Living 'gut-on-a-chip' to help study intestinal disorders

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The silicon polymer device, lined by living, human cells, mimics the 3D structures, behaviors, and environment of the human intestine.

Blue and red liquid is pumped through the device's upper and lower microchannels.

(Credit: Harvard)

After describing a living, breathing "lung-on-a-chip" in Science back in the summer of 2010, Harvard researchers are now reporting in the journal Lab on a Chip on their latest endeavor: a human gut-on-a-chip.

These bio-inspired micro devices that mimic the structures, behaviors, and environments of human organs could help scientists better understand the inner workings of a variety of diseases and disorders -- in this case intestinal ones such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis -- without resorting to often less reliable animal testing.

The latest so-called "gut-on-a-chip" is a silicon polymer device whose central chamber is lined by a single layer of human intestinal epithelial cells that recreate the intestinal barrier by growing on a flexible and porous membrane. The device mimics the movement of food along the digestive tract as well as the flow of blood through capillaries.

The researchers report that they were even able to grow (and support) common intestinal microbes on the surfaces of the intestinal cells, mimicking various physiological features that could help understand diseases.

"Because the models most often available to us today do not recapitulate human disease, we can't fully understand the mechanisms behind many intestinal disorders," lead researcher Donald Ingber, a founding director of Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, said in a news release. This means, he adds, "that the drugs and therapies we validate in animal models often fail to be effective when tested in humans."

In addition to being an in vitro diagnostic tool to help develop new therapeutics, Ingber's gut-on-a-chip might even be able to test the metabolism and oral absorption of drugs and nutrients.

The institute is also using DARPA funding awarded in 2011 to develop a spleen-on-a-chip to treat sepsis, a bloodstream infection that can be fatal.

See the team's video on their original lung-on-a-chip below:

Lung on a Chip -- Wyss Institute from Wyss Institute on Vimeo.

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11:14 AM | 0 comments

Gallstones Cause disorders of the reproductive system

A healthy liver is a sign of good general health. When the ducts of the liver are obstructed by hundreds of thousands of gallstones, there is congestion in the bile ducts.

Male and female reproductive systems both depend largely on the smooth functioning of the liver. Gallstones in the liver hinder the movement of bile bile ducts, and this impaired digestion and distorts the structural framework of hepatic lobules. It decreases the production of liver albumin and coagulation factors. Albumin is the protein more common and the most abundant in the blood, responsible for maintaining the osmotic pressure of plasma to its normal level of 25mmHg. Coagulation factors are essential for the clotting of blood. The osmotic pressure reduced the supply of nutrients to the cells, including those of the reproductive organs. This can lead to lymphatic drainage reduced. Poor lymphatic drainage in the reproductive organs can cause a retention and edema, and retention of metabolic waste and dead cells. This can cause progressive alteration of sexual functions.

Most of the diseases of the reproductive system are the result of improper lymphatic drainage. The thoracic duct (see circulatory disorders) drains lymphfluid of all the organs of the system digestive, including the liver, spleen, pancreas, stomach and intestines. This large pipe often becomes severely congested when gallstones in the liver interfere with good digestion and absorption of food. It is obvious, yet hardly recognized in medicine, the congestion in the thoracic canal affects the organs of the reproductive system. These bodies, like most others in the body, need to release their cells over turned and the metabolic waste issue in the thoracic duct.

Lymphatic drainage with a disability from the pelvic region female is responsible of the suppressed immunity, menstrual problems, premenstrual stress (PMS), symptoms of menopause, pelvic inflammatory (PID), cervicitis, all uterine disease, vulvar dystrophies with growth of fibrous tissue, tumors of the ovary cystsand, and the destruction of cells, deficiencies in hormone, the libido, infertility and genetic mutations leading to cancer cells.

Chest blocking can also lead to lymph congestion, in the left breast leaving deposits of deleterious substances behind which can cause inflammation, lump formation, blocked milk ducts and cancerous tumours. If the right lymphatic channel, which drains lymph half right thorax, head, the neck and right arm, becomes congested, waste accumulates in right breast, leading to similar problems.

Continuous restriction of the pelvic region lymphdrainage male benign and malignant causes enlargement of the prostate as well as inflammation of the testes, penis and urethra. Impotenceis a probable consequence of this evolution. The steady increase of gallstones in the liver, a common factor among men of average age in rich societies, is one of the main reasons for blocking lymph in this vital part of the body. Venereal diseases occur when the exposed parts of the body reaches a high level of toxicity. Microbial infection is preceded by a major lymph congestion. The collapse the ability of the lymphatic system (which includes the immune system) to repel the invasions of microorganisms is the real reason for most disorders of reproduction and sexuality.

When all gallstones in the liver are removed and a healthy diet and lifestyle are maintained, lymphatic activity can return to normal. Reproductive tissues receives an improved power and becomes more resistant. Infections are blurred. cysts, the fibrous tissue and tumor are broken down and removed; and sexual functions are restored.

Aside from disorders of the reproductive system, removal of gallstones in the liver and gallbladder through a series of liver flushes can relieve many other health problems such as problems related to the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems and persistent allergies and pain, Cleansing the liver of gallstones bile ducts is a powerful to improve and regain health.

[This is an excerpt from the book "The Amazing liver & gallbladder Flush' by Andreas Moritz, available on http://www.ener-chi.com/book.htm"]

Andreas Moritz is a writer and a practitioner in the field of integrative medicine and author of 13 books on various subjects relating to holistic as Timeless Secrets of health & rejuvenation, Cancer Health is not a disease, its mechanism of survival A, The Amazing liver & gallbladder Flush and his most recent book of vaccine Nation: poisoning the Populationa coup at a time.

Andreas Moritz can be contacted on http://www.facebook.com/enerchi.wellness

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1:17 AM | 0 comments

The thymus gland disorders

The thymus gland is located in the upper part of the chest between the lungs. The gland is more active during childhood and it is therefore more large size for children. When a person ages, reduces the size of the gland. This small gland plays an important role in the production of lymphocytes, which are cells of the immune system kill and destroy the invading pathogens and foreign particles in the body. Therefore, any problem with the thymus gland can affect the immune system.

Some of these disorders of thymus gland are highlighted below:

Sometimes, the gland may be absent at birth, or it may be less developed. This occurs because syndrome of DiGeorge in which the person concerned is not the 22nd chromosome. It is important to note that when this chromosome is missing, all the parts associated with it will be less developed or missing. Absence or have under developed thymus gland leads to a poor immune system and makes the person more susceptible to infections and diseases.

Another disorder associated with the thymus gland is immune severe combined. It is a genetic disease, reflected in the weakness of the immune system. Essentially, when a person has this genetic disease, gland atrophies because of the lack of the presence of immune cells. When a person is diagnosed with this disorder, he or she is to take antibiotics regularly to stimulate the functioning of the immune system.

Thymoma is the presence of a tumor in the thymus gland. This tumour is benign, but it played havoc with the function of the gland. This disorder is more common in people who have more than 40 years. Some people have no symptoms of thymoma, while others may complain of chest pain, fever, fatigue, respiratory difficulties, winded sweats and night.

The thymus can also be affected by cancer. When a tumor develops in the gland, it can spread to neighboring tissue and can become life threatening. Therefore, if malignant tumours are detected in the thymus, they are removed surgically.

It was observed that any disorder linked to the thymus gland shows no symptoms in the initial stages. However, as the progresses of disorder, the symptoms tend to appear. Some of the common symptoms associated with gland disorders include weight loss, chest pain, fever, of problems breathing, wheezing, coughing, and night sweats. In addition, the person will be also reduced immunity to him more sensitive to infections. The treatment measure adopted depends on the disorder.

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Thymus gland functions

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10:35 AM | 1 comments