by Fabio Chiesa
The gut and urogenital microbiota play a crucial role in the development and treatment of urogenital infections, revolutionizing the traditional perception of areas like the bladder, which were once considered sterile. This article explores how omics sciences are deepening our understanding of the human microbiota.
With the advancement of medicine, our population is undergoing a prolonged aging process. Over the next three decades, the global population aged over 65 years is set to more than double, reaching a staggering 1.5 billion individuals. The emergence of the gut microbiota as a potent modulator of healthy aging requires a concerted effort to allocate resources and research towards developing interventions aimed at promoting optimal gut health and longevity.
The bacteria that make up our gut microbiota lead a very active social life: they communicate and collaborate with each other, but also compete and keep each other in check. To a great extent, our health depends on this communication between them and with our cells. Hence, understanding how they relate to each other will be key to advancing toward the personalized medicine of the future.
by Mónica Quinzo
Anorexia nervosa is a common eating disorder in adolescent women, which has no successful treatment. New findings in humans and mice have found new links between an altered gut microbiota, appetite, and regulation of body weight in anorexia nervosa.
by Konstantina Zafeiropoulou
An international collaboration of scientists identified 248 viral families in nappy samples, 232 of which were never described before. Acknowledged for their contribution, these babies will be forever registered in the virome databases, as the scientists named the new families after their first names.
The microorganisms that live in and on our body have been implicated in a variety of health functions and diseases. Two microbiologists comment on certain common assumptions about the human microbiota, including that it weighs 2 kg and is altered in case of obesity.
by Andreu Prados
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has shown to be efficient in recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection and is being researched in clinical trials for other conditions, but its mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Two new studies shed light on factors that predict clinical success in FMT.
by Andreu Prados
Studying host-microbe interactions in controlled environments is a major challenge in the field of microbiome research. This article outlines the relevance, pros and cons of intestinal fermentation in in vitro models and provides an overview of their applications in microbiome research.
Dietary fibers, known to regulate intestinal inflammation and gut barrier functions, have been avoided by patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) to avoid flare-ups. However, recent findings suggest that if fiber type, patient immunological condition, and the fermentative ability of the gut microbiota are taken into account, they could be beneficial and prevent relapses.
Differences in the gut microbiota in patients with IBD compared to healthy controls suggest that probiotics may be of help. This article takes an in-depth look into the rationale of using probiotics for IBD and summarizes the evidence from recent clinical guidelines for the use of probiotics in Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and pouchitis.
