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Maternal diet may enhance immune systems of premature infants, study shows
Medical researchers have long understood that a pregnant mother s diet has a profound impact on her developing fetus s immune system and that babies especially those born prematurely who are fed breast milk have a more robust ability to fight disease, suggesting that even after childbirth, a mother s diet matters. However, the biological mechanisms underlying these connections have remained unclear.
Now, in a study published Feb. 15, 2021, in the journal
Nature Communications, a Johns Hopkins Medicine research team reports that pregnant mice fed a diet rich in a molecule found abundantly in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower gave birth to pups with stronger protection against necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). NEC is a dangerous inflammatory condition that destroys a newborn s intestinal lining, making it one of the leading causes of mortality in premature infan
Expanding Pediatric Surgical Care in Maryland and Pennsylvania
Expanding Pediatric Surgical Care in Maryland and Pennsylvania Johns Hopkins pediatric surgery has expanded its reach to six community hospitals in the region.
By
Graphic by Lori Kirkpatrick
The bread and butter of pediatric surgery consists of routine procedures to treat ailments such as appendicitis, hernias, bowel blockages and other “lumps and bumps,” says David Hackam, pediatric surgeon-in-chief and co-director of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Recognizing that it is more important than ever for families to remain closer to home than to travel for such operations, Hackam built a network of relationships with six community hospitals spanning southern Pennsylvania; Anne Arundel County, Maryland; and the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C.
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IMAGE: Photomicrographs of tissue taken from the intestines of infant mice and grown in culture as intestinal organoids, or enteroids, that are basically mini-intestines for research. The enteroids shown are from. view more
Credit: C. Sodhi, W. Fulton and D. Hackam, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Medical researchers have long understood that a pregnant mother s diet has a profound impact on her developing fetus s immune system and that babies especially those born prematurely who are fed breast milk have a more robust ability to fight disease, suggesting that even after childbirth, a mother s diet matters. However, the biological mechanisms underlying these connections have remained unclear.
While working with mice, researchers identified an immune system cell that travels from the gut to the brain and attacks cells rather than protect them as it normally does.