Cedars-Sinai research deepens understanding of most common gastrointestinal disorder in US
Linking it to bacterial overgrowth, food poisoning
2011-05-11
(Press-News.org) LOS ANGELES (May 10, 2011) – Cedars-Sinai researchers have reported two advances in the understanding of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the most common gastrointestinal disorder in the United States, affecting an estimated 30 million people.
One study provides further evidence that IBS is linked to an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut. In a separate study, a mathematical model reveals the disease's link to food poisoning and shows that military personnel are at a much higher risk for the disorder than the rest of the population.
"The better we understand this disease, which affects millions of Americans, the more tools we will have for fighting it," said Mark Pimentel, MD, director of the Cedars-Sinai GI Motility Program and a primary investigator on the studies. "Patients with this condition suffer serious quality of life issues. It's a disease that is frequently misunderstood and difficult for people to talk about, but it's important for the medical community to understand the causes of the disease so we can develop the most effective treatments possible."
The findings were reported at Digestive Disease Week, the world's largest gathering of physicians and researchers in gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. The May 7-10 conference occurred in Chicago. IBS is the most common gastrointestinal disorder in the United States, affecting more than 20 percent of the population. Doctors commonly categorize patients with a "constipation predominant" condition, a "diarrhea-predominant" condition, or an alternating pattern of diarrhea and constipation. These patients also often experience abdominal pain or cramps, excess gas or bloating, and visible abdominal distension.
In collaboration with researchers at Sismanogleion General Hospital in Athens, Greece, and at the University of Athens, scientists looked at small bowel cultures to confirm the presence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth – or SIBO – in patients with IBS. Previous studies have indicated that bacteria have a role in the disease, including breath tests finding methane (a byproduct of bacterial fermentation in the gut), as well as the disease responding to antibiotics. In this study, 320 patients underwent an endoscopy of their upper GI tract, from which a small bowel culture was cultivated. Of those patients with IBS, 37.5 percent were positive for bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, compared to fewer than 10 percent of those who did not have the disorder . The overgrowth was more prevalent in those with the diarrhea-predominant version of the disease. Researchers also found more different kinds of bacteria in IBS patients.
In a separate study, using a mathematical model, researchers concluded that food poisoning – gastroenteritis – may account for the majority of irritable bowel syndrome cases. Further, it predicts a greater incidence of the disease for populations at a higher risk of these kinds of infections, such as military personnel. The study was based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and other research studies. The model projects that 9 percent of those with a genetic predisposition would contract IBS after 10 years. However, among high risk groups such as deployed military, 9 percent of that population would develop the disease in a six month time frame.
"While everyone understands that our troops encounter great danger and difficult conditions while serving their country, this study reminds us that we need to pay greater attention to the dietary woes and digestive upsets that long have been the subject of wry discussion among overseas forces," Pimentel said of the study results.
###
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-05-11
As teens push their parents for more control over their lives, they use their peers as metrics to define appropriate levels of freedom and personal autonomy. They also tend to overestimate how much freedom their peers actually have. Those are the conclusions of new research that appears in the journal Child Development; the research was conducted at The Ohio State University.
Anyone who has parented a teen knows that expanding the boundaries of personal authority is a normal part of development. But we don't know a lot about how teens decide in which areas they want more ...
2011-05-11
We know that marriage problems can have a negative effect on families, especially children. Now a new study of more than 350 families has found that marital instability when children are 9 months old may also affect youngsters' sleep, predicting sleep problems when children are 18 months old. Specifically, instability in the parents' relationship when the children are 9 months old predicted difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep when they were 18 months old.
The findings appear in the journal Child Development. The study was conducted by researchers at the Oregon ...
2011-05-11
Cinema Online Casino has paid out over 100% in two out of four of its gaming categories. The casino games are divided into four categories, namely Poker Games, Table Games, Slot Games and All Other Games. In the categories of All Other Games payouts reached 100.10% and Table Games paid out 103.59% during the month of March, 2011.
Payouts at the casino are carefully monitored and regulated by an independent gaming authority. This gaming body ensures that payouts are fair and that players receive the winnings that they make. The casino needs to adhere to strict codes of ...
2011-05-11
The inability of individuals to remember the very earliest years of their lives, called infantile amnesia, has been studied for many years in adults, who seem to recall very little before ages 3 or 4. But children also experience infantile amnesia—and a new study out of Canada explores their experiences.
The study was conducted by researchers at Memorial University of Newfoundland and appears in the journal Child Development.
In the longitudinal study, researchers asked 140 children ages 4 to 13 to describe their three earliest memories. Two years later, they asked ...
2011-05-11
As children enter middle school, their engagement in school often declines and so does their achievement. A new longitudinal study looked at students in the United States and in China—two countries likely to have considerably different ideas about adolescence—to find that children who feel more responsible to their parents stay engaged in school and perform better.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Beijing Normal University. It appears in the journal Child Development.
Researchers ...
2011-05-11
Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Paul Angelchik, MD is pleased to announce an exclusive relationship with the high-end Canyon Falls Spa and Salon in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Angelchik will be providing cosmetic surgery consultations, laser treatments, injectable fillers, Obagi and medical-grade skin care products, and skin peels to the spa's loyal customer base. He will be available for weekend appointments on Saturdays and evening appointments on Thursdays.
Recognized as one of the top cosmetic surgeons in the country, Dr. Angelchik's involvement will broaden the ...
2011-05-11
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Couples having marital difficulties may have infants who are losing sleep, according to a new study – and that may have a continuing impact on the children.
Specifically, researchers found that marital instability when the child was ninth months old was related to child sleep problems at 18 months, including difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep, according to Anne Mannering, an Oregon State University faculty member in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences.
"If sleep problems persist, this can correlate with problems in school, ...
2011-05-11
VIDEO:
University of Calgary professor emeritus Dr. Stephen Herrero discusses new study of fatal black bear attacks in North America.
Click here for more information.
Fatal encounters with black bears have been exceedingly rare during the last century, but appear to be mainly the result of predatory male bears targeting humans in their wilderness home ranges, according to a new study led by the world's leading expert on bear attacks.
In an article published today in the Journal ...
2011-05-11
If a personal injury attorney determines that you do, indeed, have a valid personal injury case, then you will be entitled to damages. Damages are basically the expenses or losses you have incurred due to the negligence of the other person, and may include both economic and non-economic factors.
An economic expense or damage would be the cost of doctor visits, while a non-economic damage would be pain and suffering as that cannot be actually measured or assigned a cost like a doctor's visit can. The damages to which you will be entitled all depend on the injuries you ...
2011-05-11
New York, NY, May 11, 2011—The new health reform law will expand health insurance coverage to nearly all uninsured women and will make health care more affordable for millions of women through premium subsidies beginning in 2014 and new rules, some already in place, that will protect women from high costs, according to a Commonwealth Fund report released today.
The report finds that implementation of the Affordable Care Act is coming at a time when women are struggling to afford the health insurance and health care they need—an estimated 27 million women ages 19-64 were ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Cedars-Sinai research deepens understanding of most common gastrointestinal disorder in US
Linking it to bacterial overgrowth, food poisoning