Gastrointestinal Microbiome

Perceived stress and certain gastrointestinal factors were linked to menopausal symptoms, with reproductive stages, physical activity, BMI and previously diagnosed depression or anxiety affecting symptom severity, researchers reported.

MONTEREY, Calif. — While the gut microbial composition of individuals with early markers of Sjögren’s syndrome differed from that of a control group in a study presented here, no apparent dry eye microbiome signature was seen.

Recently, the small intestine bacterial overgrowth breath test was launched by Cedars-Sinai to diagnose small intestine bacterial overgrowth related to irritable bowel syndrome.

Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease compiled a list of the top five stories posted in October.

News that Stelara — a treatment that has been commercially available to treat Crohn’s disease for more than 3 years — was approved by the FDA to treat ulcerative colitis was one of the top stories in gastroenterology last week.

An NIH-funded study published in Nature Microbiology further highlighted the dangers of prolonged antibiotic use during infancy. Researchers found that infants who were heavily treated with antibiotics had reduced gut microbiota diversity and increased resistance genes to several antimicrobial agents.

Adults who ate a vegan diet lost more weight and experienced improved insulin sensitivity compared with those who maintained regular dietary habits, and effects of the diet on the gut microbiota may have influenced these results, according to findings presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting.

Healthy adults who take broad-spectrum antibiotics may impair their body’s immune response to influenza vaccination, according to findings from a small study published in Cell.

Analyzing bacteria in the gut, researchers have determined that patients presenting with hypertension plus depression may have an entirely different disease than those with hypertension alone, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s 2019 Hypertension Scientific Sessions.

The intrigue surrounding the use of fecal microbiota transplantation to treat various gastrointestinal disorders and infections has intensified over the last several years.