Vitamin D supplements could ease irritable bowel syndrome

Vitamin D supplements could ease painful Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS symptoms. Scientists from the University's Department of Oncology and Metabolism reviewed and integrated all available research on vitamin D and IBS. The study showed a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in IBS patients. They also assessed the possible benefits of vitamin D supplements on IBS symptoms. Their findings suggested supplements may help to ease symptoms which can include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. Vitamin D was shown to have the most benefit on quality of life in IBS.

People with IBS should have their vitamin D levels tested and a large majority of them would benefit from supplements. IBS is a poor condition which impacts severely on the quality of life of sufferers. There is no single known cause and no cure. IBS is a debilitating functional disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Little is known about why and how the condition develops, although it is known that diet and stress can make symptoms worse.

Vitamin D is essential for general wellbeing, including bone health, immune function, mental health as well as gut health. Vitamin D inadequacy can be remedied relatively easily with supplements if diagnosed. Low vitamin D status has already been associated with the risk of colorectal cancer and has been implicated in inflammatory bowel disease.
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Magnetically applied MicroRNAs may relieve constipation

Constipation is an underestimated and debilitating medical issue related to the opioid epidemic. As a growing concern, researchers look to new tools to help patients with this side effect of opioid use and aging. Both constipation and incontinence, although multifactorial, have also been associated with the problems related to the regulation of a ring of smooth muscle around the anal opening termed, the internal anal sphincter.

 Unlike the way we can clench muscles just by thinking about them, smooth muscle is a type of muscle that we can't control with our thoughts. Using a new technique to deliver gene-therapy-like intervention directly where it's needed, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University successfully increased or decreased the muscle tone of the anal sphincter in appropriate animal models. These studies could have implications in treating constipation or incontinence.

Reserchers used altered copies of the body's own genetic make-up - small RNA fragments (microRNAs) that regulate the target gene RhoA/ROCK - in order to strengthen or weaken the muscle tone of the sphincter. But rather than simply inject the agent, where it could have spread through the tissue to affect other regions, the investigators kept the microRNAs localized to the ring of muscle. They did this by first injecting the microRNAs mixed with micro metal beads, and then kept them localized to the sphincter with a magnet.

This innovative yet simple approach was more effective at keeping the microRNAs in the right place than injecting the microRNAs alone. Because sphincters also keep food in the stomach from rising up the esophagus, using a similar approach has additional implications in the lower esophageal sphincter where its localized stimulation could help prevent acid reflux in difficult-to-treat cases.
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Ozempic for treating type 2 diabetes

Ozempic is an injectable prescription medicine for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is not recommended as the first choice of medicine for treating diabetes. Ozempic is not a substitute for insulin and is not for use in people with type 1 diabetes or people with diabetic ketoacidosis.Active Ingredient: semaglutide. Inactive Ingredients: disodium phosphate dihydrate, propylene glycol, phenol and water for injection.

Ozempic (semaglutide) injection 0.5 mg or 1 mg, a once-weekly glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor agonist for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes. Do not share your Ozempic pen with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them. Ozempic may cause serious side effects, including: Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer.

Ozempic and other similar medicines caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if Ozempic will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people. Do not use this medicine if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).

Ozempic is injected under the skin (subcutaneously) of  stomach (abdomen), thigh, or upper arm. Do not inject Ozempic into a muscle or vein. Use Ozempic one time each week, on the same day each week, at any time of the day. You may change the day of the week you use Ozempic as long as your last dose was given two or more days before. If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as possible within five days after the missed dose. If more than five days have passed, skip the missed dose and take your next dose on the regularly scheduled day.

Ozempic may be taken with or without food. Do not mix insulin and Ozempic together in the same injection. You may give an injection of Ozempic and insulin in the same body area (such as your stomach area), but not right next to each other. Change (rotate) your injection site with each injection. Do not use the same site for each injection.
Common side effects of Ozempic include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain and constipation.
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Sublocade for treating opioid use disorder

Food and Drug Administration has approved Sublocade, the first once-monthly injectable buprenorphine product for the treatment of moderate-to-severe opioid use disorder (OUD) in adult patients who have initiated treatment with a transmucosal (absorbed through mucus membrane) buprenorphine-containing product.

It is indicated for patients that have been on a stable dose of buprenorphine treatment for a minimum of seven days.
Buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD is currently approved to administer as a tablet or film that dissolves in the mouth, or as an implant. Sublocade provides a new treatment option for patients in recovery who may value the benefits of a once-monthly injection compared to other forms of buprenorphine, such as reducing the burden of taking medication daily as prescribed.

Sublocade is a drug-device combination product that utilizes buprenorphine and the Atrigel Delivery System in a pre-filled syringe. It is injected by a health care professional (HCP) under the skin (subcutaneously) as a solution, and the delivery system forms a solid deposit, or depot, containing buprenorphine. After initial formation of the depot, buprenorphine is released by the breakdown (biodegradation) of the depot. In clinical trials, Sublocade provided sustained therapeutic plasma levels of buprenorphine over the one-month dosing interval.

The safety and efficacy of Sublocade were evaluated in two clinical studies (one randomized controlled clinical trial and one open-label clinical trial) of 848 adults with a diagnosis of moderate-to-severe OUD who began treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual film (absorbed under the tongue). Once the dose was determined stable, patients were given Sublocade by injection. A response to MAT was measured by urine drug screening and self-reporting of illicit opioid use during the six-month treatment period.

The most common side effects from treatment with Sublocade include constipation, nausea, vomiting, headache, drowsiness, injection site pain, itching (pruritus) at the injection site and abnormal liver function tests. The safety and efficacy of Sublocade have not been established in children or adolescents less than 17 years of age. Clinical studies of Sublocade did not include participants over the age of 65.
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New drug for sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder in which the red blood cells are abnormally shaped. This restricts the flow in blood vessels and limits oxygen delivery to the body’s tissues, causing to severe pain and organ damage.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Endari (L- glutamine oral powder) for patients five years and above  with sickle cell disease to reduce severe complications associated with the blood disorder.

The average life expectancy for sickle cell patients is 40 to 60 years. Common side effects of Endari are constipation, nausea, headache, abdominal pain, cough and pain in the extremities
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