14 APR 2022 2:00 PM BY ELIZABETH PENNISI Gut bacteria can influence the brain’s temperature controls and stimulate nest-building in mice. KLEIN AND HUBERT/MINDEN PICTURES With more microbes than cells in our body, it’s not surprising that bacteria and other invisible “guests” influence our metabolism, immune system, and even our behavior. Now, researchers studying mice...
Antibiotics are life-saving drugs, but they can also harm the beneficial microbes in the human gut. Following antibiotic treatment, some patients are at risk of developing inflammation or opportunistic infections such as Clostridiodes difficile. Indiscriminate antibiotics on gut microbes can also contribute to the spread of resistance to the drugs. In an effort to reduce...
by Clarkson University Figure 1. A principal component analysis (PCA) for the 20 survey subjects. (A) clearly shows two distinct clusters: left blue and right red. (B) shows the average ± SD for each trait. MF, ME, PF, and PE were not significantly different between the two clusters. Credit: DOI: 10.3390/nu14030466 Clarkson University Associate Professor...
by University of Oregon Credit: CC0 Public Domain Sometimes, a gut feeling is literal. Nerves in the intestines help regulate the gut’s acidity, new research from the University of Oregon shows. That helps keep their bacterial communities in balance. “We found an unexpected connection between the nervous system of the intestine and the community of...
by Princeton University Princeton University researchers discovered that microbes living in the human digestive tract can inactivate the antidiabetic drug acarbose, which may affect the drug’s efficacy in patients and impact on the microbiome. By tracing the mechanism, the team identified a new microbiome-encoded enzyme, called Mak1, that modifies acarbose, causing its inactivation. This diagram depicts...
by Weizmann Institute of Science Gutting out the link between weight gain and smoking cessation. Credit: Weizmann Institute of Science Cigarette smoking, practiced by over a billion people worldwide, is considered a leading cause of disease, accounting for over six million deaths each year. Many people don’t quit smoking, despite expressing a desire to do...
by University of Chicago Medical Center Microglia in the brain of male mice with Alzheimer’s Disease have a “neurodegenerative” appearance and is associated with amyloid beta plaques in the brain (left) while treating the mice with antibiotics early in life leads to “neuroprotective” microglia and reduced amyloidosis (middle). The beneficial effects of antibiotics can be...
by Oregon State University Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain The health-enhancing performance of a compound found in hops is dependent upon its interactions with intestinal microorganisms, new research by Oregon State University shows. Understanding how xanthohumol, often abbreviated as XN, works is important for unlocking its potential to counter diet-induced obesity and the health risks associated with a global obesity epidemic,...
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M. D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER HOUSTON – Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found specific intestinal microbiota signatures correlate with high-grade adverse events and response to combined CTLA-4 and PD-1 blockade treatment. The study, published today in Nature Medicine, also identified a potential new strategy to treat toxicity – while maintaining response...
by Cleveland Clinic New findings from Cleveland Clinic researchers show for the first time that the gut microbiome impacts stroke severity and functional impairment following stroke. Credit: Cleveland Clinic New findings from Cleveland Clinic researchers show for the first time that the gut microbiome impacts stroke severity and functional impairment following stroke. The results, published in Cell Host & Microbe, lay...
