Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Irritable-Bowel Syndrome News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/ibs/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171037.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171037.php In the largest, most comprehensive genetic analysis of childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an international research team has identified five new gene regions, including one involved in a biological pathway that helps drive the painful inflammation of the digestive tract that characterizes the disease. A research team led by Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome 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 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169728.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169728.php Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) today announced positive top-line results from two Phase 3 clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of once-daily dosing of the investigational drug linaclotide in patients with chronic constipation (CC). Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169329.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169329.php Currently, 5 - 8% of the U.S. population is afflicted with an autoimmune disease. Many of these are chronic and require life-long care. Moreover, different autoimmune diseases aggregate within a single family, suggesting they are caused by disruptions in common biological pathways. To help researchers investigate these common pathways, The Jackson Laboratory has published Pathways to Discovery: Autoimmune Diseases ( Arthritis / Rheumatology Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168750.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168750.php Findings from a new retrospective cohort study presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's 74th Annual Scientific meeting in San Diego indicate that patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), especially those receiving the thiopurine class of medications to treat IBD, may be at risk for developing non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Dr. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168725.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168725.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. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168100.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168100.php Current research suggests that latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may exacerbate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The related report by Onyeagocha et al, "Latent cytomegalovirus infection exacerbates experimental colitis," appears in the November 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. CMV infects between 50% and 80% of adults in the United States. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167871.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167871.php Patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis (collectively referred to as inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]) regularly receive treatment with thiopurine drugs to maintain remission. But an Article published Online First (http://www.thelancet. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167725.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167725.php Ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease is generally referred to as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients regularly receive treatment with thiopurine drugs to sustain remission. An article published Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet shows that this treatment increases the risk of malignant lymphoproliferative disorders (LD). Those are cancers associated with viral infection, particularly those linked to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166022.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166022.php A new study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has found that ulcerative colitis patients had a 41 percent reduction in colectomy after a year when treated with infliximab, according to a study published in the October 2009 issue of Gastroenterology. Ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes chronic inflammation of the colon, is characterized by abdominal pain and diarrhea. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165906.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165906.php When used "off-label," the antidepressant amitriptyline works just as well as placebo in treating pain-predominant gastrointestinal disorders in children, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. To view this article's video abstract, go to the AGA's YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/AmerGastroAssn. Pain / Anesthetics 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 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164343.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164343.php Could medicines used for depression also treat chronic, severe indigestion? Scientists at Mayo Clinic suspect they can and, backed by funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), they are testing that premise in a nationwide clinical trial. "Nerve cells are found throughout the body, and just as their dysfunction in the brain can cause depression, we suspect overly sensitive nerves in the gut can produce this very uncomfortable indigestion," says Nicholas Talley, M.D., Ph. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163895.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163895.php Pharmos Corporation (Pink Sheets: PARS) announced the results of its Phase 2b Dextofisopam clinical trial to evaluate safety and efficacy of the compound in irritable bowel syndrome. Although the primary efficacy variable (% of weeks responding for adequate overall relief of IBS symptoms) did not reach statistical significance, the percentage responding for the Dextofisopam 200 mg group was higher than that observed for the Phase 2a trial. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162905.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162905.php Soluble fibre (psyllium) is an effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but insoluble fibre (bran) may worsen symptoms, according to the first trial of increasing dietary fibre in a primary care setting, published on bmj.com. Irritable bowel syndrome is characterised by abdominal pain and an irregular bowel habit, and affects about 10% of the population. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162168.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/162168.php The first trial in increasing dietary fiber in a primary care setting is published on bmj.com today. It reports that soluble fiber (psyllium) is an effective treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). On the other hand, insoluble fiber such as bran may worsen symptoms. Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by abdominal pain and an irregular bowel habit. It affects about 10 percent of the population. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161474.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161474.php For the first time, scientists have used a genetically engineered "friendly" bacterium to deliver a therapy. The treatment is for bowel disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, which affects one in 400 people in the UK and for which there is no cure. The bacterium Bacteroides ovatus activates a protein when exposed to a specific type of sugar, xylan. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome 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 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160604.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160604.php IBS remains a common intestinal disorder causing significant discomfort and poor quality of life in patients who have the diagnosis. TCAs have been shown to improve abdominal pain in patients with IBS; however, there is insufficient evidence of global symptom relief. The search for an optimal treatment to improve symptoms and quality of life in IBS remains ongoing. A research article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this problem. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159612.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/159612.php UroToday.com - Patients with pain can present with various symptom complexes that include interstitial cystitis, vulvodynia, irritable bowel syndrome, myofascial pain or various causes of dyspareunia but when carefully evaluated, the majority have very similar findings. Urology / Nephrology 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 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158557.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158557.php Although visceral hypersensitivity is considered a hallmark feature of IBS, conflicting evidence exists regarding somatic hypersensitivity in this patient population. Several investigators have found no evidence for heightened somatic pain sensitivity in IBS patients. Also, others have reported similar cold presser pain tolerance in IBS patients and controls. These conflicting findings may result from differing somatic pain testing procedures. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157958.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/157958.php Based on serum bank material, BA profiling was applied in IBD patients and healthy controls which showed that most but not all BA species were decreased to a different extent in CD and UC. BA decreases were highly pronounced in CD patients with surgical interventions in the gut. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156852.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156852.php Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals (P&GP) announced the availability of Asacol HD (mesalamine) delayed-release tablets, which are indicated for the treatment of moderately active ulcerative colitis (UC), a form of inflammatory bowel disease. UC involves inflammation of the lining of the colon and rectum and is typically characterized by flares followed by periods of remission. Moderately active UC is characterized by tougher symptoms than mildly active UC. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156866.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156866.php ChemoCentryx, Inc. announced that Thomas J. Schall, Ph.D., ChemoCentryx's President and Chief Executive Officer, will give a keynote lecture at The 9th World Congress on Inflammation in Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Schall's lecture titled, "Treating Inflammation by Inhibition of Chemokine Receptors: Practical Requirements and Efficacy of CCR9 Antagonism in Inflammatory Bowel Disease" will be given on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 9:00 am local time. Immune System / Vaccines