Abdominal Pain News and Research

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Abdominal pain is traditionally described by its chronicity (acute or chronic), its progression over time, its nature (sharp, dull, colicky), its distribution (by various methods, such as abdominal quadrant (left upper quadrant, left lower quadrant, right upper quadrant, right lower quadrant) or other methods that divide the abdomen into nine sections), and by characterization of the factors that make it worse, or alleviate it.

Research finding could lead to better treatments for inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) afflicts 1.6 million people in the United States, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, rectal bleeding and other potentially debilitating symptoms.

14 May 2015

Treatment significantly reduces risk of CDI recurrence

Among patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) who recovered following standard treatment with the antibiotics metronidazole or vancomycin, oral administration of spores of a strain of C difficile that does not produce toxins colonized the gastrointestinal tract and significantly reduced CDI recurrence, according to a study in the May 5 issue of JAMA.

7 May 2015

Relaxation response has significant impact on patients with gastrointestinal disorders

A pilot study has found that participating in a nine-week training program including elicitation of the relaxation response had a significant impact on clinical symptoms of the gastrointestinal disorders irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease and on the expression of genes related to inflammation and the body's response to stress.

6 May 2015

Applying palliative care principles to transform geriatric emergency care may reduce hospital admissions

Applying palliative care principles to emergency departments may reduce the number of geriatric patients admitted to intensive care units, possibly extending lives and reducing Medicare costs, according to a three-year analysis by Mount Sinai researchers set to be published in the May edition of Health Affairs, which can be found online.

5 May 2015

New study finds that sexual function in adult living donors lower at three months after transplant

A new study found that sexual function in adult living donors was lower at the evaluation phase and at three months following liver transplantation. Results published in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society, suggest that donor education prior to surgery may improve recovery and ease concerns about sexual function following the transplant.

29 Apr 2015

Shadowing helps clinicians achieve ideal patient care experiences

Patient-centered care is best achieved when the care team understands every moment of the patient and family experience in their journeys through a health care system - from parking in the hospital garage to being treated in the intensive care unit. This is the core value of a novel quality improvement program implemented at a leading U.S. medical center and presented today at the National Quality Summit, sponsored by the National Association for Healthcare Quality.

27 Apr 2015

Positive CHMP opinion recommends RELISTOR for treatment of opioid-induced constipation

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. and Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending a new indication for RELISTOR (methylnaltrexone bromide) Subcutaneous Injection for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) when response to laxative therapy has not been sufficient in adult patients, aged 18 years and older.

25 Apr 2015

Phase 2 IMAGO trial of SHP625 fails to meet primary endpoints in pediatric patients with ALGS

Shire plc today announced that the 13-week Phase 2 IMAGO trial of its investigational compound SHP625 (LUM001) did not meet the primary or secondary endpoints in the study of 20 pediatric patients with Alagille syndrome (ALGS), a rare, life-threatening genetic disorder that presents with chronic cholestasis (accumulation of bile acids in the liver) and severe pruritus (itching).

9 Apr 2015

Rhythm, Actavis announce initiation of relamorelin Phase 2b trial for treatment of diabetic gastroparesis

Rhythm, a biopharmaceutical company, and Actavis plc, a leading global pharmaceutical company, announced today the initiation of a Phase 2b clinical trial assessing the efficacy and safety of relamorelin (RM-131), Rhythm's ghrelin agonist, for the treatment of gastroparesis in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

8 Apr 2015

Study examines new Ebola Prediction Score

Abdominal pain, fever and unexplained bleeding - which are commonly believed to indicate infection with the Ebola virus -- are not significantly predictive of the disease, according to the results of a study examining a new Ebola Prediction Score published online Friday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Derivation and Internal Validation of the Ebola Prediction Score for Risk Stratification of Patients with Suspected Ebola Virus Disease").

8 Apr 2015

Rhode Island Hospital physician comes up with new diagnostic tool for Ebola virus

Adam C. Levine, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital who treated Ebola-infected patients in Liberia last year, used his field experience to create a tool to determine the likelihood that patients presenting with Ebola symptoms will actually carry the virus.

6 Apr 2015

Clinical trial uses personalized cellular therapy to treat GVHD complication of bone marrow transplant

An innovative clinical trial using the science of "personalized" cellular therapy has begun enrolling children and adults suffering from graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a life-threatening complication of bone marrow transplantation in which donor immune lymphocytes attack the organs of the bone marrow transplant recipient.

3 Apr 2015

International travelers bring multidrug-resistant shigellosis to the US

International travelers are bringing a multidrug-resistant intestinal illness to the United States and spreading it to others who have not traveled, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

3 Apr 2015

MOVANTIK (naloxegol) now available in U.S. for treatment of OIC in adult patients with non-cancer pain

Nektar Therapeutics reported that partner AstraZeneca announced today that MOVANTIK (naloxegol) has launched in the United States. On September 16, 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved MOVANTIK as the first once-daily oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) medication for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adult patients with chronic, non-cancer pain.

31 Mar 2015

Ultrasound safer than other imaging modalities for imaging female pelvis, say OB/GYN experts

Ultrasound technology has evolved dramatically in recent years. A group of noted obstetricians and gynecologists maintain that ultrasound is more cost-effective and safer than other imaging modalities for imaging the female pelvis and should be the first imaging modality used for patients with pelvic symptoms.

31 Mar 2015

Penn State surgeon provides guidelines for diagnosis, management of endometriosis

Endometriosis is difficult to diagnose, with women often being told for years that they are experiencing their 'normal period.' According to the Endometriosis Foundation of America, it affects one in ten women.

30 Mar 2015

Fecal microbiota transplantation more successful for treating Clostridium difficile infections

Distasteful though it sounds, the transplantation of fecal matter is more successful for treating Clostridium difficile infections than previously thought.

30 Mar 2015

Researchers develop noninvasive method to detect kidney cancer early

If kidney cancer is diagnosed early — before it spreads — 80 percent of patients survive. However, finding it early has been among the disease's greatest challenges.

20 Mar 2015

Daiichi Sankyo signs co-commercialization agreement with AstraZeneca for MOVANTIK (naloxegol)

Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. today announced a co-commercialization agreement with AstraZeneca for MOVANTIK (naloxegol) in the US, in line with the Daiichi Sankyo strategy to expand its US portfolio through strategic alliances, in addition to internal R&D and acquisitions.

19 Mar 2015

FDA approves CHOLBAM (cholic acid) for treatment of bile acid synthesis disorders

Asklepion Pharmaceuticals, LLC. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved CHOLBAM (cholic acid) as a once-daily treatment for cholic acid deficiency in bile acid synthesis disorders due to single enzyme defects.

18 Mar 2015