Specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, Prometheus Laboratories Inc., announced results from two recent studies concerning the use of serologic testing to predict inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

In a medical first, researchers at UCLA have made a connection between intestinal inflammation and systemic chromosome damage in mice, a discovery that may pave the way for early identification and treatment of human inflammatory disorders, some of which raise the risk for various kinds of cancer, according a study published in Cancer Research.

Vitamin deficiency and less than optimal health are common problems for people with celiac disease, even those who faithfully follow a gluten-free diet. A recent clinical study has shown B vitamins to be beneficial for celiac disease sufferers following gluten-free diets.

A team of Austrian researchers recently set out to determine which noninvasive test for celiac disease is best for assessing mucosal status in people with celiac disease.

The latest antihuman tissue transglutaminase (tTG) IgA tests are reported to spot celiac disease with nearly 100% sensitivity and specificity. Also, a new generation of deamidated gliadin peptide (α-DGP) antibody tests is alleged to have sensitivity levels on par with the tTG IgA tests. However, in actual practice, sensitivity and specificity for these tests are often lower than claimed for trial conditions.

A recent study confirms that B-vitamin supplements are helpful in raising vitamin B6, B12 and folate levels and in reducing homocysteine levels in people with celiac disease.

A simple, reliable low-cost home screening test for celiac disease recently made its Canadian debut. The test works by metering gluten antibody levels from a tiny fingertip blood sample, and is the currently the only home celiac disease test kit approved by Health Canada.

Current medical wisdom dictates that once a person is diagnosed with celiac disease and experiences an improvement in symptoms by adopting a gluten-free diet, there is little need to undergo follow-up screening unless they experience a clear recurrence of symptoms. Some doctors are beginning to challenge that practice.

The emerging field of metabonomics offers a new way to understand celiac disease.

Dr. Anderson’s team has created a peptide-based therapeutic vaccine to treat the main problem T-cell epitopes of gluten. The vaccine has the potential to treat at about 80% of people with celiac disease and having the appropriate genetic background.