Gastrointestinal Tract News and Research

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Research may pave way for new C. diff antitoxins and anti-cancer drugs

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and Harvard University have discovered how the Clostridium difficile toxin B recognizes the human Frizzled protein, the receptor it uses to invade intestinal cells and lead to deadly gastrointestinal infections.

14 May 2018

Key metabolites shed by gut bacteria can help protect from inflammation, study finds

Researchers at Tufts University have elucidated a mechanism by which the "good" bacteria that reside in our gastrointestinal tract can help protect us from inflammation, and how their disruption (dysbiosis) can increase the susceptibility of the liver to more harmful forms of disease.

4 May 2018

Walnut consumption impacts gut microbiota and offers many health benefits

Diets rich in nuts, such as walnuts, have been shown to play a role in heart health and in reducing colorectal cancer.

4 May 2018

Mediterranean diet enhances good bacteria living in the gut

Here's another reason to eat a Mediterranean-type diet: It's good for your gut. Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center found that eating a plant-based diet enhanced the good bacteria living in the gut by up to 7 percent as compared to only 0.5 percent from eating a more meat-centric, Western diet.

25 Apr 2018

Experimental drug for rheumatoid arthritis prevents side effect of stem cell transplants

An investigational drug in clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis prevents a common, life-threatening side effect of stem cell transplants, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows.

25 Apr 2018

Probiotics can improve liver health, shows study

Increased awareness of the importance of the microbes that live in our gut has spurred a great deal of research on the microbiome and fueled a booming probiotics industry. A new study suggests probiotics can improve not only the health of our gut but liver health, as well.

23 Apr 2018

Innovative research could lead to new ways to treat, prevent cancer

Research into cancer can provide new insight into how this disease works and how it can be stopped. The Experimental Biology 2018 meeting will showcase innovative research that could lead to new ways to treat and prevent cancer.

23 Apr 2018

Study findings could open new possibilities for treating cancer with adenovirus

Adenovirus is a common virus that causes infectious diseases of the respiratory tract, eyes and gastrointestinal tract in humans and animals. Researchers at Umeå University study molecular mechanisms of infection in order to understand how adenovirus causes disease.

20 Apr 2018

Study reveals increased risks for Alzheimer's, suicide among youth in polluted cities

A University of Montana researcher and her collaborators have published a new study that reveals increased risks for Alzheimer's and suicide among children and young adults living in polluted megacities.

16 Apr 2018

Specific small-bowel microbes regulate digestion and absorption of fats, study shows

Although the vast majority of research on the gut microbiome has focused on bacteria in the large intestine, a new study - one of a few to concentrate on microbes in the upper gastrointestinal tract - shows how the typical calorie-dense western diet can induce expansion of microbes that promote the digestion and absorption of high-fat foods.

11 Apr 2018

Food packaging may have negative impact on nutrient absorption in the intestine

Food packaging could be negatively affecting the way in which your digestive tract operates, according to new research by faculty and students at Binghamton University, State University at New York.

9 Apr 2018

Gut bacteria may hold clues to predict effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies

The composition of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract may hold clues to help predict which cancer patients are most apt to benefit from the personalized cellular therapies that have shown unprecedented promise in the fight against hard-to-treat cancers, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

3 Apr 2018

New review explores potentially safer therapies for treating chronic abdominal pain

An estimated 2 million people in the U.S. are addicted to prescription opioids- powerful doctor-prescribed medications for chronic or severe pain. The drugs are commonly prescribed to treat gastrointestinal pain caused by conditions such as Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), raising the risk of addiction among this population.

29 Mar 2018

Scientists use CRISPR to develop a genome surveillance tool

Scientists have converted CRISPR/Cas9 into a genome surveillance tool, in an effort to develop a more effective way of fighting disease.

27 Mar 2018

Researcher working to develop improved endoscopic probe for colonoscopies

Tim Muldoon, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has received a $500,000 Faculty Early Career Development Program award from the National Science Foundation to continue his work on an endoscopic probe that can be used in colonoscopies.

14 Mar 2018

MIT engineers develop new technology that could improve drug evaluation

MIT engineers have developed new technology that could be used to evaluate new drugs and detect possible side effects before the drugs are tested in humans.

14 Mar 2018

University Hospitals study suggests strong connection between IBD and heart attacks

University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute researchers Muhammad Panhwar, MD, and Mahazarin Ginwalla, MD, recently concluded a study of more than 22 million patients that suggests a strong connection between Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and the development of heart disease and heart attacks.

6 Mar 2018

Groundbreaking study broadens spectrum of cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes

A research team from the University of Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital and Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics in Helsinki, Finland, have identified a new genetic mutation that alters the function of cryopyrin and leads to a life-long periodic inflammation of the cornea, the transparent window of the human eye. Patients who carry the mutation also develop corneal opacities that compromise vision.

29 Jan 2018

FDA approves new radioactive drug for treatment of rare digestive tract cancers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Lutathera (lutetium Lu 177 dotatate) for the treatment of a type of cancer that affects the pancreas or gastrointestinal tract called gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs).