PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Targeted antibiotic drug safest among recommended treatments for irritable bowel disease

Among the most commonly used treatments for IBS, a targeted antibiotic was shown to be the safest in a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers

2011-11-03
(Press-News.org) LOS ANGELES (Nov. 1, 2011) – Among the most commonly used treatments for irritable bowel syndrome – which affects as many as 20 percent of the United States population – a targeted antibiotic was shown to be the safest in a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers, based on an analysis of 26 large-scale clinical trials.

The study, for presentation at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting in Washington, D.C., examined drug interventions for IBS deemed to be of merit by a task force of the group . The study compared the therapies based on "number needed to harm statistics" from large clinical trials. In evaluating a drug's effectiveness, two common measures are the number needed to treat (the average number of patients who must take a therapy before one is treated successfully) and the number needed to harm (how many patients must be treated before the adverse effects of a therapy are bad enough that one patient drops the medication).

"For patients who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, historically effective treatment options have been very scarce," said Mark Pimentel, MD, director of the G.I. Motility Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a lead author on the study. "Unfortunately, many of the treatments approved for IBS cause intolerable complications for many patients. This underscores the need for us to continue to seek new therapies for this disease, which dramatically harms quality of life for millions of people."

The study looked at the most common and highly rated treatments for the condition. Three of these treatments are for diarrhea-predominant IBS: tricyclic antidepressants; alosetron – a drug that slows movement of stool in the gut; and rifaximin, an antibiotic absorbed only in the gut. The difference among these drugs was striking. For tricyclic inhibitors, the number needed to harm was 18.3, while the number needed to harm for alosetron was 19.4. For rifaximin, the number needed to harm was 8,971.

The study also found that for every 2.3 and 2.6 patients who benefitted from tricyclic inhibitors and alosetron respectively, one patient was harmed by the study medication and had to withdraw. For rifaximin, this number was 897.

"This further validates previous research we've done on rifaximin as a safe and effective treatment for IBS," Pimentel said. "Now, not only have our previous clinical studies shown that this selectively absorbed antibiotic is the first treatment for IBS patients in which patients continue to have relief from their symptoms after stopping the drug – compared to other available treatments for the condition, it statistically has caused fewer adverse side effects."

In an article published earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine, the ground-breaking therapy developed at Cedars-Sinai found through two double-blind trials that patients who suffered from diarrhea prominent IBS reported relief from bloating, less abdominal pain and improved stool consistency for up to 10 weeks. While the concept of bacteria playing a key role in IBS was controversial when first unveiled a decade ago, this research confirms that bacteria in the gut trigger the symptoms of the chronic condition, affecting an estimated 30 million people in the United States.

Rifaximin is marketed by Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc. Pimentel discovered the use of rifaximin for IBS, and Cedars-Sinai holds patent rights to this discovery and has licensed rights to the invention to Salix. Dr. Pimentel is a consultant to Salix Inc, and serves on its scientific advisory board.

###

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Starving prostate cancer

2011-11-03
Each year about 3300 Australian men die of prostate cancer. It's Australia's second worst cancer killer for men, matching the impact of breast cancer on women. Current therapies for prostate cancer include surgical removal of the prostate, radiation, freezing the tumour or cutting off the supply of the hormone testosterone—but there are often side-effects including incontinence and impotence. Growing cells need an essential nutrient, the amino acid called leucine, which is pumped into the cell by specialised proteins. And this could be prostate cancer's weak link. ...

Technology makes storing radioactive waste safer

2011-11-03
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) researchers have developed new technology capable of removing radioactive material from contaminated water and aiding clean-up efforts following nuclear disasters. The innovation could also solve the problem of how to clean up millions of tonnes of water contaminated by dangerous radioactive material and safely store the concentrated waste. Professor Huai-Yong Zhu from QUT Chemistry said the world-first intelligent absorbent, which uses titanate nanofibre and nanotube technology, differed from current clean-up methods, such ...

Is that a robot in your suitcase?

Is that a robot in your suitcase?
2011-11-03
A flying robot as small as a dinner plate that can zoom to hard-to-reach places and a fleet of eco-friendly robotic farm-hands are just two of the exciting projects the robotics team at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), based in Brisbane, Australia, is working on. The pint-sized propellor-powered robots can be packed away into a suitcase. They have multiple cameras which enable them to 'see' the world around them as they navigate their way through buildings, carrying out tasks like deliveries or inspections. "You'll be able to put your suitcase on the ground, ...

Digital media a factor in ferocity of political campaigns

Digital media a factor in ferocity of political campaigns
2011-11-03
A University of Missouri study of recent political blogs indicates politics are getting nastier due to digital media, which are segmenting people into polarized interest groups. The researcher recommends a balanced approach to finding information in order to return civility to political discourse, which is at the heart of democracy. "One side is going to lose in every political discussion," said Ben Warner, associate professor of communication in the MU College of Arts and Science. "The danger with this open hostility found in digital media toward the other side in politics ...

Study shows that fast-food dining is most popular for those with middle incomes

2011-11-03
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A new national study of eating out and income shows that fast-food dining becomes more common as earnings increase from low to middle incomes, weakening the popular notion that fast food should be blamed for higher rates of obesity among the poor. "There is a correlation between obesity and lower income, but it cannot be solely attributed to restaurant choice," said J. Paul Leigh, professor of public health sciences at UC Davis and senior author of the study, which is published online in Population Health Management. "Fast-food dining is most popular ...

Hospital tests reveal the secrets of an Egyptian mummy

Hospital tests reveal the secrets of an Egyptian mummy
2011-11-03
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — An ancient Egyptian mummy has had quite an afterlife, traveling more than 6,000 miles, spending six decades in private hands, and finally, in 1989, finding a home at the World Heritage Museum (now the Spurlock Museum) at the University of Illinois. The mummy's travels did not end there, however. It has made two trips to a local hospital – once in 1990 and again this year – for some not-so-routine medical exams. Egyptologists, a radiologist, a pathologist, a physical anthropologist and a mummy expert are using the best diagnostic tools available to learn ...

VLT observations of gamma-ray burst reveal surprising ingredients of early galaxies

VLT observations of gamma-ray burst reveal surprising ingredients of early galaxies
2011-11-03
Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest explosions in the Universe [1]. They are first spotted by orbiting observatories that detect the initial short burst of gamma rays. After their positions have been pinned down, they are then immediately studied using large ground-based telescopes that can detect the visible-light and infrared afterglows that the bursts emit over the succeeding hours and days. One such burst, called GRB 090323 [2], was first spotted by the NASA Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. Very soon afterwards it was picked up by the X-ray detector on NASA's Swift satellite ...

Rhode Island Hospital study finds legalizing medical marijuana does not increase use among youth

2011-11-03
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Rhode Island Hospital physician/researcher will present findings from a study investigating whether legalizing medical marijuana in Rhode Island will increase its use among youths. Lead author Esther Choo, M.D., M.P.H., will present the findings of the study at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Exposition on November 2. Choo, an emergency medicine physician with Rhode Island Hospital, and her coauthors explain that the state-level legalization of medical marijuana has raised concerns about increased accessibility and appeal ...

Global flu watch: Report of rare flu coinfection in Southeast Asia hot spot

2011-11-03
(Deerfield, Ill., USA – November 2, 2011) Researchers conducting influenza-like illness surveillance in Cambodia have confirmed a rare incidence of individuals becoming infected with a seasonal influenza and the pandemic strain at the same time, a reminder of the ongoing risk of distinct flu viruses combining in human hosts to produce a more lethal strain, according to a report in the November issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. A pandemic strain is a type of flu against which people have little or no natural immunity. While the individuals ...

Essential Holiday Dog Bite Prevention Tips from Doggone Safe

Essential Holiday Dog Bite Prevention Tips from Doggone Safe
2011-11-03
Visiting family and friends is part of the holiday season. Changes in routines, crowded rooms, unattended food and excited children can often lead to miscommunication between the resident dog and guests. Doggone Safe offers tips to keep kids and dogs safe over the holidays. Public service announcements for radio are available for live reads or as WAV files for download from www.doggonesafe.com. Family gatherings at a relative's house are the source of fond memories for many. The relative's dog may not enjoy these events as much as the rest of the family. Noise, confusion ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people

Discovery of bacteria's defence against viruses becomes a piece of the puzzle against resistance

Pre-eclampsia is associated with earlier onset and higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors

Warwick astronomers discover doomed pair of spiralling stars on our cosmic doorstep

Soil conditions significantly increase rainfall in world’s megastorm hotspots

NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody yield high response rates in patients with lymphoma

Planetary health diet and mediterranean diet associated with similar survival and sustainability benefits

Singapore launches national standard to validate antimicrobial disinfectant products

Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV

Suspected fibrocartilaginous embolus in Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus)

Enhancing heat transfer using the turbulent flow of viscoelastic fluids

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

[Press-News.org] Targeted antibiotic drug safest among recommended treatments for irritable bowel disease
Among the most commonly used treatments for IBS, a targeted antibiotic was shown to be the safest in a new study by Cedars-Sinai researchers