Feature Channels: Digestive Disorders

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Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration Project (MA-CORD)

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Children with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) – a chronic inflammatory disease that injures the esophagus – who temporarily eliminated cow’s milk, wheat, egg and soy from their diet for eight weeks had their symptoms and esophageal swelling resolve, according to a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. This elimination diet is less restrictive than the standard of care six-food elimination diet that is approved to treat EoE, a condition in which an abnormal immune response is triggered by certain foods, causing symptoms that range from difficulty swallowing to abdominal pain and vomiting. After remission, foods are reintroduced one by one until the food that triggers esophageal swelling and symptoms is identified and eliminated from the child’s diet. This is a lengthy process that involves multiple endoscopies to monitor the effect of reintroduced foods on the esophagus.

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Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have shown a high fat diet may lead to specific changes in gut bacteria that could fight harmful inflammation.

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A microscopic fungus called Candida tropicalis triggered gut inflammation and exacerbated symptoms of Crohn’s disease, in a recent study conducted at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

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One in three people has a potentially nasty parasite hiding inside their body -- tucked away in tiny cysts that the immune system can’t eliminate and antibiotics can’t touch. But new research reveals clues about how to stop it: Interfere with its digestion during this stubborn dormant phase.

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Lesions of the appendix are being over diagnosed as invasive cancer, report University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers in a paper published June 7 in the journal PLOS ONE.

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In updated findings from the KEYNOTE-059 trial of pembrolizumab in advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, the PD-1 inhibitor maintained signs of its clinical benefit in this patient population.

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Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York have discovered that bacteria living in the gut provide a first line of defense against severe Listeria infections. The study, which will be published June 6 in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggests that providing these bacteria in the form of probiotics could protect individuals who are particularly susceptible to Listeria, including pregnant women and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

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The National Cancer Institute recently awarded a $6 million grant to the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine to continue research on Barrett’s Esophagus, a potentially fatal condition caused by long-term acid reflux.

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New research led by Queen’s University Belfast has discovered how a genomic approach to understanding bowel (colorectal) cancer could improve the prognosis and quality of life for patients.

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Obesity is linked with the composition of microbes in the human gut. In new research, bacterial composition in the gut, as well as accompanying metabolites are shown to undergo a profound and permanent shift, with microbial diversity significantly increasing following gastric bypass surgery.

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Despite many advancements in liver transplantation — like the cure for the hepatitis C virus — liver disease continues to impact people of all ages and cultures across the globe.

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A 12-month study mapping bacterial diversity within a hospital — with a focus on the flow of microbes between patients, staff and surfaces — should help hospitals worldwide better understand how to encourage beneficial microbial interactions and decrease potentially harmful contact. The Hospital Microbiome Project is the single biggest microbiome analysis of a hospital performed, and one of the largest microbiome studies ever.

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It is the first study showing improved depression scores with a probiotic. It adds to the whole field of microbiota-gut-brain axis, providing evidence that bacteria affect behavior.

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In an effort to find new strategies to personalize treatment for pediatric patients, Seattle Children’s has opened the first clinical trial applying precision medicine to better understand how the immune system drives both inflammatory bowel disease and graft-versus host disease in pediatric patients.

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Research from the Keck School of Medicine of USC indicates that in mice with a KRAS mutation, which is present in 90 percent of pancreatic cancer patients, expressing only half the amount of the glucose-regulated protein GRP78 is enough to halt the earliest stage of pancreatic cancer development. This results in delayed tumor development and prolonged survival.

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Colon cancer patients who have a healthy body weight, exercise regularly and eat a diet high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables have a significantly lower risk of cancer recurrence or death, according to a research team led by UC San Francisco investigators. This finding represents an analysis of data collected on patients participating in a national study for people with stage III colon cancer.

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A new study suggests that the use of tomato — a key food of the Mediterranean diet — should be explored to develop supportive strategies against gastric cancer

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Americans and Norwegians with systemic sclerosis had higher levels of bacteria that can cause inflammation and lower levels of bacteria that are believed to protect against inflammation compared with healthy people.

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Bacteria in the gut microbiome drive the formation of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs), clusters of dilated, thin-walled blood vessels in the brain that can cause stroke and seizures. The research team’s research suggests that altering the microbiome in CCM patients may be an effective therapy for this cerebrovascular disease.

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Anil K. Rustgi, MD, has received the 2017 Julius Friedenwald Medal from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the leading national and international society of the field with 17,000 members.

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A first-of-its-kind portable wireless device developed by an NYIT-led research team can monitor stomach motility to enable physicians to measure and ultimately better understand slow wave activity in gastric contractions.

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A new study finds that long periods of physiological stress can change the composition of microorganisms residing in the intestines (intestinal microbiota), which could increase health risks in endurance athletes and military personnel. The study, published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, is the first to study the response of the intestinal microbiota during military training.

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Forty-four percent of people who held jobs before contracting a condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome were jobless one year after they were discharged from the hospital, costing them an average of about $27,000 in earnings.

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Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) announces the appointment of three new members to the board of trustees. Joining the board are Donald J. Rosenberg, J.D., Kazumi Shiosaki, Ph.D., and James M. Myers.

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Aspirin has long been used to help prevent and manage heart disease. However, researchers at Baylor Scott & White Research Institute have discovered another potential benefit –- protection against Barrett’s esophagus, a disorder that causes damage to the esophagus from long-term acid reflux disease, and can help lower associated cancer risk.

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A new study by researchers at Baylor Scott & White Research Institute is the first to compare anti-inflammatory benefits of curcumin against a combination of both curcumin and essential turmeric oils.

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Parkinson’s disease may start in the gut and spread to the brain via the vagus nerve, according to a study published in the April 26, 2017, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The vagus nerve extends from the brainstem to the abdomen and controls unconscious body processes like heart rate and food digestion.

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An international study based at UT Southwestern Medical Center revealed a striking genetic-environmental interaction: Obesity significantly amplifies the effects of three gene variants that increase risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by different metabolic pathways.

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Hundreds of thousands of babies worldwide die every year from infections that ravage their digestive systems. New research in mice offers evidence that the difference in survival may come from certain bacteria in their guts, called Clostridia, which appear to provide key protection against infection, in addition to helping digest food.

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Johns Hopkins researchers today published new evidence refuting the long-held scientific belief that the gut nerve cells we’re born with are the same ones we die with.

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Specific strains of bacteria in the gut are significantly associated with colorectal cancer, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health.

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Mice in germ-free conditions and then compared to their conventionally raised counterparts. In contrast to conventionally raised mice, the germ-free mice did not show age-related increases in inflammation and a higher proportion of them lived to a ripe old age. Age is associated with an increase in levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), in the bloodstream and tissues. It was found that germ-free mice did not have increased TNF with age.

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People with hypertriglyceridemia often are told to change their diet and lose weight. But a high-fat diet isn’t necessarily the cause for everyone with the condition. UCLA researchers have discovered a subset of people with hypertriglyceridemia whose bodies produce autoantibodies — immune-response molecules that attack their own proteins — causing high levels of triglycerides in the blood.

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Research led by a Houston Methodist gastroenterologist shows that patients who have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for more than two decades have a higher risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

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In a small pilot study of men with schizophrenia, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine and Sheppard Pratt Health System say they have evidence that adding probiotics -- microorganisms, such as bacteria found in yogurts -- to the patients' diets may help treat yeast infections and ease bowel problems. Probiotics may also decrease delusions and hallucinations, but in the study, these psychiatric benefits mostly affected those without a history of yeast infections.

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After 4-week trial of added rice bran, navy bean powder or neither, both the rice bran and navy bean groups showed increased dietary fiber, iron, zinc, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, and alpha-tocopherol. The rice bran group also showed increased microbiome richness and diversity. When researchers treated colorectal cancer cells with stool extracts from these groups, they saw reduced cell growth from the groups that had increased rice bran and navy bean consumption.

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Johns Hopkins researchers say that the findings they published in the current edition of The American Journal of Gastroenterology could have important implications for the field of personalized medicine.

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Lindsey Konkel, a New Jersey-based freelance reporter, received the Endocrine Society’s annual Award for Excellence in Science and Medical Journalism, the Society announced today.

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Researchers at Mayo Clinic have found patients who use gastric suppression medications are at a higher risk for recurrent Clostridium difficile (C-diff) infection. C-diff is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. The study is published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Health psychologists have begun treating gastrointestinal disorders that are strongly affected by stress, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s disease, functional heartburn, functional dyspepsia and ulcerative colitis.

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Cancer prevention advocates and researchers have designated March 22nd as National Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day. Carol A. Burke, MD, FACG, President of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), a gastroenterologist specializing in hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, today offered commentary and guidance for GI physicians on Lynch Syndrome in an ACG communication to her colleagues.

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A review article in Clinical Cancer Research by Investigators from Baylor Scott & White Research Institute examines the potential for microRNAs – molecules that regulate gene expression – to detect gastrointestinal cancer in blood and other bodily fluids, known as a liquid biopsy.

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Researchers at Baylor Scott & White Research Institute identified a new genetic biomarker for colon cancer that may lead to development of more targeted treatment of the disease

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How do mammals keep two biologically crucial metabolites in balance during times when they are feeding, sleeping, and fasting? The answer may require rewriting some textbooks.

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During the past decade, the gut has experienced a renaissance as investigations focus on the role of the microbiome on human health. While most studies have focused on bacteria, the dominant microbial inhabitants in the gut, scientists at University of Utah Health Sciences used mouse studies to show the role of yeast in aggravating the symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Their work suggests that allopurinol, a generic drug already on the market, could offer some relief.

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The UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center joined the National Cancer Institute and about 48 other sites to increase colorectal cancer screening rates. Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancer types, of the more than 100 known cancer types, for which screening has been proven to reduce the risk of death.

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The scientists discovered the antiprotozoal drug pentamidine disrupts the cell surface of Gram-negative bacteria, even the most resistant. The anti-fungal medication was particularly potent when used with antibiotics against multidrug resistant bacteria.

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Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center are teaming up to take on the rising problem of antibiotic resistance.

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When scheduling a screening colonoscopy, a patient should ask the physician's adenoma detection rate.