News • mRNA-based strategy
Cystic fibrosis: new study identifies gene therapy
Now, a new study identified a gene therapy for individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) caused by a specific mutation and for whom there was no treatment available until now.
Search for: "intestinal disease" - 157 articles found
News • Plasmid-specific ecological adaptation
How antimicrobial resistance spreads from gut bacteria to hospital superbugs
Researchers have uncovered how a high-risk class of genetic vectors can efficiently spread antibiotic resistance within the gut, enabling even highly virulent bacteria to acquire drug resistance.
News • Gastric multi-regional assembloid
Lab-grown mini-stomachs to boost understanding of rare diseases
A new type of lab-grown organoid that mimics the behaviour of a human stomach could boost the understanding of rare gastric diseases, researchers say.
News • Exploring the mutational landscape
Colorectal cancer: DNA testing unlocks hereditary clues
DNA analysis of colorectal polyps provides important additional information on the development of these polyps and colorectal cancer, research finds. This leads to better diagnostics and treatment.
News • When good bacteria fight back
Klebsiella strain to protect against IBD gut infections
New research shows that a harmless strain of Klebsiella – discovered by chance in laboratory experiments – can eliminate infections and reduce gut inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
News • Intestinal nervous system
Allergies: central role of the "gut brain" discovered
New insights into the intestinal nervous system – or "gut brain" – open new avenues for advancing therapies for allergies, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome.
News • Sex-specific dysregulation
Why women are three times more likely to get severe long Covid
New research reveals why women with long Covid — especially those who develop chronic fatigue syndrome — tend to experience more severe and persistent symptoms than men do.
News • Integration sites across anatomical sites
Where HIV hides in the body (and how to find it)
HIV manages to persist in the body for decades after infection and treatment. Now, researchers discovered that the virus cloaks itself in the DNA of infected cells using unique DNA patterns.
News • Microbiome
Fatty acids fuel cancer-promoting gut bacteria
TU München researchers discover how chronic cellular stress changes gut microbiome composition, promoting cancer development through altered lipid metabolism.
News • Crawling, walking, swinging devices
Magnetic microrobots can move through the body for targeted treatments
Microrobots formed in droplets could enable precision-targeted drug delivery, improving on IV drug delivery that sends only 0.7% of the drug to the target tissue, according to a recent study.
News • Weakened defenses
Antibiotics are not the only meds disrupting the gut microbiome
Antibiotics are known for disrupting the microbiome in the gut and thus paving the way for diseases. However, many common non-antibiotics also have this effect, a new study shows.
News • Early detection of life-threatening conditions
Newborn immune profiling to improve neonatal care
Newborns, especially those born prematurely, are vulnerable to conditions such as sepsis. A new device profiles an infant’s immune function from a single drop of blood to improve neonatal care.
News • Intestinal disease diagnosis
Next-generation tools find infections missed by standard tests
A University of Liverpool study has used advanced genetic and genomic techniques to offer a major step forward in understanding and diagnosing infectious intestinal diseases.
News • New organ-preserving options explored
Five major advances in anal and rectal cancer treatment with radiotherapy
From organ-preserving treatments to chemo-immunotherapy combinations: five studies presented at ESTRO 2025 showcase how radiotherapy is reshaping the treatment landscape for anal and rectal cancer.
News • Reduced need for follow-up treatments
Crohn's disease: Mesenteric-based surgery shows promise
Crohn’s disease is incurable, with high rates of recurrence. A new approach, involving surgical removal of the mesentery, dramatically reduces the possibility that follow-up surgery will be needed.
News • Role of the microbiome
Alzheimer's: X-rays unveil gut-brain connection
Researchers explore the connection between the gut and the brain and its impact on the onset of psychiatric and neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s.
News • Diagnostic tool approved
CE Mark for new GI motility testing system
Medtronic announced it has received CE Mark approval for its Endoflip 300 impedance planimetry system to measure pressure and dimensions in the oesophagus and pylorus in adults.
News • Tradefair programme overview
Don't miss: Hot issues, current trends and innovations at the Medica 2024 Labmed Forum
Skills shortages and digitalization, trends in cardiology and oncology, future prospects in laboratory medicine, and healthy aging – these pressing topics are at the forefront of discussions at this year’s Medica Labmed Forum.
News • Insights into bile production
Liver discovery could lead to better CVD treatments
A new discovery about how the liver flushes cholesterol from the body could lead to more effective treatments for cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death worldwide.
News • Microbiome research
Intensive research of intestinal microbiome: The vital role of small RNA in colonization
The gut microbiome varies from person to person in terms of the bacterial species represented and their colonization density. Segatella copri is the most prominent germ. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research goal to clarify its health significance.
News • Hydrogel catalyst
Breaking down alcohol in the body: Researchers develop "detox gel"
Researchers have developed a gel that breaks down alcohol in the GI tract without harming the body. In the future, people who take the gel could reduce the harmful and intoxicating effects of alcohol.
News • Clear cell renal cell cancer
Same-day imaging for ccRCC kidney cancer with new PET agent
A new study suggests superiority of the novel investigational PET imaging agent ⁶⁸Ga-DPI-4452 (Debio 0328) to standard CT imaging in the context of clear cell renal cell cancer (ccRCC).
News • On-demand reversibility
Anticoagulation with an ‘on/off’ switch
Researchers developed a new type of anticoagulant whose action can be rapidly stopped. This reversible activity could revolutionise the use of anticoagulants in surgery or other applications.
News • Transfusion medicine
One step closer to universal donor blood
Donor blood is a scarce and valuable resource. Researchers aim to mitigrate this by using enzymes to remove specific sugars that make up the A and B antigens in the human ABO blood groups.
News • Increased risk of infection
Researchers identify cause for immunodeficiency after stroke and heart attack
After a stroke or heart attack, the risk of infection is increased – however, why this happens was unknown. Now, researchers found a previously unknown cause – and a therapeutic approach.
News • Implant and app
New device monitors bladder fullness
A new bioelectronic sensor enables continuous monitoring of bladder function. This could be a game-changer for people with paralysis, spina bifida, bladder cancer or end-stage bladder disease.
News • Inflammatory flareup detection
Crohn's disease: Implantable sensor could lead to timelier treatment
A team of Northwestern University scientists has developed the first wireless, implantable temperature sensor to detect inflammatory flareups in patients with Crohn’s disease.
News • 3D tissue culture platform
"Mini liver" shows promise for drug discovery
A European team of researchers have successfully developed a new, living organ model which could advance rapid testing of new or common drugs to treat diseases of the liver.
News • Q&A on research, diagnosis, treatment
Endometriosis: More than just ‘painful periods’
Endometriosis, which can cause debilitating pain each menstrual cycle, as well as infertility, is often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. An expert from Yale Medicine sheds light on the condition.
News • Tubular tissue biofabrication
This 'RIFLE' aims towards creating lab-grown blood vessels
New technology that creates ultra-thin layers of human cells in tube-like structures could spur development of lifelike blood vessels and intestines in the lab.
News • Research on lymph node infiltration
Metastasis: Understanding breast cancer’s "Trojan horse"
Researchers have unveiled a key mechanism of breast cancer cells to infiltrate lymph nodes. The discovery may lead to new metastasis-blocking treatments and improve patients’ lives.
Article • Flow cytometry
Detecting and measuring nanoplastics in the blood stream
Plastics are a part of everyday life, and an increasingly concerning factor of global environmental pollution. They also have infiltrated our bodies as microparticles (MPs) and nanoparticles (NPs), found even in placentas supporting foetal life. And they are in our blood. Now, researchers in Spain have developed a new method to detect and measure nanoparticles in human peripheral blood that is…
News • Molecular and immunofluorescence imaging
Orion: A new tool for diagnosing cancer
Researchers at Harvard Medical School developed a new tool that promises to improve the way pathologists see and evaluate a tumor by providing detailed clues about the cancer.
News • Infection microbiology
Researchers discover a potential cause of Parkinson’s disease
Researchers at the University of Helsinki have demonstrated that certain strains of Desulfovibrio bacteria are the likely cause of Parkinson’s disease in most cases.
News • Breast cancer
Study shows: Association between antibiotics and an increased risk of death after breast cancer
Women with triple-negative breast cancer who received multiple antibiotic prescriptions within three years after their cancer diagnosis were more likely to experience disease recurrence and to die from their cancer.
News • Oncology & health informatics
Colon cancer: AI tool predicts survival, treatment response
A new artificial intelligence model could bring much-needed clarity to doctors delivering prognoses and deciding on treatments for patients with colorectal cancer.
News • Artifical Intelligence
The promise—and pitfalls—of medical AI headed our way
Doctors across all disciplines, with assistance from artificial intelligence, may soon have the ability to quickly consult a patient's entire medical file against the backdrop of all medical health care data and every published piece of medical literature online.
Video • Potential for all-in-one endoscopic surgical tool
Soft robot for 3D bioprinting inside the human body
Researchers at the University of New South Wales unveil prototype device that can directly 3D print living cells onto internal organs and potentially be used as an all-in-one endoscopic surgical tool.
News • Reduced postoperative complications
Colorectal cancer surgery: gut microbiota helps healing
In a promising study, Canadian researchers have shown for the first time in mice that modifying intestinal flora before surgery could reduce postoperative complications in colorectal cancer patients.
News • Infectious disease research
Hidden bacteria increases risk of antimicrobial resistant infection in hospital patients
Carriers of a specific bacteria have a 14% chance of developing an antibiotic resistant infection with 30 days of hospitalisation, according to new research from Amsterdam.
News • Intestinal distress
Multiple sclerosis: a closer look at the gut microbiome
Findings of bacteria with anti-inflammatory effects in the intestines of MS patients with no evidence of active disease indicate that diet, bacteria and disease progression are linked.
Article • Diagnostic assistant systems
AI in endoscopy: helper, trainer – influencer?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing its foothold in endoscopy. Although the algorithms often detect pathologies faster than humans, their use also generates new problems. PD Dr Alexander Hann from the University Hospital Würzburg points out that the use of AI helpers can affect not only the reporting of findings – but also the person making the findings.
News • Extended treatment
New trial doubles down on antibiotics against life threatening infections
Hospital patients who develop infections where 10% of sufferers die will be offered double the traditional course of antibiotics in a new trial.
News • Automated adenoma analysis
AI finds more precancerous polyps than traditional colonoscopy
Colonoscopies performed with AI support may yield an increase in the overall rate of detection of adenoma, or cancerous and precancerous polyps, by 27% in average-risk patients, according to new data.
News • World premiere
A liver was treated in a machine and successfully transplanted
The research team Liver4Life has treated an originally damaged human liver in a machine for three days outside a body and then implanted the recovered organ into a cancer patient.
Sponsored • Product of the month
New test with simplified preanalytics for simultaneous detection of GDH and toxins of Clostridioides difficile in compliance with recommendations
Sofia 2 C. difficile FIA is a new solution to provide reliable and rapid test results with high clinical relevance before empiric therapy decisions are implemented.
News • Metabolic disorders
Decoding a direct dialog between gut microbiota and brain
Hypothalamic neurons in an animal model directly detect variations in bacterial activity and adapt appetite and body temperature accordingly.
Article • ECR Round table discussion
Specialists build bridges in interventional oncology
Delivering a drug directly inside a lesion using minimally invasive procedures opens up new perspectives for patients and medical teams. At ECR Overture, experts looked at how to best join forces to advance the field of interventional oncology.
News • Connection between genes and disease severity
E. coli: How does an intestinal germ become a pathogen?
In the human intestine, Escherichia coli is mostly harmless, but in certain conditions causes bladder infections and even sepsis - but why? Researchers went to the bottom of this transformation.
News • Promising approach
‘Drug factory’ implants eliminate ovarian, colorectal cancer in mice
Bioengineers have shown they can eradicate advanced-stage ovarian and colorectal cancer in mice in as little as six days with a treatment that could be ready for human clinical trials later this year.
News • Tissue regeneration
Repairing intestinal damage with 3D cell transplants
Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) develop a protocol to transplant 3D cellular structures that could regenerate damaged intestine.
News • Chemotherapy approach
New receptor insights might leave cancer bitter
Bitter taste receptors do not only support humans in tasting. They are also found on cancer cells. A team led by Veronika Somoza from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna and the German Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has investigated the role they play there. For this purpose, the scientists compiled and evaluated extensive…
News • No more antibiotics?
AI identifies proteins causing intestinal disease
Researchers from Tel Aviv University have created an artificial intelligence platform that can identify the specific proteins that allow bacteria to infect the intestines.
News • Helminths
Worm infestation in the gut can lower viral defenses
Infection with parasitic intestinal worms (helminths) can apparently cause sexually transmitted viral in-fections to be much more severe elsewhere in the body. This is shown by a study led by the Universities of Cape Town and Bonn. According to the study, helminth-infected mice developed significantly more severe symptoms after infection with a genital herpes viruses (Herpes Simplex Virus). The…
News • Biochemistry
Potential trigger of Crohn’s disease found
Potentially game-changing research led by McMaster University scientists may finally bring relief to millions of people worldwide living with Crohn’s disease. Investigator Brian Coombes said his team identified a strain of adherent-invasive E-coli (AIEC) that is strongly implicated in the condition and is often found in the intestines of people with Crohn’s disease. “If you examine the gut…
News • Expert prediction
How will Covid affect cancer death rates in 2021?
Researchers have called on European policymakers to make adequate resources available to tackle pancreatic cancer, a disease that is almost invariably fatal and where little progress has been made over the past 40 years. In the latest predictions for cancer deaths in the EU and UK for 2021, published in the cancer journal Annals of Oncology, researchers led by Carlo La Vecchia (MD), a professor…
News • Genome study reveals
Blood group affects composition of intestinal microbiome
For several years, scientists worldwide have been investigating the extent to which microorganisms living in and on the human body influence central life processes and thus health and disease. Today they assume that there is a connection between the totality of the microbial colonization in the human body, called the microbiome, and the development of diseases. Chronic inflammatory bowel disease…
News • Tackling colon cancer
Researchers find 'Achilles’ heel' of cancer stem cells
Colon cancer stem cells have one weak spot: the enzyme Mll1. An MDC team led by Walter Birchmeier has now shown in Nature Communications that blocking this protein prevents the development of new tumors in the body. Since colonoscopies were introduced in Germany for early cancer detection, the number of diagnoses of advanced cancer every year has decreased, as precancerous lesions can now be…
News • Dementia study
Gut microbiota plays a role in the development of Alzheimer
Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. Still incurable, it directly affects nearly one million people in Europe, and indirectly millions of family members as well as society as a whole. In recent years, the scientific community has suspected that the gut microbiota plays a role in the development of the disease.
News • Human tissue
Intestinal organoids make animal experiments redundant
Researchers of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have cultured so-called intestinal organoids from human intestinal tissue, which is a common byproduct when performing bowel surgery.
News • Tumor growth
New insights into colorectal cancer
Researchers have found a surprising effect of the stem cell-regulating growth factor R-spondin in intestinal cancer.
News • Origins of the disease(s) explained
Parkinson's: not one, but two diseases?
Although the name may suggest otherwise, Parkinson's disease is not one but two diseases, starting either in the brain or in the intestines. Which explains why patients with Parkinson’s describe widely differing symptoms, and points towards personalised medicine as the way forward for people with Parkinson's disease. This is the conclusion of a study which has just been published in the leading…
News • Coronavirus
“Hotspots” of a corona infection in the human body
An infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can affect multiple organs. With this in mind, researchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Cornell University in the US have investigated cellular factors that could be significant for an infection. To this end, they analysed the activity of 28 specific genes in a wide range of human tissues.
News • Right in the guts
IBD: The late repercussions of early antibiotics use
Disruption of gut bacteria by antibiotics soon after birth can affect the maturation of the immune system, say researchers at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. Even short, single antibiotic courses given to young animals can predispose them to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when they are older, according to their research. The study, published in Genome Medicine, provides further evidence…
News • COVID-19 gateway
Nose cells identified as likely coronavirus entry points
Two specific cell types in the nose have been identified as likely initial infection points for COVID-19 coronavirus. Scientists discovered that goblet and ciliated cells in the nose have high levels of the entry proteins that the COVID-19 virus uses to get into our cells. The identification of these cells by researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University Medical Centre Groningen,…
News • Better diagnosis, better treatment
Prostate cancer deaths to decline (almost) everywhere in the EU
Death rates from prostate cancer are predicted to fall in 2020 in the EU, largely due to better diagnosis and treatment, according to new research published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology. In the latest predictions for cancer deaths in the EU for 2020, researchers led by Carlo La Vecchia (MD), Professor at the School of Medicine, University of Milan (Italy), show that since 2015…
News • Cause for colorectal carcinoma
Loss of protein can drive intestinal cancer
An international team of researchers from the University of Zurich, the University Hospital Zurich, Heidelberg and Glasgow has identified a novel function for the cell death regulating protein MCL1: It is essential in protecting the intestine against cancer development – independent of bacterial-driven inflammation. These findings have implications for the use of MCL1 inhibitors, currently…
News • Intestinal bacteria reprogram DNA activity
The uncanny influence of our gut flora
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem demonstrated in mice that intestinal bacteria reprogram DNA activity in cells of the gut mucosa and thus have a considerable impact on the development of the healthy gut.
News • Intestinal distress
Celiac disease: 'Reprogramming' the immune system to tolerate gluten
Celiac disease affects 0.3-2.4% of people in most countries world-wide, and approx. 2% in Finland. Celiac patients suffer from a variety of symptoms, typically intestinal complaints, such as diarrhea, but are often symptom-free. Immunologist Tobias Freitag co-developed and tested nanoparticles containing gliadin for the immunomodulatory treatment of celiac disease in Professor Seppo Meri’s…
News • Promising metabolite
Gut flora could hold the key for new diabetes treatments
An organic compound produced by the gut flora – the metabolite 4-Cresol – is considered to have protective effects against both type 1 and 2 diabetes, notably by stimulating the growth of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. This is according to a new study led by Inserm researcher Dominique Gauguier at the Environmental Toxicology, Therapeutic Targets, Cell Signaling and Biomarkers…
Article • Cystic lesions of the pancreas
A more complex question than ‘good’ vs ‘bad’
Cystic lesions of the pancreas can occur in many forms, not all of which pose a serious threat to the patient. A thorough diagnosis using multi-modality imaging is therefore indispensable to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions.
News • Obesity, heart disease, diabetes
Are NCD not so "non-communicable" after all?
Diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer or certain lung diseases are among the most common non-natural causes of death today and account for about 70 percent of deaths worldwide. They are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as non-communicable because they are assumed to be caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors and cannot be transmitted…
News • Boosting the microbiome
A vaccine against chronic inflammatory diseases
In animals, a vaccine modifying the composition and function of the gut microbiota provides protection against the onset of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and certain metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and obesity. This research was conducted by the team of Benoît Chassaing, Inserm researcher at Institut Cochin (Inserm/CNRS/Université de Paris), whose initial findings have been…
News • Tiny biomaterials
On the way to safer nanomedicine
Tiny particles that can fight cancer or that can easily pass through any interface within our body are a great promise for medicine. But there is little knowledge thus far about what exactly will happen to nanoparticles within our tissues and whether or not they can cause disease by themselves. Within an international research consortium, Empa scientists have now developed guidelines that should…
Article • Workforce challenges
Pathologists will hold a pivotal role
Amid ever-growing demand for services, significant challenges face the pathology workforce in the years ahead but – there are also good opportunities. With advances in technology and the advent of artificial intelligence as a decision-making support tool, Professor Jo Martin, President Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) in the UK, believes there remain opportunities for pathology to play a…
News • Reopening blood vessels
Microbubbles and ultrasound can help treat heart attacks
Doctors are using microbubbles and ultrasound to treat heart attacks – deploying these traditional diagnostic tools in an attempt to reopen tiny blood vessels, reduce scar size and restore heart function, according to a study described at a medical conference in Chicago. “This study shows for the first time that microbubbles can be used to both diagnose and treat small vessel obstructions…
News • The XX factor
XX chromosomes put women's hearts at risk
New research at the University of Kentucky has confirmed that the presence of XX sex chromosomes increases the amount of fat circulating in the blood, which leads to narrowing of the arteries and ultimately a higher risk of heart attacks and coronary artery disease. The research was published in Nature Communications. The leading cause of death in women is coronary artery disease (CAD), but women…
Video • Drug delivery, microsurgery
Microbots show promise in tumor treatment
Targeting medical treatment to an ailing body part is a practice as old as medicine itself. A Band-Aid is placed on a skinned knee. Drops go into itchy eyes. A broken arm goes into a cast. But often what ails us is inside the body and is not so easy to reach. In such cases, a treatment like surgery or chemotherapy might be called for. A pair of researchers in Caltech's Division of Engineering and…
Article • Detecting migrant health risks
‘Refugees do not bring diseases to western shores’
The migrant population is fast growing and heterogeneous. Experts at a session held during the European Congress of Radiology (ECR 2019) concluded that radiologists can play a key role in detecting and differentiating related diseases. Migration is a growing phenomenon and has an impact on health, according to Jozef Bartovic from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Copenhagen, Denmark.…
News • Research
Anxiety might be alleviated by regulating gut bacteria
People who experience anxiety symptoms might be helped by taking steps to regulate the microorganisms in their gut using probiotic and non-probiotic food and supplements, suggests a review of studies published in the journal General Psychiatry. Anxiety symptoms are common in people with mental diseases and a variety of physical disorders, especially in disorders that are related to stress.…
News • New discovery
Cancer drugs promote stem cell properties of colorectal cancer
Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and the Mannheim University Medical Center have now discovered that a certain group of cancer drugs (MEK Inhibitors) activates the cancer-promoting Wnt signalling pathway in colorectal cancer cells. This can lead to the accumulation of tumor cells with stem cell characteristics that are resistant to many…
News • Microbiome
Examining the "forgotten organ"
Shahid Umar, PhD, researcher with The University of Kansas Cancer Center, has dedicated two decades of his scientific exploration to better grasp the connection between colon cancer and the human microbiome. Called the “forgotten organ,” the microbiome comprises trillions and trillions of microbes, including bacteria, fungi and viruses, in our body.
News • Decreasing false positives
Improving diagnosis of colorectal cancer
Current faecal blood tests for colorectal cancer have a sixty percent false positive rate. New funding from Cancer Research UK is helping scientists at Cardiff University to find better, safer tests. Inaccuracy of initial tests for colorectal cancer are putting patients at unnecessary risk, highlighting vital need for the development of precise and non-invasive testing. A grant of over £400,000…
Article • Interdisciplinary
Exploring the human microbiome
During the International Forum for Laboratory Medicine, one seminar focused on infectious diseases. Professor André Gessner, from the Medical Microbiology and Hygiene Department at Regensburg University, lectured on ‘The human microbiome, an explosive ‘climate’ topic,’ he explained.
News • Colon cancer
The microbiota in the intestines fuels tumour growth
Cell stress in combination with an altered microbiota in the colon drives tumour growth. Previously, it was assumed that this combination only contributes to inflammatory intestinal diseases.
News • Research
Growing a human esophagus in the lab
Scientists working to bioengineer the entire human gastrointestinal system in a laboratory now report using pluripotent stem cells to grow human esophageal organoids.
News • Gastroenterology
High-fat diet can cause pancreatic cancer – but there's hope
A high-fat diet may promote the growth of pancreatic cancer independent of obesity because of the interaction between dietary fat and cholecystokinin (CCK), a digestive hormone. In addition, blocking CCK may help prevent the spread of pancreatic tumors to other areas of the body (metastases). The new findings are published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology—Gastrointestinal…
News • landmark study
Bladder cancer: Robotic surgery is as effective as open surgery
Robotic surgery is as effective as traditional open surgery in treating bladder cancer, according to a news study. 350 patients participated in the nationwide trial, who were randomly assigned to undergo robotic surgery or open surgery to remove cancerous bladders.
News • Smart pill
Swallowed sensor sends signal if you’re sick
Researcher have created an ingestible sensor to non-invasively monitor indicators of disease in the stomach and intestines.
News • Increasing prevalence
Oral antibiotics may raise risk of kidney stones - especially in kids
Pediatric researchers have found that children and adults treated with some oral antibiotics have a significantly higher risk of developing kidney stones. This is the first time that these medicines have been linked to this condition. The strongest risks appeared at younger ages and among patients most recently exposed to antibiotics. “The overall prevalence of kidney stones has risen by 70…
News • Bone health
Osteoporosis defined: causes, symptoms and treatments
Weak, easily broken bones are an epidemic in the United States. They’re often tied to osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to degenerate over time. This makes them less flexible, more brittle, and easier to break. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, more than 44 million Americans aged 50 and older either have or face the threat of developing osteoporosis due to low bone…
News • A disconcerting trend
Obesity is shifting cancer to young adults
A Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researcher has compiled evidence from more than 100 publications to show how obesity increases risk of 13 different cancers in young adults. The meta-analysis describes how obesity has shifted certain cancers to younger age groups, and intensified cellular mechanisms promoting the diseases. Cancer typically associated with older adults over 50…
News • Major success
Colorectal cancer deaths go down 7% - but it's too early to celebrate yet
The decline in cancer of the intestines – colorectal cancer – is one of the major success stories of the past 30 years in Europe say researchers, as they predict that in 2018 death rates from the disease will continue to fall by around seven per cent compared to 2012. In a study published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology, researchers predict that death rates in the European…
Article • Improved workflow
UK uptake increases in digital pathology
Professor Jo Martin, the newly-appointed President of the Royal College of Pathologists in the United Kingdom, believes the National Health Service (NHS) is on the brink of embracing digital pathology more widely. A number of UK laboratories, he explained, are adopting digital pathology in histopathology – in line with some labs in Sweden and Holland, where it has become routine – and the…
News • Experts' discussion
How to tackle parasitic worms
Parasitic worm infections – or helminthiases – affect more than one billion people and have a considerable public health impact in many parts of the world. In December 2017, international experts gather in Basel, Switzerland, to discuss new strategies to control and eliminate parasitic worms. The scientific symposium is hosted by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. Approximately…
News • Cancer research
Esophageal cancer “cell of origin” identified
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified cells in the upper digestive tract that can give rise to Barrett’s esophagus, a precursor to esophageal cancer. The discovery of this “cell of origin” promises to accelerate the development of more precise screening tools and therapies for Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma, the fastest growing form of…
News • Side effects
Do common acid reflux medications promote chronic liver disease?
Approximately 10 percent of the general population take a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drug to block stomach acid secretions and relieve symptoms of frequent heartburn, acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease. That percentage can be as much as seven times higher for people with chronic liver disease. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered…
News • Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4)
Obesity, fatty liver, insulin resistance: Liver enzyme might be to blame
German researches have linked the increased production of a certain enzyme in the liver to fatty liver and insulin resistance.
News • Before the Age of Dinosaurs
Antibiotic-resistant microbes date back to 450 MYA
Survival of mass extinctions helps to explain near indestructible properties of hospital superbugs.
News • Market Overview
Endoscopy Devices Market to Reach $40,854 Million, Globally, by 2022
Endoscopy Devices Market Report, published by Allied Market Research, forecasts that the global market is expected to garner $40,854 million by 2022 from $27,273 million in 2015, registering a CAGR of 5.7% during the period 2016 to 2022. The flexible endoscopes are expected to dominate the global endoscopy devices market. North America is projected to continue its lead, accounting for more than…
Article • Medication testing
The birth of the amazing organoids
Professor Hans Clevers, researcher and group leader at the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, the Netherlands, invented the organoids, a ground-breaking new technique to grow new ‘organs’ and to test medication.
Scientists tissue-engineer part of human stomach
Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center grew functional stomach and intestinal tissues to study diseases and new drugs. They use pluripotent stem cells to generate human stomach tissues in a petri dish that produce acid and digestive enzymes.
News • Medical sensation
The mesentery - The 'new' organ we didn't know we had
University of Limerick professor J Calvin Coffey has identified an emerging area of science having reclassified part of the digestive system as an organ.
Article • Knowledge
Complex interventions must be learned
Technological advances increasingly enable endoscopists to treat disease and perform surgical procedures. However, professionals must work hard to learn and maintain knowledge of complex interventions, says Dr Ferran González-Huix Lladó, President of the Spanish society of digestive endoscopy (SEED)
News • Bacteria
New discovery could change ICU care
No one knows for sure how they got there. But the discovery that bacteria that normally live in the gut can be detected in the lungs of critically ill people and animals could mean a lot for intensive care patients.
News • Bacteria
Revolutionary antibiotics will save the world
An international team of including the Lomonosov Moscow State University researchers discovered which enzyme enables Escherichia coli bacterium (E. coli) to breathe.
Interview • Tumour triggers
Can cancer be contagious?
No self-respecting TV crime series is without a pathologist – but the fictitious pathologist who incessantly solves crimes has little to do with reality.
News • E. coli
Using harmless bacteria to fight cancer
Several bacterial species have pledged promise in fighting tumors. However, most of them are pathogens. In order to use them as a weapon against cancer and other diseases in humans, researchers must find a balance between their therapeutic aggressiveness and safety for the patient. To overcome this problem, researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) have shifted their focus…
Sponsored • Update on X-Ray
Leading hospital installs new generation devices
The radiology department at the German hospital Asklepios-Klinik Lindau recently received the high-performance R/F table Sonialvision G4, a new generation of X-ray and fluoroscopy systems, which complements examination and therapy options, particularly in internal medicine, as well as general surgery and for spinal disorders, the manufacturer Shimadzu reports.
News • Discovery
Viruses flourish in guts of healthy babies
Bacteria aren’t the only nonhuman invaders to colonize the gut shortly after a baby’s birth. Viruses also set up house there, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. All together, these invisible residents are thought to play important roles in human health.
The mechanism that impairs blood flow with aging
With the world’s elderly population expected to double by 2050, understanding how aging affects the body is an important focus for researchers globally. Cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 cause of death worldwide, often is associated with aging arteries that restrict blood flow. Now, University of Missouri researchers have identified an age-related cause of arterial dysfunction, a finding that…
The role of the microbiota in preventing allergies
The human body is inhabited by billions of symbiotic bacteria, carrying a diversity that is unique to each individual. The microbiota is involved in many mechanisms, including digestion, vitamin synthesis and host defense. It is well established that a loss of bacterial symbionts promotes the development of allergies. Scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, at the Technical University of Munich…
Antibiotic exposure could increase risk of juvenile arthritis
Taking antibiotics may increase the risk that a child will develop juvenile arthritis, according to a study from Rutgers University, University of Pennsylvania and Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children published today in Pediatrics.
Article • Gentle intervention
Endoscopy jumps the boundaries
‘Health insurers should keep a tighter rein on the quality of endoscopic interventions because, mostly, they represent a gentler alternative to surgery,’ asserts international expert Horst Neuhaus, during an EH interview. Report: Daniela Zimmermann/Juliane Dannert
Article • Diabetes I
Diabetology news
The focus of the 2015 Diabetes Congress held in Berlin this May was ‘Personalised diabetes treatment: innovative – individual – sustained’. EH reports on points aired during the supporting press briefing. Report: Bettina Döbereiner
Unique bacterial fingerprint identified in systemic sclerosis
The results of a study presented today at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2015) Press Conference showed that people with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have a unique bacterial signature in their colon, when compared with healthy people.
News • Clostridium difficile
Evidence supports success of fecal transplants in treatment
Research published in the open access journal Microbiome offers new evidence for the success of fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) in treating severe Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), a growing problem worldwide that leads to thousands of fatalities every year.
News • New guidance
Contact precautions for hospital visitors
Leading infectious diseases experts have released new guidance for healthcare facilities looking to establish precautions for visitors of patients with infectious diseases. The guidance looks to reduce the potential for healthcare visitors in spreading dangerous bacteria within the healthcare facility and community. The recommendations are published online in Infection Control & Hospital…
Article • Diagnostics
Part II: Iron deficiency and anaemia
Iron deficiency and resulting anaemia cause fatal comorbidities worldwide. Despite this, they are generally underestimated. Professor Lothar Thomas, specialist in laboratory medicine at the Central Laboratory in the Frankfurt/Main University Hospital, is seeking more information about new laboratory parameters for diagnosis and monitoring of iron deficiency and iron substitution therapy. The…
News • Diabetes
Biomarker for steatohepatitis
40 percent of people in the EU suffer from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a disease which is becoming increasingly more frequent as a result of diabetes and excess weight in an affluent society.
News • Probiotics
New Guidelines for Allergic Disease Prevention
Allergic diseases represent a spectrum of health conditions and a worldwide burden in different populations. In the field of allergy and immunology the focus on prevention has become as important as effective disease management. Now for the first time there are guidelines that recommend proactive strategies for the prevention of allergic diseases. The World Allergy Organization (WAO) has…
News • Antibiotics
Antibiotic use by travelers may add to global spread of superbugs
Taking antibiotics for diarrhea may put travelers visiting developing parts of the world at higher risk for contracting superbugs and spreading these daunting drug-resistant bacteria to their home countries, according to a new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and now available online.
News • Research
New revolutionary culturing technique for liver and pancreas
Researchers at the Hubrecht Institute and the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht successfully developed a culturing system for human liver stem cells as well as stem cells from pancreatic cancer. They describe the development of these culturing systems in two articles in this week’s edition of Cell magazine.
Interview • Diagnostics
Iron deficiency and anaemia
Iron deficiency and resulting anaemia cause fatal comorbidities worldwide. Despite this, they are generally underestimated. Professor Lothar Thomas, specialist in laboratory medicine at Central Laboratory of the University Hospital of Frankfurt/Main, is calling for more information about the new laboratory parameters for diagnosis and monitoring of iron deficiency and iron substitution therapy.
Article • Technology
Wearable sensors
Wrist-watches, wrist and arm bands, tags, finger rings, clips, smart glasses, shoes, insoles, smart patches (as thermometers), sensors woven into fabrics for T-shirts and socks and, of course, implantable devices as well as ingested pills were displayed by 23 exhibitors in the Wearable Technologies Show at Medica this year. Report: Cornelia Wels-Maug
Endogenous bacteria
Is chlorhexidine still the best decolonisation method? For many decades decolonisation – be it selective intestinal, oral or skin decolonisation – has been the accepted procedure to prevent infections by endogenous bacteria. Report: Brigitte Dinkloh
Emerging and merging disciplines
Medicine as a profession has held a superior aloofness for many centuries, wary of losing its unique distinctiveness and esteem if ‘tainted’ with other professions.
Small bowel imaging
For gastrointestinal exams, MRI fluoroscopy offers an alternative to conventional methods of swallowing and gastric emptying that are so repugnant to patients.
Clostridium difficile infection
The realisation that the fight against C. difficile needs its own specific hygiene management dawned relatively recently. Up to the new millennium a common perception regarding European hospital infection prevention and control was that this bacterium was under control; it was considered a marginal phenomenon, which is why C. difficile was not the focus of problematic pathogen monitoring.
France: Transplant surgeons perform outstanding feats
Simultaneous surgical successes open new perspectives for multiple transplants
40 years of CT scanning
Forty years ago an article was published that would change medical practice. In the British Journal of Radiology, English electrical engineer Godfrey N Hounsfield described how he had made a patient’s brain visible non-invasively by evaluating a large number of X-ray images of the skull taken from different directions.
Building a clinical case for contrast-enhanced ultrasound
Adding micro-bubbles to the blood lights up the body for ultrasound scanners. Non-invasive, non-toxic and low-cost, these examinations present a disruptive, readily accessible technology for diagnosing disease. John Brosky reports
Contrast enhancement: CEUS proves to be a boon for abdominal diagnostics
The use of contrast agents in ultrasound imaging of the gastrointestinal tract is no longer limited to the liver, although the clinical results of hepatic applications continue to be those that are most comprehensively confirmed.
Trail blazing bariatric surgery devices
Major advances in Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) lead to a tremendous interest in new surgical endoscopes. The advantages of minimally invasive surgery via natural body orifices, such as the mouth, are obvious: less post-operative pain, a minor infection rate, minor incisional hernia, shorter hospitalisation and, finally, better cosmetic results. Karoline Laarmann reports
Diabesity surgery
Morbid obesity is a chronic, lifelong, multifactorial, constitutional disease with negative medical, psychological, physical, social and economic side-effects. Obesity-related secondary diseases are Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension or sleep apnoea. Report: Holger Zorn
The Confocal Laser Endomicroscope
A new technique to aid the early detection and diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease has been developed by UK and Germans researchers. The Confocal Laser Endomicroscope (CLE) contains a powerful microscope that allows clinicians to view bacteria in the intestine that are thought to trigger bowel diseases such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
Surgical staplers
Mechanical suturing tools are an indispensable part of modern surgery. Gastro-intestinal surgery as well as minimally invasive surgeries, would be unthinkable without this technology, a growing sub-market in an ever-growing industry, possibly driven by the patient’s benefit, writes Holger Zorn.
EASD 2010 review
7,000 people from 120 countries met in Stockholm this September to hear international experts discuss the progress, solutions and challenges of one of our greatest healthcare burdens. Prevention, self-monitoring, surgery, guidelines, economic problems, drug-safety, and co-morbidities – these are just a few of the problems associated with the care of about 55 million diabetics in Europe.
Article • Enzyme extended-spectrum beta-lactimase
ESBL: A greater danger than MRSA?
In hospitals, MRSA is considered Public Enemy Nr 1, and the increase in nosocomial infections, worldwide, has drawn universal attention to this ‘superbug’. However, Staphylococcus aureus is not alone – other pathogens are proving their resistance to antibiotics, in the last decade, gram-negative enterobacteria, which form the enzyme extended-spectrum beta-lactimases (ESBL), have joined the…
Type 2 diabetics have elevated risk of 24 types of cancer
Type 2 diabetics run an elevated risk of developing cancer, according to the world’s largest study on the combined risk of diabetes and cancer, conducted by scientists at the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ). The study focused on 24 types of cancer. The effect is most evident for liver cancer and pancreatic cancer. However, by contrast, diabetics have a significantly lower rate of prostate…
Colorectal cancer today and tomorrow
Colorectal cancer (CRC) jointly describes cancers of the colon and rectum. Worldwide, CRCs are among the most common cancers. In Europe and the USA the occurrence of CRCs are considerably higher than in Africa and Asia.
Meeting the needs of different cultures: Germany
Migrant medicine as a course for German medical students? This is a unique concept in a country where it is currently only being offered at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen.
A new imaging system for cancer
Accurate diagnostic analysis and staging of cancer of the bile duct still remains a challenge. According to a new study from Germany a new imaging system called Cellvizio allows physicians to examine tissue at the cellular level from inside the body may now enable them to diagnose one of the most difficult cancers to detect.
Article • MRgFUS
Successful therapy for uterine fibroids using MRgFUS
Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) therapy was introduced in June at the Amperklinikum in Dachau, near Munich, the third German site, after Berlin and Bochum for this new technology.
Infant receives first systemic therapy to treat RDEB
Children with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bulosa (RDEB) lack a protein that binds the skin to the body, resulting in fragile skin that sloughs off with little movement or friction.
Article • Neuropelveology
Forging links between neurology and surgery
Surgery in the lower pelvic region often involves injury to or severing of nerve tissue. As in chronic diseases of the nervous system, the result can be pain, sensory disturbances or loss of function. Up to now the poor view of the nerves, partially formed of fine interwoven networks, has been one of the major problems – exacerbated by the strict division of skills between neurologists and…
Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Endoscopic Ultrasound
Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is the combination of ultrasound and endoscopy, which allows placement of high-frequency transducers close to the intestinal wall and adjacent structures. As EUS enters its third decade, it is used for locoregional staging of many upper gastrointestinal malignancies, including cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, duodenum, ampulla of Vater, extrahepatic bile ducts and…
Increasing incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus
A new study from researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center shows the relation between chronic acid reflux and malignant mutation - and why an accurate therapy of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is of major importance.
Virtual Coloscopy
Increasingly more importance is being ascribed to early detection of colon carcinoma and of its precursor stages, since there has been a practically twofold increase in the incidence of this disease in Germany over the past 20 years. With a combination of 1. case history, 2. rectal palpation result, 3.'blood in stools' test (haemoccult) and 4. coloscopy, many conspicuous changes to the intestinal…
Article • Procedure update
Endoscopy in Lithuania
The well-known Whipple procedure, or pancreaticduodenectomy, recently underwent a transformation due to the skills of Nerijus Kaselis MD, Head of Abdominal and Endoscopic Surgery at Klaipeda District Hospital.
Acupuncture What others say
During the last ten years or so, there has been a convergence of modern international science with traditional Chinese medicine, with research carried out in physiology, biochemistry and pharmacology.
Measures to contain obesity
The World Health Organisation (WHO) quotes figures that indicate there are over one billion overweight adults spread across the world, as of 2007, with at least 300 million of these defined as clinically obese (as defined by a BMI (body mass index) of 30).
Current issues in contrast media administration - gadolinium compounds et alii*
Already in 1993, the world market for contrast media was thought to be worth $ 3 billion. In 2001, an astonishing 12.2 million contrast medium-supported CT studies were carried out in Europe alone. Currently, the overall sales of contrast media are estimated to rise to $ 915 million in Europe in 2008.
Drug, vaccine and surgery
Obesity is a burgeoning nightmare for everyone involved in healthcare delivery. New treatment possibilities can help to solve this probelm.
Pushing for prevention
At the 11th International MR Symposium radiologists were urged to co-ordinate a campaign to detect disease earlier, and a new 'tandem' concept for diagnosis and therapy was revealed.
Biotechnology for regenerative surgery
Tissue engineering caused a stir at the 34th Annual Meeting of the Germany Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
New approaches for gentler healing
By Professor Horst Neuhaus MD, Head of Internal Medicine at the Evangelical Hospital, Dusseldorf, describes highlights during April's 33rd Congress of the German Society of Endoscopy and Imaging Procedures (DGE-BV).
