The Journal of Infectious Diseases has released a special edition, Global Rotavirus Surveillance: Preparing for the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccines. This special edition provides a significant contribution to the understanding of rotavirus disease burden and the impact of rotavirus vaccines, which have the potential to save an estimated 228,000 lives annually.

Due to the increasing complexities of treating digestive diseases, allowing gastroenterological (GI) trainee physicians the opportunity to develop enhanced abilities and experiences in specific disease areas or procedures will be a great benefit to patients, according to a "Report of the Multisociety Task Force on GI Training." Additionally, GI training programs need to measure the achievements of trainees based on specific defined competencies rather than the duration of training alone.

Scientific American reports on a multiyear PLoS Medicine study, published on Monday, which "followed a nationwide public health campaign to increase zinc use for childhood diarrhea in Bangladesh." "A 10-day course of zinc tablets ...

Symbiotic bacteria, which thrive on all plants and animals, are a key yet poorly understood facet of our natural world. Living in symbiosis with their hosts, these bacteria perform a variety of useful functions, such as processing or "fixing" gaseous nitrogen into forms usable by plants, and helping break down fibrous foods in the digestive tract of animals.

A new study led by US researchers suggests that green tea extract may be a promsing agent for preventing oral cancer in patients with a pre-malignant condition known as oral leukoplakia.