Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

New data describes way to reliably quantify a person's 'immune age'

New data, published in Nature Medicine, from scientists at the Technion, Stanford and CytoReason describes for the first time ever a way to reliably quantify a person's "immune age".

12 Mar 2019

Colorectal cancer routine screenings and early detection can save lives

Having a colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer is not on anyone's list of favorite activities. However, with colorectal cancer ranking as the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, undergoing the outpatient procedure as per the Centers for Disease Control's guidelines may be one of the smartest things you can do for your overall health.

11 Mar 2019

Research opens up opportunities to unravel the complexity of microbial communities

"Microbial communities run the world," says Jo Handelsman, director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

11 Mar 2019

Study reveals how the microbiota controls activity of immune cells

A host protein called Serum Amyloid A (Saa) is a major factor mediating the effects of the microbiota on the function of immune cells called neutrophils, according to a study published March 7 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by John Rawls of Duke University School of Medicine, and colleagues.

8 Mar 2019

Anti-vaccination activists are misusing new scientific breakthroughs on beneficial microbes

Anti-vaccination activists are capitalizing on radical new scientific insights into the beneficial effects of microbes in the human body, according to new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

8 Mar 2019

Fecal transplantation improves the gut of IBS patients

Transplantation of feces from a healthy person to a patient suffering of irritable bowel syndrome improved both symptoms of IBS and the gut's bacteria profile.

7 Mar 2019

Common fungus found on skin may cause inflammatory bowel disease

Therapies that target certain commensal fungi could provide a new way of treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to researchers.

6 Mar 2019

Stressed IBS sufferers exhibit a distinctive microbial signature in the gut

People who suffer from stress-related Irritable Bowel Syndrome have a distinctive microbial signature in their gut.

5 Mar 2019

Genomics could guide treatment for pancreatic cancer patients

Pancreatic cancer is a grim diagnosis, with a five-year survival rate of less than 9 percent. To improve those odds, researchers at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine sought genetic signatures in the largest study of its kind that could be used to better match drugs to patients and for early detection.

5 Mar 2019

Researchers identify first genetic defect linked to biliary atresia

A nationwide consortium of researchers has identified the first genetic defect linked to biliary atresia, a mysterious liver disease that is the leading cause for liver transplantation in children.

5 Mar 2019

New AI platform detects neurodegenerative diseases in brain tissue samples

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence platform to detect a range of neurodegenerative disease in human brain tissue samples, including Alzheimer's disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published in the Nature medical journal Laboratory Investigation.

5 Mar 2019

Academic, industry stakeholders meet in Vienna for 'MicrobiomeSupport Common Ground Workshop'

Over 100 academic and industry stakeholders from 24 countries are meeting on 4-5th March 2019 in Vienna for the 'MicrobiomeSupport Common Ground Workshop' organized by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology.

5 Mar 2019

Research shows presence of yeasts and fungi in breast milk of healthy mothers

Investigators have now shown that the breast milk microbiome contains fungi. Multiple previous studies had found bacteria in breast milk. Certain fungi and bacteria have been shown to be important probiotics for infant health.

4 Mar 2019

Aging and high-fat diet disrupt gut microbiome to cause inflammation in heart failure

Growing older and a high-fat diet enriched with omega 6 fatty acids are major contributors to health risks ranging from diabetes to heart failure. How these two factors regulate the immune response is not well-understood.

1 Mar 2019

New approach to tackling chronic inflammatory diseases

An EU-funded project has developed new approaches to tackling chronic inflammatory diseases. These will be used to create precise and individualized treatment options, potentially leading to faster diagnosis, more effective treatments and even cures.

1 Mar 2019

New clues to triggers of gut inflammation uncovered

New detail about what happens when a key cellular process is impaired in cells that are vital for a healthy gut have been uncovered by a wide-ranging analysis.

28 Feb 2019

Newly discovered drug targets could pave way for esophageal cancer therapeutics

Blocking two molecular pathways that send signals inside cancer cells could stave off esophageal adenocarcinoma, the most common esophageal malignancy in the United States, according to new research out of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

28 Feb 2019