Can your doctor spot H1N1? Nov 21, 2009
"We're discovering more and more that respiratory viruses don't transmit only through respiratory symptoms. With SARS, a lot of the spread was linked to diarrhea. Avian flu was also spread through the GI tract.". Of course not every upset stomach is H1N1, but especially with children, parents should watch closely for any sign that the illness is getting worse. (CNN)
5 Genetic Regions Tied to Irritable Bowel Nov 19, 2009
Discovery May Explain How Childhood Inflammatory Bowel Disease Develops; Help Develop Treatment. (WebMD) Five newly identified genetic regions may help explain how childhood inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) develops. (CBS News -- Health)
Largest gene study of childhood IBD identifies 5 new genes Nov 16, 2009
Of that number, about half suffer from Crohn's disease, which can affect any part of the GI tract, and half have ulcerative colitis, which is limited to the large intestine. Most gene analyses of IBD have focused on adult-onset disease, but the Center for Applied Genomicsone of the world's largest pediatric genotyping programsat Children's Hospital has concentrated on childhood-onset IBD, which tends to be more severe than adult-onset disease. (EurekAlert!)
SmartPill poised for growth Nov 13, 2009
The ability to differentiate slow (abnormal) transit from normal transit, while providing regional transit times for both the upper and lower GI tract, is an important assessment for physicians when evaluating GI motility disorders and guiding appropriate therapy. The next milestone will be receiving a CPT code through the AMA, a three-year process, that allows doctors to be reimbursed for the device. (Buffalo Business First, NY)
Shire Secures European Wide Label Extension for FOSRENOL(R) in Chronic Kidney Disease Oct 28, 2009
FOSRENOL(R) (lanthanum carbonate) Now Approved in the EU to Treat hyperphosphataemia greater than 1. 78mmol/L in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Not on Dialysis. (Canada Newswire)
Improved Endo Capsule Software enhances diagnostic experience Oct 24, 2009
The software is also designed to help set anatomical landmarks throughout the GI tract and calculates the distance between these structures with color-coded markers to better assist in understanding the localization and transit time through the GI tract. Endo Capsule also includes eight high-contrast levels and seven passive structure enhancement levels, similar to Olympus' endoscope technology, for physicians to customize the viewing experience to suit their eyes. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Data From a Head-to-Head Crossover Study Evaluating FOSRENOL(R) and Sevelamer Published Today Oct 7, 2009
Direct Comparison of the Two non-Calcium Phosphate Binders Gives new Insights Into Relative Efficacy (Canada Newswire)
Many patients with sleep apnea also suffer from GI tract conditions Oct 5, 2009
Public release date: 4-Oct-2009. Contact: Jessica Mikulski. (EurekAlert!)
Ferret Diseases, Cancers, and Gene... Sep 2, 2009
Blockages, or GI Tract Foreign Bodies. This is the most common health problem a ferret is likely to develop. (Suite101.com)
ViroPharma Announces Support by Advisory Committee of The Office of Generic Drugs Proposed Guidelines for Developing Generic Versions of Oral Vancomycin Hydorchloride Aug 5, 2009
Patients with this disease have GI tract conditions that are significantly different from those of a healthy individual due to infection. Typical symptoms include diarrhea, fever, nausea and abdominal pain and dehydration, though cases can lead to life threatening complications such as megacolon, peritonitis and perforation of the colon. (PR Newswire)
Breastfeeding and Alcohol Aug 2, 2009
Once the baby ingests the alcohol tainted breast milk it enters into the baby s GI tract. In the GI it is absorbed and becomes available to the baby s different systems. (Suite101.com)
Sticky protein helps reinforce fragile muscle membranes Jul 24, 2009
"Considering how essential cell membranes are for life, these barriers are remarkably fragile. In addition, many tissues, including muscle, GI tract and skin, are constantly under mechanical stress, which can rupture cell membranes," Campbell said. "Our findings support the idea that reinforcement of the membrane basal lamina attachment is a basic cellular mechanism that allows cell survival in tissues subjected to mechanical stress.". (EurekAlert!)
Dr. Jeff Hersh: Parasites give me the creepy crawlies Jul 22, 2009
The larvae burrow under the host's skin (certain types of botfly larvae migrate to the host's skin from their GI tract after being ingested). An ulcer, with a hole in the middle to allow the larva to breathe (which makes it look like a mini-volcano) then forms. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)
Reengineering A Food Poisoning Microbe To Carry Medicines And Vaccines Jun 17, 2009
One promising approach is to use live bacteria, which can survive those harsh conditions and pass easily from the GI tract into the blood. The scientists describe development of a new strain of Listeria monocytogenes, bacteria that normally cause food poisoning, but which have been genetically engineered to be harmless. (Science Daily)
Electronic Pill Shows Its Smarts By Measuring pH Levels In Digestive Tract Jun 5, 2009
However, since the pH levels in the GI tract can vary, the researchers say, this could impact the proper release and efficacy of the medication ... As the SmartPill Capsule passes through the GI tract, it transmits data including pressure, pH and temperature to a SmartPill Data Receiver worn by the patient. (Science Daily)
Stool Test Shows Promise in Detecting Many Cancers Jun 4, 2009
"What's common to all of the cancers in the GI tract is that they shed cells and they are going downstream and are excreted in the stool. We've exploited that common biology to explore this as a screening approach," Ahlquist said. The team tested 70 patients with various cancers of the digestive tract, including colon, throat, esophagus, stomach, pancreatic, bile duct, gallbladder and small bowel to see if gene mutations could be found in stool samples. (MEDLINEplus)
Improved DNA Stool Test Could Detect Digestive Cancers In Multiple Organs Jun 3, 2009
Researchers are now studying the use of noninvasive stool DNA testing to detect lesions and cancer throughout the GI tract. "Patients are often worried about invasive tests like colonoscopies, and yet these tests have been the key to early cancer detection and prevention," says David Ahlquist, M.D., Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and lead researcher on the study. (Science Daily)
Hildreth: Ten causes you can check for IBS May 8, 2009
While significant discoveries have been made about the etiology and pathophysiology of IBS over the past decade, researchers have a long way to go before clearly understanding the complex integrative pathways that link the immune system, the nervous system and the endocrine system with the GI tract. The problem did not arise with you overnight and it will require a persistent two- to three- to four-month program to establish a non-inflamed bowel and comfort, but none of us can live without a... (Green Valley News & Sun, AZ)
New Light Shed On Enigma Of Salt Intake And Hypertension May 5, 2009
ScienceDaily (May 5, 2009) High salt intake is generally linked to cardiovascular disease risk. But salt-sensitive hypertension still remains an enigma. (Science Daily)
New Findings on Salt Intake and Hypertension May 5, 2009
SIGN UP FOR FREE NEWS ALERTS. Monday, May 4, 2009 4:43 PM. (Newsmax)
Microbial bliss May 1, 2009
A springboard for the growing interest, Huffnagle says, was a discovery by of Washington University, who found that bacteria can talk to the epithelial cells that line the GI tract, which can turn on different genes depending on who is living nearby ... To really understand the effect of adding bacteria to the GI tract, we need to understand gut bacteria -- a big job. (Why Files)
Plastic 'diet' found in leatherback turtles Apr 10, 2009
For every report found, they had to make sure that a complete necropsy had been performed and that the entire GI tract had been opened. The researchers ended up with a sample size of 408 turtles, stranded at some point during the last 125 years. (MSNBC -- Environment)
A crash course in crash diets Apr 9, 2009
"If you have a subclinical disturbance in your GI tract and then you get into one of these cleansing regimens, you can in fact aggravate recovery or make it slower. You need to be resting your GI tract, not assaulting it.". Besides the Master Cleanse, some of the better known detox plans include the Martha's Vineyard diet, a precisely scheduled program of fruit juices, broths, and herbal supplements (along with the recommended coffee enema), the Blueprint Cleanse, various juice regimens, each... (Boston Globe)
Sequence analysis of percent G+C fraction libraries of human faecal bacterial DNA reveals a high number of Actinobacteria Apr 8, 2009
This study shows that the %G+C profiling and fractioning prior to cloning and sequencing can reveal a significantly larger proportion of high G+C content bacteria within the clones recovered, compared with the unfractioned sample in the human GI tract. Especially the order Coriobacteriales within the phylum Actinobacteria was found to be more abundant than previously estimated with conventional sequencing studies. (BioMed Central)
Medical center introduces high-definition endoscopy center Apr 8, 2009
NBI is a new image processing technique which takes advantage of the scattering and absorption properties of human tissue, thereby improving visual contrast on mucosal surfaces during endoscopic observation of the GI tract. The result is clear views of anatomical structures and fine capillary patterns of colon surfaces, which are normally difficult to distinguish. (McKinney Courier-Gazette, TX)
Dietary Fibber Mar 11, 2009
Polydextrose shares with dietary fiber one fundamental property: It seems to rev up your GI tract. It does so, however, at a fraction of the level of wheat bran. (Slate)
Shire Announces Launch of FOSRENOL(R) in Japan Mar 11, 2009
FOSRENOL works by binding to dietary phosphate in the GI tract; once bound, the lanthanum/phosphate complex cannot pass through the intestinal lining into the blood stream and is eliminated from the body1. As a consequence, overall phosphate absorption from the diet is decreased significantly. (Canada Newswire)
Avantis Medical Systems Announces Key Addition to Scientific Advisory Board Feb 25, 2009
Text hiding to spacing. Dr. Yamamoto to provide guidance for global market development. (PR Newswire)
THE YOU DOCS Feb 25, 2009
A healthy digestive system: Your GI tract is one giant immune organ, serving as a defense against viruses, fungi, some bacteria and foreign invaders. It's crammed with bacteria, both good and bad. (OregonLive, OR -- News)
Sheep and Goat Diseases Outlined From A to Z (15) Feb 9, 2009
Becky DVM wrote on Sep 17, 2008 5:37 PM:" Pam - I am sorry for the loss of your lamb. Without much history, no physical exam, the age of your lamb, its unexpected death, and the lesions you described, septicemia would be high on my list of causes. Septicemia is bacterial invasion of the blood stream and body. Bacteria can gain entry into the blood via the umbilicus or through the GI tract if adequate amounts of good quality colostrum is not consumed right after birth (<6 hrs). The bacteria then... (Agri-View, WI)
