Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Advancing personalized nutrition through microbiome research

When making decisions about nutrition and diet, the focus is often on the potential impacts to the heart or brain; and gut health can frequently end up an afterthought despite a whole industry revolving around probiotics and digestive aids. With its direct link to those two important organs, should gut health be prioritized more?

23 Dec 2024

New skin-like material could revolutionize infection testing

In the holiday movie The Grinch, makeup artists are reported to have spent several hours each day encasing Jim Carrey's face with prosthetics to create the iconic grumpy, green-furred creature.

20 Dec 2024

New prediction model improves early detection of infected pancreatic necrosis

A new prediction model for infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) offers a groundbreaking approach to improving patient outcomes.

20 Dec 2024

Sulfide-producing bacteria may explain lingering symptoms in Crohn's disease

A study from University of Michigan researchers may provide an explanation for why some patients with Crohn's disease continue to experience symptoms, even in the absence of inflammation.

19 Dec 2024

Study reveals poor diet quality among pregnant and postpartum individuals

New research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst finds a pervasive low-quality diet among pregnant and postpartum individuals, reflecting "an urgent need for widespread improvement."

19 Dec 2024

Understanding the mechanisms behind alcohol-associated liver disease

A newly published review in eGastroenterology compiles recent research on alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), offering an overview of its pathogenesis and efforts to better understand this condition.

19 Dec 2024

Can probiotics restore antibiotic-perturbed microbiota?

Probiotics can reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea but don't fully restore gut microbiota. Further studies are essential to evaluate their long-term effects.

19 Dec 2024

Silver-containing showerheads may promote biofilms and microbial diversity

To guard against harmful waterborne pathogens, many consumers, including managers of health-care facilities, install antimicrobial silver-containing showerheads. But in ACS ES&T Water, researchers now report that these fixtures are no "silver bullet."

19 Dec 2024

Study finds no link between antibiotic use and cognitive decline in older adults

For healthy older adults, using antibiotics is not associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment or dementia, according to a study published in the December 18, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

18 Dec 2024

Nutraceuticals: exploring potential benefits and challenges of an unregulated healthcare frontier

Nutraceuticals offer potential health benefits, from migraine relief to cognitive support, but safety and regulatory issues must be addressed for effective use.

18 Dec 2024

New drug approach shows promise in treating metabolic liver diseases

A MedUni Vienna study has identified a new approach to the drug treatment of metabolic liver diseases. In an experimental study, pharmacological inhibition of an enzyme that plays a central role in fat metabolism promoted liver health reduced liver fat, inflammation and fibrotic remodeling (connective tissue scarring).

18 Dec 2024

Ecoflex skin replicas offer new tool for studying infection risks from intravenous catheters

In the holiday movie "The Grinch," makeup artists are reported to have spent several hours each day encasing Jim Carrey's face with prosthetics to create the iconic grumpy, green-furred creature.

17 Dec 2024

Scientists examine probiotics role in restoring gut microbiota after antibiotics

Antibiotics are important clinical tools for treating bacterial infections, yet we recognize that an important side effect of antibiotic use is disruption of the microbial community living in the human gut.

17 Dec 2024

Study reveals nasal fungi diversity in allergy and asthma patients

Nearly a quarter of Portuguese adults have allergies that cause a runny nose. This respiratory disease, formally called allergic rhinitis and frequently associated with asthma, is a common problem around the world, and the upper airway is a key target for research into the underlying disease processes.

17 Dec 2024

Dual screening for liver fibrosis and retinopathy in type 2 diabetes

Retina scanning with vibration-controlled transient elastography could predict metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

17 Dec 2024

Gut microbiome during acute infection predicts risk of long COVID

The study identifies gut microbiome signatures during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection as predictors of long COVID, enhancing understanding of symptom variability.

16 Dec 2024

A novel approach to prevent severe liver disease in diabetes

New research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden highlights the possibility of screening people with type 2 diabetes for liver damage at the same time as they undergo screening for eye disease. The study is published in Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

13 Dec 2024

A genetic variant modulates interferon signaling and disease risk

For years, scientists have looked to a critical piece of immune system machinery - known as the interferon pathway - for answers. There, when our cells sense an infection, they release a protein known as interferon, which warns other cells to fight the virus.

13 Dec 2024

Study links early-life tonsil removal to long-term risk of stress-related disorders

Researchers explore the potential association between tonsillectomy and adenoid removal in the risk of developing stress-related disorders in later life.

12 Dec 2024

Gut-targeted antidepressants: A novel approach to battling depression and anxiety

Most of us have experienced the effects of moods and emotions on our gastrointestinal tract, from "butterflies" in the stomach caused by nervousness to a loss of appetite when we're feeling blue.

11 Dec 2024