Digestive System News and Research

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AGA issues six new clinical practice guidelines

In 2015, the American Gastroenterological Association issued six clinical practice guidelines, all published in AGA's official journal Gastroenterology, offering current, evidence-based point-of-care recommendations to guide physicians at the bedside.

17 Dec 2015

Scientists decipher details of cloaking proteins that protect the toxin that causes botulism

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators at Stony Brook University and the Institute of Advanced Sciences in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, have discovered new details about how "cloaking" proteins protect the toxin that causes botulism, a fatal disease caused most commonly by consuming improperly canned foods.

7 Dec 2015

New clinical trial uses aggressive treatment method for patients with pancreas cancer

Pancreas cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. In the United States, it accounts for only three percent of all diagnosed cancers but it causes almost seven percent of all cancer deaths. A pancreas cancer diagnosis often comes after age 50 and after the cancer has spread, making it difficult to remove surgically.

4 Nov 2015

SLU hepatologist receives $150,000 grant to study preventative strategies for TPN-associated disorders

When a child is born prematurely, providing nutrition intravenously can be lifesaver. Unfortunately it can also cause liver damage down the road.

29 Oct 2015

Yervoy approved for patients at high risk of developing recurrence of melanoma after surgery

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the approved use of Yervoy (ipilimumab) to include a new use as adjuvant therapy for patients with stage III melanoma, to lower the risk that the melanoma will return following surgery.

29 Oct 2015

Breakthrough advancements on new molecular mechanism may lead to Parkinson's treatments

More than one million people in the United States are afflicted with Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder of the brain that affects movement and coordination. The cause is typically unknown, and presently there is no cure for the disease.

19 Oct 2015

Light-shielded delivery system for parenteral nutrition may improve survival rate of preemies

The survival rate of preemies born between 26 to 31 weeks of gestation is improved by blocking light from reaching the intravenously-fed infused nutritious mixture they depend on for survival, researchers at CHU Sainte-Justine and the University of Montreal have revealed in a new study.

28 Sep 2015

New AGA guideline recommends colorectal cancer patients to undergo tumor test for Lynch syndrome

All colorectal cancer patients should undergo tumor testing to see if they carry Lynch syndrome, the most common inherited cause of colorectal cancer, according to a new guideline published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

11 Sep 2015

New research enables ‘tailored’ diet advice based on personal gut microbiome

New research enables "tailored" diet advice - based on our personal gut microbiome - for persons who want to lose weight and reduce the risk of disease.

10 Sep 2015

Gut bacteria play major role in diabetes, obesity depending on host’s genetic makeup

The trillions of bacteria in your digestive system play a major role in your metabolism, and they're linked to your risks of type 2 diabetes, obesity and the related conditions that make up "metabolic syndrome," which has become a global health epidemic.

4 Sep 2015

Theresa Alenghat receives 2015 AGA-CCFA-Janssen Research Award in IBD Epigenetics Research

The American Gastroenterological Association, in partnership with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America and Janssen Biotech, Inc., announced today that Theresa Alenghat, VMD, PhD, from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH, was awarded with the 2015 AGA-CCFA-Janssen Research Award in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Epigenetics Research.

27 Aug 2015

GMP protein can improve gastrointestinal health by protecting digestive system from pathogens

The protein glycomacropeptide (GMP) is derived from whey, the liquid by-product of the cheese-making process. GMP contains low amounts of the amino acid phenylalanine. Individuals who suffer from phenylketonuria—a metabolic disorder that causes cognitive impairment when phenylalanine level is too high—can use GMP as an alternative protein source. GMP supplementation has also been observed to improve gastrointestinal health by protecting the digestive system from pathogens and by having an anti-inflammatory effect.

20 Aug 2015

Weight loss through lifestyle modifications, bariatric surgery can reduce features of NASH

Weight loss through both lifestyle modification and bariatric surgery can significantly reduce features of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a disease characterized by fat in the liver, according to two new studies published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

28 Jul 2015

UChicago, Argonne National Laboratory and USF to jointly study gut microbiomes of premature infants

Scientists have suspected that this initial disruption is linked to health problems down the road—things like autism, asthma, food allergies and autoimmune diseases—but so far they only have circumstantial evidence based on case studies.

17 Jul 2015

Bacterial biofilms play role in development of systemic lupus erythematosus

Lupus, multiple sclerosis, and type-1 diabetes are among more than a score of diseases in which the immune system attacks the body it was designed to defend. But just why the immune system begins its misdirected assault has remained a mystery.

7 Jul 2015

Celtaxsys receives FDA clearance to begin acebilustat Phase 2 trial in adult CF patients in the US

Celtaxsys, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical development company focusing on anti-inflammatory therapeutics, including those with rare and orphan inflammatory disease indications, announced today that it has gained clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin a Phase 2 clinical trial of its flagship drug candidate, acebilustat (CTX-4430), in adult CF patients in the US.

7 Jul 2015

Biologically active molecules produced during gluten digestion can pass through gut lining

Biologically active molecules released by digesting bread and pasta can survive digestion and potentially pass through the gut lining, suggests new research.

2 Jul 2015

Study opens up new line of research into origin of digestive diseases

There are numerous studies related to the absorption of nutrients from the stomach since understanding what happens in our digestive system is crucial, for example, in order to be able to avoid in the future some of the diseases that affect part of the population to a lesser or greater extent.

29 Jun 2015

High-fat, high-sugar diet can cause bacterial changes that appear related to loss of 'cognitive flexibility'

A study at Oregon State University indicates that both a high-fat and a high-sugar diet, compared to a normal diet, cause changes in gut bacteria that appear related to a significant loss of "cognitive flexibility," or the power to adapt and adjust to changing situations.

23 Jun 2015

Pulmatrix announces new inhaled anti-infective therapy to treat CF-associated fungal infections

Pulmatrix, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative inhaled therapies for serious pulmonary diseases, today announced a new drug candidate, PUR1900, an inhaled anti-infective to treat fungal infections associated with cystic fibrosis (CF).

16 Jun 2015