Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a procedure that delivers healthy human donor stool to a person via colonoscopy, enema, nasogastric (NG) tube or in capsule form (popularly called “poop pills”). It may be prescribed for debilitating gasterointestinal infections, such as Clostridium difficile (C. diff), that keep recurring despite antibiotic therapy. C. diff is a serious infection — one that causes debilitating diarrhea. Treating C. diff begins with administering antibiotics; however...

EARLY GENE-EDITING SUCCESS HOLDS PROMISE FOR PREVENTING INHERITED DISEASES Scientists achieve first safe repair of single-gene mutation in human embryos Scientists achieve first safe repair of single-gene mutation in human embryos Scientists have, for the first time, corrected a disease-causing mutation in early stage human embryos with gene editing. The technique, which uses the CRISPR-Cas9 system, corrected the mutation for a heart condition at the earliest stage of ...

Age and obesity appear to create a perfect storm that can reduce blood flow through the tiny blood vessels that directly feed our heart muscle and put us at risk for heart failure, scientists report. They call it “aged fat” and scientists now have evidence that the inflammation created by both age and fat have an additive effect that can thicken the walls of our coronary microvasculature without any  evidence of  the classic atherosclerotic plaque that many of us associate with heart disease....