Comment in 2023

Steatotic liver disease has emerged as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. Successful treatment of steatotic liver disease might also be effective in preventing these cardiometabolic diseases.

Strong multidisciplinary support and political commitment have helped Spain become one of the countries most likely to eliminate hepatitis C. In this Comment, we set out six key elements of the Spanish elimination effort that can serve as a model elsewhere and the remaining barriers to overcome.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinical trials face a recruitment crisis. This is attributable to multiple individual trials competing for the same pool of participants, growing sample size demands and the increased availability of licensed alternative options for many potential participants. We need phase II trials that are more efficient both in design and in outcomes measured in order to deliver earlier and more precise answers, rather than simply offering a crude preview of what a subsequent phase III trial might look like.

In this Comment, we provide a strategic framework for what could and should be measured, across four domains, to optimize standards of care for multidisciplinary models of care in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

In gastroenterology, ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs) can assist clinicians in various tasks but also have several shortcomings. Although LLMs have great potential to assist clinicians in health care, they should be used as a tool to support, rather than replace, human expertise.

Barrett oesophagus is not detected before its progression to oesophageal adenocarcinoma in over one-half of patients, and improvements in screening for Barrett oesophagus in primary care could substantially reduce mortality associated with this cancer. Advances in screening technology will help, but collaboration of gastroenterologists with primary care providers is essential.

Little Brain Big Brain is a biannual meeting organized and attended by young investigators. Since its inception in 1989, this meeting has brought together promising junior researchers in neurogastroenterology. The XVIIth meeting featured the latest basic, clinical and industry research in the field in a special post-pandemic edition.

Gastrointestinal research in Latin America is hampered by a lack of financial support and by biases, affecting research advancement in the region and career development of Latin American scientists. Engagement of the next generation of leaders and established scientists is, therefore, essential to avoid perpetuation of the existing inequalities.