Eating a Western diet impairs the immune system in the gut in ways that could increase risk of infection and inflammatory bowel disease, according to a study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Cleveland Clinic.
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At a glance:
Researchers identify links between genetic makeup of bacteria in human gut and several human diseases
Clusters of bacterial genes present in conditions including cardiovascular illness, inflammatory bowel disease, liver cirrhosis, and cancer
Work brings scientist closer to developing tests that could predict disease risk or identify disease presence based on a sampling of the genetic makeup of a person’s microbiome
Scientists are rapidly gathering evidence that variants of gut microbiomes, the collections of bacteria and other microbes in our digestive systems, may play harmful roles in diabetes and other diseases.
Researchers examined prenatal stool (meconium) samples collected from 20 babies during breech Cesarean delivery. By including only breech caesarean deliveries in healthy pregnant women they were able to avoid the transmission of bacteria that occurs naturally during a vaginal birth.
AstaReal, pioneer and global leader in the production of natural astaxanthin, has always strived for excellence and advancement of natural astaxanthin research and product development.
The University of Chicago Medicine is launching an innovative center that will research how infant health can impact an individuals’ health throughout their lifetime.
Wildfires affect both the visible parts of plants and the plant microbiome. Understanding these effects helps scientists mitigate the effects of wildfires. This research examined microbial DNA samples from tissues of young quaking aspen saplings after a prescribed burn. Aspen relies largely on fire to regenerate. This work demonstrates that fire affects the entire plant microbiome, not just nearby soil.
Martin J. Blaser, MD, has been awarded the 2020 Prize Medal by the Microbiology Society of Great Britain in recognition of his study of the microbiome and its interactions within the human body that provide protection against and lead to disease. Dr. Blaser, the Henry Rutgers Chair of the Human Microbiome and professor of medicine and microbiology at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and director of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, joins a storied list of scientists, including Nobel Prize recipients, who also have been recognized with the Prize Medal due to the impact their work has had on medicine and the care of patients worldwide.
Infants born by cesarean section have a relatively meager array of bacteria in the gut. But by the age of three to five years they are broadly in line with their peers.
UC San Diego scientists have taken the connection between wisdom, loneliness and biology one step further, reporting that wisdom and loneliness appear to influence — and/or be influenced by — microbial diversity of the gut.
The Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Yardena Samuels, Prof. Eran Segal, and Dr. Ravid Straussman, with partners at MD Anderson Cancer Center, the NCI, and elsewhere, have discovered that the bacteria living inside cancer cells can be harnessed to provoke an immune reaction against the tumor. The work could also help explain findings showing that the microbiome affects the success of immunotherapy.
Viruses are the most numerous biological entities on the planet. Now researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have identified over 140,000 viral species living in the human gut, more than half of which have never been seen before.
An international team of scientists has determined how harmless E. coli gut bacteria in chickens can easily pick up the genes required to evolve to cause a life-threatening infection.
The healthy human oral microbiome consists of not just clean teeth and firm gums, but also bacteria living in an environment where they constantly communicate with the immune system. A growing body of evidence has shown that this system is highly influential on, and influenced by, our overall health.
A phase II clinical trial shows that changing the gut microbiome through fecal transplant can transform cancer patients who never responded to immunotherapy into patients who do.
These news briefs cover topics including gut microbes, tsetse flies in 3D, an energy use framework for heating and cooling, and new gravitational lensing candidates.
Sediments on the ocean floor contain large amounts of methane. Two groups of microbes work together in symbiosis to break down this methane in oxygen-deprived sediments. New research shows that both groups can fix nitrogen to satisfy their need for nutrients from methane. This helps the microbes hedge against changes in their environment.
A new study out of the University of Chicago and Stanford University on pairs of twins with and without food allergies has identified potential microbial players in this condition.
Chemicals used for vaping break down zipper-like junctions between cells in the gut, leading to chronic inflammation and potential for other health concerns.
A microbe found in the colon and commonly associated with the development of colitis and colon cancer also may play a role in the development of some breast cancers, according to new research from investigators with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. Breast tissue cells exposed to this toxin retain a long-term memory, increasing the risk for disease.
The human body is filled with friendly bacteria. However, some of these microorganisms, such as Veillonella parvula, may be too nice. These peaceful bacteria engage in a one-sided relationship with pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis, helping the germ multiply and cause gum disease, according to a new University at Buffalo-led study.
Texas Biomedical Research Institute Associate Professor Corinna Ross, PhD, is a principal investigator on a $3.38 million National Institutes of Health multi-investigator grant to study “microbiome-mediated therapies for aging and healthspan” in marmosets, which are small monkeys native to South America and are becoming increasingly more important in aging and infectious disease research. Dr. Ross is partnering with University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Kelly Reveles, PharmD, PhD.
A new study out of UChicago and the Marine Biological Laboratory used state-of-the-art sequencing technology to deep-screen the genomes of microbes known as TM7 present in the mouth. This approach determined that TM7 species living on the tongue more closely resembled those found in the GI tract, while TM7 species in dental plaque more closely resembled environmental species, providing a hint at how plaque may have played a role in microbial colonization of the body.
The bacteria, yeast and viruses that make up the human microbiome affect physical health, behavior and emotions. Some microbes in the human microbiome prosper when the body is under stress, while other microbes contribute to buffering the body against stress. Evolutionary theory suggests reciprocal relationships between microbes in the human body and stress; these relationships can possibly be harnessed to promote physical and mental health.
An enzyme in the colon lining releases hydrogen peroxide – a known disinfecting compound- to protect the body from gut microbial communities. Findings from the UC Davis Health study points to importance of considering a different approach to treating gut inflammation and bacterial imbalance in the colon.
What happens when different strains of bacteria are present in the same system? Do they co-exist? Do the strongest survive? In a microbial game of rock-paper-scissors, researchers at the University of California San Diego’s BioCircuits Institute uncovered a surprising answer.
When Stephanie Song ’19 started working in the microbiome program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, as a summer intern after her sophomore year at Wellesley, she didn’t have any research experience.
In children with autism, repetitive behaviors and gastrointestinal problems may be connected, new research has found. The study found that increased severity of other autism symptoms was also associated with more severe constipation, stomach pain and other gut difficulties.
Two Pacific Northwest National Laboratory researchers, one a world-leading authority on microorganisms and their impact on soil and human health, and the other an expert on coastal ecosystem restoration, have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
UC San Diego researchers discovered that the makeup of a person’s gut microbiome is linked to their levels of active vitamin D, and revealed a new understanding of vitamin D and how it’s typically measured.
The work of Leonardo Da Vinci is an invaluable heritage of the 15th century. From engineering to anatomy, the master paved the way for many scientific disciplines.
By combing the ocean for antimicrobials, scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have discovered a new antifungal compound that efficiently targets multi-drug-resistant strains of deadly fungi without toxic side effects in mice.
Hertz Fellow Cheri Ackerman, Cofounder and CEO of Concerto Biosciences, has received the Hertz Foundation’s Harold Newman and David Galas Entrepreneurial Initiative Award. She plans to use the $25,000 grant to help her company find solutions for human health and agriculture using unique ensembles of microbes.
Scientists have discovered how a common virus in the human gut infects and takes over bacterial cells – a finding that could be used to control the composition of the gut microbiome, which is important for human health. The Rutgers co-authored research, which could aid efforts to engineer beneficial bacteria that produce medicines and fuels and clean up pollutants, is published in the journal Nature.
Cornell University food scientists confirm that the grain teff helps the stomach and enhances the nutritional value of iron and zinc, according to a new modeling method.
Advanced X-ray techniques yield insights into a bacterial enzyme that turns methane gas into liquid fuel, and a genome resource expands known diversity of bacteria and archaea by 44%