Gastroenteritis News and Research

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Gastroenteritis (also known as gastro, gastric flu, and stomach flu) refers to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, involving both the stomach and the small intestine and resulting in acute diarrhea. The inflammation is caused most often by infection with certain viruses, less often by bacteria or their toxins, parasites, or adverse reaction to something in the diet or medication.

PolyMedix presents new pre-clinical data on antimicrobial compounds at two scientific meetings

PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat life-threatening infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders, announced today that new pre-clinical data for its novel, defensin-mimetic antimicrobial compounds was recently presented at two prestigious scientific meetings, including the American Society of Microbiology.

25 May 2011

Salmonella enterica bacterium activates virulence genes through Fur protein

Salmonella enterica, one of the main causes of gastrointestinal infections, modulates its virulence gene expression, adapting it to each stage of the infection process, depending on the free iron concentration found in the intestinal epithelium of its host.

12 May 2011

Irritable Bowel Syndrome linked to bacterial overgrowth, food poisoning

Cedars-Sinai researchers have reported two advances in the understanding of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the most common gastrointestinal disorder in the United States, affecting an estimated 30 million people.

12 May 2011

Study confirms LcS-fermented milk reduces fever linked with acute norovirus gastroenteritis

The Laboratory Department for Probiotics Research at the Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine studied supplementation of probiotic fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota in elderly individuals living at a nursing home and confirmed reduced fever associated with acute norovirus gastroenteritis.

10 May 2011

How peppermint helps to relieve Irritable Bowel Syndrome

University of Adelaide researchers have shown for the first time how peppermint helps to relieve Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which affects up to 20% of the population.

20 Apr 2011

Merck's VICTRELIS phase III study results against HCV presented at EASL annual meeting

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced results from several new data analyses from the pivotal Phase III studies evaluating the addition of its investigational oral protease inhibitor VICTRELIS to peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin in adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection.

1 Apr 2011

Experimental vaccine against human norovirus generates strong, safe immune response in mice

Scientists have shown that an experimental vaccine against the human norovirus - the bug behind about 90 percent of highly contagious nonbacterial illnesses that cause diarrhea and vomiting - can generate a strong immune response in mice without appearing to cause the animals any harm.

16 Mar 2011

Merck to present VICTRELIS phase III study data against HCV at EASL annual meeting

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced that several new data analyses from Phase III studies of VICTRELIS, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, will be presented at The International Liver CongressTM / 46th European Association for the Study of the Liver annual meeting.

9 Mar 2011

Nevirapine reduces HIV transmission risk from mother to breastfeeding infants by 75%

Giving breastfeeding infants of HIV-infected mothers a daily dose of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine for six months halved the risk of HIV transmission to the infants at age 6 months compared with giving infants the drug daily for six weeks, according to preliminary clinical trial data presented today.

4 Mar 2011

Researchers develop new inexpensive way of filtering water with silver nanoparticles

Disasters such as floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes often result in the spread of diseases like gastroenteritis, giardiasis and even cholera because of an immediate shortage of clean drinking water. Now, chemistry researchers at McGill University have taken a key step towards making a cheap, portable, paper-based filter coated with silver nanoparticles to be used in these emergency settings.

24 Feb 2011

FDA allows marketing of Ridascreen Norovirus 3rd Generation EIA assay in the US

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed marketing of the first test for the preliminary identification of norovirus.

24 Feb 2011

New research demonstrates how climate change can increase exposure, risk of human illness

A panel of scientists speaking today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science unveiled new research and models demonstrating how climate change could increase exposure and risk of human illness originating from ocean, coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems, with some studies projecting impacts to be felt within 30 years.

20 Feb 2011

Merck announces publication of GARDASIL pivotal Phase III study data in NEJM

Merck announced today that data from the pivotal Phase III study with GARDASIL in males were published in the February 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

3 Feb 2011

Scientists successfully crystallise key norovirus enzyme

With the number of norovirus infection cases rising across the country, scientists from the University of Southampton have successfully crystallised a key norovirus enzyme, which could help in the development of a norovirus treatment.

1 Feb 2011

Flood-borne diseases make their appearance

In the wake of Queensland’s devastating floods there are warnings to residents, volunteers and others regarding protection against diseases. Australian Medical Association Queensland president-elect Dr Richard Kidd said he expected a number of diseases to appear as a result of people coming in contact with floodwaters and especially the mud left behind.

27 Jan 2011

Floods may become a healthcare challenge, warns the AMA

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has issued warnings to the Queensland health authorities to prepare for the rise of illnesses and injuries caused by the floods.

10 Jan 2011

Pfizer seeks FDA and EMA approval for expanded use of Prevnar 13 for pneumococcal disease

Pfizer Inc today announced that it has submitted supplemental applications to both the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to expand the use of Prevnar 13® (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]) to adults 50 years of age and older for the prevention of pneumococcal disease caused by the 13 serotypes contained in the vaccine.

23 Dec 2010

Merck announces FDA approval for GARDASIL against HPV-related anal cancer

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] for the prevention of anal cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18 and for the prevention of anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) grades 1, 2 and 3 (anal dysplasias and precancerous lesions) caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18, in males and females 9 through 26 years of age.

23 Dec 2010

Prevenar 13 launched in first childhood immunization program for PD in Nicaragua

Pfizer Inc. announced that Prevenar 13 (Pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine [13-valent, adsorbed]) was introduced into the first childhood immunization program for pneumococcal disease (PD) in the developing world under the auspices of the Advance Market Commitment (AMC) when Nicaragua launched its program today. The AMC is an innovative program which involves private-public partnerships to help make newer vaccines available on a sustainable, affordable and accelerated basis to the least developed countries.

13 Dec 2010

Positive interim results from elotuzumab Phase 1b/2 study in relapsed multiple myeloma

Abbott and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced interim results from the Phase 2 portion of a Phase 1b/2 open-label study which showed a high objective response rate (ORR) among patients with relapsed multiple myeloma who received elotuzumab plus lenalidomide and low-dose dexamethasone.

7 Dec 2010