Gary D. Wu

Human Gut Bacteria Convert Endogenous Steroids into Host Cortisol Shuttle Inhibitors

The paper identifies gut bacteria-produced metabolites that inhibit HSD11B2, altering cortisol signaling and linking microbiome activity to blood pressure regulation.

Concomitant suppression of COX-1 and COX-2 is insufficient to induce enteropathy associated with chronic NSAID use

The paper shows that suppressing both COX-1 and COX-2 does not cause intestinal injury in mice unless combined with specific NSAIDs, and that gut microbiome changes amplify NSAID-induced enteropathy.

Amino acid competition shapes Acinetobacter baumannii gut carriage

This study shows that A. baumannii uses ornithine to compete with gut microbiota and persist in mice, with dietary ornithine promoting its carriage.

Carbohydrate consumption drives adaptive mutations in Escherichia coli associated with increased risk for systemic infection

This study shows lactulose consumption selects for E. coli mutations that enhance its metabolic fitness and colonization, increasing infection risk in cirrhosis patients.