Gastrointestinal Tract News and Research

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Single strain of bacteria may reduce the severity of graft-versus-host disease

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers found that a single strain of bacteria may be able to reduce the severity of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), as reported online in February 2021 in JCI Insight.

11 Feb 2021

Study reveals new molecular mechanism linked to severe anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is a systemic allergic reaction that can affect the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory system and the cardiovascular system.

9 Feb 2021

Gut fungi teach the immune system how to respond to their dangerous relatives

Common fungi, often present in the gut, teach the immune system how to respond to their more dangerous relatives, according to new research from scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine. Breakdowns in this process can leave people susceptible to deadly fungal infections.

7 Feb 2021

Ancestral components of human gut microbiota are fundamental to health

Neanderthals' gut microbiota already included some beneficial micro-organisms that are also found in our own intestine.

5 Feb 2021

New diagnostic imaging tool measures naturally occurring enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract

A healthy person has a general balance of good and bad bacteria. But that balance is thrown off when someone gets sick.

5 Feb 2021

Early use of therapeutic anticoagulation does not improve survival of critically ill COVID-19 patients

Although abnormal blood clotting has been identified as one of the primary causes of death from COVID-19, early treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU) with therapeutic anticoagulation (anti-clotting) for adults who are critically ill with COVID-19 does not appear to improve chances of survival, and could do more harm than good by increasing the risk for major bleeding, a multicenter research group cautions.

3 Feb 2021

Iron-carrying extracellular vesicles promote viral-bacterial co-infection

The mechanism by which acute viral respiratory infections promote secondary bacterial growth and infection in the airways depends on iron-carrying extracellular sacs secreted by the cells lining the host's airways, report researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in a paper published today in Cell Reports.

26 Jan 2021

CoQ10 supplement could be a valuable complementary therapeutic option for various diseases

A study led by scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) has found that a supplement of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an essential molecule for life that is synthesized in the cells of our organs and tissues and is also acquired through diet, could constitute a valuable complementary therapeutic option in the treatment of certain mitochondrial diseases, colon cancer, thyroid carcinoma, and Crohn’s disease.

18 Jan 2021

Poor gut health may adversely affect COVID-19 prognosis

People infected with COVID-19 experience a wide range of symptoms and severities, the most commonly reported including high fevers and respiratory problems.

12 Jan 2021

Insulin nanoparticles may become an alternative to insulin injections for diabetic patients

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed insulin nanoparticles that may one day become the basis for an oral medicine, and an alternative to insulin injections for diabetic patients.

12 Jan 2021

Vimentin could be a major co-factor that aids SARS-CoV-2 infection

A recent study has found that extracellular vimentin can bind to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in vitro, and antibodies against vimentin can decrease virus infectivity by up to 80%. This suggests vimentin could aid the virus’s binding to host cells and help in infection.

11 Jan 2021

Wireless medical device might help with weight loss

Gastric bypass surgery is sometimes the last resort for those who struggle with obesity or have serious health-related issues due to their weight.

8 Jan 2021

Vitamin D supplementation found to reduce COVID-19-related mortality, says study

Researchers have shown that prescribing vitamin D supplementation to COVID-19 patients seems to decrease the mortality rate, the severity of the disease, and serum levels of inflammatory markers.

6 Jan 2021

Gut microbe may play a role in the development of breast cancers

A microbe found in the colon and commonly associated with the development of colitis and colon cancer also may play a role in the development of some breast cancers, according to new research from investigators with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

6 Jan 2021

Novel endoscopic technique improves detection of upper GI tract tumors

Recently there have been significant advances on several fronts in the ongoing war against cancer of the alimentary tract.

5 Jan 2021

FDA approves first generic glucagon for injection to treat severe hypoglycemia

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic of glucagon for injection USP, 1 mg/vial packaged in an emergency kit, for the treatment of severe hypoglycemia (very low blood sugar), which may occur in patients with diabetes mellitus.

28 Dec 2020

Very few COVID-19-positive children require hospitalization, finds case study

A team of researchers at the Divisions of Infectious Diseases, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh, USA, sought to characterize the clinical presentation of children with COVID-19 in Western Pennsylvania.

18 Dec 2020

Novel MRI contrast agent shows strong potential as safer alternative to current products

Adding a contrast-enhancing agent to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) significantly improves image quality and allows radiologists who interpret MRI scans to pick up subtle anatomic details and abnormalities that might otherwise be missed.

15 Dec 2020

DFG establishes “COVID-19 Focus Funding” to address questions on coronavirus pandemic

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has made its first decisions in the new COVID-19 Focus Funding instrument. These decisions will enable 33 projects to immediately begin research on immunity, host susceptibility and pathomechanisms of infection with SARS-CoV-2.