Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Mutations within a conservative region of hepatitis C virus affect therapy

At least 200 million individuals are currently infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) worldwide.

30 Mar 2009

Melatonin may be served as a potential anti-fibrotic drug

In China, the incidence of liver cirrhosis is still high. Liver cirrhosis results from fibrosis. If treated properly at fibrosis stage, cirrhosis can be prevented.

30 Mar 2009

Is transforming growth factor-beta involved in intestinal wound healing?

Migration of colonic lamina propria fibroblasts (CLPF) plays an important role during the progression of fibrosis and fistulae in Crohn's disease.

30 Mar 2009

Intercell receives FDA approval of IXIARO, novel vaccine for Japanese encephalitis

Intercell AG (VSE: ICLL) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved IXIARO(R), a new vaccine for the prevention of Japanese Encephalitis (JE).

30 Mar 2009

Potential therapeutic strategy for fulminant hepatic failure

Fulminant hepatic failure is a serious clinical disease and may threaten the life of patients. However, because of the damage of mass liver cells, the organ function is often irreversible due to the liver cell degeneration, swelling, or apoptosis.

30 Mar 2009

New molecular marker of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world with a high incidence and death rate.

30 Mar 2009

Takeda expands into Canada

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc. today announced the establishment of Takeda Canada Inc., expanding the company's North American presence into the world's eighth largest pharmaceutical market.

29 Mar 2009

New endoscope directly visualizes the biliary and pancreatic ducts

A research article to be published on March 21, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology reports their experience of this new endoscope that can directly visualize the biliary and pancreatic ducts.

24 Mar 2009

Carnitine supplementation appears to prevent development of liver cancer

A study will be published on March 21, 2009 in World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses the question.

24 Mar 2009

How to predict post-operative enteral nutrition problems

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) has become one of the most useful and established enteral nutrition techniques.

24 Mar 2009

Researchers develop system to culture normal and cancerous pancreatic tissue isolated from resection specimens obtained from patients

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with a very poor prognosis.

24 Mar 2009

Review of probiotics in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

A review by researchers at Northwestern University (Chicago, IL.) and University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) of the utility of probiotics in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) found that Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 was the only probiotic strain out of 13 different individual strains or preparations reviewed to significantly improve symptoms of IBS, including abdominal pain, bloating and bowel movement difficulty.

23 Mar 2009

Clostridium difficile infection in primary care

The epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is changing rapidly and has been marked by a significant increase in incidence and severity.

23 Mar 2009

How to increase the efficacy of local excision of rectal cancer

With the advancement of imaging techniques, the accuracy of preoperative rectal cancer staging has increased dramatically, and the preservation of physical function in rectal cancer patients has become a very important aim of research.

22 Mar 2009

FDA warning on oysters recently harvested from Mississippi area 2C

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising retailers and food service operators not to offer for sale oysters harvested between Feb. 24 and March 17, 2009, from Mississippi Area 2C, located in the Mississippi Sound portion of the Gulf of Mexico near Pass Christian, Miss. Further, consumers are advised not to eat such oysters.

22 Mar 2009

Cathepsin B increases apoptosis in fulminant hepatic failure

The traditional view is that hepatocyte necrosis is the main feature of fulminant hepatic failure, but increasing evidence implicates a dominant role for hepatocyte apoptosis in this pathogenesis.

22 Mar 2009

Severe vomiting case due to chronic marijuana use

This obscure clinical manifestation of severe vomiting sickness due to chronic abuse of marijuana, recognized by Dr. Sontineni and his colleagues at the Creighton University of Omaha, NE, was published on March 14, 2009 World Journal of Gastroenterology.

22 Mar 2009