Circadian clocks are involved in almost all physiologic processes. Similarly, circadian rhythms is shown to be important in regulating variety of processes in our digestive system, including cell proliferation, immune homeostasis, gut permeability and microbial imbalance. Therefore it is not surprising that disruption of circadian rhythm, a factor associated with modern life style, has been implicated in a variety of GI related pathologies that are on the rise in Western countries. These conditions include but are not limited to functional GI diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver disease, metabolic disorders, obesity and gastrointestinal (GI) cancers (e.g., colon cancer. Despite the growing recognition of circadian regulation in GI health and disease, many investigators including basic scientists and clinical researchers, as well as practicing clinicians, are unaware of the importance of this topic for both prevention and treatment of variety of gastrointestinal, hepatic, metabolic and neurologic pathologies. Here we propose a symposium on circadian rhythm in GI health and disease which will, for the first time, cover the impact of circadian dysrhythmia on variety of digestive ad alcohol related pathologies such as gut inflammation, liver diseases, metabolic syndromes, GI cancers as well as brain-gut pathways. Also this symposium will provide scientists, post-doctoral fellows, fellows-in-training, clinicians, and clinician-scientists with a highly dynamic and interactive environment to discuss and learn about the role of circadian rhythms in GI/liver and metabolic/nutrition diseases. Young researchers will be encouraged to enter the field, and multi-central collaborations will form to, eventually, advance our understanding of circadian clock in our digestive system.
The biological rhythms, regulated by circadian clock, affect many aspects of our digestive system. Therefore disruption of the circadian system can lead to variety of digestive diseases. Circadian disruption (e.g., shift workers, social jet lag, or abnormal sleep and feeding patterns) is common in our modern society, and as such may have a remarkable impact on our health. This symposium will bring together national and international experts to discuss the role of circadian rhythm in variety of gastrointestinal, hepatic, metabolic and neurologic conditions.
| Bishehsari, Faraz; Levi, Francis; Turek, Fred W et al. (2016) Circadian Rhythms in Gastrointestinal Health and Diseases. Gastroenterology 151:e1-5 |
