Gastroenterology

In this month's "Hot Topic," Alicia Algeciras, Ph.D., DABCC, and Joshua Bornhorst, Ph.D., DABCC, discuss Alzheimer's disease CSF biomarkers.

Director of Mayo Clinic’s Infectious Diseases Serology Laboratory, Elitza Theel, Ph.D., joins a discussion about COVID-19 antibody testing in a recent story on NPR.

Pua Hopson, D.O., discusses Mayo Clinic Labs’ new disaccharidase activity panel, which measures levels of five digestive enzymes to identify deficiencies that cause carbohydrate maldigestion and can lead to chronic conditions like celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease. Performed on tissue sample biopsies during upper endoscopy, the activity panel is the gold standard test for detecting disaccharidase deficiencies.

Mayo Clinic Laboratories now offers a noninvasive approach for the molecular detection of H. pylori, with results that include prediction of clarithromycin resistance delivered within 24 hours.

This "Pathways" program provides an Anatomic Pathology case that includes a history, potential answers, rationale, and relevant references. This case sub-specialty is Gastroenterology Pathology and Surgical Pathology.

This "Pathways" program provides an Anatomic Pathology case that includes a history, potential answers, rationale, and relevant references. This case sub-specialty is Gastroenterology Pathology and Surgical Pathology.

In this month’s Hot Topic, Robin Patel, M.D., discusses Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ new PCR assay for detection of Helicobacter pylori detection and determination of clarithromycin resistance directly from stool.

Thank you to our staff at Mayo Clinic who step up daily during this time of need to provide access to testing during the global pandemic. We appreciate each one of you and all the sacrifices you personally have made throughout this past year.

Puanani Hopson, D.O., a Mayo Clinic pediatric gastroenterologist, explains the pancreatic elastase test — a screening test that can be useful when symptoms point to the possibility of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Dr. Hopson reviews when this test should be ordered, how it compares to other test options, and how its results can guide further evaluation.

A small but in-depth study conducted a postmortem evaluation of the heart tissue of 15 patients with COVID-19, including the first postmortem cardiac findings of three patients who had cleared the virus.

Joshua Bornhorst, Ph.D., associate director of Mayo Clinic's Clinical Immunoassay Lab, explains how humans can develop an allergy to the alpha-gal molecule, and he describes a new allergen antibody test that can be used to detect it. Dr. Bornhorst also reviews other tests that should be used in conjunction with alpha-gal testing to accurately identify the scope and underlying cause of the allergy.

Divyanshu (Div), Dubey, M.B.B.S, gives an overview of the new Autoimmune Gastrointestinal Dysmotility Evaluation available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. He discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing compares to previous testing approaches, and what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.

This "Pathways" program provides Anatomic and Clinical Pathology cases that include a history, potential answers, rationale, and relevant references. Cases for July include the following sub-specialties: Bone and Soft Tissue & Pulmonary, Clinical Chemistry, and Gastroenterology.