If I had the opportunity to fund a research project that relates to learning more about microbial influences on human health, I would be most excited to encourage more research on Crohn’s Disease. One of my very close friends has this disease and it has been a whirlwind of unknowns as he has sought treatment over the last two or so years. He has had skin and fecal samples taken, been hospitalized, attended support groups, tried numerous different kinds of medications, and so much more. He has stayed incredibly positive through it all, but it’s so hard to imagine the frustration that he goes through on a daily basis, not only because of the symptoms he suffers from, but also because of the lack of concrete knowledge that exists for this disease. There’s always the dreaded question of “what comes next?” when the previous treatment step failed. Funding a research project that could delve deeper into the unknowns of Crohn’s could provide further information regarding its cause, and eventually its treatment. It’s possible that more can be discovered about where exactly this disease stems from. If we know more about the root cause, we can investigate ways to prevent the disease from happening in the first place and even find a cure that can help the people who already suffer because of it. I hope that in the future more research is done, and that it provides some answers. Many of the articles and studies that we read in class proved to be inconclusive when it came to Crohn’s disease which shows just how essential finding answers should be. I look forward to the future of research in this area and hope that someday, my friend gets the answers he wants and needs.
Writing Exercise #14
Non infectious diseases caused by microorganisms:
- asthma
- gastritis
- stomach cancer
- ulcers
- allergies
- lactose intolerance
- Crohn’s disease
- H. pylori or C. difficile infection
Three minutes goes by quickly! I was so impressed that I was able to list the first five within three seconds of my timer starting because that was more than I was able to list when I wrote Writing Exercise #1. I have clearly learned a lot, retained information, and was able to pull from my readings to remember which non infectious diseases we discussed and how microorganisms influence them. From this course, one of the most important topics that I will take away is how important it is that we take care of our bodies and keep in mind that we are hosts to some pretty incredible microorganisms that help us regulate our systems. Diet, exercise, general life experiences, and medication use are all such important factors in keeping our bodies healthy!
Writing Exercise #13
- Can experiments detect differences that matter?
- Does the study show causation or correlation?
- What is the mechanism?
- How much do experiments reflect reality?
- Could anything else explain the results?
When interpreting scientific literature, all of these questions are extremely significant and necessary to ask when determining the validity and relevance of what you are reading. The importance of asking whether the experiments can detect differences that matter is for determining how relevant the study or experiment is. How will it contribute to the scientific community and to future research? This is essential because if it is not asked and thought about then the article could be a waste of time, money, and effort. When asking if the study shows causation or correlation, it’s meaning to question if the study is valid. Does it actually show results in some manner, whether positive or negative? Incorrect conclusions can be drawn from results if this question is not analyzed correctly. Asking what the mechanism is poses an important factor to consider because this will let you know the details behind the previous question (about causation and correlation). It can also fuel further research if the mechanism is only hypothesized. Asking how much the experiments reflect reality is extremely important because eventually the goal is usually to make it to human trials so if the experiment is about mice and has no way of advancing to humans, there isn’t really much of a point in that sense. In regard to simply discovering how things work and the mechanism in humans is known to be the same, the mice thing doesn’t really matter. However, it’s still an important question to ask in that case because if it isn’t relevant or applicable to anything, it goes back to being a waste of time and money. Finally, wondering if anything else could explain the results is essential because it can lead to future research if other things can explain the results. It also validates the study.
Writing Exercise #12
Many neurotransmitters are produced by microbes. Without these microbes, neurotransmitters would not exist and there would be detrimental effects to your body. Vice versa, the release of certain neurotransmitters can influence what microbiota exist in the body.
Mental health is a large determinant of the types and amounts of microbiota that are in the body. For example, if you are very stressed out, your body becomes stressed and reacts accordingly and can cause dysbiosis which is when the number of organisms is severely decreased. This itself causes increased susceptibility to diseases that affect the gastrointestinal system like leaky gut syndrome. There is also a connection between autism, a mental health disease, and numerous forms of gastrointestinal diseases such as IBD which suggests that there may be a connection between the health of the gut with the brain. Differences have been found in the numbers of bacteria in the gut of people with ASD and people who do not have ASD, which also supports the previous hypothesis that there is a connection between the health of the gut and the brain.
Writing Exercise #10
Scientific peer review is a process by which other members of the scientific community who specialize in the field that the paper or article was written review the work. This not only validates the work that was done, but it also shows that other people in the field are recognizing the research. However, it’s often difficult to find article that are peer reviewed. It’s also difficult for the scientists who are trying to publish to get peer reviews because it takes a lot of time. It is also common for peer reviewed articles to only be accessible to those who have a subscription to the material, which is a con not only for the viewer who doesn’t want to pay but also to the publisher and the researcher because they have a smaller audience.