Diarrhea News and Research

Latest Diarrhea News and Research

New genetic risk factors for Crohn's disease

An international research team , including investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has identified several novel genetic variations associated with the risk of Crohn's disease.

16 Apr 2007

Gleevec available to patients in post-surgical GIST study

Investigators will begin offering Gleevec(R) (imatinib mesylate)* tablets to patients receiving placebo in a major North American clinical trial after an interim analysis showed participants with Kit-positive gastrointestinal stromal tumors treated with Gleevec following surgery were significantly less likely to experience a return of their cancer compared to those not taking this innovative therapy.

15 Apr 2007

Gleevec shows great promise in preventing cancer recurrence

Gleevec, a pill developed in conjunction with the Oregon Health & Science University Cancer Institute is again showing excellent results in preventing a cancer recurrence.

15 Apr 2007

GlaxoSmithKline initiates study of PROMACTA in chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

GlaxoSmithKline has announced the initiation of a global, open-label, single group trial that will assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of PROMACTA (eltrombopag olamine) in patients previously treated for chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

15 Apr 2007

Gleevec decreases cancer recurrence for GIST

Preliminary results from a large, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial for patients with primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), a type of tumor usually found in the stomach or small intestine, showed that patients who received imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) after complete removal of their tumor were significantly less likely to have a recurrence of their cancer compared to those who did not receive imatinib.

15 Apr 2007

New vaccine to prevent type-1 polio three times as effective as standard vaccine

The study found that each dose of the new monovalent oral poliovirus vaccine, known as mOPV1, protected 30% of susceptible children in northern India against paralytic poliomyelitis. The standard trivalent vaccine in the same setting protected just 11% of children per dose.

12 Apr 2007

Rising vaccine costs put kids at risk

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is alarmed that the soaring costs of vaccines combined with lower reimbursements from insurance companies will lead to the under- immunization of the nation's children and unnecessary outbreaks of preventable diseases.

11 Apr 2007

Efficacy of Guanilib confirmed for inflammatory bowel disease

Callisto Pharmaceuticals has announced additional data confirming efficacy of Guanilib, a first-in-class compound currently being developed for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in two different standard animal models of experimental colitis.

7 Apr 2007

FDA issues Salmonella alert for Pet Chews - potential for cross contamination, in people, especially children

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers not to use American Bullie A.B. Bull Pizzle Puppy Chews and Dog Chews manufactured and distributed by T.W. Enterprises, Ferndale, WA, because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, which can cause serious infections in dogs and cats, and, if there is cross contamination, in people, especially children, the aged, and people with compromised immune systems.

5 Apr 2007

Common questions about irritable bowel syndrome

Will adding fiber to my diet bring relief? Are dairy products really off limits? Is there a way to actually diagnose what I have, or is it all in my head?

4 Apr 2007

Loperamide may play a useful part in the treatment of diarrhoea

The drug loperamide is widely used as a treatment for diarrhoea in adults, but most authorities, including the World Health Organization recommend that it should not be given to young children.

2 Apr 2007

Breast-feeding exclusively lowers risk of vertical HIV transmission to children in developing countries

HIV-positive women in developing countries could reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their infants if they exclusively breast-feed rather than supplement breast milk with formula, animal milk or solid food, according to a study published in the March 31 edition of the Lancet, Reuters reports.

2 Apr 2007

Precautions against C. difficile infection

Illness related to C. difficile, a bacterium commonly found in hospitals, is becoming more widespread, more severe, and harder to treat, reports the April 2007 issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch . Health experts are worried that a new, more virulent strain may be to blame.

2 Apr 2007

Warning on consumption of raw milk sold by York County dairy

State Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson has advised consumers who purchased raw milk from Stump Acres Dairy of New Salem, York County, after March 19 to consider not consuming the raw milk due to possible health concerns.

2 Apr 2007

Large trial demonstrates that the benefits of zinc supplementation for children

A clinical trial conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public concluded that daily zinc supplements reduced the risk of death among children aged 12 to 48 months by 18 percent.

19 Mar 2007

CDC releases safety data on rotavirus vaccine RotaTeq

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released today new safety data on a recently licensed rotavirus vaccine given to infants that indicate the vaccine does not pose an elevated risk for intussusception, the most common cause of bowel obstruction in infants.

15 Mar 2007

Tykerb (lapatinib) - new anti-cancer treatment approved

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tykerb (lapatinib), a new targeted anti-cancer treatment, to be used in combination with capectabine (Xeloda), another cancer drug, for patients with advanced, metastatic breast cancer that is HER2 positive (tumors that exhibit HER2 protein).

14 Mar 2007

Survey says some children's medicines contain a "cocktail of additives"

Researchers in Britain are warning that most medicines for babies and young children contain additives which are often banned from foods and drinks aimed at under-threes.

12 Mar 2007

Throw out peanut butter from 2004!

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of March 7, 2007, 425 people in 44 states have now been infected with the strain of Salmonella Tennessee found in Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter products.

12 Mar 2007

Update on peanut butter recall

As a follow-up to the recent Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing consumers that ConAgra has extended their recall of all Peter Pan peanut butter, and all Great Value peanut butter beginning with product code 2111, including peanut butter toppings, back to October 2004.

11 Mar 2007