Gastroenterology News and Research

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Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine where the digestive system and its disorders are studied.

State budget cuts lead to decline in care by private practice physicians

In a study of access to specialty healthcare by the uninsured and publicly insured in New Haven, Yale researchers found that recent state budget cuts, out-of-date provider rates and other policy changes had caused a decline in care by private practice physicians.

25 Oct 2005

20 percent of people with chronic hepatitis C who receive a liver transplant will develop advanced cirrhosis

A new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine may have found a way to identify those at greatest risk, thereby allowing doctors to decide who should receive treatment that could save the transplanted organ. The new findings appear in the October issue of the journal Liver Transplantation.

9 Oct 2005

Potential biomarker that could be used to predict who might develop hepatic fibrosis

Two new studies on Hepatitis C (HCV) patients who underwent liver transplants examined a potential biomarker that could be used to predict who might develop hepatic fibrosis, a formation of scar-like tissue that can lead to cirrhosis.

3 Oct 2005

Physical activity may reduce gastrointestinal symptoms in people who are obese

In a study published in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, researchers found that a high body mass index (BMI) and lack of physical activity were associated with an increase in GI symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

3 Oct 2005

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) treatment using hypnotherapy

Up to eight million people in Britain suffer from IBS, with symptoms including diarrhoea, pain and bloating. The condition can seriously affect sufferers' quality of life and finding treatment can be difficult, leading many doctors to feel they can do little to help.

From The University of Manchester 27 Sep 2005

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome use over 50 percent more health resources than people without the disorder

Even though there are definitive guidelines to diagnose IBS through simple blood tests, many IBS patients have additional procedures and surgeries that rarely result in relief or any additional diagnostic findings.

27 Sep 2005

Gaps in the intestinal barrier could be a cause of inflammatory diseases of the gut such as Crohn's Disease

Their research, led by Professor Alastair Watson in the University's Faculty of Medicine, could have important implications for the treatment of patients with diseases like Crohn's - an inflammatory bowel disorder that causes severe ulceration in the intestine, leading to pain, bleeding and diarrhoea.

20 Sep 2005

Budesonide provides lasting relief for Crohn's disease patients

In a study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, researchers found that budesonide capsules are an effective treatment to prolong and maintain the period of remission of Crohn's Disease. Previous studies have demonstrated that budesonide is effective for inducing remission of Crohn's disease.

12 Sep 2005

Treating nighttime heartburn improves sleep and boosts quality of life

The first major multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial addressing therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) related sleep disorders is published in the September issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

1 Sep 2005

Study suggests cirrhosis and liver disease nearly inevitable for people with hep C

Nearly 80 percent of chronic hepatitis C sufferers who have the disease for several decades will develop cirrhosis or end-stage liver disease later in life, according to a study published today in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

1 Sep 2005

Elevated blood lactate levels may indicate poor prognosis in liver failure

A new study on fulminant hepatic failure (FHF), a sudden and severe shutdown of the liver, examined ways of determining early on whether patients would benefit from a transplant as opposed to responding to other medical treatment. The results showed that elevated blood lactate levels indicate a poor prognosis and thus the need for a transplant.

28 Aug 2005

Potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs as a treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers investigating anecdotal evidence that cannabis relieves some of the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have discovered a potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs for treatment of the disease.

2 Aug 2005

Study findings offer hope of identifying new at-risk population for pancreatic cancer

According to a study published in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Gastroenterology, 1 in 120 people newly diagnosed with diabetes age 50 and older have a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer - a risk that is eight times more than expected for the general population.

2 Aug 2005

Women's preference for female colonoscopists hinders colon cancer screening

In a study conducted by researchers at the Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and published in the current (August) issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (GIE) by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), 43% of the women who were asked their preference of a male or female endoscopist said female, while only 1.4% said male and the rest had no preference.

2 Aug 2005

Cannabis drugs may benefit those with bowel disease

UK scientists say they believe that patients with inflammatory bowel disease may benefit from cannabis-based drugs.

1 Aug 2005

Study findings will help early detection and treatment of hyperglycemic diabetes

In a groundbreaking population-based study, researchers in Mayo Clinic Cancer Center found that new onset of hyperglycemic diabetes in adults age 50 or older may be a signal of underlying pancreatic cancer.

1 Aug 2005

Good bacteria helps ease symptoms of ulcerative colitis

New research suggests that consuming a mixture of eight good or "probiotic" bacteria reduces symptoms in patients with ulcerative colitis which doesn't respond to conventional medications.

31 Jul 2005

Loyola researchers hope that zoledronic acid will be effective and safe for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)

Researchers at the Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Center and the Division of Gastroenterology at Loyola University Health System are studying a once-yearly, 15-minute infusion of an intravenous (IV) medication in patients with osteopenia (low bone mass) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that, if proven effective, may be considered the standard of treatment.

26 Jul 2005

Mixture of 8 bacteria (VSL#3) for 6 weeks helps ulcerative colitis

A mixture of bacteria developed in part by University of Alberta researchers has been proven highly effective in treating people suffering from ulcerative colitis.

25 Jul 2005

Alendronate combined with calcium and vitamin D almost completely prevented further bone loss in the first 4 months afte liver transplant

A new study found that the drug used to treat osteoporosis, when used in combination with calcium and vitamin D, can prevent the additional bone loss that commonly occurs after liver transplants. The treatment also helped stabilize bone loss in patients who already had osteoporosis, and helped improve their bone mineral density (BMD).

20 Jul 2005

Gastroenterology News and Research

Further Reading

State budget cuts lead to decline in care by private practice physicians

20 percent of people with chronic hepatitis C who receive a liver transplant will develop advanced cirrhosis

Potential biomarker that could be used to predict who might develop hepatic fibrosis

Physical activity may reduce gastrointestinal symptoms in people who are obese

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) treatment using hypnotherapy

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome use over 50 percent more health resources than people without the disorder

Gaps in the intestinal barrier could be a cause of inflammatory diseases of the gut such as Crohn's Disease

Budesonide provides lasting relief for Crohn's disease patients

Treating nighttime heartburn improves sleep and boosts quality of life

Study suggests cirrhosis and liver disease nearly inevitable for people with hep C

Elevated blood lactate levels may indicate poor prognosis in liver failure

Potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs as a treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Study findings offer hope of identifying new at-risk population for pancreatic cancer

Women's preference for female colonoscopists hinders colon cancer screening

Cannabis drugs may benefit those with bowel disease

Study findings will help early detection and treatment of hyperglycemic diabetes

Good bacteria helps ease symptoms of ulcerative colitis

Loyola researchers hope that zoledronic acid will be effective and safe for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)

Mixture of 8 bacteria (VSL#3) for 6 weeks helps ulcerative colitis

Alendronate combined with calcium and vitamin D almost completely prevented further bone loss in the first 4 months afte liver transplant

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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