MedicineWorld.Org blog writers create dozen of blog posts every day including this gi news blog. Visit main blog page for more selection of blog postings Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT en-us http://medicineworld.org/images/gi-news.jpg 99 97 http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2009/genes-and-crohns-disease.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2009/genes-and-crohns-disease.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Scientists at McGill University, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC) and the McGill University and Gnome Qubec Innovation Centre, along with colleagues at other Canadian and Belgian institutions, have discovered DNA variations in a gene that increases susceptibility to developing Crohn's disease. Their study was reported in the recent issue of the journal Nature Genetics....... ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2009/chronic-pancreatitis-pain-relief-with-antioxidants.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2009/chronic-pancreatitis-pain-relief-with-antioxidants.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Antioxidant supplementation was found to be effective in relieving pain and reducing levels of oxidative stress in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), reports a newly released study in Gastroenterology CP is a progressive inflammatory disease of the pancreas in which patients experience abdominal pain (in early stage) and diabetes and maldigestion (in late stage). Pain is the major problem in 90 percent of patients with CP and currently, there is no effective medical treatment for pain relief. Gastroenterology is the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/century-old-treatment-for-peptic-ulcer.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/century-old-treatment-for-peptic-ulcer.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Bismuth compounds have been used for centuries in medicine. The discovery of H. pylori in 1983 led to renewed interest in bismuth compounds, because these were found to successfully treat the infection in combination with antibiotics. However, in the 1970s bismuth salts, used at high doses for prolonged periods, were found to lead to neurotoxicity. There has been no summary of evidence for the toxicity of bismuth when used for short periods as part of H. pylori eradication treatment........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/largest-class-of-drugs-causing-liver-injury.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/largest-class-of-drugs-causing-liver-injury.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Antibiotics are the single largest class of agents that cause idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI), reports a new study in Gastroenterology, an official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. DILI is the most common cause of death from acute liver failure and accounts for approximately 13 percent of cases of acute liver failure in the U.S. It is caused by a wide variety of prescription and nonprescription medications, nutritional supplements and herbals........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/bariatric-surgery-may-resolve-liver-disease.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/12-2008/bariatric-surgery-may-resolve-liver-disease.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Obesity is a growing epidemic in the U.S. with a significant increase in prevalence from 15 percent to 32.9 percent from 1980 to 2004. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging problem correlation to the obesity epidemic, becoming one of the most common causes of liver disease in the nation........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/8-2008/inflammatory-bowel-disease-in-children.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/8-2008/inflammatory-bowel-disease-in-children.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Scientists have discovered two new genes that increase the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in childhood. While further study is needed to identify the specific disease-causing mutations in these new genes, the scientists say the genes are especially strong candidates to be added to the list of genes already known to affect IBD. "As we continue to find genes that interact with each other and with environmental influences in this complex, chronic disease, we are building the foundation for personalized therapys tailored to a patient's genetic profile," said co-first author Robert N. Baldassano, M.D., director of the Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/6-2008/weight-loss-surgery-can-cut-cancer-risk.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/6-2008/weight-loss-surgery-can-cut-cancer-risk.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Successful bariatric surgery allows morbidly obese patients to lose up to 70 percent of their excess weight and to maintain weight loss. The latest study by Dr. Nicolas Christou of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University shows that this surgery also decreases the risk of developing cancer by up to 80 percent. Dr. Christou presented his preliminary results yesterday at the 25th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/6-2008/magnet-controlled-camera-in-the-body.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/6-2008/magnet-controlled-camera-in-the-body.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Images from inside the body? It can be done with tiny cameras which the patient has to swallow. In the past there was no way of controlling the device as it passed through the body. Now it can be steered and stopped where desired, and even deliver images of the esophagus. Images of the inside of the intestine can be obtained even today: The patient swallows a camera that is no larger than a candy. It makes its way through the intestine and transmits images of the intestinal villi to an external receiver which the patient carries on a belt. This device stores the data so that the doctor can later analyze them and identify any hemorrhages or cysts. However, the camera is not very suitable for examinations of the esophagus and the stomach. The reason is that camera only takes about three or four seconds to make its way through the esophagus - producing two to four images per second - and once it reaches the stomach, its roughly five-gram weight causes it to drop very quickly to the lower wall of the stomach. In other words, it is too fast to deliver usable images. For examinations of the esophagus and the stomach, therefore, patients still have to swallow a rather thick endoscope........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/5-2008/flat-carbonated-drinks-not-an-effective.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/5-2008/flat-carbonated-drinks-not-an-effective.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Flat carbonated drinks should not be used as an alternative for oral rehydration solution to prevent dehydration in children with acute vomiting and diarrhoea, as per advice reported in the recent issue of Archives of Disease in Childhood. Oral rehydration solution is a liquid containing the ideal balance of salts and sugars for avoiding dehydration in people with gastroenteritis who are losing fluids, salts and sugars through diarrhoea and vomiting........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/3-2008/steps-leading-to-celiac-disease.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/3-2008/steps-leading-to-celiac-disease.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Researchers who last year identified a new genetic risk factor for coeliac disease, have, following continued research, discovered an additional seven gene regions implicated in causing the condition. The team, lead by David van Heel, Professor of Gastrointestinal Genetics at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, have further demonstrated that of the nine coeliac gene regions now know, four of these are also predisposing factors for type 1 diabetes. Their research sheds light not only on the nature of coeliac disease, but on the common origins of both diseases. It is published online today (2 March 2008) in Nature Genetics........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/2-2008/optimal-care-for-inflammatory-bowel-disease.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/2-2008/optimal-care-for-inflammatory-bowel-disease.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic recurrent gastrointestinal disease. The disease has a relatively higher morbidity in young adults, in whom growth, education, employment and wellbeing all are adversely influenced. Many guidelines for management of inflammatory bowel disease are available for bringing evidence-based medicine into full play to improve IBD patient care. What about the actual quality of care for patients with IBD in China?....... ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/2-2008/exercise-to-avoid-gallstones.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/2-2008/exercise-to-avoid-gallstones.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT A new University of Illinois study shows that exercise-trained mice get far fewer gallstones than sedentary mice and identifies potential mechanisms to explain why this occurs. The study, recently reported in the Journal of Applied Physiology, can be viewed online at: http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/01292.2007v1........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2008/camera-in-a-pill.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2008/camera-in-a-pill.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT What if swallowing a pill with a camera could detect the earliest signs of cancer? The tiny camera is designed to take high-quality, color pictures in confined spaces. Such a device could find warning signs of esophageal cancer, the fastest growing cancer in the United States. A fundamentally new design has created a smaller endoscope that is more comfortable for the patient and cheaper to use than current technology. Its first use on a human, scanning for early signs of esophageal cancer, will be reported in an upcoming issue of IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2008/how-to-overcome-colonoscopy-fears.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2008/how-to-overcome-colonoscopy-fears.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Patients who have had a colonoscopy can play a life-saving role by encouraging other patients to follow through with their own colorectal cancer screenings, as per new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. These peer coaches can provide important information to combat myths and fears that serve as barriers to colonoscopy issues patients say their doctors often fail to address. In a randomized trial, clinicians in the Division of General Internal Medicine studied patients who were at increased risk of missing their scheduled colon study appointment. They observed that those who received telephone mentoring from a trained peer coach were two times more likely to keep their first colonoscopy appointment than those who received an educational brochure about the procedure in the mail or received no peer or literature support........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2008/acid-reflux-and-survival.html http://medicineworld.org/cancer/lead/1-2008/acid-reflux-and-survival.html Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:08:36 GMT Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), often known as acid reflux, is a common problem that has been linked to cancers, asthma, recurrent aspiration and pulmonary fibrosis. A new study published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology examines whether GERD sufferers may have shorter lifespans than those without the disease........ ]]>