In a major advance for patients with Crohn’s disease, a new study led by researchers at Mount Sinai Health System found that guselkumab, a medication with a mechanism of action that is new to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment, outperformed an established standard of care in promoting intestinal healing and symptom relief.

These findings from two pivotal Phase III trials known as GALAXI 2 and 3, published in The Lancet, provided the basis for the recent Food and Drug Administration approval of guselkumab (brand name Tremfya) for the treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease affects roughly 780,000 people in the United States and often requires a lifetime of management. Despite numerous available biologic medications, many patients fail to achieve sustained remission. Guselkumab blocks the interleukin-23 (IL-23) pathway, a key driver of chronic intestinal inflammation.

Vitamin D is not only an essential nutrient, but also the precursor of the hormone calcitriol, indispensable for health. It regulates the uptake of phosphate and calcium necessary for bones by the intestines, as well as cell growth and the proper function of muscles, nerve cells, and the immune system.

Now, researchers have shown for the first time in Frontiers in Endocrinology that a particular gene called SDR42E1 is crucial for taking up vitamin D from the gut and further metabolizing it—a discovery with many possible applications in precision medicine, including cancer therapy.

“Here we show that blocking or inhibiting SDR42E1 may selectively stop the growth of cancer cells,” said Dr. Georges Nemer, a professor and associate dean for research at the University College of Health and Life Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, and the study’s corresponding author.

A pioneering new study published in Nature Microbiology, led by J. Oriol Sunyer, professor of immunology and pathobiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine, and a team of researchers at Penn Vet and the University of New Mexico, has uncovered a surprising new player in gut health: an antibody called secretory immunoglobulin M (sIgM).

While another antibody, secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), has long been known for helping balance the bacteria in our intestines, this new research shows that sIgM may be just as vital—if not more so—in protecting gut health and maintaining overall well-being.

Secretory immunoglobulins—immunoglobulins found in the mucosal surfaces or linings of various organs and tracts of vertebrates—modulate the colonization, composition, and metabolism of the gut microbiome. While sIgA and secretory immunoglobulin T (sIgT) are considered the key immunoglobulins involved in the maintenance of microbiome homeostasis in the gut of mammals and fish, respectively, Sunyer and his colleagues challenged this paradigm by demonstrating that sIgM plays a crucial and non-redundant role in the regulation of gut microbiota and metabolism.

Research led by Sichuan University in China has revealed that bedtime antihypertensive medication dosing improves nocturnal blood pressure control over morning dosing in patients with hypertension.

Hypertension is a major global health challenge. In China, nearly 300 million individuals live with elevated blood pressure and fewer than 17% achieve adequate control. Nocturnal pressure is often the most difficult to manage and can be a better predictor of heart attack and stroke than daytime readings.

Previous studies have examined the optimal timing for antihypertensive medication with conflicting evidence and substantial variability in study outcomes.