Gary W. Liu, PhD, Giovanni Traverso, MD, PhD, MBBCH, of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and colleagues show how a drinkable formulation called LIFT hydrogels could expand access to advanced therapeutics for people who have trouble swallowing pills.

Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers and colleagues hypothesized that central adiposity, not elevated BMI alone, may have a role in fecal incontinence (FI). They report that waist circumference-to-height ratio (WtHR) is a stronger predictor of FI than BMI.

Throughout his career, new Brigham gastrointestinal surgeon O. Yusef Kudsi, MD, MBA, has embodied an entrepreneurial spirit most often seen in the business world. That characteristic helped him develop an international reputation as a hernia surgeon and a pioneer in robotic procedures for abdominal wall reconstruction.

Members of the Brigham’s Department of Surgery served as authors of three recently published retrospective studies focused on bariatric surgery. Eric G. Sheu, MD, PhD, section chief of Bariatric and Foregut Surgery, and surgery resident Tina Bharani, MD, discuss the key clinical implications.

Brigham researchers conducted a first-of-its-kind retrospective study to better understand the subset of bariatric surgery patients who do not comply with recommended follow-ups that would help optimize long-term outcomes. Ali Tavakkoli, MD, chief of the Division of General and GI Surgery, discusses their findings.

Ingestible devices have been researched since the 1950s, and proof-of-concept trials support their ability to measure pH, temperature, and gastrointestinal motility. Giovanni Traverso, MB, BChir, PhD, and colleagues have developed a vitamin-sized pill that measures respiratory rate and heart rate.