Jaynee Saure, MD

15/10/2025

🚨 Gut healing breakthrough: MIT researchers discover an amino acid that rejuvenate the small intestine!

MIT researchers have identified the amino acid cysteine as a powerful dietary trigger for gut regeneration, offering a potential new tool to heal damage caused by radiation or chemotherapy.

In a study published in Nature, the team showed that diets rich in cysteine activated a specific immune response that boosted the regeneration of intestinal stem cells in mice. This process was driven by CD8 T cells, which absorbed a metabolite of cysteine and began producing IL-22, a cytokine known to stimulate tissue repair in the small intestine.

The findings open up promising new dietary strategies for enhancing recovery after medical treatments that damage the gut lining, such as radiation therapy and the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil. Unlike synthetic drugs, cysteine is found naturally in protein-rich foods like meat, dairy, legumes, and nuts. The study also paves the way for future research into whether other amino acids might similarly influence stem cell regeneration, potentially transforming how we approach tissue repair and gut health through nutrition.

Source: Chi, F., et al. (2025). Dietary cysteine enhances intestinal stemness via CD8+ T cell-derived IL-22. Nature.

12/10/2025

11/10/2025

Tulog is life

𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗼

Kapag kulang sa tulog, tataas ang risk hindi lang ng anxiety at depression, kundi pati sakit sa puso. 😴🧠❤️
Alagaan ang tulog, alagaan ang puso.

07/10/2025

The 2025 medicine laureates identified the immune system’s security guards, regulatory T cells, which prevent immune cells from attacking our own body.

The fundamental knowledge that researchers have gained through the discovery of regulatory T cells and their importance for peripheral immune tolerance, has spurred the development of potential new medical treatments. Mapping of tumours shows that they can attract large numbers of regulatory T cells that protect them from the immune system. Researchers are therefore trying to find ways to dismantle this wall of regulatory T cells, so the immune system can access the tumours.

In autoimmune diseases, researchers are instead trying to promote the formation of more regulatory T cells. In pilot studies, they are giving patients interleukin-2, a substance that makes regulatory T cells thrive. Researchers are also investigating whether interleukin-2 can be used to prevent organs being rejected after transplantation.

Another strategy researchers are testing to slow an overactive immune system is to isolate regulatory T cells from a patient and multiply them in a laboratory. These are then returned to the patient, who will thus have more regulatory T cells in their body. In some cases, researchers also modify the T cells, putting antibodies on their surface that function like an address label. This allows researchers to send these cellular security guards to a transplanted liver or kidney, for example, and protect the organ from being attacked by the immune system.

There are many more examples of how researchers are testing how regulatory T cells can be used to combat diseases. Through their revolutionary discoveries, Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi have provided fundamental knowledge of how the immune system is regulated and kept in check. They have thus conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.”

Learn more
Press release: https://bit.ly/46NpqbG
Popular information: https://bit.ly/46LkbsL
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05/10/2025

note to self, actually

02/10/2025

Colon cancer is increasing among people under 55, and new research points to a surprising culprit: a bacterial toxin called colibactin that damages DNA. Scientists analyzing nearly 1,000 cancer genomes worldwide found that colibactin-related mutations are 3.3 times more common in patients under 40 than in those over 70. Alarmingly, these mutations often appear within the first decade of life, suggesting that some children may unknowingly begin a path toward cancer decades before symptoms arise.
Colibactin is produced by certain E. coli strains living in the gut. Experts believe modern lifestyle factors—such as antibiotics, processed foods, reduced breastfeeding, C-sections, and group childcare—may help these harmful bacteria settle in early. While exact causes are still being studied, this discovery is a major breakthrough in understanding why colon cancer is rising in younger populations.
Researchers are now developing stool tests to detect these DNA mutations early and exploring probiotics to remove colibactin-producing bacteria from the gut. Focusing on childhood gut health could transform cancer prevention strategies and provide a chance to intervene long before traditional screening begins.
This finding highlights the critical connection between gut microbiome and long-term health, showing that maintaining a healthy gut from an early age may be a key step in preventing serious diseases like colon cancer.

22/09/2025

Wish granted sa ating Philhealth CEO, may budget po. Yung kay Ms. Kara na lang ang backlog 😂

‼️PBBM’s ₱60B PhilHealth Fund Return a Crucial Move for Universal Health Care, says Sec. Herbosa‼️

The Department of Health supports President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s decision to return the ₱60 billion unused surplus/excess funds to PhilHealth. As Chair of the PhilHealth Board of Directors, DOH sees this move as crucial for ongoing efforts to expand health benefits and services for all Filipinos.

The ₱60 billion given back by PhilHealth to the national treasury following the command of the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) was used for health. It paid for Health Emergency Allowances (₱27.45 Bn), Medical Assistance to Indigents and Financially Incapacitated Patients (₱10 Bn), medical equipment (₱4.1 Bn), health facilities enhancement including three DOH health facilities (₱5.06 Bn), and government counterpart financing for foreign-assisted projects that also deal with the social determinants of health (₱13 Bn).

The return of the ₱60 billion to PhilHealth aligns with the DOH's objective to increase the government's share in current health expenditures, from around 40% to 70%, which will significantly reduce out-of-pocket costs of Filipino patients.

As its supervising agency, DOH will continue supporting PhilHealth in its role to pay the health benefits of all Filipinos. Right now, Zero Balance Billing happens at DOH hospitals because DOH pays more than PhilHealth. Over time, PhilHealth should be paying most, if not all, of the hospital bill.

We thank President Marcos, Jr. for recognizing the tireless work of our healthcare workers. They are dedicated to making essential health services more accessible to every Filipino family. We are with you in building a Bagong Pilipinas, kung saan Bawat Buhay Mahalaga.

TEODORO J. HERBOSA, MD
Secretary of Health

18/09/2025