Potential New Drugs For Fox Tapeworm Infection In Humans
Scientists are reporting development and testing of a new series of drugs that could finally stop the fox tapeworm - which causes a rare but life-threatening disease in humans - dead in its tracks...

The Importance Of Human Breast Milk Ingredient In Gastrointestinal Health
A new University of Illinois study shows that human milk oligosaccharides, or HMO, produce short-chain fatty acids that feed a beneficial microbial population in the infant gut. Not only that, the bacterial composition adjusts as the baby grows older and its needs change...

Aortic Aneurysm Treatment Monitored By Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound is an effective, noninvasive method for monitoring patients who undergo endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology. "Our findings support the addition of contrast-enhanced ultrasound as a complementary tool in the follow-up of these patients," said Rosa Gilabert, M.D., Ph.D...

Unnecessary CT Scans Reduced In ER Patients With Abdominal Pain
A new electronic medical record tool that tallies patients' previous radiation exposure from CT scans helps reduce potentially unnecessary use of the tests among emergency room patients with abdominal pain, according to a study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine...

Unsedated Transnasal Endoscopy To Screen For Esophageal Disease Is Safe And Feasible
Researchers report that unsedated transnasal endoscopy is a feasible, safe, and well-tolerated method to screen for esophageal disease in a primary care population. This study is the largest reported experience with transnasal endoscopy in the United States...

Gut Bacteria Help Fend Off Invaders, Suggesting Ways To Prevent Or Treat The Effects Of Some Dangerous Forms Of E. coli
From tiny villages in developing nations to suburban kitchens in the United States, dangerous strains of E. coli bacteria sicken millions of people each year - and kill untold numbers of children...

Study Of Marine Worm Community Improves Understanding Of Symbiosis In Human Gut
Techniques used by researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory to analyze a simple marine worm and its resident bacteria could accelerate efforts to understand more complex microbial communities such as those found in humans...

Probiotics Reduce Diarrhea From Antibiotic Use Risk
A study published in the May 9 issue of JAMA reveals that eating probiotic foods (live microorganisms), such as yogurt, reduces the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, a prevalent side effect of antibiotic use...

Source Of Norovirus Outbreak Traced To Reusable Grocery Bag
Oregon investigators recently mapped the trail of an outbreak of a nasty stomach bug among participants in a girls' soccer tournament to a reusable open top grocery bag stored in a hotel bathroom. Their findings, which illustrate the role that inanimate objects can play in spreading norovirus infection, appear in The Journal of Infectious Diseases...

Consumption Of Probiotics Associated With Reduced Risk Of Diarrhea From Antibiotic Use
Consuming probiotics reduces the risk of diarrhea caused by antibiotic usage, researchers from RAND Health, Santa Monica, California reported in Jama (Journal of the American Medical Association). Probiotics are microbes that protect their host and prevent diseases. The most common probiotic is Lactobacillus acidophilus, which is common in yogurt and acidophilus milk...

In Infants, Gut Flora Affects Maturation Of B Cells
Infants whose gut is colonised by E. coli bacteria early in life have a higher number of memory B cells in their blood, reveals a study of infants carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden...

Newborns With Missing Spleen - Genetic Link Identified
A study published online in the May 3 edition of Developmental Cell reveals that researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College and the Rockefeller University have identified the first gene, called Nkx2.5, which is associated with a rare condition called congenital asplenia, in which babies are born without a spleen...

Method Of Detecting Low-Level Exposure To Seafood Toxin In Marine Animals
NOAA scientists and their colleagues have discovered a biological marker in the blood of laboratory zebrafish and marine mammals that shows when they have been repeatedly exposed to low levels of domoic acid, which is potentially toxic at high levels...

Identification Of Genetic Mutations That Cause Intestinal Obstruction
A research group from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Soroka University Medical Center led by Prof. Ohad Birk has discovered genetic mutations that lead to intestinal blockages in newborns from two Bedouin tribes in Israel. The new paper published in the American Journal of Human Genetics identifies mutations in gene GUCY2C that abrogates its function...

"Ex Vivo" Surgery Enables Removal Of Previously Inoperable Tumors Of The Abdomen
Abdominal tumors involving both roots of the celiac and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) are deemed unresectable by conventional surgical methods, as removal would cause necrosis of the organs that are supplied by those blood vessels...