Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Remodeling unhealthful gut microbiomes with the help of synthetic peptides

You are what you eat -; right down to the microbiome living in your gut. Diet can affect which microbes are in the intestinal tract, and research has shown that harmful gut microbiome changes can lead to illnesses such as heart disease, obesity and cancer.

27 Aug 2019

Sending reminders and text instructions increases rate of colonoscopies

Having simple text conversations with patients one week before they are scheduled for a colonoscopy dramatically decreased the "no-show" rates, according to a recent study conducted by Penn Medicine researchers.

26 Aug 2019

Antibiotic use linked to increased odds of developing rheumatoid arthritis

A new study has provided evidence that antibiotic usage is associated with an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

26 Aug 2019

Researchers discover pivotal role for bacterial sex in evolution of mammalian microbiome

In a pioneer study now published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science - USA, the research team led by Isabel Gordo, from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, in collaboration with researcher Michael Lässig of Cologne University, used healthy mice to study real-time gut colonization and discovered a pivotal role for bacterial sex in the evolution of the mammalian microbiome.

25 Aug 2019

Research team develops microbiome-based index for assessing skin health

Microbiomes aren't just for understanding and modulating gut health - skin, our largest organ, hosts a vibrant and complex microbiome that can provide health insights. An international research team has developed an index to better understand skin health across human populations.

22 Aug 2019

Fasting reduces inflammation and improves chronic inflammatory diseases, study finds

Fasting regimens have gained public and scientific interest in recent years, but fasting shouldn't be dismissed as a fad. In a study published in Cell, Mount Sinai researchers found that fasting reduces inflammation and improves chronic inflammatory diseases without affecting the immune system's response to acute infections.

22 Aug 2019

New therapy found to be effective for patients with a particular type of bone marrow cancer

Mount Sinai researchers have found a new type of therapy to be effective for patients with a particular type of bone marrow cancer that is resistant to several standard therapies, according to results of a clinical trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August.

22 Aug 2019

Single course of antibiotics may boost colon cancer risk

In an extensive "data mining" analysis of British medical records, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center conclude that taking even a single course of antibiotics might boost--albeit slightly--the risk of developing colon cancer--but not rectal cancer--a decade later.

22 Aug 2019

Type 1 diabetes linked to gut microbiome and genetic factors

A new study has revealed that the gut microbiome of children with a high genetic risk of developing type 1 diabetes is markedly different from those who have a low risk of the condition.

20 Aug 2019

Genetic risk for autoimmunity may be linked to differences in gut microbiome

Children with increased genetic risk of type 1 diabetes have different gut microbiomes than those with low risk, a new study found.

20 Aug 2019

Study shows synergistic effects of drugs that inhibit cell division in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with patients surviving on average less than a year once the disease has spread.

19 Aug 2019

Study explores if fecal transplants can improve outcomes in melanoma patients

A multidisciplinary team at Lawson Health Research Institute is exploring whether fecal transplants can improve outcomes in melanoma patients treated with immunotherapy.

19 Aug 2019

Study shows how cervicovaginal microbiome can elicit resistance to chlamydia

The vaginal microbiome is believed to protect women against Chlamydia trachomatis, the etiological agent of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections in developed countries.

13 Aug 2019

Newborn mouse model yields clues to cause of devastating gut disease in anemic preemies

Physicians have long suspected that red blood cell transfusions given to premature infants with anemia may put them in danger of developing necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, a potentially lethal inflammatory disease of the intestines.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 13 Aug 2019

Scientists identify hereditary pancreatic cancer risk mutation

Scientists studying a highly cancer-prone family have identified a rare, inherited gene mutation that dramatically raises the lifetime risk of pancreatic and other cancers.

12 Aug 2019

Antiviral drugs for hepatitis C reduce liver-related deaths by nearly half, study shows

A new study from the UT Southwestern Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center demonstrates that antiviral drugs for hepatitis C reduce liver-related deaths by nearly 50% in patients with a history of liver cancer.

10 Aug 2019

New technique finds medically and ecologically relevant bacteria groups

Identifying species among plants and animals has been a full-time occupation for some biologists, but the task is even more daunting for the myriad microbes that inhabit the planet.

9 Aug 2019

New way to identify inflammation occurring in eosinophil-related disorders

Diagnosing and monitoring an inflammatory gastrointestinal disease may soon become less invasive and more accurate, thanks to the pioneering research and commitment to patient health of three University of Utah physicians.

8 Aug 2019

Fluoride may reduce kidney and liver function among youth

Fluoride may lead to a reduction in kidney and liver function among adolescents, according to a study published by Mount Sinai researchers in Environment International in August.

8 Aug 2019

Racial and ethnic disparities exist in palliative care use among hospitalized patients with ESKD

Striking racial and ethnic disparities exist in the use of palliative care by hospitalized patients with end-stage kidney disease on dialysis, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report. The findings were published today in Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

8 Aug 2019