Researchers (including Oliver Fiehn and Dinesh Barupal of the UC Davis Genome Center) were able to create a strong predictive model capable of detecting myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) with an 84% certainty.

Supplementing breastfed infants with activated Bifidobacterium infantis (B. infantis) bacteria had a positive impact on babies’ gut microbes for up to a year, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and Evolve BioSystems Inc. The work will be presented June 9 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Boston by Bethany Henrick, director of immunology and diagnostics at Evolve BioSystems, on behalf of the study co-investigator, Jennifer Smilowitz, associate director of human studies research at UC Davis’ Foods for Health Institute.

With help from more than 10,000 citizen scientists, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers and collaborators have compiled the largest public reference database concerning the human gut microbiome. Released today in mSystems, the study is a step forward in understanding how factors such as diet, antibiotics and mental health relate to the microbes living in the human gut.

Researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute have found that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reduced immune system regulation, as well as shifts in their gut microbiota. The immune deregulation appears to facilitate increased inflammation and may be linked to the gastrointestinal issues so often experienced by children with ASD. The research was published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.