Pancreatitis News and Research

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Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large gland behind the stomach and close to the duodenum—the first part of the small intestine. The pancreas secretes digestive juices, or enzymes, into the duodenum through a tube called the pancreatic duct. Pancreatic enzymes join with bile—a liquid produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder—to digest food. The pancreas also releases the hormones insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. These hormones help the body regulate the glucose it takes from food for energy.

Normally, digestive enzymes secreted by the pancreas do not become active until they reach the small intestine. But when the pancreas is inflamed, the enzymes inside it attack and damage the tissues that produce them.

Pancreatitis can be acute or chronic. Either form is serious and can lead to complications. In severe cases, bleeding, infection, and permanent tissue damage may occur.

Controlling organ functions with your cell phone may be possible in future

Think about this. You have diabetes, are trying to control your insulin levels and instead of taking a pill or giving yourself an injection, you click an app on your phone that tells your pancreas to bring blood sugar levels back to normal.

22 Nov 2017

FAIMS technology holds potential to be effective screening tool for pancreatic cancer

In research published in the latest edition of the UEG Journal, Scientists in Finland demonstrated that there is variance in the volatile compounds found in the urine of pancreatic cancer patients to that of healthy controls.

17 Nov 2017

New discovery in beta-cell pathway shows potential to improve effectiveness of diabetes drugs

Over the past 15 years, University of Alabama at Birmingham endocrinologist Anath Shalev, M.D., has unraveled a crucial biological pathway that malfunctions in diabetes.

8 Nov 2017

Research paves way for new drugs that may prevent tumor repopulation after radiation therapy

Whenever an organism is damaged, the cells surrounding the wound receive signals to proliferate more intensely so as to regenerate the injured tissue.

26 Aug 2017

Newly identified biomarker panel could pave way to earlier detection of pancreatic cancer

A newly identified biomarker panel could pave the way to earlier detection and better treatment for pancreatic cancer, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania.

12 Jul 2017

FDA approves expanded use of Zykadia for first-line treatment of ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC

Novartis today announced the US Food and Drug Administration approved the expanded use of Zykadia (ceritinib) to include the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors are anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive, as detected by an FDA-approved test.

27 May 2017

Solid or tube feeding early in pancreatitis may help reduce hospital stays, research finds

When the excruciating pain of a pancreas attack sends someone to the hospital, eating is probably the last thing they're thinking of. And for decades, medical teams have kept such patients away from solid food for days.

16 May 2017

Early-onset pancreatitis in children linked to family history and genetic mutations

A study published today in The Journal of Pediatrics suggests that early-onset pancreatitis in children is strongly associated with certain genetic mutations and family history of pancreatitis.

10 May 2017

Researchers use novel phage therapy to treat patient infected with multidrug-resistant bacterium

Scientists and physicians at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, working with colleagues at the U.S. Navy Medical Research Center - Biological Defense Research Directorate, Texas A&M University, a San Diego-based biotech and elsewhere, have successfully used an experimental therapy involving bacteriophages -- viruses that target and consume specific strains of bacteria -- to treat a patient near death from a multidrug-resistant bacterium.

25 Apr 2017

ULCA scientists discover how autoantibodies cause some cases of severe hypertriglyceridemia

People with hypertriglyceridemia often are told to change their diet and lose weight. But a high-fat diet isn't necessarily the cause for everyone with the condition.

6 Apr 2017

Amgen, UCB present romosozumab Phase 2 results at ENDO 2017

Amgen and UCB today announced results from the fourth year of a Phase 2 study showing the efficacy and safety of a second course of treatment with EVENITY™* (romosozumab), an investigational agent for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

3 Apr 2017

New approach shows promise to prevent, treat cholesterol gallstone disease

According to current estimates, 20 to 25 million Americans have or will develop gallstones, representing almost 15% of adults. Although only a small percentage of individuals with gallstones develop symptoms, more than 700,000 individuals annually undergo surgical gallbladder removal and many more take medications to manage the condition or undergo stone-dissolving procedures.

13 Mar 2017

Two migration proteins increase predictive ability of biomarker for pancreatic cancer

Adding two blood-borne proteins associated with cancer cell migration increases the predictive ability of the current biomarker for pancreatic cancer to detect early stage disease, a research team from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reports in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

1 Mar 2017

Scientists discover potent trigger of inflammatory disease

Institute scientists have revealed a potent inflammatory molecule released by dying cells triggers inflammation during necroptosis, a recently described form of cell death linked to inflammatory disease.

22 Feb 2017

Researchers uncover how stress hormone prevents digestive enzymes from damaging pancreas

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have uncovered the mechanism by which the stress hormone FGF21 keeps digestive enzymes from damaging the pancreas.

18 Jan 2017

Research reveals opposing role for SNAP23 protein in endocrine and exocrine pancreas

Movement of secretory molecules, such as hormones and digestive enzymes, out of the cell is known as exocytosis. This process is guided by SNARE proteins, which help the fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane.

8 Dec 2016

Specific milk protein may help strengthen the body's disease-fighting power, research reveals

According to an innovative, new investigation published in Nutrition Journal, cow's milk containing only A2 protein has been shown to increase an essential antioxidant that may help strengthen the body's disease-fighting power.

29 Nov 2016

Research shows CRAC channel inhibitors decrease lesion size, brain hemorrhage, and neurological deficits in TBI model

Researchers from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center and UCSF, and CalciMedica, Inc., are presenting a poster at the 46th annual Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego describing the use of calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channel inhibitors in traumatic brain injury (TBI).

16 Nov 2016

Single gene therapy for lipoprotein lipase deficiency reduces severity and frequency of pancreatitis

Over a 6-year period, patients with the genetic disease lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD) who received a single gene therapy treatment of alipogene tiparvovec had a marked reduction in the severity and frequency of pancreatitis.

8 Nov 2016

Mild to moderate rise in blood fats increases risk of developing acute pancreatitis

New research from the University of Copenhagen shows that mild to moderate levels of blood fats equals an increased risk developing acute pancreatitis. It is far more serious than we previously believed it to be, according to the professor behind the study.