Stomach News and Research

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Comprehensive cardiac health study provides superior results

Kenneth "Buddy" Conant hit some clothing stores for a little shopping spree recently, but it wasn't because he'd suddenly become enthralled with the latest fashions. The truth was, he was starting to resemble a kid wearing a grown man's clothes.

6 Apr 2010

2010 DDW conference to highlight breakthrough research on GI health

Thousands of physicians, researchers and academics from around the world will gather in New Orleans in early May for Digestive Disease Week- (DDW-), the premiere scientific conference in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.

2 Apr 2010

Schering-Plough HealthCare Products commences promotion of ZEGERID OTC in North America

Santarus, Inc., a specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Schering-Plough HealthCare Products, Inc., the consumer healthcare subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., has commenced promotion of ZEGERID OTC™ (omeprazole 20 mg/sodium bicarbonate 1100 mg capsules) under its licensing agreement with Santarus for the over-the-counter (OTC) market in North America. The OTC heartburn market in the U.S. is estimated at approximately $1.8 billion based on data from market research firm Information Resources, Inc. and Santarus estimates.

2 Apr 2010

Ensuring medication compliance in clinical trials: Pill capsules with microchips to signal ingestion

Seeking a way to confirm that patients have taken their medication, University of Florida engineering researchers have added a tiny microchip and digestible antenna to a standard pill capsule. The prototype is intended to pave the way for mass-produced pills that, when ingested, automatically alert doctors, loved ones or scientists working with patients in clinical drug trials.

1 Apr 2010

Hormone ghrelin may improve appetite in gastric cancer patients

In gastric cancer patients who have had part or all of their stomach removed, the hormone ghrelin may lessen post-operative weight loss and improve appetite, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute.

1 Apr 2010

Plant-based system could help improve lives of hemophilic patients

Hemophilia, a disease linked with legends of European monarchs, frail heirs and one flamboyant charlatan called Rasputin, still afflicts many people today.

31 Mar 2010

New anti-inflammatory drug shows promise for treating inflammatory disorders

Aspirin, ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) remain the most common treatment to relieve symptoms of arthritis and other inflammatory disorders. But despite their widespread use (around 2.5 million Canadians have osteoarthritis) these medications are also known to cause severe, sometimes life-threatening adverse effects within the body, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract

31 Mar 2010

Insurers agree to administration view on kids' coverage

Uncertainty over whether the health overhaul would deliver promised insurance protections to children came to a quick end Monday when insurers told the administration they would not seek to block regulations clarifying the matter, The Associated Press reports. At issue is whether insurers would be required to offer plans to children with preexisting conditions right away.

31 Mar 2010

Mutations in gene protecting body leads to development of cancer

An important gene that normally protects the body against cancer can itself cause a variety of cancers depending on the specific mutation that damages it, according to a new study by investigators at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James).

30 Mar 2010

Surgery helps reduce weight from 118 kg to 62.8 kg

Weight control is one of the important topics for modern people. In addition to proper diet, regular exercise and appropriate use of medicine, obese suffers may consider weight loss surgeries for faster effects. The first successful case in NCKU Hospital reduced her weight from 118 kg to 62.8 kg one year after the surgery.

29 Mar 2010

Pacemaker in stomach can help treat severe stomach disorders and chronic vomiting

People with severe stomach disorders can sometimes suffer from chronic vomiting. This symptom can be treated with electrical impulses from a pacemaker in the stomach. A new method enables patients who could benefit from this treatment to be identified, and electrical stimulation leads to reduced nausea and fewer days in hospital, shows a study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

29 Mar 2010

Erbitux can now be used in Japan as 1st-line treatment for mCRC: Merck Serono

Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today that Erbitux® (cetuximab) can now be used in Japan in combination with chemotherapy in the 1st-line treatment for patients with epidermal growth factor receptor -expressing, curatively unresectable (inoperable), advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer carrying the KRAS wildtype gene.

29 Mar 2010

Norovirus outbreak associated with oysters: FDA and Mississippi, Louisiana public health agencies issue warning

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working with state health officials from Mississippi and Louisiana to notify consumers, food service operators and retailers nationwide about an outbreak of norovirus associated with oysters recently harvested from an area near Port Sulphur, La. known as Area 7. The oysters were sold or distributed nationwide.

27 Mar 2010

NIH grant for study on impact of gastric bypass surgery on Type II diabetes patients

Gastric bypass surgery, thought of by many as the last hope of morbidly obese people for losing weight, has many other benefits researchers are only beginning to understand.

25 Mar 2010

Bariatric surgery may delay onset of type 2 diabetes, says study

A team of researchers, led by a UC Davis veterinary endocrinologist, has shown for the first time that a surgical procedure in rats that is similar to bariatric surgery in humans can delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

25 Mar 2010

Lap band surgery acceptable only for morbidly obese adolescents over 15

Lap band surgery is a procedure that involves placing a ring around the stomach and thus restricting it. It is a controversial procedure undertaken in obese patients to decrease food absorption.

24 Mar 2010

Sir James Black inventor of beta-blockers passes away

Sir James Black passed away on Monday after a long illness, he was 85. Sir James Black is credited as the inventor of the beta-blocker drugs in 1962. These are drugs which play an important role in the treatment of angina and heart attacks. They are regarded as one of the major medical breakthroughs of the 20th Century in Pharmacology. Born in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, Sir James Black studied medicine at St. Andrews University.

23 Mar 2010

Tips on healthy eating post-surgery

Good nutrition, with adequate calories and protein, is important to healing and recovery after major surgery. But the stress of surgery and follow-up care can depress the appetite, alter the taste of food and make it difficult to eat and digest food, sometimes for weeks or months.

20 Mar 2010

SoCalBio to host forum on latest medical devices for treating obesity

The Southern California Biomedical Council will host a discussion on the latest medical devices for treating obesity during its networking forum on Thursday, March 25th (7:00 - 9:30 am) at the UC Irvine University Club.

20 Mar 2010

One-third of patients hospitalized on weekends receive needed major procedures on day of admission

Of the 8 million patients who were admitted to U.S. hospitals on weekends in 2007, approximately one-third received needed major procedures on the day of admission, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In comparison, patients who were admitted on weekdays received 65 percent of all major procedures on their first day in the hospital.

19 Mar 2010