This issue details the latest knowledge of early diagnosis, risk factors, limited surgical treatments, and novel therapies for pancreatic diseases. Clinicians will learn the most prognostic scoring systems for acute pancreatitis, review the basics for early management of the disease, and see how current practice guidelines have evolved. Advances in radiological imaging when applied to the pancreas have resulted in enhanced staging and improved selection for surgical intervention. Endoscopy of the pancreas via both ERCP and endoscopic ultrasound has led to unprecedented access and potential for non-operative intervention. Pancreatic surgery now takes advantage of both minimally invasive approaches and techniques learned from organ transplantation. These latest advances are addressed in this issue by key opinion leaders.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a worldwide disease with a significant morbidity and mortality; it is the leading cause of non-ulcer dyspepsia, peptic ulcers and gastric tumors, including low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-lymphoma and adenocarcinoma. In addition, it has also been recognized that the interaction between H. pylori and non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs is damaging to the gastroduodenal mucosa. H. pylori treatment still remains a challenge for physicians, since no current first-line therapy is able to cure the infection in all treated patients. This issue will serve to update gastroenterologists on current therapies, evaluation and management of disease progression, and the future of management of H. pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a worldwide disease with a significant morbidity and mortality; it is the leading cause of non-ulcer dyspepsia, peptic ulcers and gastric tumors, including low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-lymphoma and adenocarcinoma. In addition, it has also been recognized that the interaction between H. pylori and non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs is damaging to the gastroduodenal mucosa. H. pylori treatment still remains a challenge for physicians, since no current first-line therapy is able to cure the infection in all treated patients. This issue will serve to update gastroenterologists on current therapies, evaluation and management of disease progression, and the future of management of H. pylori infection.

With consultation of Dr. Charles J. Lightdale, Consulting Editor, Dr. Poneros has created created a state-of-the-art look at endoscopy for pancreatic disease. Top authors have contributed clinical reviews in the following areas: Acute Pancreatitis: Evidence Based Management Decisions ; Endoscopic Cyst Gastrostomy; ERCP for Recurrent Acute Pancreatitis ; Autoimmune Pancreatitis; Total Pancreatectomy with Autologous Islet Cell Transplantation; Pancreatic Insufficiency: What is the Gold Standard?; Current Guideline Controversies in the Management of Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms; How to Manage Incidentally Found Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors; Update in Celiac Block; The Use of Biomarkers in Risk Stratification of Cystic Neoplasms; Interventional EUS in the Pancreas; How to Avoid Post-ERCP Pancreatitis; and The Role of Genetic in Pancreatitis. Readers will come away with the clinical information they need to utilize endoscopic procedures in the treatment and management of pancreatic disease.

Dr. Van Dam is an internationally recognized leader in gastroenterology and has been a leader in advances in intervedntional endoscopy. He brings this expertise to the topic of management of benign and malignant pancreatic disease and has selected top experts in the field to provide state-of-the-art clinical information to gastroenterologists. The modern management treatise of each article addresses current diagnostics as well as medical management. Seven articles are devoted to pancreatic cancer and span medical management, surgial mangament, radiologic imaging, endoscopic diagnosis, palliation, and screening. Other important topics addressed are pancreatic transplantation, pancreatic cystic neoplasms, acute and chronic pancreatitis, and autoimmune pancreatitis.

Several new scientific developments in the area of nutrition and an increasing interest in the nutritional interventions in gastrointestinal diseases justify a timely issue on on Nutritional Management of Gastrointestinal Disease. The articles in this issue are very relevant to our readers because diet and nutritional therapy positively affect various bodily functions, reduce the risk of disease progression, and optimize outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal disorders. Expert authors have written reviews devoted to the following topics: Malnutrition in GI disorders; Detection and nutritional assessment; Enteral feeding: Access and its complications; Parenteral nutrition: Indications, access and complications; Nutritional aspects of acute pancreatitis; Nutritional therapy in chronic pancreatic; Nutritional interventions in chronic intestinal pseudoobstruction and scleroderma; The role of diet in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome; and Nutritional considerations in celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Readers will have a complete clinical understanding of best practices and outcomes for the gastroenterologist managing GI diseases.

The goal of this issue of Gastroenterology Clinics is to present GI diseases which affect women uniquely, such as pelvic floor problems and pregnancy related disorders, or which require a more considered approach such as functional bowel disease or autoimmune processes. It will also address the position of women and female gastroenterologists in the health system as a whole. This issue is published at an exciting, transitional time in the future of gastroenterology, as we adjust approaches for the assessment of disease in a large portion of our patient population, and as we address the challenges in practicing medicine based on the uniqueness of specific populations.