Human and microbial interactions that influence health outcomes

There is overwhelming evidence that the microbiome must be considered when evaluating the toxicity of chemicals. Disruption of the normal microbial flora is a known effect of toxic exposure, and these disruptions may lead to human health effects. In addition, the biotransformation of numerous compounds has been shown to be dependent on microbial enzymes, with the potential for different host health outcomes resulting from variations in the microbiome. Evidence suggests that such metabolism of environmental chemicals by enzymes from the host's microbiota can affect the toxicity of that chemical to the host. Chemical-microbial interactions can be categorized into two classes: Microbiome Modulation of Toxicity (MMT) and Toxicant Modulation of the Microbiome (TMM). MMT refers to transformation of a chemical by microbial enzymes or metabolites to modify the chemical in a way that makes it more or less toxic. TMM is a change in the microbiota that results from a chemical exposure. These changes span a large magnitude of effects and may vary from microbial gene regulation, to inhibition of a specific enzyme, to the death of the microbes. Certain microbiomes or microbiota may become associated with different health outcomes, such as resistance or susceptibility to exposure to certain toxic chemicals, the ability to recover following a chemical-induced injury, the presence of disease-associated phenotypes, and the effectiveness of immune responses. Future work in toxicology will require an understanding of how the microbiome interacts with toxicants to fully elucidate how a compound will affect a diverse, real-world population.

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Implications of indoor microbial ecology and evolution on antibiotic resistance

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology ◽

10.1038/s41370-019-0171-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sarah Ben Maamar ◽

Jinglin Hu ◽

Erica M. Hartmann

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Built Environment ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Resistance Genes ◽

Genetic Material ◽

Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽

Building Design ◽

Microbial Interactions ◽

Environment Design ◽

Positive Health

Abstract The indoor environment is an important source of microbial exposures for its human occupants. While we naturally want to favor positive health outcomes, built environment design and operation may counter-intuitively favor negative health outcomes, particularly with regard to antibiotic resistance. Indoor environments contain microbes from both human and non-human origins, providing a unique venue for microbial interactions, including horizontal gene transfer. Furthermore, stressors present in the built environment could favor the exchange of genetic material in general and the retention of antibiotic resistance genes in particular. Intrinsic and acquired antibiotic resistance both pose a potential threat to human health; these phenomena need to be considered and controlled separately. The presence of both environmental and human-associated microbes, along with their associated antibiotic resistance genes, in the face of stressors, including antimicrobial chemicals, creates a unique opportunity for the undesirable spread of antibiotic resistance. In this review, we summarize studies and findings related to various interactions between human-associated bacteria, environmental bacteria, and built environment conditions, and particularly their relation to antibiotic resistance, aiming to guide “healthy” building design.

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A peek in the micro-sized world: a review of design principles, engineering tools, and applications of engineered microbial community

Biochemical Society Transactions ◽

10.1042/bst20190172 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 399-409

Author(s):

Baizhen Gao ◽

Rushant Sabnis ◽

Tommaso Costantini ◽

Robert Jinkerson ◽

Qing Sun

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Environmental Remediation ◽

Real Life ◽

Design Principles ◽

Microbial Interactions ◽

Potential Applications ◽

New Gene ◽

Global Biogeochemical Cycles ◽

Synthetic Microbial Communities

Microbial communities drive diverse processes that impact nearly everything on this planet, from global biogeochemical cycles to human health. Harnessing the power of these microorganisms could provide solutions to many of the challenges that face society. However, naturally occurring microbial communities are not optimized for anthropogenic use. An emerging area of research is focusing on engineering synthetic microbial communities to carry out predefined functions. Microbial community engineers are applying design principles like top-down and bottom-up approaches to create synthetic microbial communities having a myriad of real-life applications in health care, disease prevention, and environmental remediation. Multiple genetic engineering tools and delivery approaches can be used to ‘knock-in' new gene functions into microbial communities. A systematic study of the microbial interactions, community assembling principles, and engineering tools are necessary for us to understand the microbial community and to better utilize them. Continued analysis and effort are required to further the current and potential applications of synthetic microbial communities.

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Chronic Pain: Fundamental Scientific Considerations, Specifically for Legal Claims

Guides Newsletter ◽

10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.2013.janfeb01 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 1-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robert J. Barth

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Pain Perception ◽

Driving Forces ◽

Psychological Treatment ◽

Dominant Role ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

General Medicine ◽

Pain Syndrome ◽

Problematic Relationship

Abstract Scientific findings have indicated that psychological and social factors are the driving forces behind most chronic benign pain presentations, especially in a claim context, and are relevant to at least three of the AMA Guides publications: AMA Guides to Evaluation of Disease and Injury Causation, AMA Guides to Work Ability and Return to Work, and AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. The author reviews and summarizes studies that have identified the dominant role of financial, psychological, and other non–general medicine factors in patients who report low back pain. For example, one meta-analysis found that compensation results in an increase in pain perception and a reduction in the ability to benefit from medical and psychological treatment. Other studies have found a correlation between the level of compensation and health outcomes (greater compensation is associated with worse outcomes), and legal systems that discourage compensation for pain produce better health outcomes. One study found that, among persons with carpal tunnel syndrome, claimants had worse outcomes than nonclaimants despite receiving more treatment; another examined the problematic relationship between complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and compensation and found that cases of CRPS are dominated by legal claims, a disparity that highlights the dominant role of compensation. Workers’ compensation claimants are almost never evaluated for personality disorders or mental illness. The article concludes with recommendations that evaluators can consider in individual cases.

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Abstract #805855: Testosterone-to-Estradiol Ratio is a More Precise Marker of Health Outcomes in Males Than Testosterone or Estradiol Alone

Endocrine Practice ◽

10.1016/s1530-891x(20)39653-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 189

Author(s):

Flavio Cadegiani

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes

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Abstract #282 Diabetes Care, Economics and Health Outcomes: Experiences from the 3 Decade Free Diabetes Clinic for the Poor

Endocrine Practice ◽

10.1016/s1530-891x(20)46626-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

pp. 113-114

Author(s):

Nidhi Garg ◽

Muralidhara Krishna ◽

Madhumati S. Vaishnav ◽

Vasanthi Nath ◽

S. Chandraprabha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Outcomes ◽

Diabetes Care ◽

Diabetes Clinic ◽

The Poor

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Mental Health Among Adolescents from Returned Portuguese Immigrant Families

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185/a000015 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 69 (3) ◽

pp. 131-139 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Félix Neto

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Immigrant Families ◽

Health Problems ◽

Mental Health Outcomes ◽

Control Group ◽

Older Adolescents ◽

The Mean ◽

Portuguese Adolescents

This study investigated mental health problems and their predictors among adolescents from returned immigrant families. The sample consisted of 360 returned adolescents (mean age = 16.8 years; SD = 1.9). The mean duration of a sojourn in Portugal for the sample was 8.2 years (SD = 4.5). A control group of 217 Portuguese youths were also included in the study. Adolescents from immigrant families reported mental health levels similar to those of Portuguese adolescents who have never migrated. Girls showed more mental health problems than boys. Younger adolescents showed fewer mental health problems than older adolescents. Adaptation variables contributed to mental health outcomes even after acculturation variables were accounted for. Implications of the study for counselors are discussed.

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