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Showing results for tags 'science'.
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Celiac.com 12/29/2022 - MIT Senior Isha Mehrotra works to discover more about autoimmune diseases, where she hopes her efforts help to create a future where all celiac patients can be treated effectively, or, better still, can avoid the disease entirely. Mehrotra got to MIT through lots of hard work, plenty of support, and some profound inspiration that came from an unusual source: an early celiac disease diagnosis. Her diagnosis at ten years old sparked an early interest in science and medicine. Today, she is working to discover more about celiac disease, its origins, and its effects on those who live with it. Through her research experience, which has included publishing her work as a first author in the journal Current Research in Microbial Sciences, Mehrotra has learned the value of having confidence in her data when presenting her findings, especially those that challenge scientific consensus. “At the end of the day, you know, your data is your data. And presenting that with conviction and confidence is something that I’ve learned how to balance,” she says. Mehrotra also serves as a member on the Board of Directors at Boston Children’s Hospital Celiac Kids Connection, where she works to build a safe space for children with celiac. She understands firsthand the physical and emotional toll celiac disease can have, and values the opportunity to learn more about how to support people and navigate these challenges. For instance, she recognized the connection of food insecurity to celiac early on, as celiac is treated with a gluten-free diet. One of her most fulfilling projects, funded through the PKG Center at MIT, has been helping reduce gluten-free food insecurity exacerbated by the pandemic, working with a team at Children’s to research and mitigate these food access issues. “It comes back to looking at things in different ways. How can I have a great impact in one area if I don’t consider all the various facets of it?” she asks. Mehrotra will soon begin her studies at Stanford Medical School, where her goal is to marry her love of science with her love of medicine, and become a physician-scientist. At Stanford, she hopes to work directly with patients and researchers to solve medical issues, discover new information. Ultimately, she would like to develop her own multidisciplinary research practice, where she can see and treat patients, while also working in the lab with different types of researchers, including technical and social scientists. Stories like Mehrotra's help us to see that the idea that educated youth are the key to a better future for us all is more than just an idea or a slogan. Here's to Mehrotra's efforts help to create a future where all celiac patients can be treated effectively, or, better still, can avoid the disease entirely. We'll keep an eye out for news on Mehrotra, who looks set to do great things. Stay tuned for more on this and related stories. Read more at news.mit.edu
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Celiac.com 09/27/2017 - Patients who have clinical, genetic and histological signs of celiac disease, but no serological markers, present a challenge when it comes to making a diagnosis. If the patient doesn't have elevated antibodies, what signs do doctors look for? What's the best way to evaluate the patient's natural history and response to a gluten-free diet? A team of researchers recently set out to outline a specific profile, and to evaluate the natural history and response to a gluten-free diet of patients with seronegative celiac disease. The research team included Maria Pina Dore; Giovanni Mario Pes; Ivana Dettori; Vincenzo Villanacci; Alessandra Manca and Giuseppe Realdi. They are variously affiliated with the Internal Medicine Section, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy, with the Baylor College of Medicine, Michael E. DeBakey VAMC, Houston, TX, USA, the Pathology Section, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Spedali Civili and University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy, and with the Pathology Section, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari in Sassari, Italy. Patients with duodenal mucosa damage Marsh I, II and III stages, HLA DQ2/DQ8 haplotype and clinical features suggestive of celiac disease, but with negative celiac serology, were defined as seronegative celiac patients. The team excluded other common causes of duodenal mucosa damage. They the compared HLA–DR and DQ genotype/haplotype between all Marsh stages of patients with seronegative and seropositive celiac disease. They then assessed clinical features, lab tests and histological findings after a gluten-free diet and a gluten re-challenge. The group provided the team with a long follow-up period to gather data. The researchers enrolled a total of 48 patients who fulfilled diagnostic criteria over a 4-year period. Patients with seronegative and seropositive celiac disease showed similar clinical phenotype and HLA−DR and DQ frequencies. However, Marsh I stage was seen in 42% of seronegative patients (42% vs 22%; p<0.05). After a 1-year gluten-free diet trial, clinical symptoms, histological features and laboratory testing improved in 40 patients and worsened in those who underwent a 6-months gluten challenge. Five patients with seronegative celiac disease (25%) experienced the occurrence of autoimmune diseases during an average follow-up of about 11 years. Patients with seronegative celiac disease did not show any specific profile, but they did see benefits from a gluten-free diet similar to seropositive patients. In the absence of more sensitive serological markers, diagnosing seronegative celiac disease remains an often confusing and challenging process of excluding various other possibilities. Source: BMJ Open Gastro. 2017;4(1):e000159
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Does Science Back Powerful Claims by Gluten-free Athletes?
Jefferson Adams posted an article in Additional Concerns
Celiac.com 11/25/2013 - More and more professional athletes are claiming to reap benefits from adopting a gluten-free diet. What’s the science behind these claims? Writing for the Washington Post, Anna Medaris Miller has a very solid article in which she investigates the science behind the claims by many professional athletes that they has reaped tremendous physical benefits by adopting a gluten-free diet. Miller cites the growing popularity of gluten-free foods in general, as well as the move away from carbs by many professional athletes. She notes that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the Garmin cycling team and top tennis players Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic have all been vocal about the benefits of gluten-free diets. Still, a gluten-free diet won’t turn you into an Olympic athlete, Fasano says. “But when you go to the high-level performing athletes in which a fraction of a second can mean the difference between winning and losing an event, or be[ing] able to complete a marathon or not within a certain time frame, that can be the small edge that helps you.” Some researchers theorize that eliminating gluten allows the body to better carry oxygen to the muscles, which may boost athletic performance. There are other theories as to why some athletes report improved athletic performance after eliminating gluten. So far, performance claims attributed to a gluten-free diet are purely anecdotal. In fact, Miller offers her own experience: My digestion is gentler, my sleep is sounder, my energy level is more even. These benefits also seem to have led to improved athletic performance. Since going off gluten, I placed in a race for the first time in my adult life, won a small community biathlon and achieved a personal best in a 5K run. Most important, I felt good while doing it. However, there is just no research that documents clear before-and-after changes among athletes who have adopted a gluten-free diet. Felicia Stoler, a nutritionist and exercise physiologist, who is president of the Greater New York chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine, says she has yet to see evidence heralding a gluten-free diet for endurance athletes. Until such evidence emerges, says Stoler, many people wise to remain skeptical. “If you have nothing wrong with you as far as absorptive disorders, then there’s no benefit by cutting out gluten,” she says. “You have to look at your overall caloric intake needs as an athlete.” Source: Article from The Washington Post by Anna Medaris Miller, an associate editor of Monitor on Psychology magazine and a health columnist at TheDailyMuse.com. -
Celiac.com 12/19/2012 - Can scientists create gluten-free wheat strains that are safe for people with celiac disease, and suitable for making bread? According to a team of researchers writing in the journal PNAS, the answer is 'yes.' Gluten is a complex mix of proteins stored in kernels of wheat, barley and rye. Some, but not all, of these proteins trigger the immune reactions seen in celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Scientists have already experimented with another method that involves sifting through various kinds of wheat and barley in search of types that contain little or no offensive gluten proteins in their grains. So far, researchers have found wheat varieties that lack some of the important allergenic proteins, but they have yet to find a variety that is completely safe for people with celiac disease. That fact led the research team led by Shanshan Wen of Washington State University in Pullman and colleagues, to try a new approach that focused on a key enzyme that helps to trigger a group of genes that produce the most reactive gluten proteins. To do this, they used a genetic engineering trick that eliminated the key enzyme altogether. The resulting seeds wheat kernels showed sharply lower levels of these reactive gluten proteins. The research team predicts that, with more more tinkering, they will be able to create a line of wheat that completely eliminates the problem proteins, and keeps the non-problem proteins in the wheat. According to their write-up, they feel that they have good odds of creating wheat that is safe for people with celiac disease, and suitable for producing good bread and baked goods. If successful, they will then begin testing the results in cell cultures, mice and gluten-sensitive apes. Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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