Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions took a closer look at how the gastrointestinal tissue repairs itself. They reveal key players and their connections in the repair process and suggest the possibility that they also may contribute to the repair of other types of tissues.

Introducing forest soil on an entryway doormat shifted the indoor microbiome of Finnish homes closer to bacterial profiles found outdoors, with less contribution from human-associated bacteria, a new study shows. In the future, such interventions rebalancing the home microbiome could be used for health promotion, especially in urban settings. The study was led by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the University of Eastern Finland.

If similar outcomes were replicated nationally among the 38 million Americans living with type 2 diabetes, even a 6% deprescribing rate could translate into millions of patients reducing medication burden, lowering treatment costs, and decreasing risk of medication-related side effects, the paper stated.