Gastrointestinal Tract News and Research

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New model, C. elegans, helps pursue research on Parkinson's disease

A tiny worm called the C. elegans is enabling scientists to explore the emerging theory that Parkinson's disease starts in the gut.

1 Mar 2023

Adults struggling with chronic constipation benefit from a vibrating capsule

A vibrating capsule designed to stir the colon to action appears to double the ability for adults struggling with debilitating chronic constipation to defecate more normally and without drugs, researchers report.

22 Feb 2023

New center at UCLA focuses on the microbiome’s role in disease prevention

Among the most promising areas of scientific inquiry is the study of the human microbiome and its effect on health. To fuel more rapid progress in this field, Andrea and Donald Goodman and Renee and Meyer Luskin have made a $20 million gift to establish the UCLA Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center.

16 Feb 2023

Grasping how a biological pathway causes stem cells to regenerate or die

According to a recent study conducted by Cedars-Sinai and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), altering a cellular process can cause stem cells, which are the cells that give rise to all other types of body cells, to either die or regenerate.

18 Jan 2023

New biobattery could power ingestible cameras in the small intestine

Tech companies have developed many devices that work outside the body, such as cell phones, smart watches, tablets and hundreds of others. Inside the body, though? That's obviously trickier for several reasons, but power for a device is a big one.

14 Dec 2022

Pill-shaped ingestible biosensing system enables continuous monitoring in the intestinal environment

Engineering researchers have developed a battery-free, pill-shaped ingestible biosensing system designed to provide continuous monitoring in the intestinal environment.

6 Dec 2022

Acute infection disrupts the healthy balance between the good and bad gut microbes

Rutgers researchers examined the impact of COVID-19 on patients’ microbiomes, the group of microbes that live in and on the human body.

From Rutgers University 30 Nov 2022

A gene’s function in embryonic development

An international study led by the medical school at the University of Bonn has discovered a gene that is crucial to the growth of the human embryo. Abnormalities of different organ systems may occur if it is changed.

16 Nov 2022

Short-term tomato consumption alters gut bacteria toward a more favorable profile

Two weeks of eating a diet heavy in tomatoes increased the diversity of gut microbes and altered gut bacteria toward a more favorable profile in young pigs, researchers found.

9 Nov 2022

Low protein synthesis in humans causes rare intestinal disease

According to a recent study, which will be published on November 1st, 2022, by Yun-Fei Li of Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Hangzhou, China, and colleagues, a decrease in protein synthesis in growing gut cells contributes to a rare genetic condition, and an affordable nutritional supplement could help reverse that decrease.

3 Nov 2022

Losing endangered fruit-eating animals could disrupt seed-dispersal networks in the Atlantic Forest

A new study by researchers at the University of Washington shows that losing a particular group of endangered animals -; those that eat fruit and help disperse the seeds of trees and other plants -; could severely disrupt seed-dispersal networks in the Atlantic Forest, a shrinking stretch of tropical forest and critical biodiversity hotspot on the coast of Brazil.

13 Oct 2022

New method identifies human gut microbes that contribute to inflammatory diseases

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai have created a way to determine the human gut microorganisms that are most likely to cause a variety of inflammatory disorders, including obesity, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and several neurological conditions.

22 Aug 2022

Extract from the roots of Rhodiola rosea may be effective for managing type 2 diabetes

A team of researchers led by the University of California, Irvine has discovered that treatment with an extract from the roots of the Rhodiola rosea plant might be effective for helping manage type 2 diabetes, showing promise as a safe and effective non-pharmaceutical alternative.

16 Aug 2022

New polymer material may pave the way for development of electronic pills and drug implants

Biomedicines are produced by living cells and are used to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases among other things.

17 Jun 2022

Enzymes found in capybara gut can promote the application of agroindustrial waste

One option to reduce dependence on oil and other fossil fuels is to transform agroindustrial waste into molecules of interest to society, like biofuels and biochemicals.

10 May 2022

Microcolonies in the GI tract comprise an important niche for cell-cell signaling and plasmid transfer

Published in Nature Communications, research from the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic sought to understand how microbial communities help people resist pathogens.

11 Apr 2022

Researchers study how trypanosomes change the predatory bug’s intestinal microbiota

In Central and South America, predatory blood-sucking bugs transmit the causative agent of the widely prevalent Chagas disease.

22 Mar 2022

Researchers uncover the genetic variant link to fatal esophageal disease in dogs

Researchers from Clemson University have found a genetic variation linked to a potentially fatal esophageal disease common in German shepherd dogs.

14 Mar 2022

Study analyzes the mechanisms that orchestrate the transition from feeding to courtship

The link between nutrition and mating is not limited to humans; it can be found in animals from all over the world.

From UC San Diego 14 Feb 2022

Groundbreaking discovery could lead to the design of novel therapeutics for wound-healing

An international team led by the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has discovered novel properties of the protein Gasdermin B that promotes repair of cells lining the gastrointestinal tract in people with chronic inflammatory disorders like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

8 Feb 2022