Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Novel IBS treatment developed at UB garners $8.5 million for seven-year trial

Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic, debilitating disorder affecting 25 million people in the U.S -- 14-24 percent of women and 5-19 percent of men.

13 Nov 2008

Discovery of stem cells with potential to regenerate injured liver tissue

A novel protein marker has been found that identifies rare adult liver stem cells, whose ability to regenerate injured liver tissue has the potential for cell-replacement therapy.

12 Nov 2008

Adalimumab therapy may reduce health-care costs for Crohn's disease patients

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term that refers to both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD).

12 Nov 2008

Discovery of possible link between chronic pancreatitis and liver cirrhosis of alcoholic etiology

Chronic alcoholism is a well-known etiologic factor associated with chronic and irreversible pancreatic and liver disorders.

12 Nov 2008

Researchers look at sildenafil use in cirrhosis patients

Sildenafil is valuable in the treatment of erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension in patients with end-stage liver disease through inhibition of the type-5 phosphodiesterase.

11 Nov 2008

Does HBV infection induce acute cellular DNA damage?

Eukaryotic cells employ multiple strategies of checkpoint signaling and DNA repair mechanisms to monitor and repair damaged DNA.

11 Nov 2008

An ideal therapy for peptic ulcer disease

Since the discovery of the etiological role of Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) in peptic ulcer disease, its eradication became the main objective of therapy, and several treatment regimens were developed.

11 Nov 2008

Latest research on diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases

Researchers are presenting more than 450 abstracts on investigational findings in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases at the ACAAI Annual Meeting in Seattle, Nov. 6-11. Following are highlights of some key studies on asthma.

11 Nov 2008

Newborn neurons in the adult brain can settle in the wrong neighborhood

In a study that could have significant consequences for neural tissue transplantation strategies, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that inactivating a specific gene in adult neural stem cells makes nerve cells emerging from those precursors form connections in the wrong part of the adult brain.

11 Nov 2008

California Pacific Medical Center opens pediatric ER

California Pacific Medical Center is opening the first Emergency Department in San Francisco designed specifically to treat and meet the needs of children ages birth to 18 and their families.

6 Nov 2008

10 symptoms that should never be ignored

Not every ache and pain merits a quick trip to the doctor -- but some do.

6 Nov 2008

Rare immune cell may help those with Crohn's and colitis

The tonsils and lymphoid tissues in the intestinal tract that help protect the body from external pathogens are the home base of a rare immune cell newly identified by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

4 Nov 2008

Discovery of biomarkers for esophageal cancer before it develops

Rhode Island Hospital researchers have identified genetic proteins, also known as biomarkers, capable of distinguishing changes at the microscopic level that can signal a precancerous condition in the esophagus.

4 Nov 2008

Cimzia study shows reduction of symptoms and progression of rheumatoid arthritis

UCB has announced pivotal RAPID 1 (RA PreventIon of structural Damage) data published in Arthritis & Rheumatism shows CIMZIA (certolizumab pegol), the only PEGylated anti-TNF (Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha), together with methotrexate (MTX), rapidly reduced symptoms of disease and inhibited progression of joint damage in adult patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with sustained results for up to one year.

31 Oct 2008

Systems biology and glycomics used to study human inflammatory diseases

An innovative systems biology approach to understanding the carbohydrate structures in cells is leading to new ways to understand how inflammatory illnesses and cardiovascular disease develop in humans. The work was described in two recent publications by University at Buffalo chemical engineers.

28 Oct 2008

Colonoscopy prep harder on women than men

Colonoscopy is especially important for women, because they're more likely to have polyps or lesions deeper in the colon. Only colonoscopy examines the entire length of the colon. Emptying the contents of the colon - a step called bowel prep - is essential to a successful colonoscopy. But there's some reason to believe that bowel prep for a colonoscopy is harder for women than for men, reports the November 2008 issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch.

27 Oct 2008