Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Study suggests cirrhosis and liver disease nearly inevitable for people with hep C

Nearly 80 percent of chronic hepatitis C sufferers who have the disease for several decades will develop cirrhosis or end-stage liver disease later in life, according to a study published today in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

1 Sep 2005

Elevated blood lactate levels may indicate poor prognosis in liver failure

A new study on fulminant hepatic failure (FHF), a sudden and severe shutdown of the liver, examined ways of determining early on whether patients would benefit from a transplant as opposed to responding to other medical treatment. The results showed that elevated blood lactate levels indicate a poor prognosis and thus the need for a transplant.

28 Aug 2005

Japanese encephalitis in Indian province - update

Health officials say nine more people have now died from Japanese encephalitis in India's Uttar Pradesh state, taking the death toll from the mosquito-borne disease to 99.

22 Aug 2005

India's encephalitis death toll reaches 110 and most are children

The deaths of another twenty people in an encephalitis outbreak in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh has taken the toll to 110 as of Saturday.

21 Aug 2005

Excessive alcohol consumption increases risk of certain cancers

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new chemical analysis method that has assisted researchers at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institutes of Health, in demonstrating a potentially important chemical link between alcohol consumption and cancer.

11 Aug 2005

Alcohol linked to an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal cancer

Researchers looking for the potential biochemical basis for this link have focused on acetaldehyde, a suspected carcinogen formed as the body metabolizes alcohol.

3 Aug 2005

Potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs as a treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers investigating anecdotal evidence that cannabis relieves some of the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have discovered a potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs for treatment of the disease.

2 Aug 2005

Study findings offer hope of identifying new at-risk population for pancreatic cancer

According to a study published in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Gastroenterology, 1 in 120 people newly diagnosed with diabetes age 50 and older have a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer - a risk that is eight times more than expected for the general population.

2 Aug 2005

Surgical myectomy gives fresh start to patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), an abnormal thickening of the heart, affects more than 500,000 Americans, making it more common than better-known conditions such as Crohn's disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Anorexia Nervosa.

2 Aug 2005

Women's preference for female colonoscopists hinders colon cancer screening

In a study conducted by researchers at the Division of Gastroenterology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and published in the current (August) issue of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (GIE) by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), 43% of the women who were asked their preference of a male or female endoscopist said female, while only 1.4% said male and the rest had no preference.

2 Aug 2005

Cannabis drugs may benefit those with bowel disease

UK scientists say they believe that patients with inflammatory bowel disease may benefit from cannabis-based drugs.

1 Aug 2005

Study findings will help early detection and treatment of hyperglycemic diabetes

In a groundbreaking population-based study, researchers in Mayo Clinic Cancer Center found that new onset of hyperglycemic diabetes in adults age 50 or older may be a signal of underlying pancreatic cancer.

1 Aug 2005

Good bacteria helps ease symptoms of ulcerative colitis

New research suggests that consuming a mixture of eight good or "probiotic" bacteria reduces symptoms in patients with ulcerative colitis which doesn't respond to conventional medications.

31 Jul 2005

Loyola researchers hope that zoledronic acid will be effective and safe for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)

Researchers at the Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Center and the Division of Gastroenterology at Loyola University Health System are studying a once-yearly, 15-minute infusion of an intravenous (IV) medication in patients with osteopenia (low bone mass) and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that, if proven effective, may be considered the standard of treatment.

26 Jul 2005

Mixture of 8 bacteria (VSL#3) for 6 weeks helps ulcerative colitis

A mixture of bacteria developed in part by University of Alberta researchers has been proven highly effective in treating people suffering from ulcerative colitis.

25 Jul 2005

Alendronate combined with calcium and vitamin D almost completely prevented further bone loss in the first 4 months afte liver transplant

A new study found that the drug used to treat osteoporosis, when used in combination with calcium and vitamin D, can prevent the additional bone loss that commonly occurs after liver transplants. The treatment also helped stabilize bone loss in patients who already had osteoporosis, and helped improve their bone mineral density (BMD).

20 Jul 2005

Camera-guided surgery through small incisions works better than conventional surgery for colon cancer

Camera-guided surgery through small incisions works better than conventional surgery for colon cancer and related diseases, at least in the short term recovery, a new review of previous studies confirms. In the long term, researchers found no difference between the two.

19 Jul 2005

Blood testing links common foods and irritable bowel syndrome

Researchers using comparison trials determined that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients have elevated food-specific IgG4 antibodies to common foods such as wheat, beef, pork, lamb, and soya bean. These findings are published in the July issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

13 Jul 2005

Research explains one of the fundamental mysteries of multiple sclerosis

Scientists have pinpointed a chemical messenger that frees some white blood cells from the body's normal constraints, allowing the cells to act like renegades that could damage nerves in the central nervous system. The work, to be published in the July 15 issue of the Journal of Immunology and just published on-line, helps explain one of the fundamental mysteries of multiple sclerosis (MS).

11 Jul 2005

Found! - mutant viruses that laid NSW low with gastro

New mutant viruses responsible for gastroenteritis outbreaks in New South Wales in recent times have been identified by research published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal of the US Centers for Disease Control.

27 Jun 2005

Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Study suggests cirrhosis and liver disease nearly inevitable for people with hep C

Elevated blood lactate levels may indicate poor prognosis in liver failure

Japanese encephalitis in Indian province - update

India's encephalitis death toll reaches 110 and most are children

Excessive alcohol consumption increases risk of certain cancers

Alcohol linked to an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal cancer

Potential new target for cannabis-derived drugs as a treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Study findings offer hope of identifying new at-risk population for pancreatic cancer

Surgical myectomy gives fresh start to patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Women's preference for female colonoscopists hinders colon cancer screening

Cannabis drugs may benefit those with bowel disease

Study findings will help early detection and treatment of hyperglycemic diabetes

Good bacteria helps ease symptoms of ulcerative colitis

Loyola researchers hope that zoledronic acid will be effective and safe for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)

Mixture of 8 bacteria (VSL#3) for 6 weeks helps ulcerative colitis

Alendronate combined with calcium and vitamin D almost completely prevented further bone loss in the first 4 months afte liver transplant

Camera-guided surgery through small incisions works better than conventional surgery for colon cancer

Blood testing links common foods and irritable bowel syndrome

Research explains one of the fundamental mysteries of multiple sclerosis

Found! - mutant viruses that laid NSW low with gastro

Your full guide to the gut microbiome eBook

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

Scaling 3D biology: Automation, imaging, and the future of high-throughput research

How does norepinephrine influence anxiety-related behaviours?

Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Your full guide to the gut microbiome eBook

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

Scaling 3D biology: Automation, imaging, and the future of high-throughput research

How does norepinephrine influence anxiety-related behaviours?

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