Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Direct‐acting antiviral therapy linked to 71% reduction in liver cancer risk

A new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting - held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases - found that eradication of the hepatitis C virus induced by direct‐acting antiviral medications is associated with a 71 percent reduction in the risk of liver cancer.

20 Oct 2017

Study finds increasing health care costs for patients with alcoholic cirrhosis

Health care costs for privately insured patients with alcoholic cirrhosis are nearly twice that of non‐alcoholic cirrhosis patients in the United States, according to research presented this week at The Liver Meeting - held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

20 Oct 2017

Daily aspirin therapy linked to reduced risk of HBV‐related liver cancer

A new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – found that daily aspirin therapy was significantly associated with a reduced risk in hepatitis B virus‐related liver cancer.

20 Oct 2017

NAFLD linked to higher cardiovascular risk in women, but not in men

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with significantly higher risk of subsequent cardiovascular events in women, but not in men, according to research presented this week at The Liver Meeting -; held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

20 Oct 2017

Liver cirrhosis mortality found to be greater than that of five major cancers

A new study presented this week at The Liver Meeting – held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – found that liver cirrhosis mortality is greater than that of five major cancers, implying the development of appropriate interventions to treat or prevent liver cirrhosis must be prioritized.

20 Oct 2017

Serum metabolites linked to NAFLD may be heritable, research shows

Serum metabolites associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease may be heritable, according to research presented this week at The Liver Meeting - held by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

20 Oct 2017

UC San Diego researchers develop 3D visualization tool for mapping omics data onto organs

University of California San Diego researchers have developed the first 3D spatial visualization tool for mapping "'omics" data onto whole organs.

20 Oct 2017

New vaccine for pneumonia holds promise to save thousands of lives

In 2004, pneumonia killed more than 2 million children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. By 2015, the number was less than 1 million.

20 Oct 2017

Study finds rising incidence of IBD in newly industrialized countries

For the last century, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been a challenge for patients and the medical community in the western world. New research published today in The Lancet by Dr. Gilaad Kaplan shows that countries outside the western world may now be facing the same pattern of increasing IBD rates.

20 Oct 2017

New UMass Lowell study to explore link between gut bacteria and Parkinson's disease

The saying "Listen to your gut" is taking on new meaning in the hunt for clues about Parkinson's disease. The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a UMass Lowell public health professor a $2.1 million grant to study the relationship between gut bacteria and Parkinson's disease. The five-year study will be the largest of its kind to date.

20 Oct 2017

Researchers identify several previously unknown antibiotic resistance genes

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have found several previously unknown genes that make bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics.

16 Oct 2017

Study documents gene mutation as cause of cancer form in the liver

There is no effective treatment for the cancer form found in the liver called fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, which is mainly found among children and young people.

12 Oct 2017

C-section kids could be at greater risk of being overweight due to differences in their gut bacteria

Researchers from NYU School of Medicine studied the effects of Caesarean section on the weights of the offspring in laboratory mice and found that they are more at risk of becoming overweight and obese.

12 Oct 2017

CUMC researchers discover ‘cell of origin’ for esophageal cancer

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have identified cells in the upper digestive tract that can give rise to Barrett's esophagus, a precursor to esophageal cancer. The discovery of this "cell of origin" promises to accelerate the development of more precise screening tools and therapies for Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma, the fastest growing form of cancer in the U.S.

11 Oct 2017

Study provides early glimpse of gut's microbial landscape

A collaborative effort by a team of researchers from three institutions including the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge and Washington University in St. Louis provided an early glimpse of how microbial communities in the gut - known collectively as the gut microbiome - are spatially organized, uncovering a surprising degree of mixing among different bacterial members.

11 Oct 2017

Combination of serrated polyps and high-risk adenomas may increase odds for colorectal cancer

Most colorectal cancer develops from precursors known as polyps, the most common and well researched of which are conventional adenomas. Conventional adenomas often progress to colorectal cancer through an intermediate step called high-risk adenomas.

11 Oct 2017

Gut microbiota of healthy elders not different from 30 year-olds, study shows

In one of the largest microbiota studies conducted in humans, researchers at Western University, Lawson Health Research Institute and Tianyi Health Science Institute in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China have shown a potential link between healthy aging and a healthy gut.

11 Oct 2017

Study reveals unique norovirus characteristic of hiding from host immune system

Noroviruses are the leading cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis in the world and are estimated to cause 267 million infections and 20,000 deaths each year. This virus causes severe diarrhea, nausea, and stomach pain.

11 Oct 2017

Flexible sensors can measure rhythmic contractions of the digestive tract

Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have built a flexible sensor that can be rolled up and swallowed. Upon ingestion, the sensor adheres to the stomach wall or intestinal lining, where it can measure the rhythmic contractions of the digestive tract.

10 Oct 2017

Common acid reflux drugs linked to progression of chronic liver disease

Approximately 10 percent of the general population take a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drug to block stomach acid secretions and relieve symptoms of frequent heartburn, acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease.

10 Oct 2017