Nutrients drive cellular reprogramming in the intestine
Researchers have unveiled an intriguing phenomenon of cellular reprogramming in mature adult organs, shedding light on a novel mechanism of adaptive growth. The study, which was conducted on fruit flies (Drosophila), provides further insights into dedifferentiation — where specialized cells that have specific functions transform into less specialized, undifferentiated cells like stem cells. Until now, […]
Opinion | ‘We’re So Hungry for Organs Right Now’: What We Heard This Week
“We’re so hungry for organs right now that we are pushing all the limits.” — Wes Ely, MD, MPH, of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, on transplant surgeons experimenting with a kind of partial resurrection of deceased patients in attempts to harvest more organs. “There’s no world in which sexual abusers should be doctors.” — Carmen […]
Flip-flop genome
Our DNA acts like a blueprint for the cellular machinery that lets cells, organs, and whole organisms function. Mutations in the DNA can result in genetic diseases. Such genetic variation can include point mutations at a single site, as well as deletions, duplications, and inversions. The term ‘inversion’ describes a piece of DNA flipping its […]
COVID-Positive Donor Organs Safe; Shorter Omicron Infectious Period?
The use of abdominal organs from COVID-19-positive donors for transplant was safe, a small study showed. No rejection occurred among four recipients who received liver, kidney, or pancreas transplants from four COVID-positive donors, and none of the recipients acquired a COVID infection, reported Emily Eichenberger, MD, of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, at a […]
How tissues form complex shapes that enable organ function
From the smooth tubes of our arteries and veins to the textured pockets of our internal organs, our bodies are made of tissues arranged in complex shapes that aid in performing specific functions. But how do cells fold themselves so precisely into such complicated configurations during development? What are the fundamental forces driving this process? […]
Gut and heart signals affect how we see ourselves: Study: Weak internal connections linked to body shame and weight preoccupation
New research has discovered that the strength of the connection between our brain and internal organs is linked to how we feel about our appearance. Published in the journal Cortex, the study is the first to investigate, and first to identify, the association between body image and the brain’s processing of internal signals that occur […]