ScienceAlert : reported that Researchers find gut bacteria can trigger brain lesions that lead to strokes

These genes would normally suppress key signals affecting the growth of brain cells that made up the walls of the blood vessels. When these immune receptors, called TLR4, are activated by an endotoxin, the cells of the blood brain barrier are encouraged to grow abnormally. Just as they'd found with their germ-free mice, a 96 percent drop in bacteria coincided with a similar decline in lesions. An international team led by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania studied genetically engineered mice that were prone to developing vascular lesions in their brains. In yet another study that has connected conditions in the gut to diseases of the brain, scientists have linked the cause of common blood vessel abnormalities in the brain to bacteria colonies in the stomach.

Lizards might lose their gut bacteria to climate change—and that's not great

Researchers found that a warming climate, which the lizards will likely encounter under climate change, causes a 34 percent loss of the lizard's microbiome diversity, or gut bacteria. In the first, they allocated nine lizards to three summer climate conditions—present climate, intermediate climate warming (+2 degrees Celsius) and warm climate (+3)—that are consistent with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projections. Of course, the loss of gut bacteria diversity doesn't necessarily mean that the lizards were less healthy. Rather, climate change is marked by relatively quick temperature changes, including things phenomena like the heat waves that rocked Russia in 2010. If the study's results hold, it could be that this is one more unforeseen way in which climate change is harming the environment.

How our gut bacteria affect cancer risk and response to treatment

Just as our gut bacteria control our immune system, our immune system controls our gut bacteria. Researchers are now exploring how your unique gut bacteria determine your cancer risk, and whether modifying its composition can control cancer progression and predict response to treatment. The trillions of bacteria living in our gut (called the gut microbiota) can help determine our risk of cancer, as well as how we might respond to cancer treatment. This indicates that the communication between the gut bacteria and immune system is critical for cancer treatment. Your gut microbiotaEveryone's gut microbiota is unique, much like a fingerprint.