Immunology

Adhesion protein optimizes border

The epithelial cells that line the intestines build a specialized cell surface—the "brush border"—that processes and absorbs nutrients, and defends against pathogens. The brush border consists of thousands of finger-like ...

Medical research

Using intestinal organoids to study salmonella

One of the main causes of food poisoning is Salmonella enterica. This bacterium infects cells in the intestinal epithelium that lines our gut, leading to painful stomach cramps, diarrhoea and fever. One major difficulty in ...

Oncology & Cancer

US approves pill camera to screen colon (Update)

A kinder, gentler approach to one of the most dreaded exams in medicine is on the way: U.S. regulators have cleared a bite-size camera to help screen patients who have trouble with colonoscopies.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

Diagnosing neurocysticercosis

The pork tapeworm (Taenia solium) can grow to be more than 20 feet long inside the human intestine, where it attaches to the intestinal wall using the 4 suckers on its scolex, which is only 1 millimeter in diameter. The scolex ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Is ketamine an antidepressant, wellness trend or dangerous drug?

When an autopsy revealed that actor Matthew Perry died of "acute effects of ketamine," it put fresh attention on an ongoing debate in the field of psychiatry: What's the right balance between expanding access to a drug that ...

Gastroenterology

Novel microfluidic device models gut neuro-epithelial connections

Epithelial cells and sensory neurons communicate through neuro-epithelial connections in the GI tract, essential for major senses and digestion. Studying these interactions has been complicated due to the differing needs ...

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