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Diagnosis and management of constipation may help protect kidney health

Researchers have discovered a link between constipation and poor kidney health. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, suggest that the diagnosis and management of constipation might be helpful for preventing or treating kidney disease.

11 Nov 2016

Researchers shed light on how success of gut microbiome treatments may depend on genetics

Our gut microbiomes--the bacteria that live in our digestive tract--play major roles in our health. Scientists around the world are studying therapies that manipulate the microbiome, including probiotics (such as live bacterial cultures in yogurt), prebiotics (edible fibers meant to promote beneficial bacteria), antibiotics and transplants of microbes from healthy people.

7 Nov 2016

Gut microbiome may help improve immunotherapy response in melanoma patients

Patients with malignant melanoma - whose disease has spread - are more likely to respond to immunotherapy treatment if they had greater diversity in their gut bacteria, according to new research presented at the National Cancer Research Institute's Cancer Conference in Liverpool.

6 Nov 2016

Researchers show how spinal cord injury causes profound changes in gut microbiota

The community of bacteria that live in our intestines, also called the "gut microbiome," is important to normal intestinal function.

18 Oct 2016

Factors secreted by intestinal bacteria may help prevent or treat kidney stones

Researchers have discovered that factors secreted by gut bacteria might help prevent or treat kidney stones.

14 Oct 2016

Study on common bacterium presents new pathway to combat gastric cancers

A common bacterium that more than half of people have in their gut can use hydrogen gas present in the gastrointestinal tract to inject a cancer-causing toxin into otherwise healthy cells, according to a recently published study led by University of Georgia researchers.

12 Oct 2016

Study shows how common intestinal microbe protects the gut from attack by harmful bacteria

Antibiotics save millions of lives. But their tendency to kill helpful and harmful bacteria alike, coupled with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, means that they are not without their downside.

4 Oct 2016

Alternative therapies appear to be effective in ameliorating IBS symptoms

A new review looks at the evidence behind the effectiveness of complementary or alternative therapies-including probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, fiber, and herbal medicinal products-for the treatment of bowel disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional constipation, and ulcerative colitis.

3 Oct 2016

Harvard symposium highlights health impact of gut microbiota and probiotics throughout lifespan

Danone Nutricia Research, one of the key sponsors of the September 15th and 16th Harvard Medical School Division of Nutrition symposium on gut microbiota, probiotics and their impact throughout the lifespan, announces its continued support of research in the emerging field of the microbiome and its interactions with body functions.

30 Sep 2016

Amount of gluten triggers genetic risk of celiac disease, research shows

The amount of gluten could be a more important clue than breast-feeding or the timing of the introduction of gluten for continued research into the causes of celiac disease (gluten intolerance).

23 Sep 2016

Ancient remedy to treat severe diarrhea becomes effective therapy for multiple recurrent CDI

Modern medicine is taking a new look at an ancient remedy for severe diarrhea as a novel approach to treat a serious gastrointestinal infection.

22 Sep 2016

Groundbreaking research findings could lead to potential new treatments for Crohn’s disease

A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine-led team of international researchers has for the first time identified a fungus as a key factor in the development of Crohn's disease.

21 Sep 2016

Type of bacteria in the gut may increase or decrease risk of developing celiac disease

About 40 per cent of the population have a genetic disposition to celiac disease, but only about one per cent develop the autoimmune condition when exposed to gluten, and this could be promoted by the type of bacteria present in the gut.

25 Aug 2016

Research provides insight into how harmless nasal bacteria help protect from diseases

Staphylococcus aureus is a common colonizer of the human body. Although, one quarter of the U.S. population live with the bacteria and never get sick, having S. aureus present in the nostrils is a risk for infections that range in severity from mild skin to life- threatening MRSA infections.

17 Aug 2016

Disordered airway microbiome at birth may be linked to severe neonatal lung disease

In contrast to the general belief that the airways of an infant are sterile until after birth, University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers and colleagues have found that the infant airway is already colonized with bacteria or bacterial DNA when a baby is born -- and this is true for infants born as early as 24 weeks gestation.

5 Aug 2016

Maternal HIV infection could alter gut microbiome of HIV-exposed, uninfected infants

A study led by researchers at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles suggests that maternal HIV infection influences the microbiome of their HIV-uninfected infants.

28 Jul 2016

Antibiotic usage, infections may contribute to manic episodes in people with mental disorders

In research using patient medical records, investigators from Johns Hopkins and Sheppard Pratt Health System report that people with serious mental disorders who were hospitalized for mania were more likely to be on antibiotics to treat active infections than a group of people without a mental disorder.

20 Jul 2016

Taking probiotics can reduce body weight and BMI

Consuming probiotics, so-called 'good bacteria', can reduce body weight and body mass index (BMI) according to a new meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition.

11 Jul 2016

Treatment for IBS proves difficult, survey reveals

A new national survey by Health Union of more than 1,000 individuals with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) reveals that the condition is difficult to diagnose and often even more difficult to treat.

29 Jun 2016

Allergy-causing immune cells play life-saving role in deadly C. difficile infection

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have identified immune cells vital for protecting us from potentially fatal C. difficile infection. Surprisingly, those cells are often vilified for their role in causing asthma and allergies. But when it comes to C. difficile, they could be the difference in life and death.