Gastroenterology

Pain Relievers Hike Flare Risk in Crohn's (CME/CE)
Regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had a significant association with active Crohn's disease but not ulcerative colitis, a cohort study showed. Among Crohn's patients who used NSAIDs at least five times a month, 23% had disease flares as compared with 15% of patients using NSAIDs less often or not at all (P=0.04). Any self-reported use of acetaminophen significantly increased the likelihood of a disease flare (20% versus 11% of nonusers, P=0.01).

In contrast, disease flares in ulcerative colitis were not associated with use of NSAIDs or acetaminophen, Millie Long, MD, of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill reported here at the American College of Gastroenterology meeting. MedPage Today

Stem cell transplant repairs damaged gut in mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease
A source of gut stem cells that can repair a type of inflammatory bowel disease when transplanted into mice has been identified by researchers at the Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute at the University of Cambridge and at BRIC, the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. The findings pave the way for patient-specific regenerative therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis. MedicalXpress

Potential new treatment for colitis
A drug currently on the market to treat leukemia reversed symptoms of colitis in lab tests, according to recently published findings by medical researchers with the University of Alberta. Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry researcher Shairaz Baksh published his team's discovery in the peer-reviewed journal, PLOS ONE. MedicalXpress