Solemn Mass with the Cathedral Schola and Instruments.

THERE WILL BE NO EVENING MASS.

U.S. House members from Pennsylvania explain impeachment votes

By Dave Lemery |

The Center Square

Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., speaks Dec. 18, 2019, as the House of Representatives debates the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington. House Television via AP

As the U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump, Pennsylvania\’s delegation stuck to party lines when casting their individual votes.

With the 18-member delegation split evenly between the two political parties, the state\’s nine Democrats voted in favor of the articles of impeachment and the nine Republicans voted against.

In both comments from the floor of the House and on social media, a number of lawmakers made their arguments justifying their decisions.

“It\’s with profound sadness that I stand here today in support of these articles of impeachment,” Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, a Democrat, said during the debate. “President Trump\’s behavior is exactly what our founders feared most. They knew that with the awesome power of the presidency came the risk of a president abusing that power for personal gain. They were particularly concerned about an executive who became entangled with foreign governments, corrupted our elections, or sought to avoid consequences for his own misconduct in office.”

While Scanlon argued that the president’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was evidence of a “high crime” as defined in the U.S. Constitution, Rep. Dan Meuser, a Republican, saw exactly the opposite.

“Abuse of power? Not according to the Ukraine,” Meuser said during his floor remarks. “President Zelensky confirmed many times that there was no quid pro quo, no action taken, and significant military aid was delivered without anything in return. Of course, his words have been conveniently dismissed.”

To Meuser, the impeachment effort marked a concerted effort by the Democratic Party to overturn the will of the voters at a time when Trump’s policies are bearing fruit.

“Our communities are benefiting greatly from President Trump\’s agenda – a booming economy, secure border, better trade deals, and a stronger military,” he said. “Unfortunately, inside the halls of Congress, Democrats\’ obsession with impeachment is all-consuming.”

Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat, insisted that the president’s crimes were so self-evident that there was no need to lay out a case.

“Ultimately, the matter before us today is not a question of fact, for the evidence is undisputed,” he said during House debate. “Nor is it a question of law, as the Constitution is clear. The heart of the matter is this: Will members of this House have the courage to choose fidelity to the Constitution over loyalty to their political party?”

Republican Guy Reschenthaler said the entire impeachment process was more about the 2020 election than anything that had taken place during the president’s term.

published here with permission of The Center Square

A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen & E Street Band

Back By Popular Demand! The World’s #1 Tribute to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band

COLLINGSWOOD, NJ –Presented by the Camden County Board of Freeholders in association with BRE and the Borough of Collingswood, the Scottish Rite Auditorium welcomes Bruce in the USA, Back By Popular Demand! The World’s #1 Tribute to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band on Saturday, December 28, 2019. Doors open at 7 PM, showtime at 8 PM.

Bruce In The USA is much more than just another tribute…

This high-energy musical experience is a note-perfect and visually accurate recreation of a Bruce Springsteen & The E St. Band show.

Matt Ryan, from the World Famous “Legends In Concert” cast, began playing the Springsteen character in 2000, in Legends “full scale” Las Vegas show. The great success in the famous Las Vegas show brought him to performances across the world, eventually evolving his character into the Bruce In The USA show.

The Bruce In The USA Band consists of seasoned world class professional musicians. The show has hosted musicians from such acts/bands as Queen/Paul Rogers, Meatloaf, Blue Oyster Cult, Hall and Oats, Joe Cocker, The Ojays, Aretha Franklin, David Cassidy, The Temptations, Slash… and so many more.

This high end, powerhouse, band has taken this genre of performance art to a whole new level, making it the World’s #1 Tribute to the E Street Band’s musical legacy.

Tickets go on sale August 22

Tickets are $39.50 and $29.50

Tickets Available from:

www.ticketmaster.com

or by phone at 1-800-745-3000

Camden County Store at Voorhees Town Center

(Echelon Mall), 1 Echelon Road, Voorhees, NJ 08043

(856) 566- 2920

Scottish Rite Auditorium

315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, NJ, 08108, United States

Saturday, Dec 28th, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

–

10:00 pm

Ann is The Pet of the Week

Ann is a sweet 1 year old female hound mix. She is mostly fully grown at 35 pounds but is on the skinny side, so gaining a few extra pounds wouldn’t hurt. She likes other dogs and is good with children of any age. Ann would do well in a more active home with a family who is willing to give her plenty of mental and physical exercise.

Visit Ann at the

https://www.awanj.org/

today.