Cytogenetics and the evolution of medical genetics

Crohn's Disease News

June 10, 2024 — Scientists have grown 'mini-guts' in the lab to help understand Crohn's disease, showing that 'switches' that modify DNA in gut cells play an important role in the disease ...

June 5, 2024 — Researchers have discovered a new biological pathway that is a principal driver of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and related conditions, and which can be targeted using existing ...

Apr. 24, 2024 — Study identifies key pathways underlying perianal fistula, a disease complication that is more prevalent and severe in African American ...

Apr. 22, 2024 — In a scientific breakthrough, researchers have revealed the biological mechanisms by which a family of proteins known as histone deacetylases (HDACs) activate immune system cells linked to ...

Apr. 16, 2024 — Patients with suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) could benefit from better testing protocols that would reduce the need and lengthy wait for potentially unnecessary colonoscopies, a new study ...

Apr. 3, 2024 — A routine blood test that measures a patient's inflammation levels could improve the early diagnosis and management of a wide range of debilitating autoimmune diseases. The Systemic Inflammation ...

Apr. 2, 2024 — Cells within the intestines perform various roles including nutrient absorption, sensing, and maintaining homeostasis. Certain chronic disorders are distinctly characterized by gut inflammation, ...

Mar. 18, 2024 — Scientists have developed the first wireless, implantable temperature sensor to detect inflammatory flareups in patients with Crohn's disease. The approach offers long-term, real-time monitoring ...

Mar. 15, 2024 — Scientists uncovered an overlooked mechanism in the gut immune system of patients suffering from severe cases of Crohn's disease. The discovery may help define how to treat patients with severe ...

Feb. 22, 2024 — A large-scale clinical trial of treatment strategies for Crohn's disease has shown that offering early advanced therapy to all patients straight after diagnosis can drastically improve outcomes, ...

Jan. 24, 2024 — New research reveals that interventions which improve mood can reduce levels of inflammation in people with inflammatory bowel disease by 18 per cent, compared to having no mood ...

Dec. 13, 2023 — A new study examines how multiple factors contribute to the miscommunication and understanding of the digestive disease, microscopic ...

Nov. 17, 2023 — New AGA guideline outlines reliable blood and stool tests to monitor inflammation that can reduce how often patients need invasive ...

Nov. 9, 2023 — High fiber diets, like those that include broccoli sprouts or other cruciferous vegetables, may reduce disease symptoms and improve quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease ...

Nov. 7, 2023 — Researchers have shown that changes can be detected in blood tests up to eight years before a diagnosis of Crohn's disease and up to three years before a diagnosis of ulcerative ...

Nov. 1, 2023 — Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an independent risk factor for serious infection, even at very low levels of gastrointestinal ...

Oct. 26, 2023 — Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, arise when there is a dysregulation of cell signalling pathways, leading to a chronic inflammatory response. ...

Oct. 26, 2023 — According to a new study, 2 fungi used to produce food products have potential probiotic effects on gut ...

Sep. 19, 2023 — Adults with atopic dermatitis (AD) have a 34 percent increased risk of developing new-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) compared with individuals who do not have the skin condition, and children ...

Sep. 7, 2023 — Millions of Americans have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which occurs in one of two forms: Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Though the two have similar symptoms, they require different ...

Cellular Mechanisms That May Lead To Onset Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

A research team led by Mount Sinai has uncovered mechanisms of abnormal immune cell function that may lead to Crohn's disease, according to findings published in Science Immunology on March 21. The researchers said their discovery provides better understanding of disease development and could inform the development and design of new therapies to prevent inflammation before it starts in the chronic disorder.

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and symptoms can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, and fatigue. Inflammation is the body's natural response to infection or injury, but prolonged and untreated inflammation may cause damage to healthy cells, tissues, and organs. White blood cells in the GI tract known as intraepithelial lymphocytes express the gamma delta T cell receptor (gamma delta IELs), which prevent infection and provide surveillance for the intestinal barrier. These gamma delta IELs are often reduced in patients with active Crohn's disease.

The researchers said their study is the first to show that gamma delta IELs are critical to maintain a balance between pro-inflammatory and regulatory immune responses, and these cells are impaired during the onset and progression of long-term inflammation in the lower small intestine.

"Previous studies assessing patient biopsies revealed a decrease in gamma delta IELs in those with active IBD. However, it was unknown whether the loss of these cells was a cause or consequence of disease," said corresponding author Karen Edelblum, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Our findings now show that gamma delta IELs are substantially decreased weeks before clinical or histological evidence of disease in a mouse model of Crohn's disease-like ileitis. Furthermore, we were able to generate a timeline of events leading to the dysregulation of gamma delta IELs that mirrored findings from prior studies in patients with IBD."

The researchers used a mice model of Crohn's disease-like inflammation in the lower small intestine to analyze human disease. Before tissue damage began, they found that pro-inflammatory proteins impaired the communication between gamma delta IELs and neighboring intestinal epithelial cells. As a result, the majority of these gamma delta IELs failed to survive, and barrier surveillance was significantly compromised. The research team also identified that gamma delta IELs lost their ability to suppress other pro-inflammatory IELs responsible for tissue damage, indicating that the early loss of regulatory gamma delta IELs may contribute to the activation of inflammation in Crohn's disease.

The researchers said loss of gamma delta IELs could be used as a predictive biomarker for disease relapse or patient responsiveness to treatment. Additionally, development of future therapies that boost the function of gamma delta IELs may provide a new way to maintain remission in IBD patients or prevent disease development in susceptible individuals.

Researchers from Rutgers University, Case Western Reserve University, and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles contributed to this study. The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, A*STAR, and the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research.

What To Know About Preventing Colorectal Cancer

Early stages of colon cancer often have no symptoms, so screening is key to detection and prevention. Sponsored by Overlake Medical Center and Clinics.

SEATTLE — Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers, but it is preventable with early screening.

"What we know is that 90 percent of colon cancers are curable if they're found in early stages, so our job really, and I often tell people, our job is not even to find early cancer," said Dr. Mitra Ehsan, Overlake's Colon & Rectal Clinic and Cancer Center colorectal surgeon. "Our job is to prevent cancer by doing good screening."

Colorectal cancer may not cause noticeable symptoms in its early stages, so it's important to have regular colonoscopy screenings beginning at age 45.

"If you wait until you have blood in the stool or weight loss that's unexplained or abdominal symptoms, it will be less likely to be cured and less likely to be prevented," Ehsan said.

Your risk of colorectal cancer increases with age and if you have an inflammatory bowel disease or a family history of polyps or colon cancer. Lifestyle factors can increase your risk for colorectal cancer. These include a diet low in fruits and vegetables and/or one that is low in fiber and high in fat, lack of physical activity or exercise, alcohol consumption and tobacco use.

If you are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, the Overlake Colon and Rectal Clinic offers several treatment options, like surgical procedures and minimally invasive techniques featuring state-of-the-art robotics, radiation and chemotherapy. The Overlake team of experts includes genetic counselors, social workers, patient navigators, nutritionists and therapists.

"We have an incredibly supportive team approach to help you have the safest and the best possible outcome," Ehsan said.

Ehsan said the most important thing people can do in March for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is get screened.

"Nobody wants to talk about their colon," Ehsan said. "People don't even want to think they have one, but if we can just make some noise about it and have people get screened, that's the key."

To get more information about colorectal cancer and early detection, visit the Overlake Medical Center website.

Sponsored by Overlake Medical Center and Clinics

Segment Producer Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 a.M. Weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.Com. Contact New Day. 

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