Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Researchers develop system to culture normal and cancerous pancreatic tissue isolated from resection specimens obtained from patients

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with a very poor prognosis.

24 Mar 2009

Review of probiotics in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

A review by researchers at Northwestern University (Chicago, IL.) and University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) of the utility of probiotics in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) found that Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 was the only probiotic strain out of 13 different individual strains or preparations reviewed to significantly improve symptoms of IBS, including abdominal pain, bloating and bowel movement difficulty.

23 Mar 2009

Clostridium difficile infection in primary care

The epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is changing rapidly and has been marked by a significant increase in incidence and severity.

23 Mar 2009

How to increase the efficacy of local excision of rectal cancer

With the advancement of imaging techniques, the accuracy of preoperative rectal cancer staging has increased dramatically, and the preservation of physical function in rectal cancer patients has become a very important aim of research.

22 Mar 2009

FDA warning on oysters recently harvested from Mississippi area 2C

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising retailers and food service operators not to offer for sale oysters harvested between Feb. 24 and March 17, 2009, from Mississippi Area 2C, located in the Mississippi Sound portion of the Gulf of Mexico near Pass Christian, Miss. Further, consumers are advised not to eat such oysters.

22 Mar 2009

Cathepsin B increases apoptosis in fulminant hepatic failure

The traditional view is that hepatocyte necrosis is the main feature of fulminant hepatic failure, but increasing evidence implicates a dominant role for hepatocyte apoptosis in this pathogenesis.

22 Mar 2009

Severe vomiting case due to chronic marijuana use

This obscure clinical manifestation of severe vomiting sickness due to chronic abuse of marijuana, recognized by Dr. Sontineni and his colleagues at the Creighton University of Omaha, NE, was published on March 14, 2009 World Journal of Gastroenterology.

22 Mar 2009

Alba Therapeutics announces next clinical trial of lead compound, Larazotide Acetate

Alba Therapeutics Corporation announced today it will initiate further clinical studies for patients diagnosed with celiac disease with their lead compound, larazotide acetate.

17 Mar 2009

The navel shown to be a safe and effective single access route for extracting kidneys

Successful surgery that leaves no scars has become the main objective of the most daring and innovative surgeons.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 12 Mar 2009

Long-defunct gene comes back to life in humans

Researchers have discovered that a long-defunct gene was resurrected during the course of human evolution.

8 Mar 2009

Why does aspirin increase the susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to antimicrobials?

Resent studies reported that aspirin inhibited the growth of H. pylori in a dose-dependent manner and significantly affected the activity of virulence factors of H. pylori.

3 Mar 2009

Opioid antagonists help pain management

Achieving effective, durable, and safe pain relief, especially in patients with chronic and/or severe pain conditions, can be difficult.

3 Mar 2009

Trial looks at telmisartan in treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are well-recognized causes of progressive liver disease leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

3 Mar 2009

Is esomeprazole the best choice for reflux esophagitis patients?

In patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), esomeprazole, has demonstrated pharmacological and clinical benefits beyond those seen with the other proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).

3 Mar 2009

Research looks at protective effects of acupuncture against NSAID-induced ulceration in a rat model

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents.

3 Mar 2009

Colonoscopy and virtual colonoscopy, either way get screened!

Today, patients have a wide selection of colorectal cancer screening exams from which to choose, unlike with other types of cancers.

3 Mar 2009

Study looks at effect of vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12 supplements in coeliac disease

Coeliac disease is a typical example of a malabsorption syndrome conferring increased risk for various deficiency states, including folate and vitamin B12.

3 Mar 2009

Link between, bacteria, cancer explored with funding from American Cancer Society

The role of bacteria in the development of colorectal cancer is coming under scrutiny at the University of Rochester Medical Center, thanks to an $840,000 research award from the American Cancer Society.

3 Mar 2009

Type 1 diabetes patients sought for UT Southwestern clinical drug trial

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are recruiting individuals newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes for a clinical trial to gauge the effectiveness of adding an investigational stem cell product to standard insulin therapy.

3 Mar 2009