<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> There have long been reports of stress being associated with various gut disorders such as IBS. Now a new study appearing in the current issue of Gut reveals and examines actual physical alterations in the gut and immunity resulting from the influence of stress early in life (at least early in the life of rats.) This study may be warning that stressful events during human infancy may affect development and set the stage for future bowel and immunity disorders in adulthood. By the way, I recently needed a few full-text articles from the journal, Gut, and found that Gut offers a real bargain... 30-day full unrestricted access to all of its online articles for only $25 (and it's only $8 if you need just one article.) Compare that to the ripoff price of $30 for a single article charged by Elsevier and many other medical journal publishers. Sitting at my home computer browsing with unrestricted access to all the great research articles in Gut felt like being in a candy shop with the candy free for the taking! Since many articles appearing in these publications are the result of research funded through public institutions and charitable grants, why can't the other publishers follow the lead of Gut and allow access to research at fair prices? A publisher is entitled to cover expenses and make a reasonable profit, but let's keep unchecked greed out of the exchange scientific knowledge. I, for one, will never spend $30 for a single article. I will first go to a university library and copy the article for free, and the publisher won't receive a single cent from me. (And I often find unauthorized full-text articles posted on the web.) The $25 I paid Gut for unrestricted access was money well spent and I was happy to pay it. Kudos to Gut! http://www.gutjnl.com ---------- Gut. 2004 Apr;53(4):501-6 Neonatal maternal deprivation triggers long term alterations in colonic epithelial barrier and mucosal immunity in rats. Barreau F, Ferrier L, Fioramonti J, Bueno L. Neurogastroenterology and Nutrition Unit, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Toulouse, France. BACKGROUND: Stressful events in the early period of life (for example, maternal deprivation) have been shown to modify adult immune and gastrointestinal tract functions. The present study aimed to establish whether maternal deprivation affects colonic epithelial barrier and the development of an experimental colitis in adult rats. METHODS: Male Wistar rat pups were separated during postnatal days 2-14 or left undisturbed with their dam. At 12 weeks of age, we assessed colonic paracellular permeability, bacterial translocation, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, mucosal mast cell density, cytokine (interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL- 10, and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma)) mRNA expression, and macroscopic damage. Total gut permeability, MPO activity, and macroscopic damage were also assessed four days after intracolonic administration of 2,4,6- trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid (TNBS). RESULTS: Maternal deprivation triggered a significant increase in colonic permeability associated with bacterial translocation into the mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, and spleen. These alterations were associated with some macroscopic damage and an increase in colonic MPO activity, mucosal mast cell density, and cytokine mRNA expression. Intracolonic infusion of TNBS induced a significantly higher inflammatory reaction in separated animals, as judged by enhanced MPO colonic levels, total gut permeability, and macroscopic lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal deprivation promotes long term alterations in the colonic epithelial barrier associated with an exaggerated immune response to an external immune stimulus. This suggests a role for early psychological factors in the regulation of colonic mucosal barrier in later life. PMID: 15016743 [PubMed - in process] * * * * Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *