Gallstones News and Research

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Gallstones are small, pebble-like substances that develop in the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped sac located below your liver in the right upper abdomen. Gallstones form when liquid stored in the gallbladder hardens into pieces of stone-like material. The liquid—called bile—helps the body digest fats. Bile is made in the liver, then stored in the gallbladder until the body needs it. The gallbladder contracts and pushes the bile into a tube—called the common bile duct—that carries it to the small intestine, where it helps with digestion.

Gallbladder removal surgery can wait until regular working hours, researchers find

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a minimally invasive procedure to remove the gallbladder, is one of the most common abdominal surgeries in the U.S. Yet medical centers around the country vary in their approaches to the procedure with some moving patients quickly into surgery while others wait.

24 Sep 2014

Study: Younger, older people likelier to visit ER repeatedly with gallstone pain before surgery

Gallstone pain is one of the most common reasons patients visit emergency rooms. Figuring out who needs emergency gallbladder removal and who can go home and schedule surgery at their convenience is sometimes a tricky question, and it isn't always answered correctly.

12 Aug 2014

Researchers recommend laparoscopic surgical removal of gallbladder for pediatric patients

A recent study conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers recommends laparoscopic cholecystectomies (surgical removal of the gallbladder) for pediatric patients suffering from gallstones and other gallbladder diseases.

8 Aug 2014

Galmed reports net loss of $3.9 million for six months ended June 30, 2014

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of a once-daily, oral therapy for the treatment of liver diseases and cholesterol gallstones, today announced financial results for the period ended June 30, 2014.

25 Jul 2014

Data from phase III trials supports safety, efficacy of linagliptin in treating T2D in African-American adults

Data from a retrospective pooled analysis of eight phase III trials (two 18-week and six 24-week) of linagliptin 5 mg once-daily, showed reductions from baseline A1c at 18 (eight trials) and 24 (six trials) weeks compared to placebo in African-American adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D),

16 May 2014

Surgeons perform robotic gall bladder surgery more safely

A green fluorescent dye is helping surgeons at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System perform robotic gall bladder surgery more safely.

8 May 2014

Novartis presents Phase III results of Signifor LAR therapy in patients with acromegaly

Novartis today presented results from a pivotal Phase III trial of investigational therapy Signifor® LAR (pasireotide LAR; SOM230) in patients with acromegaly for whom current standard of care provides inadequate disease control.

6 May 2014

Retrophin acquires Manchester Pharmaceuticals

Retrophin, Inc. today announced the completion of the previously announced acquisition of Manchester Pharmaceuticals LLC for a total of $62.5 million, including an upfront payment of $29.5 million, plus other payments based on product sales.

27 Mar 2014

Galmed Pharmaceuticals prices initial public offering of 2,837,400 shares

Galmed Pharmaceuticals Ltd. ("Galmed") today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 2,837,400 ordinary shares at a public offering price of $13.50 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions.

13 Mar 2014

People who consume nuts daily are 20% less likely to die

In the largest study of its kind, people who ate a daily handful of nuts were 20 percent less likely to die from any cause over a 30-year period than were those who didn't consume nuts, say scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Harvard School of Public Health.

21 Nov 2013

Patients treated with high-risk endoscopic procedure less likely to be admitted in hospital

Patients who seek treatment from physicians who more frequently perform a high-risk endoscopic procedure are less likely to be admitted to the hospital or require a repeat procedure. Unfortunately, 90 percent of physicians performing these procedures do very few of them.

19 Nov 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly present post-hoc analysis data from linagliptin clinical trials at EASD 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company today announced results from two post-hoc, pooled analyses of data from placebo-controlled clinical trials, which examined the safety of the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor linagliptin in adults with type 2 diabetes.

24 Sep 2013

Study proves advantages of immediate surgery for patients with acute cholecystitis

Should surgery be performed immediately, or is it better to first administer antibiotics and then perform surgery? A study led by Heidelberg University Hospital Department of Surgery has demonstrated that patients suffering from acute cholecystitis should be operated on immediately. There are no advantages to delaying surgery until antibiotic therapy has been administered for several weeks. After undergoing surgery performed within 24 hours of diagnosis, the patients have fewer complications, are back on their feet earlier, and can leave the hospital more quickly.

18 Sep 2013

Sinai Hospital's chief of Surgery chosen to receive 2013 Innovator of the Year award

Mark R. Katlic, M.D., chief of Surgery at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, has been selected to receive a 2013 Innovator of the Year award from The Daily Record. He was recognized for his pioneering work as the director of the groundbreaking Sinai Center for Geriatric Surgery.

22 Aug 2013

Research reveals link between elevated BMI and increased risk of gallstone in women

New research reveals a causal association between elevated body mass index (BMI) and increased risk of gallstone disease. Results published in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show women are at greater risk of developing gallstones.

12 Jul 2013

People receiving emergency gallbladder surgery are more likely to experience complications

If you have severe pain just below the right side of your rib cage, you may have a gallbladder problem. And it is typically better to seek medical attention sooner than later.

28 Jun 2013

Linagliptin significantly reduces blood glucose levels in T2D patients with moderate to severe renal impairment

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company today announced results from a new study in which linagliptin demonstrated statistically significant reductions in blood glucose levels (HbA1c) after 12 weeks (the study's primary endpoint) in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) with moderate to severe renal impairment, compared with placebo. Most patients had T2D for more than ten years (76 percent) and were on insulin (86 percent).

24 Jun 2013

Pancreatitis and diabetes drugs: an interview with Dr Sonal Singh, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas which leads to leakage of pancreatic enzymes. Apart from certain drugs such as GLP-1 based therapies, the most common causes of pancreatitis are Gallstones and Alcohol use.

30 Apr 2013

Blocked bile ducts can be effectively treated with metal stents

A multi-center analysis, led by Weill Cornell Medical College and published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, shows the use of temporary "fully covered self-expanding metal stents" (FCSEMS) can effectively fix a painful and potentially life-threatening benign biliary stricture -- a severely blocked or narrowed bile duct.

21 Mar 2013

GLP-1 pancreatitis concerns justified

Study results have raised further concerns over a link between pancreatitis and the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based therapies for patients with Type 2 diabetes.

28 Feb 2013