Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Pinnacle initiates pivotal Phase 3 trial in Germany for rare form of bile duct cancer

Pinnacle Biologics, Inc., a subsidiary of Concordia Healthcare Corp., announced today the initiation of the pivotal Phase 3 trial (OPUS) in Germany for a rare form of bile duct cancer for which there is currently no acceptable therapy.

7 Oct 2014

Ferring Pharmaceuticals to introduce new cranberry flavor option of PREPOPIK in 2015

Colonoscopy is an important and widely used screening tool for colorectal cancer, but for many patients the bowel-preparation process is more uncomfortable than the procedure itself. To offer an alternative choice in bowel preparation, Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. will introduce a new cranberry flavor option of PREPOPIK in January 2015.

7 Oct 2014

First three recipients of inaugural Harry Winston Fellowships named

Harry Winston, Inc. and the UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute have named the first three recipients of the inaugural Harry Winston Fellowships.

7 Oct 2014

Probiotic yogurt protects children, pregnant women against heavy metal exposure

Yogurt containing probiotic bacteria successfully protected children and pregnant women against heavy metal exposure in a recent study.

7 Oct 2014

Children who require long-term parenteral nutrition are at risk of IAFLD

Children who require long-term parenteral nutrition are at risk of a potentially devastating complication called intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IAFLD). The diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of IAFLD are discussed in a new position paper in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

5 Oct 2014

Diet may influence susceptibility to autoinflammatory bone disease in at-risk individuals

Diet-induced changes in the gut's bacterial ecosystem can alter susceptibility to an autoinflammatory bone disease by modifying the immune response, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists reported. The findings appeared September 28 as an advanced online publication of the scientific journal Nature.

3 Oct 2014

UPM researchers find way to enhance detection of rotavirus

Researchers at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid have found a way to enhance detection capacity of small concentrations of rotavirus. All this thanks to a new way to assess the biosensing response applied to an interferometric device.

3 Oct 2014

Depression contributes to abnormal pain processes in IBS patients

High rates of anxiety and depression amongst patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have led many researchers to believe there could be a causal relationship between psychological factors and IBS symptoms. Now, scientists in Germany have found clear evidence that patients with IBS process pain signals from the gut abnormally, and that disturbed brain responses to pain are particularly pronounced in patients with more depression symptoms.

3 Oct 2014

Taking NSAIDs with other drugs can increase risk of upper GI bleeding, study finds

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - such as ibuprofen and aspirin - increase one's risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. When taken in combination with other drugs, this risk is significantly higher, according to new research appearing in the October issue of Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

3 Oct 2014

Ardelyx announces positive Phase 2b results for tenapanor in IBS-C patients

Ardelyx, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on cardio-renal, gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases, today announced positive results from its 371 patient Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating tenapanor in patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C).

1 Oct 2014

Luminex gets FDA approval to add three new targets to xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel

Luminex Corporation today announced it has received U.S. FDA clearance to add three new targets to its xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (GPP). The targets include Adenovirus 40/41, Entamoeba histolytica and Vibrio cholerae.

From Luminex 30 Sep 2014

Antibiotic exposure in infancy linked to childhood obesity

Repeated exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics in the first two years of life is associated with early childhood obesity, say researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in a retrospective study based on data from electronic health records from the extensive CHOP Care Network.

30 Sep 2014

Fecal microbiota transplantation officially recommended for effective treatment of C. difficile infection

The transplantation of faecal microbiota from a healthy donor has been shown in recent clinical studies to be a safe and highly effective treatment for recurrent Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection and is now recommended in European treatment guidelines.

29 Sep 2014

Scientists discover sign of early development of pancreatic cancer

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and other institutions have discovered a sign of the early development of pancreatic cancer - an upsurge in certain amino acids that occurs before the disease is diagnosed and symptoms appear.

29 Sep 2014

MicroBiome Therapeutics' NM 505 drug can improve tolerability of metformin

MicroBiome TherapeuticsTM LLC, today reported positive topline results from a proof of concept study testing whether its investigational drug, NM 505, can improve the tolerability of metformin, the first-line therapy for Type 2 diabetes worldwide.

26 Sep 2014

Taller individuals are less likely to develop esophageal cancer

Taller individuals are less likely to develop esophageal cancer and it's precursor, Barrett's esophagus, according to a new study1 in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

26 Sep 2014

DNA sequencing may lead to greater care for patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia

A patient survives life-threatening trauma, is intubated in the intensive care unit (ICU) to support his or her affected vital functions, starts to recover, and then develops pneumonia.

23 Sep 2014

Consensus statement on adequate bowel cleansing for colonoscopy

The success of a colonoscopy is closely linked to good bowel preparation, with poor bowel prep often resulting in missed precancerous lesions, according to new consensus guidelines released by the U.S. Multi-Society Task force on Colorectal Cancer.

22 Sep 2014

MIT engineers find new strategy to combat superbugs

In recent years, new strains of bacteria have emerged that resist even the most powerful antibiotics. Each year, these superbugs, including drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis and staphylococcus, infect more than 2 million people nationwide, and kill at least 23,000. Despite the urgent need for new treatments, scientists have discovered very few new classes of antibiotics in the past decade.

22 Sep 2014

Intimate partner violence may trigger irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia

One in five men in the U.S. reports violence towards their spouse or significant other, says a new nationally-representative study by the University of Michigan.

16 Sep 2014