Gastrointestinal Tract News and Research

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MRE reduces ionizing radiation exposure, detects Crohn's disease as reliably as CT

A new study from Rhode Island Hospital has found that MR enterography (MRE) without the use of an anti-peristaltic agent were as reliable as CT enterography (CTE) in determining the presence of Crohn's disease.

16 Jun 2011

Simple urine test could detect early stage cancers

Cancers of the gut, stomach and pancreas could be detected much sooner with a simple urine test, research suggests.

10 Jun 2011

Tragara's apricoxib-erlotinib Phase 2 study data on non-small cell lung cancer presented at ASCO 2011

Tragara Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that apricoxib in combination with erlotinib demonstrated significant and consistent clinical benefit over erlotinib alone in a clinically relevant subset of biomarker-selected patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had previously failed a platinum-containing regimen for advanced disease.

7 Jun 2011

Gleevec shows significant overall survival benefit for patients w/ GIST after 3 years of adjuvant treatment vs. 1 year

Novartis announced new data today showing a significant improvement in both recurrence-free survival and overall survival for patients taking Gleevec® (imatinib mesylate)* tablets for three years after surgery to remove KIT (CD117)-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors (KIT+ GIST) compared to one year of treatment. These data will be presented at the 47th American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) plenary session on Sunday, June 5.

6 Jun 2011

New guideline on bariatric surgery

The treatment of obesity still needs improvement. In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Norbert Runkel and colleagues present a new, interdisciplinary S3 guideline entitled "Bariatric Surgery".

6 Jun 2011

Phase 3 open-label study of RELISTOR presented at American Pain Society meeting

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced findings from two analyses of a Phase 3 open-label study of RELISTOR (methylnaltrexone bromide) presented at the 30th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society. The meeting is being held in Austin, TX, on May 19-21, 2011.

21 May 2011

Monitoring adherence to mandatory hand-washing protocols can help stop outbreaks of C. diff bacteria

Just like intelligence agents watching for the real terrorists threatening to attack, monitoring healthcare worker adherence to mandatory hand-washing protocols via hand-washing squads in hospitals can go a long way to stop outbreaks of the opportunistic C. diff bacteria, says Irena Kenneley, an infection prevention and control expert and assistant professor of nursing from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University.

20 May 2011

Naltrexone improves clinical, inflammatory activity in Crohn's disease patients

Naltrexone reduced inflammation in Crohn's patients in a research study at Penn State College of Medicine.

20 May 2011

Researchers untangle two distinct ways in which tumor-suppressor protein works

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have untangled two distinct ways in which a common, naturally occurring "tumor-suppressor" protein works.

13 May 2011

Noninvasive stool test can detect pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer has one of the highest mortality rates of any of the major cancers, and of the 43,000-plus Americans diagnosed with the disease each year, more than 94 percent die within five years of diagnosis. One reason for this high number of deaths is a lack of effective screening tools for catching the disease early.

12 May 2011

Boston Scientific launches Expect Endoscopic Ultrasound Aspiration Needle

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced the U.S. and international launch of its Expect™ Endoscopic Ultrasound Aspiration Needle, used for acquiring tissue samples for diagnosing and staging malignancies in organs adjacent to the gastrointestinal tract. The Expect Needle received FDA clearance and CE Mark approval earlier this year and is being marketed in the U.S., Europe and other international markets.

9 May 2011

Antibiotics may serve as effective treatment for appendicitis than surgery

Antibiotics rather than surgery may be the better treatment for cases of appendicitis in which the appendix hasn't burst, according to a new study.

29 Apr 2011

UIC receives federal contract to develop antibiotics against three bacterial infections

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology have been awarded a federal contract for up to $13.8 million to develop antibiotics to treat anthrax, tularemia and plague.

28 Apr 2011

Research sheds new light on pathogenesis of diabetes

New research identifies a distinctive population of immune cells that may play a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetes.

22 Apr 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

SafeMinds calls for immediate vaccine safety studies in autistic children

Alison MacNeil issued the following statements today regarding vaccines.

19 Apr 2011

Consumer group calls for ban on weight loss drugs Alli and Xenical

According to the consumer watchdog Public Citizen, the weight loss drugs Alli and Xenical should be removed from the market because of the growing risk of side effects that include liver damage, pancreatitis and kidney stones.

15 Apr 2011

Experts to discuss latest findings in IBD research at Rome meeting

Experts from 11 countries will gather this week in Rome to discuss innovative strategies for studying and treating Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

12 Apr 2011

Fat in pistachios may not be readily absorbed by the body

In a first-of-its-kind study with nuts, randomized controlled-feeding research conducted by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that fat in pistachios may not be completely absorbed by the body. The findings indicate that pistachios may actually contain fewer calories per serving than originally thought - further validating pistachios as one of the lowest calorie nuts with 160 calories per 30 gram serving (approximately 1 ounce).

12 Apr 2011

New discovery on IL-23 can lead to novel IBD treatments

A new discovery published in the April 2001 issue of Journal of Leukocyte Biology raises hope that new treatments for illnesses like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are on the horizon.

1 Apr 2011