Month: May 2020

Reflect on the peer-review process with you as the reviewer. How did it feel to read and critique someone else’s writing? What did you learn that you can apply to your own writing as you revise your final essay?

At first, as a reviewer, I felt harsh. I felt that my feedback was constantly negative. However, looking back on the process, and thinking about being a reviewer and a reviewee, I believe this process is very beneficial for both parties. As a reviewer, you find statements, ideas, and critiques that are useful for your own paper. Specifically, I noticed that many ideas were not tied back to the thesis with clarity; they had tied back “accidentally”. I learned that I need to be concise in connecting my points with my thesis which will allow the reader to follow along with more fluency. On the other hand, as a reviewee, you allow others to be critical of your work when you yourself may be reluctant to do so. Overall, this process will supplement my final product greatly.

Describe the process of peer review to someone who does not frequently read scientific articles. In your response, consider the pros and cons of peer review and how that might impact the credibility of the results that come from that scientific article.

The peer review and the scientific writing process consists of multiple steps. First, the author, or authors, develops the manuscript. Next, the authors submit the article to a journal of their selection, determined by connections, subject matter, and the impact factor, or how prestigious the journal is. Next, the manuscript is screened by the journal editor and the editor works with the journal publisher to discuss the direction of the journal and if it “fits” or is rejected. If the article is not rejected, the editor then chooses two to four reviewers who are established, published researchers in the field of work, and sends them the article. The reviewers send their summary of thoughts and responses to the editor. Next, the editor assesses the reviews and decides if the manuscript is rejected, needs to be revised by the authors, or is accepted with no revisions required. The positives of the peer review process are the anonymity of the reviewers to the authors and that the reviewers are experts in the field. The downsides include that there is no anonymity of the author to the reviewers, which could impose bias, as well as the connections that the authors may have with the journal, which can give an unfair advantage for certain research to be published. 

List and describe as many changes in human behaviors as you can think of that contribute to decreased exposure to microbes.

• Nutritional choices
  • Lower dairy product intake
  • Lower fermented product intake
  • Less natural pre- and probiotic intake
• Supplementary choices
  • Little or no pre- and probiotic use
• Bacterial infection
  • Increased antibiotic use
• Pregnancy and infancy practices/changes
  • Immunological changes of the mother may impact immune system development of the child
  • Mode of delivery (C-section)
  • Mode of feeding (formula-fed)
  • Maternal milk bacterial composition
    • Shaped by an infant’s oral bacteria composition and maternal weight
  • Maternal antibiotic treatment during pregnancy and lactation
• Decreased interactions
  • Low exposure to dirt/”germs”
  • No or few pets
  • Decreased siblings
  • Homeschooling
  • No daycare
• Living circumstance
  • Urban rather than rural
  • Home sanitation level

The most interesting thing I have learned so far in regard to microbes and human health is the amount of relation they have to each other. Throughout my courses here at the university, I have learned a lot about molecular processes, biochemistry, and anatomy and physiology of both the human body and microbes, but the classes have failed to discuss the adverse relationship between microbes and the human body. I can honestly say that the amount of correlation between disease states and dysbiosis is astounding. What I am most interested in and would like to learn more about are the mechanisms of action of the role of microbes as both beneficial and harmful.

The role of microbes is adverse in that their health influences. They include metabolic functions, structural functions and protective functions. Some of these aspects that we have briefly discussed are the control of epithelial cell differentiation as well as apical tightening, fermentation of nondigestible foods, and protection against pathogens. This is intriguing to me and I am interested to know more about the mechanisms behind these functions. In fact, it would be even more beneficial to know how these functions may vary by site-specific microbial community. I am taking Principles of Immunology this summer term and hope to learn more of the interaction of the human body and microorganisms.

What I might do to begin to prepare for the final paper, based on the free-write exercises, will most likely be to free write first. I will try to write everything down about the topic that I can come up with, then take to the notes to refine ideas and finally to back them up with sources. I know I will not be able to come up with all the information I will need to develop the paper, so after this, I will most likely browse the texts we have read for more information and find useful articles through a search engine. 

List and describe potential factors that the mother or the infant could be exposed to that could influence the colonization of the microbial community in the newborn infant (in positive or negative ways).

• Immunological changes mother goes through may impact immune system development of the child and alter the types of microbes that will be able to colonize
• Mode of delivery — vaginal birth where infants initial microbial communities reflect mother’s vaginal community and C-section where infants’ initial microbial communities reflect mother’s skin community
• Pre-pregnancy BMI — correlated to neonatal gut microbiota composition in vaginally delivery
• Maternal weight — major influencing factor in shaping milk bacterial composition
• Maternal antibiotic treatment during pregnancy or lactation — may reduce antiviral immune responses in infants
• Prebiotic treatment during pregnancy and lactation — may alter infant cecal microbiome as well as prevent adiposity
• Bacterial infections — may be correlated with pregnancy complications
• Maternal bacteria may be able to enter the GI tract of the fetus
• Mode of feeding (breastmilk vs. formula then solid foods) — food composition and nutrients provided for microbes

All potential factors, except for bacterial infections, may provide both positive and negative consequences. 

Describe your personal philosophy about how and when you have taken, or would take, antibiotics. What experiences or prior knowledge do you have that shaped that personal philosophy?

I have been prescribed antibiotics multiple times when I was younger for recurring ear infections, and once in my first year of college when I had developed bronchitis. I had a persistent cough for nearly a month, minimal mucus production, and some wheezing and shortness of breath and when I was prescribed antibiotics for bronchitis, my only philosophy was to listen to the doctor because they knew what they were doing. My prior knowledge about bacteria and antibiotics was minimal as I had taken a few biology classes in high school and did not feel that I needed to research much into treatment. While I did some research on symptoms and figured I had acute bronchitis, I still felt it was best to just see a professional. With my current knowledge, I would have been more reluctant to take antibiotics because most cases of bronchitis are viral and there is always the risk of bacterial resistance; I would not want to take antibiotics if they are not necessary. I would have like to know the doctor’s reasoning for why they prescribed antibiotics in this situation. 

What choices do you make in terms of food/nutrition/product use and consumption that may have an impact on your microbial communities? Consider choices that are intentional, and choices that are perhaps non-intentional.

All of the choices I make in terms of food, nutrition, and product use and consumption that may have an impact on my microbial communities are non-intentional as I was not aware of the adverse effects our microbiome can have on health. Throughout my time at college, almost four years now, all of my choices have been largely influenced by social factors such as socioeconomic status and time constraints. I have worked full or part-time while taking classes full-time and it is very easy to skip meals or eat quick, easily made meals. Cost greatly impacts my food decisions as well; eating healthy happens to be much more expensive. While individuals have varying diversity of gut microbes, a Western diet may select for certain bacteria. More specifically, I eat dairy products such as cheddar and cottage cheese and yogurt that contain lactic acid bacteria which are associated with increased gut microbial diversity. I also eat asparagus, beans, onions, and wheat which are sources of naturally occurring prebiotics (1). An example of unintentional product use impacting my microbial communities that I practice is non-use of laxatives. Bowel-cleansing washes out fecal luminal content with a substantial reduction in intestinal bacteria (2).

A balance between introducing microbes to increase diversity and alteration of present symbiosis seems as if it can result in dysbiosis. At what point is modifying gut microbial communities through dietary changes by introducing a diverse range of nutrient sources to contribute to a more diverse community result in dysbiosis by potentially altering the overall load, proportions and present diversity? Moreover, how does microbial community stability affect attempts to introduce diversity?1.

1. Slavin J. 2013. Fiber and Prebiotics: Mechanisms and Health Benefits. Nutrients 5:1417–1435.
2. Stavrou G. 2016. Gut microbiome, surgical complications and probiotics. Annals of Gastroenterology.