News & Comment

Transgender and gender-diverse patients in the United States can have difficulty finding providers who are knowledgeable about their unique health-care needs. In many states, legislation limits the ability of physicians to provide gender-affirming and supportive care. Further awareness, advocacy and research is needed to help mitigate the discrimination and stigma endured by the transgender community.

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community navigates a complex social landscape marked by strides in acceptance alongside enduring discrimination. Allies — individuals outside of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum who support and advocate for this community — are paramount, with allyship playing a critical part in influencing the health and well-being of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Cultural safety seeks to remediate health inequities through empowering marginalized and minoritized patient populations, minimizing implicit bias and incorporating social determinants of health into practice. Here, we propose a cultural safety framework to guide communication with patients from sexual and gender minorities.

Fatty liver disease is one of the most common liver diseases in the Middle East and North Africa region, and globally. Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness regarding this condition. The nomenclature changes for NAFLD (to MAFLD or MASLD) have gained considerable attention in the hepatology community. Here, we present our point of view on this ongoing change and debate.

Live microorganisms can be manipulated and engineered for colorectal cancer detection and treatment through methods such as faecal microbiota transplantation, native bacteria engineering and synthetic circuit engineering. Although promising, substantial effort is required to translate these approaches for clinical use.