Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Human microbiome trims mucosal glycans, influencing SARS-CoV-2 infection

An international team of researchers has conducted a study showing that differences in the human microbiome may influence the ability of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to infect host cells.

19 Aug 2020

Microbial diversity can improve treatment for cancer patients

Physicians at City of Hope, working in collaboration with scientists at Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), have found that greater gut microbial diversity in patients with metastatic kidney cancer is associated with better treatment outcomes on Food and Drug Administration-approved immunotherapy regimens.

19 Aug 2020

Gut microbiome may play a part in severe COVID-19

A recent study published on the preprint medRxiv* in August 2020 reports on the evidence that the gut microbiome may play a part in severe COVID-19 infection.

19 Aug 2020

Study: Vitamin D supplementation is associated with compositional changes in a baby's microbiome

New research from the CHILD Cohort Study has shed light on the influence of vitamin D supplementation on a baby's developing gut microbiome.

19 Aug 2020

Daily cranberry intake could reduce H. pylori infections

A new clinical trial found consuming cranberry juice containing 44 mg of proanthocyanidins (or "PACs") per 240-mL serving twice daily for eight weeks resulted in a 20% reduction in the H. pylori infection rate in Chinese adult participants, when compared to those consuming lower amounts of juice and a placebo.

18 Aug 2020

Researchers discover how gut bacteria help the immune system to battle cancerous tumors

Researchers with the Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases at the Cumming School of Medicine have discovered which gut bacteria help our immune system battle cancerous tumors and how they do it.

13 Aug 2020

Researchers develop new tool that acts like colonoscopy

Your gut bacteria could say a lot about you, such as why you're diabetic or how you respond to certain drugs. But scientists can see only so much of the gastrointestinal tract to study the role of gut bacteria in your health.

13 Aug 2020

Neil Bell appointed as Chief Development Officer of Avacta Life Sciences

Avacta Group plc, the developer of Affimer biotherapeutics and reagents, is pleased to announce the appointment of Neil Bell as Chief Development Officer of Avacta Life Sciences with immediate effect. Neil will be responsible for late stage pre-clinical and early clinical development of Avacta’s pipeline of pre|CISION pro-drugs and Affimer immunotherapies.

From Avacta Life Sciences Ltd. 13 Aug 2020

NHS Tayside and Inhealthcare launch new app to support IBS patients

People suffering from irritable bowel syndrome are set to benefit from a new app launched by NHS Tayside, in partnership with Inhealthcare.

13 Aug 2020

Australian researcher receives Campbell Foundation's grant to study HIV prevention methods

The Campbell Foundation, a Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit that provides grants to support alternative clinical approaches to the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS, has awarded an $85,000 grant to Gilda Tachedjian, PhD., Head of Life Sciences and Principal Investigator at Burnet Institute in Melbourne, Australia.

13 Aug 2020

Swapping out red meat for plant-based meat alternatives lowers cardiovascular risk

Now, a new study by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine has revealed that swapping out red meat for certain plant-based meat alternatives can help improve some cardiovascular risk factors. The use of plant-based alternative meats, there is still limited evidence of the health effects of these products.

12 Aug 2020

Researchers develop machine learning tool to predict necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening intestinal disease of prematurity. Characterized by sudden and progressive intestinal inflammation and tissue death, it affects up to 11,000 premature infants in the United States annually, and 15-30% of affected babies die from NEC.

11 Aug 2020

Study finds evidence of gut dysbiosis in people with Huntington's disease

A world first clinical study of the gut microbiome in people with Huntington's disease (HD) has found that it is not just a disease of the brain, but also of the body.

6 Aug 2020

A new device for modeling the human gut’s complex microbiome environment

Several thousand strains of bacteria live in the human gut. Some of these are associated with disease, while others have beneficial effects on human health.

6 Aug 2020

Study looks into specific site gastric cancer risks among ethnic populations

Non-white Americans, especially Asian Americans, are at disproportionately higher risk for gastric cancer compared to non-Hispanic white Americans.

6 Aug 2020

Scientists highlight the need to develop microbiome biobanking infrastructure

A team of scientists, led by CABI’s Dr Matthew Ryan, have outlined a series of challenges and opportunities presented in a necessary review of how microbiomes – biological communities including bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, protists and viruses – can be ‘banked’ and preserved for generations to come.

6 Aug 2020

Researchers shed new light on epigenetic changes associated with ADNP syndrome

A study led by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai found that two different blood epigenetic signatures associated with ADNP syndrome (also known as Helsmoortel-Van Der Aa syndrome) have only a modest correlation with clinical manifestations of the syndrome. The study results were published online August 5 in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

6 Aug 2020

Climate change and disruption of ecosystem affect allergies, respiratory disorders

Climate change and disruption of the ecosystem have the potential to profoundly impact the human body. Xue Ming, professor of neurology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, who recently published a paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health on the effects of climate change on allergies, autoimmunity and the microbiome -; the beneficial microorganisms that live on and inside the human body -; discusses how the delicate balance of the environment affects conditions such as allergies, autism, and immune disorders.

6 Aug 2020

European Commission approves first drug for hepatitis D

What started off as basic research 25 years ago has now lead to a successfully approved drug: The entry blocker bulevirtide (brand name Hepcludex, formerly known as Myrcludex B), jointly developed by researchers from Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg, the DZIF and other partners, has now been approved by the European Commission.

5 Aug 2020

New computational model can help determine drug viability

About 50% of people who take the drug infliximab for inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease, end up becoming resistant or unresponsive to it.

5 Aug 2020