Colitis-Aid.com

Outlook for Crohn’s disease improves due to new therapiesA study led by Mayo Clinic has found that infliximab (Remicade®) administered alone (monotherapy) or in combination with azathioprine is a more effective treatment for patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease than azathioprine alone. These findings were presented today at the 2008 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Meeting.

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Vitamin D replacement may be necessary to reverse deficiency-related bone lossOrNew research presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Orlando found patients with inflammatory bowel disease or chronic liver disease were at increased risk of developing Vitamin D deficiencies. Two separate studies highlight the importance of regular Vitamin D checkups in the evaluation of patients with certain digestive diseases.

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Several studies presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando highlight the safety and efficacy of probiotics in improving symptoms and normalizing bowel movement frequency in patients suffering from constipation or diarrhea related to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).New Systematic Review of Probiotics in IBS

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A parasite that attacks, kills and eats human immune cells in the colon may be controllable through a protein.

The parasite is called entamoeba histolytica, an amoeba that causes inflammation of the colon (colitis) mainly in children. Globally, the infection affects 50 million people annually causing diarrhea, malfunction and death.

The parasite attacks human immune cells then hides the evidence by eating the cell corpses. Without the cell corpses, the immune system doesn’t know there are damaged cells and the disease spreads.

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Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic-relapsing diseases, the clinical courses of which are characterized by periods of remission and periods of acute flare up, determining clinical symptoms which have a strong impact on the quality of life for patients. For many years, corticosteroids have represented the cornerstone of therapy for induction of remission in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD); however, the side-effects emerging with long-term use exceeded the clinical benefits. Recently, Infliximab (IFX) has become an alternative choice in the treatment strategies for CD and UC. Some safety issues are associated with IFX use, mostly related to the development of adverse events (e.g. opportunistic infections, autoimmune disorders and infusion reactions). Major concerns are related to the reactivation of latent tuberculosis and development of malignancy, even if there is no clear evidence the use of IFX increases the incidence of solid cancers. The research published on issue 39 of World Journal of Gastroenterology and led by Renato Caviglia at University Campus Biomedico in Italy aimed to retrospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of long-term therapy with IFX, reviewing the medical charts of 41 IBD patients who received, after a loading dose of 3 IFX infusions, scheduled retreatment every 8 weeks as maintenance protocol. 

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The HealingCrow forum on Yahoo Groups found here is a great place for community support for IBD related diseases, the SCD diet and other medical and alternative medicine ideas.  The HealingCrow name comes from the organization http://www.healingcrow.com/.  The Healing Crow Inc. is a grassroots charity with a mission to inform the public about viable non-drug related approaches for treating chronic illnesses.

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As you have seen in my previous writings I am a big fan of the SCD diet.  There is another newer diet out their that has helped a lot of IBD sufferers as well as Autistic children called the Body Ecology Diet (BED) by Donna Gates. The Body Ecology Diet and book, shows you how to restore and maintain the important “inner ecology” your body (I am totally on board with this).

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TORONTO, July 5 /CNW/ - Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh have identified a previously unsuspected gene found to be associated with ulcerative colitis. This research is reported in the July 5 issue of Current Biology. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a chronic debilitating disease that affects the intestinal tract. The diseases can strike anyone at anytime and according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of Canada, approximately 170,000 Canadian men, women and children have IBD. The genetics and pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease have been well characterized with the discovery of several susceptibility genes. However, the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis has not been as clear. “We found a previously unsuspected gene called (PTPRS) that expresses an enzyme called PTPsigma,” said Dr. Daniela Rotin, the study’s corresponding author, senior scientist in Cell Biology at the SickKids Research Institute, professor of biochemistry at the University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Biochemistry and Signal Transduction. “This type of protein is important for the regulation of cell growth, mammalian development and cancer.” “Using animal models as well as genetic analysis on DNA samples collected from ulcerative colitis patients and their parents, we found that the DNA from the patients encodes a specific form of this enzyme that is missing a protein segment,” added Dr. Aleixo Muise, study lead author and clinical fellow in the Division of Gastroenterology at SickKids. Drs. Rotin and Muise believe that losing this particular protein segment may contribute to the development of ulcerative colitis. This discovery provides important and exciting insights into the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis and may lead to improvements in both the diagnosis and treatment of patients with colitis. Furthermore, this novel model will allow researchers to better understand the underlying defects in the gut associated with ulcerative colitis. Other researchers on this paper were Thomas Walters, Eytan Wine, Dan Turner, Bo-Yee Ngan, Anne M. Griffiths and Philip Sherman from SickKids, Richard H. Duerr and Miguel D. Regueiro of the University of Pittsburgh, Wei Xu of Princess Margaret Hospital, and Mark S. Silverberg of Mount Sinai Hospital. This research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of Canada, the Thrasher Foundation and SickKids Foundation. The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), affiliated with the University of Toronto, is Canada’s most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children’s health in the country. As innovators in child health, SickKids improves the health of children by integrating care, research and teaching. Our mission is to provide the best in complex and specialized care by creating scientific and clinical advancements, sharing our knowledge and expertise and championing the development of an accessible, comprehensive and sustainable child health system. For more information, please visit http://www.sickkids.ca/. SickKids is committed to healthier children for a better world.