C. difficile infection rates climbed annually from 2000 to 2010, and in 2011 caused almost 500,000 illnesses and killed about 29,000 people in the US according to the CDC. However, preliminary analysis of data from the CDC’s Emerging Infections Program showed that the rate of new Clostridium difficile infections in hospitals and nursing homes nationwide
Considerable interest has arisen in recent years regarding the role of the human microbiome in health and disease, including in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a category of disease that includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease and is thought to result from the interplay between immune system alterations, environmental triggers, genetic factors, and the interaction
Patients with recurrent episodes of hepatic encephalopathy experience cognitive improvements and significantly fewer hospitalizations after fecal microbiota transplantation than after standard care, according to a phase 1 study designed to evaluate the safety of this treatment. Fecal microbiota transplantation “is a safe procedure in this population with advanced hepatic encephalopathy,” said Jasmohan Bajaj, MD, from
There is an old saying that brains are baffled by the end product of a bull’s digestion. But a similar product, from carefully selected human donors, might reduce recurrent hepatic encephalopathy in liver disease patients and protect their brains, according to Jasmohan Bajaj, MD, of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. “This is the first
Study links extended antibiotic use to higher risk of colon polyps A study in the journal Gut found women who took oral antibiotics for at least two weeks in their 20s through 50s increased their risk of colon polyps in their 60s, compared with not taking the drugs for extended periods of time. “This suggests
Are home gut microbiome test kits reliable?
- For Medical Professionals
- General GI
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Microbiome
- Nutrition
Experts question value of at-home gut microbiome test kits The idea that different types of bacteria in the human gut play a role in health and disease is driving a new trend in consumer-oriented health-care kits. Startups are offering new services to analyze the complex community of microörganisms that live in the digestive tract—called the
Researchers said Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis have distinct microbiomes, which could help physicians differentiate between them and reduce the use of diagnostic endoscopy. The study reported in the journal Gut included analysis of 2,045 fecal samples and showed patients with Crohn’s had less microbial diversity and a less stable microbiome compared with UC patients.
Rob Knight gives an outstanding overview of how the microbiome affects our health and much, much more in this timely summary.
Researchers say gallstone and heart disease association highlights a connection between the gut and the cardiovascular system. People who’ve ever suffered gallstones may have a slightly increased risk of developing heart disease down the road, a large new study suggests. This is especially true in women. Researchers suggested that changes in the gut’s microbiome may
