Gastrointestinal Tract News and Research

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Beta adrenergic agonists can help decrease risk of graft vs. host disease in alloBMT recipients

New preclinical work by a team of researchers from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center's Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program suggests that the risk of developing acute graft vs. host disease during allogeneic blood/marrow transplant - a potentially curative treatment for selected patients with hematologic disorders - can be decreased using an existing class of drugs called beta adrenergic agonists.

12 Jun 2020

Happiness could offer protection from gastrointestinal distress

Serotonin, a chemical known for its role in producing feelings of well-being and happiness in the brain, can reduce the ability of some intestinal pathogens to cause deadly infections, new research by UT Southwestern scientists suggests.

9 Jun 2020

High-salt diet may modulate the gut microbiome

Particularly in females with untreated hypertension, reducing salt intake to what's considered a healthier level appears to be good for both their gut microbiome and their blood pressure, scientists report.

9 Jun 2020

MUSC receives $16.5 million NIH funding to open two new digestive disease research centers

This spring marked a seismic shift for digestive and liver disease research at the Medical University of South Carolina with the award of more than $16.5 million in National Institutes of Health funding to open two new tightly integrated centers.

5 Jun 2020

New research focuses on protein-coding gene's role in inflammatory bowel disease

A protein-coding gene associated with autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, will be the focus of new research in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside.

4 Jun 2020

Crucial ingredient from University of Kansas included in authorized COVID-19 drug

When the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency-use authorization for the investigational pharmaceutical remdesivir to treat COVID-19 on May 1, in part it was due to pioneering work performed by pharmaceutical chemists at the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy in 1990.

1 Jun 2020

Changes in gut mucus are linked to brain disorders

Mucus is the first line of defense against bad bacteria in our gut. But could it also be part of our defense against diseases of the brain?

29 May 2020

A closer look at TMPRSS2: This could help treat COVID-19

The transmembrane protease serine-type 2 (TMPRSS2) protein plays a key role in COVID-19 infection since it primes the viral spike protein to allow viral entry into the target cell. A new study by researchers at Imperial College London and published on the preprint server bioRxiv in May 2020 describes the protein, which could be an attractive drug target to help manage COVID-19.

28 May 2020

Study shows global prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders

For every ten adults in the world, four suffer from functional gastrointestinal disorders of varying severity. This is shown by a study of more than 73,000 people in 33 countries. University of Gothenburg scientists are among those now presenting these results.

27 May 2020

Comprehensive review of clioquinol drug gives valuable insights

CQ is an old drug that was commonly used to treat fungal/protozoal infections of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients in Japan taking it developed subacute myelo-optic neuropathy which resulted in CQ being discontinued for oral use. Recently, extensive research has been done in regards to CQ's use for cancer treatment.

21 May 2020

Phase IIB clinical trial initiated for treating hepatitis B-associated liver cancer

The first patients have been dosed in a multi-regional Phase IIB randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial for the treatment of hepatitis B-associated liver cancer.

19 May 2020

Therapeutic peptides that can be taken orally

Peptides are short chains of amino acids that occur in our body, in plants or bacteria to control diverse functions.

11 May 2020

SARS-CoV-2 found in semen of COVID-19 patients

Since the novel coronavirus, now called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in December 2019, viral loads have been detected in body fluids, such as urine samples, saliva, stool samples, and in the gastrointestinal tract. Now, a new study reveals the SARS-CoV-2 virus in semen.

7 May 2020

Study explores the growth rate effect of gut bacteria on break down of dietary fibers

It is known that approximately 80% of human immune system functions in the gastrointestinal tract. Gut bacteria and their metabolites play a fundamental role in the interaction between gut and other organs.

29 Apr 2020

Scientists find gene signature for poor response to standard therapy in rare uterine cancer

Women who don't survive a rare and aggressive uterine cancer called uterine serous carcinoma, have high expression of a group of 73 genes, a score scientists say can help identify these women and improve their outcome.

22 Apr 2020

What does recovery from COVID-19 look like? It depends. A pulmonologist explains.

Reports of recovery from serious illness caused by the coronavirus have been trickling in from around the world.

9 Apr 2020

Discovery of novel brain-digestive link

Scientists across the globe have long studied the link between the brain and the digestive system. Previous studies have tied brain networks and how they influence the gastrointestinal tract or vice versa. Food has a unique effect on humans as food tastes or flavors often dictate food-seeking behaviors. So is the palate the only thing that controls food choices among humans?

6 Apr 2020

Virological findings from Germany's first group of COVID-19 patients

In early February, research teams from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, München Klinik Schwabing and the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology published initial findings describing the efficient transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

3 Apr 2020

Is coronavirus spread through feces?

A startling study from China, published in the journal Gastroenterology in March 2020, reports that the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can spread via feces as well as the more familiar respiratory droplet route or from virus-contaminated surfaces.

2 Apr 2020

Ticagrelor therapy, without aspirin, can benefit patients with acute coronary syndrome

Patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who stopped taking aspirin three months after the insertion of a coronary stent and then took the anti-platelet medication ticagrelor alone for nine months had fewer episodes of bleeding and no increase in heart attacks, stroke or other adverse events caused by blockages in the arteries, compared with patients who took both aspirin and ticagrelor for a year.

31 Mar 2020