Year in Review in 2014

IBS affects up to 15% of the population and continues to provide the medical profession with diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. The pathophysiology is complex and until it is better understood management strategies will necessarily remain rather empirical.

Since the discovery of HBV in the 1960s, its life cycle and the natural history of infection have been delineated by many studies. In 2014, new findings concerning the host–virus interaction and new studies of HBV reactivation from occult HBV infection are of considerable interest.

Several key studies published in 2014 have shed light on the pathogenesis of IBD by investigating the molecular mechanisms controlling mucosal homeostasis and intestinal barrier function. These studies revealed that alterations of intestinal homeostasis drive chronic intestinal inflammation. Here, we describe these findings and discuss future directions for translational research in IBD.

Oesophageal cancer is characterized by poor prognosis, and curatively intended treatment is extensive and demanding. In 2014, well-designed clinical studies have advanced our knowledge of how to improve the treatment of oesophageal cancer at various tumour stages.

2013 saw several advances in small bowel endoscopy: new 3D visualization software, increased battery life, side-viewing cameras and higher frame rate. Studies on prokinetics for patient preparation, safety in the elderly, rebleeding after negative capsule endoscopy and defining optimum training requirements for fellows were encouraging. Procedure time and small bowel length evaluated by double-balloon and spiral endoscopy were shown to be comparable.