Creeping fat.

David J. Leishman¹ and Sayeed Ikramuddin^1
1Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Based on Dynamics of adipose tissue macrophage populations after gastric bypass surgery. Read the paper Download Author profiles

Ioannis A. Ziogas, MD, MPH, Ankush Gosain, MD, PhD Department of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital of Colorado, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

Article Review Lanik WE, Luke CJ, Nolan LS, et al. Microfluidic device facilitates in vitro modeling of human neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis-on-a-chip. JCI Insight. 2023;8(8):e146496. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe, potentially fatal disease seen in premature neonates that results in intestinal injury and necrosis.1 The pathophysiology of NEC is based on loss of intestinal barrier integrity, translocation of bacteria across the gut barrier, and sepsis. The use of in vitro models is important to accelerate NEC research, given the shortage of surgically obtained samples from preterm neonates. The main limitation of currently available monotypic epithelial cell line in vitro models is the inaccurate simulation of the multiple cell types and complex intestinal dysbiosis implicated in NEC.2 On the other hand, the available intestinal organoid models can differentiate subtypes of intestinal epithelial cell and have apical-basolateral polarity within a three-dimensional spherical architecture. The limitation is the inability to assess the effect of microbial interactions or therapeutics on the apical epithelial surface.3 Notably, advances in microfluidic technology have led to the development of intestine-on-a-chip models that can simulate the human small intestine microenvironment through cellular differentiation, formation of three-dimensional villus-like axes, mucus production, continuous luminal flow, and mimicry of peristalsis.4

Kamacay Cira, MD; Philipp-Alexander Neumann, MD
Department of Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

Article Review