BioLineRx announced that it has licensed an experimental immunotherapy drug from Yissum Research Development Company Ltd which is the business side of Hebrew University of Jerusalem(Israel).
The drug is currently known as “BL-7040” & BioLineRx has plans to further develop & commercialize the drug worldwide. BL-7040 is an experimental drug that is still in testing, but it has already passed Phase Ib & Phase IIa clinical trials. Officially it won’t be known how well BL-7040 works until it’s subjected to Phase IIb clinical trials. However, Prof. Hermona Soreq sounds optimistic on the drug’s efficacy:
The efficacy of BL-7040 in these [earlier] studies was shown to be highly significant and comparable to that of dexamethasone, a steroid used routinely for IBD that has multiple side effects. Continue reading “BioLineRX’s TLR-9 Immunotherapy For Inflammatory Bowel Disease” »
A study by Liaoning University of Chinese Medicine suggests that acupuncture may have a positive effect for those with diarrhea predominate Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
The study took 30 male rats & put them through various stressors such as drinking water deprivation, electric shock & uncomfortable temperature variations. The rats were then divided into two groups, with 20 rats acting as the baseline model for the study while the other 10 were selected to receive acupuncture. The acupuncture was administered to the following acupuncture “channels”: “Xiajiao” (Lower Abdomen), “Dachang” (Large Intestine), “Gan” (Liver) and “Pi” (Spleen). Acupuncture treatments were given twice daily for seven days.
The results showed that the rats who did not receive acupuncture saw a downgraded level of serotonin transporters. Meanwhile, rats who did receive acupuncture saw markedly higher levels of serotonin transporters versus the model group. Continue reading “Acupuncture May Help Regulate Serotonin Levels In Those With IBS” »
A recent study looked at the effectiveness of two offline therapies, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Stress Management Therapy, in an online setting.
The 195 participants in the study were assigned to either an online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy course or an online Stress Management Therapy course. Both courses lasted for 10-weeks. The courses consisted of self-help reading material along with course participants interacting with each other & a professional therapist via online messaging. Once the courses were done participants were questioned on their IBS symptoms, they were questioned again 6-months later.
The immediate results after either course suggested that both therapies provided “adequate relief”. However interviews 6-months later point towards Cognitive Behavioral Therapy having the beneficial edge at 67% reporting IBS symptom control, compared to 45% for those who took the Stress Management Therapy course. Continue reading “Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Be Effective for IBS” »