hEALTH

INTESTINAL TRACT

Irritable bowel syndrome - IBS

10-20 % of all people have problems commonly known as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): chronic abdominal cramping and diarrhea, alternating with obstipation, without any organic finding. In most cases, stress or-the-like is the suspected cause.

Bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine

A new study monitored 202 patients with irritable bowel syndrome. 78 % of these showed a bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. After treatment with antibiotics for 10 days, many or all symptoms disappeared.
This study suggests a correlation between bacterial overgrowth and irritable bowel syndrome. In general, bacteria growing in the intestine do not cause disturbances, because they are transported out of the body by the regular contraction of the intestine. In certain cases, this mechanism may be disordered, which should be reconstituted by antibiotic medication.

Eradication of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Pimentel M, Chow EJ, Lin HC.
Am J Gastroenterol 95: 3503-6 (2000).

New proteins found which act on bowel contraction

By screening the genomic databases, researchers cloned and expressed two human proteins called prokineticins. Similar to a nontoxic protein of mamba snake venom and a frog skin secretion protein, these human proteins specifically contract gastrointestinal smooth muscle. The authors place emphasis on the hope that prokineticins “should provide novel therapeutic agents for disorders involving impaired gastrointestinal motility”.

Identification of two prokineticin cDNAs: recombinant proteins potently contract gastrointestinal smooth muscle.
Li M, Bullock CM, Knauer DJ, Ehlert FJ, Zhou QY.
Mol Pharmacol 59: 692-8 (2001).

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