Travel to Health

Key Points Epithelial layer Tight junctions Zonulin Permeability mechanisms What Triggers Zonulin Release? The Gut Barrier: Your First Line of Defense The human body contains many protective barriers—including those in the gut, airways, skin, oral cavity, vagina, placenta, and brain (via the blood–brain barrier). This article focuses on the intestinal barrier, one of the most important interfaces between the external environment and the immune system. Under ideal digestive conditions, only small, fully broken‑down nutrients should pass from the gut into the bloodstream. When this barrier becomes compromised, larger particles may slip through—a phenomenon often referred to as increased intestinal permeability or “ leaky gut .” The Brick‑and‑Mortar Model The gastrointestinal tract spans roughly 300–400 sq. m., and only a single epithelial layer separates the body from vast amounts of dietary and microbial antigens. [1,2] These epithelial cells are held together by a “brick‑and‑mortar”...

Our immune system plays a crucial role in protecting our body against pathogens, but sometimes there is an exaggerated response. This exaggerated response is triggered by the interaction of the immune system with an antigen (allergen) and is referred to as hypersensitivity . Hypersensitivity is believed to be the cause of  allergy  and some  auto-immune disease . In this article, we will discuss mainly Type IV Hypersensitivity . Classification Immunoreactants Clinical Presentation Type I Mast cell mediated, IgE dependent (anaphylactic, and IgE independent) Anaphylaxis, urticaria, angioedema,  sthma , and  hay fever Type IIa Antibody-mediated cytotoxic reactions (IgG and IgM antibodies complement often involved) Immune cytopenias Type IIb Antibody-mediated cell-stimulating reactions Graves disease and chronic idiopathic urticaria Type III Immune complex–mediated reactions complement involved Serum sickness and vasculitis Type IVa Th1...

Video 1.   Sodium and Arterial Function: A-salting our Endothelium (YouTube link ) The Western diet is rich in salt, which poses various health risks.  For example,  too much sodium in the diet can lead to high blood pressure, stomach cancer, kidney stones, bone loss, obesity and even cause direct damage to our kidneys, arteries, and heart. According to the WHO’s recommendations, the maximum amount of salt individuals should consume every day is 5 grams , which is about 1 level teaspoon. In reality most of us are exceeding this amount considerably. Long-Term Effects of Too Much Salt Bad for cardiovascular systems [5] Consume one salty meal, and not only does our blood pressure go up, but our arteries literally stiffen Sodium in our blood stiffens the artery lining within minutes and reduces nitric oxide release Whereas potassium , concentrated in fruits and vegetables, softens the cells that line our arteries and increases the release of...

Figure 1.  Blaschko's lines (source:  ScienceDirect.com ) Vitiligo is a disorder that causes the presence of pale patchy areas of depigmented skin on the face, hands and wrists; these patches are initially small, but often grow and change in shape . [1]    Genetic and environmental factors are important in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. There are many therapies for vitiligo, the most used are local steroids and ultraviolet light . Segmental Vitiligo (SV) vs Nonsegmental Vitiligo  Vitiligo  results from autoimmune destruction of  melanocytes , [21]   with elevated prevalence of other autoimmune diseases in patients with vitiligo and their relatives . [22]  Vitiligo pathogenesis involves innate immune responses triggered by damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released by damaged melanocytes, causing downstream adaptive immune activation that drives melanocyte destruction by autoreactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes . [23]   Viti...