Gallstones News and Research

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Gallstones are small, pebble-like substances that develop in the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped sac located below your liver in the right upper abdomen. Gallstones form when liquid stored in the gallbladder hardens into pieces of stone-like material. The liquid—called bile—helps the body digest fats. Bile is made in the liver, then stored in the gallbladder until the body needs it. The gallbladder contracts and pushes the bile into a tube—called the common bile duct—that carries it to the small intestine, where it helps with digestion.

Are bone fractures more common in non-meat eaters?

A new study has found that in comparison with people who eat meat, vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians may be at a higher risk of hip fractures.

20 Nov 2020

Surgery for acute cholecystitis during pregnancy may be safer than postponing

Painful gallstones are common during pregnancy. The pain can be intense, coming on suddenly, increasing and often radiating to the back.

5 Aug 2020

Tailoring care for older patients after emergency surgery can greatly improves outcomes

Tailoring care for older patients who have had emergency surgery can reduce complications and deaths, decrease the length of hospital stays and cut down on the need for alternate care at discharge, according to a new study led a University of Alberta researcher.

18 Feb 2020

Loss of stress hormone is a hallmark of pancreatitis, shows study

In work that could have clinical implications, UT Southwestern researchers find that humans and mice with pancreatitis are deficient in a stress hormone called FGF21.

9 Jan 2020

Pioneering CRISPR therapy leaves two patients free of blood disease symptoms

The first two clinical trials for CRISPR-based treatments for inherited blood disorders have been successful.

20 Nov 2019

Teens and adults experience the same rate of biliary side effects after weight-loss surgery

Adolescents and teens experience biliary side effects after weight-loss surgery at about the same rate as adults. However, in younger patients, the symptoms are more likely to manifest as pancreatic inflammation, or acute pancreatitis, according to a new study published in the November issue of the journal Obesity.

5 Nov 2019

How do gallstones form?

The human body is known to produce stones in various locations, most commonly in the kidneys, the bladder, the gallbladder and the appendix. Many of these stones appear without any obvious reason. However, a new study published in the journal Immunity shows the whole storyline for the first time: how gallstones are formed.

9 Oct 2019

Using spices and culinary herbs to develop new natural product based medicines

Culinary herbs have been used to cure various ailments, such as fever and joint pain as well as aid in wound healing.

25 Sep 2019

Coffee intake may help reduce the risk of developing gallstones

Drinking more coffee may help reduce the risk of developing gallstones, according to a new study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

5 Sep 2019

Gallstone formation may be driven by neutrophils

Neutrophils generate sticky webs of DNA called neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) that act as a “glue” during gallstone formation.

19 Aug 2019

Pregnant women who undergo gallbladder removal surgery experience longer hospital stays

Pregnant women produce extra progesterone, which puts them at greater risk for gallstones. When the stones become problematic, causing painful attacks, a surgeon may recommend that the diseased gallbladder be taken out by performing an operation known as a cholecystectomy.

13 Feb 2019

Rate of weight loss matters less for overall health benefits, suggests study

Losing weight slowly or quickly won't tip the scale in your favor when it comes to overall health, according to new research.

30 Jan 2019

Lower BMI before obesity surgery predicts greater post-operative weight loss, study finds

Lower BMI before bariatric surgery predicts greater post-operative weight loss, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland finds.

11 Dec 2018

New discovery overturns centuries of thought about nature of kidney stones

A geologist, a microscopist and a doctor walk into a lab and, with their colleagues from across the nation, make a discovery that overturns centuries of thought about the nature and composition of kidney stones.

14 Sep 2018

Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome: How HCP’s can Support Patients with Rare Diseases

Dr Robert Cramb gives an introduction to the rare disease FCS, and how HCP's can best advise and support patients with the condition.

15 May 2018

Pancreatitis risk in minorities linked to alcohol, gallstones and high triglycerides

Pancreatitis in ethnic minorities is linked to very high levels of triglycerides and the risk is further increased by alcohol abuse and gallstones, according to a study published in the journal Endocrine Practice.

16 Apr 2018

Increase in coffee consumption may help battle against colon cancer

A report that Americans are drinking a lot of coffee might be good news in the battle against colon cancer, scientists with the Simmons Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center say.

21 Mar 2018

Moderate coffee consumption more likely to provide beneficial health outcomes

Drinking coffee is "more likely to benefit health than to harm it" for a range of health outcomes, say researchers in The BMJ today.

23 Nov 2017

Scientists use BR nanoparticles to develop photoacoustic imaging and photothermal cancer therapy

Sangyong Jon, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at KAIST, and his team developed combined photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy for cancer by using Bilirubin (BR) nanoparticles.

26 Sep 2017

FDA approves scope with disposable part aimed at reducing superbug infections

Seeking to prevent superbug outbreaks, federal health officials said they have approved the first gastrointestinal medical scope with a disposable cap for use in the U.S.

22 Sep 2017