http://www.health.am/digestive/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/fda-says-ulcer-drugs-may-raise-diarrhea-risk/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/fda-says-ulcer-drugs-may-raise-diarrhea-risk/ Health regulators said ulcer drugs such as AstraZeneca Plc’s blockbuster Nexium could increase the risk of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). Clostridium difficile is a bacteria naturally present in the gut and can cause colitis and other intestinal conditions. The Food and Drug Administration said patients who develop diarrhea after taking these drugs should be checked for CDAD. Digestive Health News 2012-02-08T22:57:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/digestive/more/rotavirus-vaccine-not-linked-to-bowel-problems/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/rotavirus-vaccine-not-linked-to-bowel-problems/ A new study further eases fears that the rotavirus vaccine might increase the risk of blocked bowels in infants—a concern that led to an earlier version of the vaccine being pulled from the market in the United States. In the report on close to 800,000 doses of the vaccine, which protects against severe diarrhea, vaccinated babies were no more likely to end up in the hospital or emergency room with so-called intussusception—when one part of the intestine slides inside another like a telescope. The findings jibe with a recent report that found that hospitalizations for the intestinal problem didn’t significantly increase in babies after rotavirus vaccination became routine in 2007 (see Reuters Health story of January 5, 2012). Digestive Health News 2012-02-08T11:18:01-08:00 http://www.health.am/digestive/more/increased-risk-of-intestinal-disorder-in-us-infants/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/increased-risk-of-intestinal-disorder-in-us-infants/ Although some data have suggested a possible increased risk of intussusception (when a portion of the small or large intestine slides forward into itself, like a telescope) after administration of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine in infants, an analysis that included almost 800,000 doses administered to U.S. infants found no increased risk of this condition following vaccination, according to a study in the February 8 issue of JAMA. “In 1999, the rhesus tetravalent rotavirus vaccine (RRV, Rotashield) was withdrawn from the U.S. market due to a significantly increased risk of intussusception following vaccination,” according to background information in the article. “Since then, 2 vaccines to prevent rotavirus infection have been licensed for use in the United States: a pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5, RotaTeq) in 2006 and a monovalent rotavirus vaccine (RV1, Rotarix) in 2008.” Large prelicensure trials were conducted because of the prior association between RRV and intussusception, with no increased risk observed. “However, 2 recent international postlicensure evaluations [conducted in Australia, Mexico and Brazil] have observed an increased risk of intussusception in the first week after administration of the first dose of rotavirus vaccines.” Irene M. Shui, Sc.D., of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, and colleagues reexamined intussusception risk associated with rotavirus vaccination, with a specific focus on the 1- to 7-day risk window after administration of the first dose. Digestive Health News 2012-02-08T08:32:01-08:00 http://www.health.am/digestive/more/ulcer-causing-bug-tied-to-higher-diabetes/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/ulcer-causing-bug-tied-to-higher-diabetes/ People who have been infected with the ulcer-causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori are more than twice as likely to develop diabetes later on as people who do not have signs of the infection, according to a new study of Latino adults in California. The results don’t prove that the bug causes diabetes, but “it is strongly related to predicting type 2 diabetes,” said Allison Aiello, the senior researcher on the study and a professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Earlier studies looking at the relationship between H. pylori infection and diabetes have had inconsistent results - some have shown a link, while others have not. Aiello and her colleagues point out in their report in the journal Diabetes Care that previous research has only been snapshots in time of who had diabetes, who had the infection and who didn’t. Digestive Health News 2012-02-03T08:12:01-08:00 http://www.health.am/digestive/more/five-reasons-not-to-put-off-a-colonoscopy/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/five-reasons-not-to-put-off-a-colonoscopy/ If you’ve been avoiding, or even dreading, scheduling a colonoscopy, it’s time to give the important cancer screening tool another thought. Not only is the test a life-saving measure, a Saint Louis University doctor says, but your worries may be unwarranted. “A colonoscopy is an amazing tool that allows us to see how healthy our insides are,” said Christine Hachem, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine and a gastroenterologist at Saint Louis University. “While you may feel anxious about the procedure, a discussion with your doctor can ease many of your concerns.” The most common use for colonoscopies is for colon and rectal cancer screening in someone without symptoms. They’re also used to evaluate those who are experiencing symptoms, like a change in bowel habits, blood in your bowel movements or anemia.  Digestive Health News 2012-01-31T21:35:04-08:00 http://www.health.am/digestive/more/combat-liver-cancer-discovered/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/combat-liver-cancer-discovered/ Researchers at CIC Biogune, the Cooperative Centre for Research into Biosciences and led by Dr. Maria Luz Martinez Chantar, have found a strong relationship between high levels of Hu antigen R (HuR) protein and the malignancy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, through a novel molecular process in the investigation of this pathology and known as neddylation. The project provides new opportunities for making advances in the quest for personalised therapeutic applications in the treatment for Hepatocarcinoma. Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the cause of most liver cancers, the fifth most frequent cancer worldwide and the third after lung and gastric cancers. HCC is a tumour with a poor prognosis, even in developed countries; its incidence is similar to its death rate, most patients dying within months of diagnosis, despite diagnostic and therapeutic advances. It is a highly heterogeneous tumour and so the scientific community is redoubling its efforts to establish personalised and highly specific therapeutic targets. Researchers from the Metabolomic Unit at CIC bioGUNE and led by Dr. Martinez, have gone one step further with this type of tumour and have revealed a hitherto unknown molecular mechanism that is involved in the development of CHC, showing that the malignancy of this illness may be linked to the overexpression of the HuR protein.search work, published in the Hepatology journal, and which has obtained a mention in the Cancer section of the prestigious Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology journal, showed the relation between high levels of HuR protein and the malignancy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by means of a molecular mechanism – neddylation - totally novel in these kinds of tumour and effectively opens up new opportunities for the future development of potential therapeutic applications for patients with this pathology. The route also proved to have an application in cancer of the colon, given the high correlation between both types of tumour. Digestive Health News 2012-01-26T18:54:01-08:00 http://www.health.am/digestive/more/gerd-in-infants-and-children/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/gerd-in-infants-and-children/ Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close properly and stomach contents leak back, or reflux, into the esophagus. The LES is a ring of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus that acts like a valve between the esophagus and stomach. The esophagus carries food from the mouth to the stomach. When refluxed stomach acid touches the lining of the esophagus, it causes a burning sensation in the chest or throat called heartburn. The fluid may even be tasted in the back of the mouth, and this is called acid indigestion. Occasional heartburn is common but does not necessarily mean one has gastroesophageal reflux disease. Heartburn that occurs more than twice a week may be considered gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The main symptoms are persistent heartburn and acid regurgitation. Some people have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) without heartburn. Instead, they experience pain in the chest, hoarseness in the morning, or trouble swallowing. You may feel like you have food stuck in your throat or like you are choking or your throat is tight. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can also cause a dry cough and bad breath. Digestive Health News 2012-01-25T10:30:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/digestive/more/an-easier-way-to-remove-gallstones/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/an-easier-way-to-remove-gallstones/ For more than 100 years, the traditional treatment for the painful growths called gallstones has been removal of the gallbladder, or cholecystectomy. But a new device, patented in China, promises to make removing the entire organ unnecessary. A group of scientists from the Second People’s Hospital of Panyu District and Central South University in China have developed an endoscope specially designed for locating and clearing out gallstones and other gallbladder lesions. The authors describe the device in a paper accepted to the AIP’s Review of Scientific Instruments. A tiny ultrasonic probe at the tip of the endoscope locates gallstones, even small ones embedded in the organ’s lining. Surgeons can use the horn-shaped “absorbing box” to get rid of fine, difficult-to-remove “sludge-like” gallstones – which the authors say can be compared with “sand sprinkled on a carpet” – by sucking them out like a vacuum cleaner. A channel for fluids can inject water into the gallbladder to increase the size of the cavity for ease of performing a surgery, and all the interfaces on the device are standardized, so it can connect to camera systems worldwide. Clinical trials at two hospitals showed “no significant difference” in the surgical safety of the new method compared to another type of endoscope that is often used for cholecystectomies, the authors write. Furthermore, the authors report, the flexibility and reliability of the device was superior to existing devices, and the image quality was better as well. Approximately ten percent of the population suffers from gallstones, hard, pebble-like deposits that can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball.  Digestive Health News 2012-01-18T08:35:00-08:00 http://www.health.am/digestive/more/radical-liver-surgery-west-coast-first/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/radical-liver-surgery-west-coast-first/ A team led by Alan Hemming, MD, transplant surgeon at UC San Diego Health System, has successfully performed the west coast’s first ex-vivo liver resection, a radical procedure to completely remove and reconstruct a diseased liver and re-implant it without any tumors. The procedure saved the life of a 27-year old mother whose liver had been invaded by a painful tumor that crushed the organ and entangled its blood supply. “During a 9-hour surgery the team was able to remove the basketball-sized tumor,” said Hemming, professor and surgical director of the Center for Hepatobiliary Disease and Abdominal Transplantation (CHAT) at UC San Diego Health System. “This is a surgery that carries a 15 to 20 percent risk of mortality. In this case, the patient would not have survived if she did not have surgery. This was the only way we could save her liver and her life.” During the procedure, the diseased liver was detached from the body, flushed with preservation solution and cooled to a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. This allowed Hemming to carefully remove the tumor from the liver in a bloodless field while preserving vital structures. Hemming then removed the tumor which weighed as much as the liver itself. Once the tumor was removed, the vessels were meticulously reconstructed. The liver was then successfully reimplanted. Digestive Health News 2012-01-07T10:59:01-08:00 http://www.health.am/digestive/more/inflammatory-bowel-disease-emerges/ http://www.health.am/digestive/more/inflammatory-bowel-disease-emerges/ The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are increasing with time and in different regions around the world, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. “Insight into the worldwide epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease is important for the identification of geographic patterns and time trends,” said Gilaad G. Kaplan, MD, MPH, of the University of Calgary and lead author of this study. “Our findings will help researchers estimate the global public health burden of inflammatory bowel disease so that appropriate health-care resources are allocated, and targeted research is conducted in specific geographic regions,” added Dr. Kaplan, an Alberta Innovates—Health Solutions population health investigator. Population-based epidemiologic data of IBD collected in a standardized fashion in developing nations are sparse. To properly interpret the incidence or prevalence data and evaluate time trends, researchers conducted a systematic review of all population-based studies that describe the incidence and/or prevalence of IBD. They found that the incidence of IBD is increasing or stable in virtually every region of the world that has been studied. Digestive Health News 2012-01-06T09:30:01-08:00