(BOSTON) -- We have a mutualistic but complicated relationship with the collection of microbes in our gut known as the intestinal microbiome. This complex community of bacteria breaks down different ...

“Rope worms” may simply be shed pieces of intestinal mucus. Mucus can be more common with certain health conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer. While some people believe ...

Understanding how mucus changes, and what it changes in response to, can help diagnose illnesses and develop treatments. Researchers develop a system to grow mucus-producing intestinal cells and study ...

Rope worms are long structures that sometimes occur in the intestines. They are likely a buildup of intestinal mucus and debris and may pass in a person’s stool during an enema or other clearing ...

A mucus-wicking robotic pill may offer a new way to deliver meds. The multivitamin-sized device houses a motor and a cargo hold for drugs, including ones that are typically given via injections or ...

Many people instinctively associate mucus with something disgusting, but in fact, it has incredibly many valuable functions for our health. It keeps track of our important intestinal flora and feeds ...

Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan have found two gut bacteria working together that contribute to chronic constipation. The duo, Akkermansia muciniphila and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, ...

A mucoid plaque is a term used by some practitioners of alternative medicine. It refers to a buildup of intestinal mucus inside the colon due to unhealthy eating habits. There is currently no evidence ...

This is part of a series of stories on the protective role of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in the gut and other tissues, focusing on SARS-CoV-2 infection. Part one can be read here. The Milky Way ...