Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

UTHealth experts reveal how everyone can make a difference in infection control

When it comes to the examination room at your health care clinic, you might think that avoiding catching the flu or other more deadly viruses is out of your hands, so to speak.

4 May 2018

Scientists discover mechanism behind unusual form of tissue regeneration in the liver

By studying a rare liver disease called Alagille syndrome, scientists from Cincinnati Children's and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have discovered the mechanism behind an unusual form of tissue regeneration that may someday reduce the need for expensive and difficult-to-obtain organ transplants.

3 May 2018

Mother's milk found to have SWAT team of immune cells

Immune cells that are ready to take action against invaders like bacteria have been found in women's breast milk, researchers say.

3 May 2018

Scientists find way to inhibit growth of specific gut microbes associated with diseases

Emerging evidence suggests that microbes in the digestive system have a big influence on human health and may play a role in the onset of disease throughout the body.

3 May 2018

Researchers show novel relationship between gut microbiome and atherosclerosis

Researchers at Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute have shown a novel relationship between the intestinal microbiome and atherosclerosis, one of the major causes of heart attack and stroke.

3 May 2018

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria could help clear antibiotic contamination

Research has revealed how bacteria are able to obtain the nutrients they need to survive from antibiotics.

1 May 2018

Palliative care associated with shorter hospital stays and lower costs, study shows

Palliative care-;which better aligns medical treatments with patients' goals and wishes, aggressively treats distressing symptoms, and improves care coordination, -;is associated with shorter hospital stays and lower costs, and shows its greatest effect among the sickest patients, according to a study published Monday, April 30, in JAMA Internal Medicine.

30 Apr 2018

New study compares gut bacteria of vapers, non- smokers and tobacco smokers

The first study of its kind has found that people who vape have the same mix of gut bacteria as non-smokers, whilst smokers have significant changes to their microbiome.

30 Apr 2018

Improving the Diagnosis of Cardiac Sarcoidosis

Cardiac sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease of the heart that results in various clinical manifestations. Dr Nadera Sweiss discusses her research in the field of sarcoidosis and how diet can influence the diagnosis of the condition.

30 Apr 2018

Scripps researchers awarded two grants to support studies on cocaine, oxycodone addiction

Last year, more than 60,000 Americans died of an opioid overdose, and millions more struggled with opioid and cocaine addiction.

27 Apr 2018

Researchers target and kill disease-causing bacteria using cocktail of viruses

Imagine that you have become ill because you have eaten some food that contained pathogenic bacteria. You keep running to the toilet and you may also throw up. You go to the doctor and are prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics, which - in addition to killing the bad bacteria in your intestinal flora - carpet bomb the complex community of commensal bacteria forming a healthy intestinal flora.

26 Apr 2018

Abdominal pain should be seen as a warning sign for invasive meningococcal disease

Patients with meningococcal infection generally develop symptoms including a high temperature, vomiting and a stiff neck... but they might also just have a bad stomach ache. This can be so severe that they are sometimes wrongly operated for appendicitis.

26 Apr 2018

UB researchers build 3D-printed, drug-filled dentures to fight against infections

Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. denture-wearing population suffer frequent fungal infections that cause inflammation, redness and swelling in the mouth.

26 Apr 2018

UA researchers aim to predict and prevent fatal disease in premature babies

A new $1.9 million grant at the University of Arizona Steele Children's Research Center will help researchers discover ways to prevent a deadly disease that affects thousands of premature infants annually.

25 Apr 2018

Alcohol damages microbiome in the mouth

A new study has shown that alcohol alters and damages the natural bacterial environment in the mouth. The study titled, “Drinking alcohol is associated with variation in the human oral microbiome in a large study of American adults,” published this week (24th April 2018) in the journal Microbiome explored the effects of alcohol on these bacterial compositions within the mouth.

25 Apr 2018

Mediterranean diet enhances good bacteria living in the gut

Here's another reason to eat a Mediterranean-type diet: It's good for your gut. Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center found that eating a plant-based diet enhanced the good bacteria living in the gut by up to 7 percent as compared to only 0.5 percent from eating a more meat-centric, Western diet.

25 Apr 2018

Preantral zinc deficiency may affect fertility months

An estimated 10 percent of couples in the U.S. struggle with infertility. While a variety of factors can make it difficult for some people to get pregnant, ovulation disorders are a leading cause of female infertility.

24 Apr 2018

Alcoholic drinks affect oral bacteria tied to diseases

When compared with nondrinkers, men and women who had one or more alcoholic drinks per day had an overabundance of oral bacteria linked to gum disease, some cancers, and heart disease. By contrast, drinkers had fewer bacteria known to check the growth of other, harmful germs.

24 Apr 2018

Home-based treatment program offers robust and sustained relief for IBS patients

In the largest federally funded non-drug clinical trial for irritable bowel syndrome, patients with the most severe and persistent symptoms achieved robust and sustained relief by learning to control symptoms with minimal clinician contact. Led by University at Buffalo researchers in collaboration with colleagues at New York University and Northwestern University, the study was published online before print in Gastroenterology.

23 Apr 2018

Probiotics can improve liver health, shows study

Increased awareness of the importance of the microbes that live in our gut has spurred a great deal of research on the microbiome and fueled a booming probiotics industry. A new study suggests probiotics can improve not only the health of our gut but liver health, as well.

23 Apr 2018