Physiology
Fact to share at a coffee shop: Mammals can breathe through their anuses. Or at least the mice, rats and pigs from the research of Japanese scientists. They wanted to see if it was possible to help people with breathing problems by giving oxygen through their buttocks.
The coronavirus pandemic was the basis for their research. The scientists saw that many hospitals had too few ventilators for seriously ill patients. They knew that some fish could use their intestines to breathe. Their research showed that mice, rats and pigs could also absorb oxygen into their bloodstreams if given via the rectum.
“Enteric ventilation offers new opportunities to help patients with respiratory failure,” the study said. However, Takanori Takebe, one of the scientists, initially had mixed feelings about the Ig Nobel Prize. That changed when he heard the philosophy behind the Ig Nobels. “If it can stimulate interest in enteric ventilation, I’ll be very happy.” The team is currently conducting a phase I study with human volunteers.
Reference:Mammalian intestinal ventilation alleviates respiratory failure“Ryo Okabe, Toyofumi F. Chi-Yoshikawa, Yusuke Yoneyama, Yuhei Yokoyama, Satuna Tanaka, Akihiko Yoshizawa, Wendy L. Thompson, Jokul Kannan, Eiji Kobayashi, Hiroshi Date, and Takanori Takebe,” Medicine, Vol. 2, June 11, 2021, pp. 1-11.
