Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Researchers identify circuit that links cigarette smoking and risk of developing diabetes

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered a circuit in rats that links cigarette smoking and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study featured on the cover of the October 17 issue of Nature.

16 Oct 2019

Australian researchers discover link between itchy skin and gut pain

This is big news for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients: 11 percent of the world's population suffers from IBS, but the fight against chronic pain has taken a major step forward with scientists identifying receptors in the nervous system which cause the condition in the hope of developing effective treatments.

16 Oct 2019

Good news for IBS sufferers as researchers identify “gut itch”

Researchers have identified receptors that cause the pain experienced in cases of irritable bowel syndrome.

16 Oct 2019

Kids with celiac disease and allergic inflammatory disorder may not need to remove soy from their diets

Children who have both celiac disease and an associated allergic inflammatory disorder may not need to permanently remove soy from their diets to reduce scarring in the esophagus, according to new research from the University of Chicago Medicine.

16 Oct 2019

Study: Genetic differences in the immune system shape bacteria that colonize the digestive system

Genetic differences in the immune system shape the collections of bacteria that colonize the digestive system, according to new research by scientists at the University of Chicago.

16 Oct 2019

Vitamin D oral sprays equally effective as taking a tablet

Taking vitamin D by oral spray is just as effective as taking a tablet, research from the University of Sheffield has found.

15 Oct 2019

Glycans in mucus are responsible for microbe-taming, study reveals

More than 200 square meters of our bodies -- including the digestive tract, lungs, and urinary tract -- are lined with mucus. In recent years, scientists have found some evidence that mucus is not just a physical barrier that traps bacteria and viruses, but it can also disarm pathogens and prevent them from causing infections.

14 Oct 2019

Rotavirus plays role in development of type 1 diabetes

A new article published in the journal PLOS Pathogens on October 10, 2019, claims that the common rotavirus may be responsible for the occurrence of type 1 diabetes, a form of diabetes which occurs in children and is due to destruction of the pancreatic islet cells that produce the hormone insulin to normalize blood glucose levels.

13 Oct 2019

Brain protein plays a prominent role in the maintenance of chronic pain

A protein called RGS4 (Regulator of G protein signaling 4) plays a prominent role in the maintenance of long-term pain states and may serve as a promising new target for the treatment of chronic pain conditions, according to research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published in print October 16, in The Journal of Neuroscience.

11 Oct 2019

Genetic oscillator captures changes in gut microbiome growth patterns

For all the attention the human microbiome has been getting over the last few years, one aspect of such research rarely makes headlines: the difficulty of observing how it changes over time in response to various stimuli.

11 Oct 2019

New tool records and tracks microbiome growth

Over the past years, the human microbiome has gained immense popularity due to its role in shaping one’s health. It is essential for human development, nutrition, and immunity. That’s why many studies have focused on how to improve one’s health by targeting or enhancing the microbiome.

11 Oct 2019

Rotavirus infection may play a role in type 1 diabetes development

Rotavirus infection may play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, according to a front matter article published October 10 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Leonard C. Harrison of the University of Melbourne in Australia, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 10 Oct 2019

Low-dose exposure to antibiotics can have major impacts on gut bacteria

An antibiotic commonly found at low concentrations in the environment can have major impacts on gut bacteria, report researchers at the University of Oregon.

10 Oct 2019

Study pinpoints a gene that allows chlamydia to pick up DNA from host environment

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chlamydia trachomatis is the most commonly reported sexually transmitted bacterial disease in the U.S., totaling 1.7 million cases in 2017. Rates are highest among teenagers and young adults. Left untreated, chlamydia can cause blindness and sterility.

10 Oct 2019

Study sheds light on how human gut microbes break down processed foods

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sheds light on how human gut microbes break down processed foods - especially potentially harmful chemical changes often produced during modern food manufacturing processes.

9 Oct 2019

Using tape strips to obtain skin biomarkers in children with atopic dermatitis

Applying strips of adhesive tape to skin lesions and non-lesional skin is a non-invasive way to obtain biomarkers to track the severity of early-onset pediatric eczema or atopic dermatitis in infants and young children, researchers report for the first time.

9 Oct 2019

Dysfunctions in blood vessels contribute to the development of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases

In Germany alone there are around 400,000 patients who suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. For the first time, researchers at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen have discovered that dysfunctions in blood vessels play a significant role in the development of such diseases.

9 Oct 2019