Research
Glial cells crucial to maintaining healthy gut immunity
These cells have been found to coordinate the immune responses of the gut following pathogen invasion and could be key targets when exploring new treatments for inflammatory bowel conditions. Maintaining a healthy intestine and repairing tissue after infection or other types of injury is a complex process, and if this goes wrong, it can lead […]
Research
National health literacy programme for people living with IBD
Authors: Melanie Hawkins, Wayne Massuger, Christina Cheng, Roy Batterham, Gregory T Moore, Simon Knowles, Ranjit G Nadarajah, Leanne Raven, Richard H Osborne Introduction Non-government organisations (NGOs) represent the interests of the communities they serve, whether this be locally, nationally or internationally.1 The role of a community sector NGO is to give voice to its community through […]
Research
Study shows diet has ‘underappreciated role’ in treating ulcerative colitis
By Monica Stonehill “We evaluated whether integration of novel diets for donors and patients in addition to fecal transplantation (FT) could increase FT remission rate in refractory UC,” Chen Sarbagili Shabat, of the pediatric gastroenterology unit at Wolfson Medical Center’s PIBD Research Center in Holon, Israel, and colleagues wrote. “UCED alone appeared to achieve higher clinical remission and mucosal healing than […]
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New treatment for inflammatory bowel disease: opioids may cure that “bad gut feeling”
Opioid receptors play key roles in regulating our senses and emotions. Recently, their discovery outside the nervous system raised several questions about the effects of opioids on the immune system. Now, researchers from Japan have shown that KNT-127—a drug that targets delta opioid receptors—can reduce pro-inflammatory signals in the colon. Their research highlights the immunomodulatory […]
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Unique imaging technology to map cells tied to inflammatory bowel disease
New “maps” of hundreds of thousands of cells related to inflammatory bowel disease shed greater light on their effects on intestinal tissues through a newly utilized imaging technique called “imaging mass cytometry.” The novel findings by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania provide a possible path to better targeted […]
Research
Novel mechanism links genetic defect in IBD patients to gut leakiness
By Iqbal Pittalwala A team of researchers led by a biomedical scientist at the University of California, Riverside, has identified a novel mechanism by which loss-of-function mutations in the gene PTPN2, found in many patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, affect how intestinal epithelial cells maintain a barrier. The intestinal epithelium, a single layer […]
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Precursor to ulcerative colitis in healthy individuals years before onset of disease
By Maria Elisson Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with symptoms normally setting in between late adolescence and the age of 30. What causes it is not yet known, but there is lots to suggest that the disease is a result of an interplay between genetic and environmental factors and that gut flora […]
Research
High burden of ulcerative colitis in Australia
By Kenny Walter While the majority of patients are satisfied with ulcerative colitis (UC) treatments, the overall disease burden remains high in Australia. A team, led by Susan J. Connor, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, Liverpool Hospital, South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, evaluated the impact , perceptions […]
Research
People with IBD often have inadequate diets
By Kenny Walter It has been long known that diet decisions can increase the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but new research shows poor diet might also be common among patients diagnosed with the disease. A team, led by Kelly Lambert, School of Medicine, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, Illawarra Health and Medical Research […]
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Genetic mutation linked to rare inflammatory bowel disease
Scientists from Johns Hopkins Medicine, in collaboration with national and international researchers, have identified a genetic mutation in a small number of children with a rare type of inflammatory bowel disease. They say that this discovery could help to define the cause of more common bowel diseases and lead to more targeted treatments for gut conditions. The study has been […]
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