Annals for Educators - February 2026

The Deskilling Effect: Is Artificial Intelligence Eroding Clinical Competence?

Inpatient Management of Patients With Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis affects millions of U.S. adults and costs the U.S. health care system upward of $6 billion annually. Cirrhosis is underrecognized, and the only cure is transplantation. Complications, including bleeding, infection, ascites, and renal injury, contribute to high rates of hospitalization, readmission, and mortality in this population. Evidence-based practices and guidelines offer quality recommendations for clinicians, but many of these guidelines have changed recently. This article provides an update on the current guidelines for the inpatient management of cirrhosis.

Danger can lurk in liver supplements

The Human Factor in Clinical AI: Why Technology Alone Is Not Enough

Annals for Educators - January 2026

Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing for Uncomplicated Diverticulitis in Veterans Affairs Facilities: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Annals On Call - Mediterranean Diet in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Twenty-Three–Year Benefits of Sigmoidoscopy Screening for Colorectal Cancer: A Randomized Trial: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 179, No 6

Background: Meta-analyses of randomized trials have shown that sigmoidoscopy screening reduces colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and death for 15 years. Objective: To report the benefits of sigmoidoscopy after 23 years. Design: Randomized controlled trial. (NORCCAP [Norwegian Colorectal Cancer Prevention], ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00119912) Setting: Population of Oslo and Telemark County, Norway. Participants: Persons aged 50 to 64 years without CRC at randomization. Intervention: Screening with once-only sigmoidoscopy, with or without 1 fecal immunochemical test, or no screening. Measurements: Colorectal cancer incidence and death. Results: A total of 100 210 persons were randomly assigned, and 98 654 were included in intention-to-screen analyses: 20 552 in the screening group and 78 102 in the no-screening group. Participation with screening was 61.4% in men and 64.7% in women. In men, the 23-year cumulative risk for CRC was 4.3% in the screening group and 6.0% in the no-screening group, corresponding to a risk difference of −1.7 percentage points (95% CI, −2.2 to −1.2 percentage points). In women, the corresponding risks were 4.2% and 4.7%, yielding a risk difference of −0.5 percentage points (CI, −1.0 to −0.01 percentage points). In men, the 23-year cumulative risk for CRC death was 1.4% in the screening group and 2.2% in the no-screening group, corresponding to a risk difference of −0.8 percentage points (CI, −1.1 to −0.5 percentage points). In women, the corresponding risks were 1.3% and 1.4%, yielding a risk difference of −0.1 percentage points (CI, −0.3 to 0.1 percentage points). The effect was strongest for rectosigmoid cancer. The addition of fecal blood testing to sigmoidoscopy did not change screening benefits. Limitation: Follow-up through national registries. Conclusion: Offering sigmoidoscopy screening in Norway reduced CRC incidence more in men than in women and reduced CRC death only in men. Primary Funding Source: Norwegian government and Norwegian Cancer Society.

National Prevalence of Clinical Obesity by BMI Class: A National Cross-Sectional Study