Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/gastrointestinal/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171703.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171703.php A team of researchers at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park has developed a new model system to study fungal infections. The system can be a powerful tool for screening potential drug targets for conditions like thrush, athlete's foot and vaginal yeast infections, which affect millions of people each year but are difficult to treat with existing medications. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171676.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171676.php Eating disorder (ED) patients display a high prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and functional gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. These symptoms may interfere with their nutritional management. Ingestion of fructose-sorbitol (F-S) is an established means of gastrointestinal symptom provocation in irritable bowel syndrome patients. Eating Disorders Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171718.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171718.php Sucampo Pharma Europe Ltd., a subsidiary of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCMP), announced that Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, has granted a marketing authorization for Amitiza® (lubiprostone) 24 microgram (mcg) gel capsules for the long-term treatment of patients with chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171677.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171677.php There are minimal data assessing the relationship between diabetes and gallbladder, biliary and pancreatic cancer. Recent small studies have suggested an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer only in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). A research article published on November 14, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team, lead by Dr. Diabetes Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171587.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171587.php Genzyme Corporation (Nasdaq: GENZ) reported results of a phase 2/3 study of its advanced phosphate binder (APB). The trial met its primary endpoint, which was to show that the APB lowered phosphate levels effectively compared to placebo. However, the APB did not show a significant improvement in phosphate lowering compared to Genzyme's Renvela® (sevelamer carbonate). Based on these results, the company is not planning to pursue further clinical development of the APB. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171519.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171519.php Indomethacin has been proved by epidemiological and experimental studies to be closely associated with peptic ulcer development. Vardenafil is a potent phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor and its effects on the gastric mucosa have not been reported. A research article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this problem. The research team, led by Dr. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171531.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171531.php Over 300 million patients use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the world to treat pain, arthritis, fever and other diseases. Nearly 30% of the users suffer from gastric lesions and bleeding. To mitigate NSAIDs' adverse effects on the stomach, misoprostol, a non-selective prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) analogue, has been prescribed as the first choice for prevention of NSAID-induced injuries, but often induces severe adverse effects. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171571.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171571.php CytRx Corporation (NASDAQ: CYTR), a biopharmaceutical company, today announced plans to initiate an open-label, multinational Phase 2 clinical trial with its doxorubicin prodrug INNO-206 as a second-line treatment in patients with advanced gastric (stomach) cancer. CytRx President and CEO Steven A. Kriegsman said, "This planned clinical trial is a key step forward in our plans to build a commercial oncology franchise for CytRx. Cancer / Oncology Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171526.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171526.php Biliary drainage is performed as a palliative treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The reduction of serum bilirubin is usually the hallmark of successful biliary drainage. However, some patients may have persistent jaundice or scanty bile output after biliary drainage. A research team, led by Dr. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171193.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171193.php Dysentery is an infection of the intestines. This inflammatory disorder causes stomach cramps and diarrhea. According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary, Dysentery is: "A disease marked by frequent watery stools, often with blood and mucus, and characterized clinically by pain, tenesmus, fever, and dehydration". In many cases there are only mild symptoms, such as diarrhea and nausea. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170893.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170893.php Scientists at the University of York have discovered how certain bacteria such as Escherichia coli have evolved to capture rare sugars from their environment giving them an evolutionary advantage in naturally competitive environments like the human gut. Microbes are well-known for their ability to grow in demanding and nutritionally poor environments, which has allowed them to colonise some of the most remote places on the planet. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170902.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170902.php Got food poisoning? The cause might be bacterial spores, en extremely hardy survival form of bacteria, a nightmare for health care and the food industry and an enigma for scientists. Spore-forming bacteria, present almost everywhere in our environment, can also cause serious infectious diseases, such as tetanus, anthrax, and botulism. Now researchers from Lund University and the U.S. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170922.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170922.php New research published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that African-American patients with colorectal cancer are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease and are less likely to undergo surgical procedures compared with Caucasians, suggesting that improvements in screening and rates of operation may reduce differences in colorectal cancer outcomes for African-Americans. Colorectal Cancer Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170928.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170928.php Springer is founding a new journal Food Digestion, dedicated to a quickly growing area of research - food science combined with the physiology of digestion. The journal will publish two issues in 2010 and increase to four issues in 2011. Food Digestion will bring together the increasing number of researchers who are working at the interfaces between the physical sciences and nutrition and health. Nutrition / Diet Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170822.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170822.php Passing gas -- flatulence -- is normal and happens to everyone. But for some people, excessive gas and pain interfere with normal activities. The November issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource offers tips to reduce gas. Gas is often caused by what and how one eats and drinks. "One common cause is swallowed air," says G. Richard Locke, III, M.D., a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170829.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170829.php A new study by Nestlé researchers suggests that eating a few pieces of dark chocolate every day may improve the metabolic response of people who report feeling highly stressed. The study, which was published in the Journal of Proteome Research, was the work of lead investigator Sunil Kochhar, a researcher at the Nestlé Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland. Nutrition / Diet Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170809.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170809.php Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX) announced that the company's investigational new drug, LX1031, a tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) inhibitor, demonstrated positive results in clinically important parameters for the treatment of non-constipating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170690.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170690.php Mylan Inc. (NASDAQ: MYL) announced that its privately held Indian subsidiary, Matrix Laboratories Limited, has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Lansoprazole Delayed-release (DR) Capsules, 15 mg and 30 mg. This product is shipping immediately and will be sold under the Mylan Pharmaceuticals brand. Acid Reflux / GERD Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170695.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170695.php US researchers who transplanted human intestinal microbes into germ-free mice and then switched their diet from a low-fat plant-based one to a more Westernized diet, high in fat and sugars, found that within one day obesity-linked microbes were thriving in the gut and the mice eventually became obese. The study was the work of Dr Jeffrey I Gordon and colleagues and was published on 11 November in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170424.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170424.php Of the many characteristic traits a drug can have, one of the most desirable is the ability for a drug to be swallowed and absorbed into the bloodstream through the gut. Some drugs, like over-the-counter aspirin, lend themselves to this mode of delivery and are trivial to take. They can be pressed into a pill and swallowed. Other drugs cannot be swallowed and must be administered instead through more complicated routes. Insulin, for instance, must be injected. Medical Devices / Diagnostics Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170461.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170461.php Tapeworms, or cestodes, are intestinal parasites; they are worms that are flattened like a tape measure. A tapeworm cannot live freely on its own - it survives within the gut (intestine) of an animal, including a human. A parasite is an animal or plant that lives in a host; another animal or plant. Tapeworm eggs generally enter the human host from animals through ingested food, especially raw or undercooked meat. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170248.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170248.php Results of an investigation conducted by University of Nevada, Reno researchers, public health officials and area physicians published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, indicate that Washoe County experienced a cluster of a particular birth defect, gastroschisis, during the period April 2007 - April 2008. Subsequent review of medical records since the study's conclusion indicates that while the rate is still elevated, the cluster appears to have subsided. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170127.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170127.php The Journal of Infectious Diseases has released a special edition, Global Rotavirus Surveillance: Preparing for the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccines. This special edition provides a significant contribution to the understanding of rotavirus disease burden and the impact of rotavirus vaccines, which have the potential to save an estimated 228,000 lives annually. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169969.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169969.php Due to the increasing complexities of treating digestive diseases, allowing gastroenterological (GI) trainee physicians the opportunity to develop enhanced abilities and experiences in specific disease areas or procedures will be a great benefit to patients, according to a "Report of the Multisociety Task Force on GI Training." Additionally, GI training programs need to measure the achievements of trainees based on specific defined competencies rather than the duration of training alone. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169924.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169924.php Scientific American reports on a multiyear PLoS Medicine study, published on Monday, which "followed a nationwide public health campaign to increase zinc use for childhood diarrhea in Bangladesh." "A 10-day course of zinc tablets ... Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses