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Researchers discover new stem cell mechanism in the gut

Your gut is a wondrous place. A special layer of cells that coats the insides of your small and large intestines takes in nutrients and water from what you ate while keeping anything bad out of your system.

13 Jul 2022

Researchers model a complex childhood disease on-a-chip

Millions of children in low- and middle-income nations suffer from environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine that is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old.

23 Jun 2022

Scientists explore triggers associated with transplacental transmission of SARS-CoV-2

A new study examines the risk of fetal SARS-CoV-2 infection following infection of a pregnant mother with the virus.

17 May 2022

Tabula sapiens, most comprehensive human cell atlas

In a recent study published in the journal Science, researchers created an atlas termed the Tabula sapiens for over 400 distinct cell types of humans. Several aspects of human physiology were revealed by the atlas, such as how different types of cells splice genes differently.

16 May 2022

Microbes can influence which of the gut's genes are being called into action

The microbes that help break down food actually tell the gut how to do its job better, according to a new study in mice at Duke.

13 May 2022

Intestinal cells can change specializations during their lives, finds study

Intestinal cells can change specializations during their lives. The BMP signaling pathway – an important communication mechanism between cells – appears to be the driver of these changes.

1 Mar 2022

Study reveals how high dietary fructose increases rates of obesity and cancers

Eating fructose appears to alter cells in the digestive tract in a way that enables it to take in more nutrients, according to a preclinical study from investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.

18 Aug 2021

Study sheds light on oral vaccine failure in mouse model of chronic gut disorder

A chronic gut disorder that occurs in regions with poor sanitation disrupts intestinal immune responses and impairs oral vaccine effectiveness in a mouse model of the disease, according to research led by UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists.

3 Aug 2021

How mass screening efforts have helped identify more cases of celiac disease in children

A new mass screening program of school-aged children in Italy found that the overall prevalence of celiac disease has almost doubled in the past 25 years.

4 Jun 2021

Mass screening reveals significantly higher numbers of coeliac disease cases in children

Mass screening of school age children has led to significantly higher numbers of coeliac disease cases being diagnosed, according to a new study presented today at the 6th World Congress of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

29 May 2021

New type of placental structure discovered in animals

The Cyclostomata is an ancient group of aquatic colonial suspension-feeders from the phylum Bryozoa. The fact that they have unique placentae has been discovered by researchers at St Petersburg University and the University of Vienna.

20 Apr 2021

Preclinical study uncovers how Zika virus passes from mother to fetus during pregnancy

A preclinical study by a University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine research team has discovered a new mechanism for how Zika virus can pass from mothers to their children during pregnancy - a process known as vertical transmission.

3 Feb 2021

Elevated ACE2 and inflammation levels increase risk for pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2

Among the hundred million or so cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that have occurred since the pandemic began, pregnant women have been a conspicuous risk group. However, the exact nature of the risk they and their fetuses face, and the mechanism by which it operates, is far from clear.

2 Feb 2021

COVID-19 during pregnancy shows no affect on placental structure and pathology

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv in August 2020 shows that the placenta in pregnant women infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) does not show any signs of abnormality that can be attributed to the infection.

14 Aug 2020

Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 placental infection in mild COVID-19

Now, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 reveals evidence of placental infection and hypoxia, despite the lack of serious symptoms in the mother.

16 Jul 2020

COVID-19 appears to attack the placenta in pregnant women

Pregnant women should take extra precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic. A new study shows that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), attacks the placenta.

26 May 2020

Researchers highlight the need to revise the protocol for detecting ZIKV infection in placenta

Shortly after the explosion in microcephaly cases caused by Zika virus in Brazil in 2015-16, several scientific studies were published with evidence that the pathogen is capable of crossing the human placenta, the organ that keeps the fetus connected to the mother's body during pregnancy.

20 May 2020

Nanoparticles containing gliadin could allow celiac disease patients to eat a normal diet

Celiac disease affects 0.3-2.4% of people in most countries world-wide, and approx. 2% in Finland. Celiac patients suffer from a variety of symptoms, typically intestinal complaints, such as diarrhea, but are often symptom-free.

27 Feb 2020

UChicago researchers develop first accurate mouse model of celiac disease

Researchers at the University of Chicago have developed the first truly accurate mouse model of celiac disease. The animals have the same genetic and immune system characteristics as humans who develop celiac after eating gluten. This provides a vital research tool for developing and testing new treatments for the disease.

12 Feb 2020

Modern wheat does not impair gastrointestinal health in mice compared with heirloom variety

Amid concerns about gluten sensitivity, increasing numbers of people are avoiding wheat. Most have not been diagnosed with a wheat-related medical condition, yet they seem to feel better when they don't eat gluten-containing foods.

18 Dec 2019