Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Crohn's News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/crohns/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171350.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171350.php Research into the controversial drug thalidomide reveals that the mechanism through which the drug causes limb defects is the same process which causes it to damage internal organs and other tissues. The article, published in Bio-Essays, outlines the challenges surrounding thalidomide research and claims that confirmation of a 'common mechanism' could lead to new treatments for Leprosy, Crohn's Disease, AIDS and some forms of cancer. Vascular Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169019.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169019.php Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) and Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) announced data showing that treatment with TYSABRI® (natalizumab) significantly reduced the rate of hospitalization compared with placebo in patients with moderate - to - severe Crohn's disease during both induction and maintenance treatment. Crohn's Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168673.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168673.php The probiotic, Bacillus polyfermenticus, can help mice recover from colitis, a new study has found. Mice treated with B. polyfermenticus during the non-inflammatory period of the disease had reduced rectal bleeding, their tissues were less inflamed and they gained more weight than mice that did not receive the treatment. Colitis is a disease in which the inner tissue of the colon, the mucosa, becomes inflamed and damaged and can result in painful sores. Nutrition / Diet Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167697.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167697.php Persistent inflammation and the activation of the immune system is the key pathological mechanism affecting many long-term conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease and is the predominant mechanism underlying organ transplant rejection. But the molecular and cellular processes triggering these inflammatory and immune responses remain little understood. Immune System / Vaccines Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166916.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166916.php New findings related to an uncommon genetic disorder may impact the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the most common chronic gastrointestinal illness in children and teens. Two million Americans have IBD which involves inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166575.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166575.php A bacterium possibly linked to Crohn's disease could be lurking in wild animals. According to research published in the open access journal BMC Microbiology, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map), can be transmitted between wildlife and domestic ruminants, supporting the theory of wildlife reservoirs of infection. Crohn's Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165583.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165583.php Bowel incontinence, also known as fecal (UK: faecal) incontinence, is an inability to control bowel movements. The person's stools (feces) leak from the rectum uncontrollably. Bowel incontinence can vary in severity from passing a small amount of feces when breaking wind, to total loss of bowel control. Bowel incontinence is a sign or symptom of a condition or disease; it is not a condition or disease in itself. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163772.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163772.php Ulcerative colitis is a fairly common chronic (long-term) disease that causes inflammation of the colon (the large intestine). It is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that has some similarity to Crohn's disease, a related disorder. The colon - or large intestine - removes nutrients form undigested food and gets rid of waste products through the rectum and anus when we pass feces (stools). The rectum (end of colon) is always involved in ulcerative colitis. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162101.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162101.php Anti-microbial antibody formation has been reported in celiac disease. Relatively high positivity rates were observed for the conventional antibodies, for example, ASCA, anti-OmpW, and anti-I2, and they were known to decrease after a successful gluten free-diet. The importance of newly discovered inflammatory bowel disease-associated antibodies (including anti-glycan antibodies and anti-OMP) in celiac disease is not sure. Allergy Tue, 18 Aug 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160899.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160899.php The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requiring stronger warnings in the prescribing information for a class of drugs known as TNF blockers. The warnings, which include an updated boxed warning, highlight the increased risk of cancer in children and adolescents who receive these drugs to treat juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, the inflammatory bowel disorder, Crohn's disease, and other inflammatory diseases. Pediatrics / Children's Health Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160363.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160363.php Using the Vienna classification system, it has been shown in clinic-based cohorts that there can be a significant change in disease behavior over time, whereas disease location remains relatively stable. Clinical and environmental factors as well as medical therapy might be relevant in predicting disease behavior change in patients with CD. Crohn's Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158634.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158634.php Diarrhea is the frequent passing of loose or watery stools. Acute diarrhea, which is a common cause of death in developing countries, appears rapidly and may last from five to ten days. Chronic diarrhea lasts much longer and is the second cause of childhood death in the developing world. Diarrhea is sometimes accompanied by abdominal cramps or fever. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157122.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157122.php Twenty-five per cent of Crohn's disease patients have a mutation in what is called the NOD2 gene, but it is not precisely known how this mutation influences the disease. The latest study by Dr. Marcel Behr, of the Research Institute of the MUHC and McGill University, has provided new insight into how this might occur. The study was published on July 9th in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Crohn's Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157131.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157131.php Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine identified a novel link between ITCH, a gene known to regulate inflammation in the body and NOD2, a gene which causes the majority of genetic Crohn's Disease diagnoses. ITCH, when malfunctioning, causes widespread inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, gastritis, uncontrolled skin inflammation, and pulmonary pneumonitis. Derek Abbott, M.D., Ph.D. Crohn's Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156050.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156050.php Treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents is recognized as a risk factor for tuberculosis (TB) in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn's disease, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis. Most TB cases develop as a result of reactivation of a latent TB infection, and health authorities worldwide recommend screening for latent TB and treating patients before initiating anti-TNF treatment. Tuberculosis Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154555.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154555.php Gastroenteritis means irritation and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the stomach and small and large intestines. The condition is usually due to bacteria, food poisoning, parasites, or viruses, and it often results in diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Gastroenteritis is commonly called gastric flu or stomach flu although it has no relation to the influenza virus. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153721.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153721.php Given Imaging Ltd. (NASDAQ: GIVN) announced a new study that shows over half of the eligible patients with occult or obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) may benefit from the additional diagnostic information provided by small bowel capsule endoscopy in accordance with existing gastrointestinal (GI) society guidelines, which call for the patient-friendly, non-invasive procedure following a negative upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152995.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152995.php When pouches begin to protrude outwards from the colon wall the person has diverticular disease or diverticulosis. When one of these pouches becomes infected and inflamed, that infection is called diverticulitis. People may have lots of protruding pouches and feel fine. However, when one of them becomes infected it can be very painful. Recap - What is the difference between diverticulitis, diverticulosis and diverticular disease? 1. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152920.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152920.php Given Imaging Ltd. (NASDAQ: GIVN) announced a new study that shows over half of the eligible patients with occult or obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) may benefit from the additional diagnostic information provided by small bowel capsule endoscopy in accordance with existing gastrointestinal (GI) society guidelines, which call for the patient-friendly, non-invasive procedure following a negative upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152595.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152595.php Enzo Biochem, Inc. (NYSE: ENZ), a biotechnology company specializing in gene identification and genetic and immune regulation technologies for diagnostic and therapeutic applications and laboratory services, announced that data from a Phase II clinical trial was presented today at Digestive Disease Week, the largest international gathering of academic researchers and practicing physicians in gastrointestinal medicine, held this year in Chicago. Crohn's Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152439.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152439.php Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine, working with biochemists, geneticists and clinicians at the University of Bern, Switzerland and in the United Kingdom, have discovered an enzyme that has a key role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The team, co-led by Judith Bond, Ph.D. Crohn's Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152422.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152422.php Monoclonal antibodies can be safely and successfully used for the treatment of several gastroenterological disorders according to data being presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW®) 2009. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152332.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152332.php ChemoCentryx, Inc. Crohn's Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152322.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152322.php New long-term findings from the Phase 3b study of patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease having inadequate response to conventional therapies, but naive to immunomodulators and biologic therapy, were presented at Digestive Disease Week today. Data from the SONIC study showed that a greater proportion of patients receiving REMICADE (infliximab) maintained steroid-free remission at one year, compared with patients receiving azathioprine alone. Crohn's Tue, 02 Jun 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152200.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152200.php Health outcomes explored at DDW 2009 Researchers are making great strides in understanding the development and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the digestive tract that affects more than a half million Americans, according to several studies being presented at Digestive Disease Week® 2009 (DDW®). GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology