The September issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology includes an updated clinical guideline on Helicobacter pylori infection, providing new first-line recommendations for the treatment of the condition. Also featured are two recommendations on quality indicators for colonoscopy and endoscopy authored jointly by ACG and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). This month we also published articles on irritable bowel syndrome and diet, MASLD, inflammatory bowel disease, artificial intelligence, and more.

Several articles are highlighted below and access to any articles from this issue, or past issues, is available upon request. The College is also able to connect members of the press with study authors or outside experts who can comment on the articles.

ACG Clinical Guideline: Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection
Chey, et al.
This update to the 2017 guidelines on H. pylori includes key changes, including the recommendation of bismuth quadruple therapy as the first-line therapy, replacing PPI triple therapy, due to rising chloromycetin resistance. The authors provide guidance on who to test, the need for universal post-treatment test-of-cure, and current evidence regarding antibiotic susceptibility testing and its role in guiding the choice of initial and salvage treatment.
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ACG-ASGE Quality Indicators for Colonoscopy
Rex, et al.
The latest recommendations from ACG and ASGE, intended to ensure consistently high-quality standards for colonoscopy, include benchmarks for adenoma detection rate, sessile serrated lesion detection rate, the rate of using recommended screening and surveillance intervals, bowel preparation adequacy rate, and cecal intubation rate. 

ACG-ASGE Quality Indicators Common to All Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Procedures
Elmunzer, et al.
This joint recommendation includes performance targets for three primary areas: characteristics of the entire healthcare environment (e.g., availability and maintenance of endoscopy equipment at a hospital), performance during the delivery of care (e.g., proportion of patients who undergo biopsy sampling when Barrett's esophagus is suspected), and results of the care that is provided (e.g., proportion of patients who survive ≥30 days after endoscopic therapy for a bleeding gastric ulcer).

A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial of Microbiome-Based Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Personalized Diet vs Low-Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols Diet: A Novel Approach for the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Tunali, et al.
This multicenter RCT compared the low-FODMAP diet to a microbiome-based AI-assisted personalized diet (PD). The authors found that improvement occurred in IBS symptom severity scores (IBS-SSS), frequency, abdominal distension, and life interference, anxiety levels, and IBS quality of life scores in both groups. However, PD was effective in reducing IBS-SSS scores across all IBS subtypes (IBS-C, IBS-D, IBS-M) while the FODMAP diet exhibited comparable improvements in IBS-C and IBS-M only.
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About the American College of Gastroenterology
Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of over 20,000 individuals from 86 countries. The College’s vision is to be the preeminent professional organization that champions the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of digestive disorders, serving as a beacon to guide the delivery of the highest quality, compassionate, and evidence-based patient care. The mission of the College is to enhance the ability of our members to provide world class care to patients with digestive disorders and advance the profession through excellence and innovation based upon the pillars of Patient Care, Education, Scientific Investigation, Advocacy and Practice Management. www.gi.org