Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Novel endoscopic technique improves detection of upper GI tract tumors

Recently there have been significant advances on several fronts in the ongoing war against cancer of the alimentary tract.

5 Jan 2021

Few organisms in the gut microbiome found to play a key role in type 2 diabetes

Researchers at Oregon State University have found that a few organisms in the gut microbiome play a key role in type 2 diabetes, opening the door to possible probiotic treatments for a serious metabolic disease affecting roughly one in 10 Americans.

4 Jan 2021

Children’s hospitals are partly to blame as superbugs increasingly attack kids

A memory haunts Christina Fuhrman: the image of her toddler Pearl lying pale and listless in a hospital bed, tethered to an IV to keep her hydrated as she struggled against a superbug infection.

4 Jan 2021

P2 COVID-19 study shows no material safety differences between opaganib and control arms

Preliminary data from the non-powered U.S. Phase 2 study of 40 hospitalized patients shows that orally-administered opaganib was safe, with no material safety differences between opaganib and control arms.

4 Jan 2021

Scientists design experimental gut-brain system in a lab dish

Research into what is known as the gut-brain axis continues to reveal how the brain and gut influence each other's health and well-being. Now researchers are endeavoring to learn more about gut-brain discourse using a model system built in a lab dish.

4 Jan 2021

Gut cells alert the body to danger during parasite invasion

To effectively combat an infection, the body first has to sense it's been invaded, then the affected tissue must send out signals to corral resources to fight the intruder.

28 Dec 2020

Study identifies the effects of malnutrition on patient survival after cardiac surgery

Nutrients are the structural components of food that the body needs to function properly. They are divided into macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, provitamins, various minerals, and so on). Their shortage is called nutritional deficiency.

28 Dec 2020

Polygenic risk scores from multi-population data could improve IBD predictions

Using genetic data from nearly 30,000 people, Mount Sinai researchers have built risk scores from a combination of datasets representing distinct ancestral populations that improve prediction of risk for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The study was published in Gastroenterology on December 24.

24 Dec 2020

Phase 2/3 COVID-19 study evaluates safety, potential identification of preliminary efficacy signals

Top-line data from the 270-patient global Phase 2/3 COVID-19 study expected Q1/2021. Top-line data from the 40-patient U.S. Phase 2 study of opaganib in severe COVID-19 expected in the coming days; this non-powered study was designed to evaluate safety and potential identification of preliminary efficacy signals in support of the global Phase 2/3 study of opaganib.

23 Dec 2020

Research shows how colanic acid extends lifespan in C. elegans

Baylor College of Medicine researcher Meng Wang had already shown that bacteria that make a metabolite called colanic acid (CA) could extend the lifespan of worms in her lab by as much as 50%, but her collaboration with Rice University synthetic biologist Jeffrey Tabor is providing tools to answer the bigger question of how the metabolite imparts longer life.

22 Dec 2020

Nanoplastics affect composition and diversity of human intestinal microbiome

We live in a world invaded by plastic. Its role as a chemically stable, versatile and multi-purpose fostered its massive use, which has finally translated into our current situation of planetary pollution.

22 Dec 2020

Researchers establish BRIDGES program to synergize diagnostic efforts, patient outcome management

For over 20 years, the Genetics Service at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) has been providing clinical care to patients with genetic disorders.

22 Dec 2020

Antibiotics for C-sections are effective when given after clamping the umbilical cord

Antibiotics for cesarean section births are just as effective when they're given after the umbilical cord is clamped as before clamping – the current practice – and could benefit newborns' developing microbiomes, according to Rutgers co-authored research.

21 Dec 2020

The weak spot of colon cancer stem cells

Colon cancer stem cells have one weak spot: the enzyme Mll1. An MDC team led by Walter Birchmeier has now shown in Nature Communications that blocking this protein prevents the development of new tumors in the body.

21 Dec 2020

Researchers demonstrate potential preventive treatment for Crohn's disease

A potential preventive treatment for Crohn's disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, has been demonstrated in a mouse model and using immune-reactive T cells from patients with Crohn's disease.

21 Dec 2020

Researchers investigate microbiome-mediated therapies for aging and health span

Texas Biomedical Research Institute Associate Professor Corinna Ross, PhD, is a principal investigator on a $3.38 million National Institutes of Health multi-investigator grant to study "microbiome-mediated therapies for aging and healthspan" in marmosets, which are small monkeys native to South America and are becoming increasingly more important in aging and infectious disease research.

18 Dec 2020

WEHI researchers suggest potential new approach to treat stomach cancer

WEHI researchers have identified a key molecular regulator involved in the progression and spread of stomach cancer, suggesting a potential new approach to treat this devastating disease.

17 Dec 2020

Mother's diet while breastfeeding can shape the profile of human milk oligosaccharides

Research has shown that human milk is the optimal nutrition source for neonates and infants. It confers protection against both immediately life-threatening infant diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis, as well as later onset diseases in adults, like obesity, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.

16 Dec 2020

Study shows rising incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma in younger adults

Esophageal adenocarcinoma is occurring more frequently in adults under age 50, and these younger adults are more likely to be diagnosed at advanced stages.

16 Dec 2020

Eating avocado as part of daily diet can help improve gut health, shows study

Eating avocado as part of your daily diet can help improve gut health, a new study from University of Illinois shows. Avocados are a healthy food that is high in dietary fiber and monounsaturated fat. However, it was not clear how avocados impact the microbes in the gastrointestinal system or "gut."

16 Dec 2020