Research in Brief

Section snippets

Tranexamic acid not recommended for liver cancer surgery

Tranexamic acid does not reduce bleeding and increases major complications in liver cancer surgery, according to new findings from the HeLiX trial. Paul Karanicolas and colleagues randomly assigned patients undergoing liver resection for cancer to receive either tranexamic acid (n=619) or matching placebo (n=626) beginning at induction of anaesthesia. The primary outcome—receipt of a red blood cell transfusion within 7 days of surgery—occurred in 101 (16%) patients in the tranexamic acid group

Oral microbiome therapeutic for recurrent C difficile

CP101, an oral microbiome therapeutic, restores microbiome diversity and offers a safe effective treatment option for recurrent C difficile infections, according to a phase 2 trial. Jessica Allegretti and colleagues randomly assigned participants with recurrent C difficile to receive a single oral dose of either CP101 (n=102) or placebo (n=96) after standard-of-care antibiotics. At week 8, a significantly higher proportion of participants in the CP101 group achieved had not had C difficile

Liver transplantation for inoperative colorectal liver metastases

Long-term survival is possible after liver transplant for colorectal liver metastases, according to the TransMet trial. René Adam and colleagues randomly assigned patients with permanently unresectable colorectal liver metastases to receive liver transplantation plus chemotherapy (n=47) or chemotherapy alone (n=47). The per-protocol population of patients who received the assigned treatment included 36 patients in liver transplantation plus chemotherapy group and 38 in the chemotherapy alone

Palliative radiotherapy for hepatic cancer

Low-dose liver radiotherapy improves pain in patients receiving palliative care for hepatic cancer, a phase 3 trial suggests. Laura Dawson and colleagues randomly assigned patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or liver metastases, and a pain score of at least 4 out of 10 “at its worst in the past 24 hours” on the Brief Pain Inventory, to receive a single fraction of radiotherapy (8 Gy) plus best supportive care (n=33) or best supportive care alone (n=33). At median follow-up of 3·2 months,

Tulisokibart for ulcerative colitis

Tulisokibart—a TNF–like cytokine 1A (TL1A) monoclonal antibody—shows promise in patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis, according to the ARTEMIS-UC phase 2 trial. Bruce Sands and colleagues enrolled patients with glucocorticoid dependence or failure of conventional or advanced therapies for ulcerative colitis into two cohorts. Cohort 1 included patients regardless of their status on a genetic-based diagnostic test designed to identify those with an increased likelihood