Gastrointestinal Tract News and Research

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High levels of secretin hormone may play vital role in management of chronic liver diseases

High levels of a digestive hormone called secretin may play an important role in the management of certain chronic liver diseases, according to new research published in the journal Hepatology. These findings could result in new ways to treat cholestatic liver diseases, a condition that impairs the movement of bile, the fluid produced by the liver to digest fats.

18 May 2016

Crtc switch activated during fasting helps halt spread of intestinal bacteria into bloodstream

A molecular pathway that is activated in the brain during fasting helps halt the spread of intestinal bacteria into the bloodstream, according to a new study by a team of researchers at the Salk Institute.

18 May 2016

PENTAX Medical releases OPTIVISTA EPK-i7010 Video Processor for more accurate endoscopic in vivo diagnosis

PENTAX Medical launches a world first for endoscopy, the OPTIVISTA EPK-i7010 Video Processor, featuring both digital and optical enhancements, in the European, Middle Eastern & African (EMEA) markets.

From PENTAX Medical Company 17 May 2016

New E-Vac therapy may be promising treatment option for GI leaks

Gastroenterologists on the medical staff at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas are evaluating a new procedure for patients with gastrointestinal (GI) leaks and perforations, a complication that can result from laparoscopic surgery on the esophagus, stomach and small intestines—and outcomes have been promising.

13 May 2016

Genetic variations that prevent beneficial gut bacteria from working may lead to Crohn's disease

A major type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be caused in part by genetic variants that prevent beneficial bacteria in the gut from doing their job, according to a new study published today in the journal Science.

6 May 2016

Certain sugars in the body play key role in colitis, colon cancer development

An Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist has discovered that certain sugars produced by the body play an important role in the development of colitis and, ultimately, colon cancer. The new finding could potentially lead to therapies for ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and colon cancer.

5 May 2016

Bioengineers develop synthetic bed to nurture colonies of human embryonic stem cells

The most productive way scientists have devised to nurture colonies of human embryonic stem cells is to do so atop a bed of mouse cells. That may be fine for lab research, but it poses an unacceptable contamination risk for stem cells intended for transplant into human patients. In a new study, Brown University bioengineers have developed a synthetic bed that works about as well as the mouse cells, called fibroblasts, without any possibility of contamination.

3 May 2016

ATR-FTIR spectroscopy could be effective for detecting ulcerative colitis

A minimally invasive screening for ulcerative colitis, a debilitating gastrointestinal tract disorder, using emerging infrared technology could be a rapid and cost-effective method for detecting disease that eliminates the need for biopsies and intrusive testing of the human body, according to researchers at Georgia State University.

27 Apr 2016

Non-invasive test to diagnose EoE could replace need for repeated endoscopy

A non-invasive test to diagnose and monitor an inflammatory disease that injures the esophagus - called eosinophilic esophagitis or EoE - would replace the need for repeated endoscopy for a growing number of children and adults with this relatively new condition.

21 Apr 2016

Newly developed implantable device can deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to pancreatic tumors

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, in part because it is very difficult for chemotherapy drugs to reach the pancreas, which is located deep within the abdomen.

16 Apr 2016

M10 peptide could help protect systemic sclerosis patients against fibrotic damage

The results of preclinical studies by investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) reported in the April 2016 issue of Translational Research suggest that the M10 peptide could help protect against fibrotic damage in patients with systemic sclerosis, particularly in those who develop interstitial lung diseases (ILD), its deadliest complication.

15 Apr 2016

New extended-release pills could reduce dosage frequency of some drugs

Researchers from MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have designed a new type of pill that, once swallowed, can attach to the lining of the gastrointestinal tract and slowly release its contents. The tablet is engineered so that one side adheres to tissue, while the other repels food and liquids that would otherwise pull it away from the attachment site.

7 Apr 2016

Liraglutide drug makes highly desirable foods less appealing to people

Understanding the motivations that drive humans to eat is an important consideration in the development of weight loss therapies. Now a study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center helps explain how the diabetes and weight loss drug liraglutide acts on brain receptors to make enticing foods seems less desirable.

5 Apr 2016

European Medicines Agency approves first-ever treatment for hereditary factor X deficiency

Bio Products Laboratory, Limited (BPL) today announced that the European Medicines Agency has granted marketing authorisation for Coagadex.

31 Mar 2016

Fecal transplants transfer bacterial viruses that appear to be harmless to humans

Communities of viruses can be transferred during fecal transplants, according to a study published this week in mBio, an online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Fortunately for patients who use this procedure, the viruses found to be transmitted in this study appear to be harmless to humans.

30 Mar 2016

Metabolite in gut microbiome could improve outcomes after bone marrow transplant

Could playing better defense make bone marrow transplants more successful? With this question in mind, researchers began looking at whether the trillions of little bugs and bacteria living in our gastrointestinal tract could be the key to playing defense.

22 Mar 2016

Treatment guidelines need to be changed for rare, genetic form of diabetes, study suggests

Patients with a rare, genetic form of diabetes often are misdiagnosed as having type 2 diabetes because the two share symptoms.

18 Mar 2016

Incidence of IBD much higher in Rhode Island

A study led by the Hasbro Children's Hospital Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Diseases found that the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Rhode Island is one of the highest ever reported in the United States and that IBD rates nationally are much higher than previously reported.

4 Mar 2016

Regular use of aspirin significantly reduces overall cancer risk

An analysis of data from two major, long-term epidemiologic studies finds that the regular use of aspirin significantly reduces the overall risk of cancer, a reduction that primarily reflects a lower risk of colorectal cancer and other tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.