• Pediatrics
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Animal models of IBD
• Neuro-immune interactions
• Diet and intestinal inflammation

There is increasing evidence to suggest that intestinal inflammation affects the organization and function of the intestinal nervous system, which controls how our intestine works.  As a result, changes in nerve function may alter how the inestine works, worsen inflammation and aggravate the symptoms in IBD.  In our studies we are examining the nerve-intestinal lining responses to inflammation in animal models if IBD and in our children with IBD.  We will determine what nerve changes occur in assoications with intestinal inflammation, how these changes affectr the function of the intestinal lining cells and whether these changes persist.  We will also examine the potential benfit of probiotics (living non-harmful bacteria).

We are also examining the effects of maternal dietary fat on intestinal lining cells (which protect the host from harmful dietary agents and infectious organisms) and on the intestinal immune response in young offspring.

• Determining the effect of intestinal inflammation on neuro-epithelial function in animal models of IBD.
• Examining the role of maternal dietary lipid in modulating epithelial barrier function and intestinal immune response of the young offspring to chemically induced colitis
• Epidemiology of paediatric IBD

Mundra H, Innis S, Jacobson K. Intestinal Responsiveness to Experimental Colitis in Young Rats is Altered by Maternal Diet. In press, Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol .

Boyer L, Ghoreishi M, Templeman V, Vallance BA, Jevon G, Jacobson K. Enteric Nervous System Injury and Apoptosis in Experimental Colitis. Autonomic Neuroscience 2005 Jan;117(1)41-53.

Jorge L. Pinzon, Jacobson K, Reiss J. Say Goodbye and Say Hello: Transition from Pediatric to Adult Gastroenterology. Can J Gastroenterol 2004 December;18 (12): 735-742.

Salh B, Assi K, Templeman V, Parhar K, Owen D, Gomez-Munoz A, Jacobson K. Curcumin attenuated DNB-induced murine colitis. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 2003 Jul;285: G235-G243. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2003 Jul;285(1):G235-43. Epub 2003 March 13.

Vallance BA, Deng W, Jacobson K, Finlay BB. Host susceptibility to the attaching and effacing bacterial pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. Infect Immun 2003 Jun;71(6):3443-53. 

Jamieson DH, Shipman PJ, Israel DM, Jacobson K. Comparison of multidecector CT and Small Bowel Follow through Studies for Evaluation of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Children. Am J Roentgenol 2003 May;180(5):1211-6.

Miceli PC, Jacobson K. Cholinergic Pathways Modulate Experimental DNB-Colitis in Rats. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical 2003 April 30;105(1):16-24.

Ramaswamy K, Jacobson K, Jevon G, Israel DM. Esophageal Crohn's Disease in Children: A Clinical Spectrum. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2003 Apr;36(4):454-8.

Vallance BA, Deng W, De Grado M, Chan C, Jacobson K, Finlay BB. Modulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase expression by the attaching and effacing bacterial pathogen citrobacter rodentium in infected mice. Infection and Immunity 2002 Nov;70(11):6424-35.

Xiujuan Wu

Chuanbin Dai

Lee Boyer