Week 12 Searcher

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs194/en/

This is the World Health Organization (WHO) website and it describes the current antimicrobial resistance problem that is facing the world. It talks specifically about what antimicrobial resistance is, some of the current illnesses that are antimicrobial resistant, what the effects of this are and how they are working to counteract this. What this expands upon is the fact that if antibiotics don’t work it will cause people to be in the hospital longer, which can lead to more suffering and higher bills and could potentially put us back in the pre-antibiotic era. This can also further complicate other areas where the medical community has made advances such as organ transplants, major surgeries and chemotherapy, making it so these are not as safe to perform. Another unsettling thought is how this can cause a problem in controlling disease since people will be sick longer allowing for it to spread more and with globalization many of these strands that are antibiotic resistant can be spread to other places. This article matches chapter 10 by saying that while this is a natural occurring phenomenon there are some human actions that cause the increase of these resistant strands. Two of these actions are using antibiotics in animals to prevent them from getting sick and losing animals to sell, and the misuse of antibiotics by them being prescribed to patients who don’t need it. It seems this is a very serious problem that definitely needs to be looked into. The WHO recognizes that this is not one single item that needs to be fixed but has multiple causes and is trying to foster collaboration. It does seem to be lacking any concrete ideas of what people are doing to try and solve this problem, which is disturbing and appears we desperately need these ideas as more and more diseases are becoming resistant. 

Searcher -Antibiotic Resistance-

In class, we discussed ways to fight against unicellular organisms. One way was with antibiotics. We said that a big problem with using antibiotics to combat some types of diseases was that bacteria eventually form a resistance and the antibiotic becomes less and less effective.  That got me thinking, “can we somehow work around the bacteria’s ability to resist antibiotics?” Turns out, according to the study, “A Population Model Evaluating the Consequences of the Evolution of Double-Resistance and Tradeoffs on the Benefits of Two-Drug Antibiotic Treatments,” (phew, that’s a mouthful) there are ways to work around unicellular organisms’ ability to form resistances by using more than one antibiotic at once.

The study compares the effectiveness measured in patient recovery time and the bacteria’s formation of resistance of different methods of administrating antibiotics to patients. The methods that were tested were cocktail, when two antibiotics are taken together at the same time; cycling, which is taking one antibiotic and then switching to another after a set amount of time; mixing, which is taking one antibiotic and then switching back and forth; and single, which is taking only one antibiotic. More information on definitions can be found on page 4. What I found most intriguing was that “the two-drug combined COCKTAIL treatment, even when facing single- and double-resistance, can outperform a single drug treatment in the absence of resistance (cf. CONTROL).” (Cambell, 6)

--Here is the link to the study--

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=9&sid=8cc061d5-36d2-4973-934e-98cc0ac28413%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4114

--If the first one does not work, here is another link that might--

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0086971

searcher

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121003082734.htm
This article that I found talks about how the increase in allergies is not from being too clean, basically over doing hygiene, but from losing touch with "old friends." The idea this article brings up of "old friends" is the loss of microbes our immune systems evolved with. This article also points out to say that microbial exposure is important and that it is not saying other wise. This is the last thing we discussed in class on Monday the 16th. In the article this hypothesis disproves the hygiene hypothesis.The hypothesis goes to say that challenges of urban living are what connect inflammatory disease. I think this hypothesis seems reasonable.  Changing from a rural environment to an urban one would definitely have some effect on people. Either a negative or positive effect is likely to rise or both. Our diet has also changed quite a bit and the population has increased, which I guess also explains why our diets have changed so much. I was a little confused though, we discussed in class how an inbalance in Th1 and Th2 where the Th1 skew might lead to allergies, asthma, and eczema. This was a very helpful article to read, it really explained everything well, I just feel in needed to have a little bit more to it.

Searcher Microbiomes

Learning about Microbiome’s in class this week really interested me. I have never learned much about them and I thought that it was interesting that they are helpful bacteria to us, yet many people still try to kill them off. This week I found an article about antibiotics and their effect on Mircobiomes. Reading “Good for the Gut” at the end I looked at the comments and someone commented about the affect of antibiotics so I looked more into it.

This article stated that not only the use of antibodies, but also operations such as C-sections have put us in what they referred to as “The Danger Zone”. This relates back to the movie we watched about the low amount of home births in the U.S. The main point of this article was the theory of the head of NYUs Human Microbiome Program. He states “the one reason is the changing microbiome; that we evolved a certain stable situation with our microbiome and with the modern advances of modern life, including modern medical practices, we have been disrupting the microbiome.” This relates back to the mismatch theory.  

This article also discussed what we discussed in class about how babies who are birthed a C-section miss out on the bacteria they would have gotten if they had been born vaginally. There was a study done that compared babies born vaginally and by C-section and they found that babies born my C-section often times did not even have microbiome from their mom on them, it was mostly from other people in the room. This showed how different microbiome is for babies right when they are born. This article was very interesting and discussed a lot of what we have been discussing in class.

http://www.npr.org/2014/04/14/302899093/modern-medicine-may-not-be-doing-your-microbiome-any-favors 

Rachel 

First Respondent

One of my colleagues made a post highlighting the potential benefits of using helminths in treatment of diseases such as ulcerative colitis. I too, look at this optimistically, but as another of my colleagues mentioned, this is only a case study and not a proper random sample. The article mentioned that the helminths used would normally have some negative side-affects, but it did not mention whether or not Loke experienced these. If he did, I suppose they probably weren't nearly as bad as the effects of ulcerative colitis. If not, Loke stumbled onto something wonderful. These articles touched on the idea of modern sanitation and the overkill of hygiene causing more allergies and vulnerabilities in children. These tendencies manifest themselves in more urban areas.
I bring this up because with the urbanization of the population, we may at some point see such a high number of allergies, there may be a demand for prevention rather than treatment. Will we then turn to microorganisms and some sort of artificial exposure, hoping to have the same effect of a vaccine? I see this as a possible direction for the future

Week 12 Searcher

This week our focus is on the immune system and infectious diseases. Although we may not cover it entirely, I decided to research articles on "cures" for diseases, as the "For the Good of the Gut" article inspired me. Oftentimes doctors are pushed to pedal pharmaceuticals on patients as in previous times, these have diminished diseases. However, what did the human body do before large drug corporations? The answer: natural solutions.

Therefore, I found an article about a Chinese herb that lessens the severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis. This is an autoimmune disease which causes inflammation in the joints. Specifically, inflammation is found in the hands and feet of individual's with this disease.
The article can be referenced here: http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-herb-beats-drug-rheumatoid-arthritis-study-084849808.html

Similar to "For the Good of the Gut", other populations have been exposed to a natural element such as this for years. It is a natural solution to a difficult problem. Taking the herb called the thunder god vine, lessens the swelling in joints of patients which also helps relieve pain. Like the helminth worms used as a treatment for ulcerative colitis, this herb proves to be a natural solution for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Nature has already created a remedy; so why aren't we using it?

First Reader

­I found the article “Good for the Gut” interesting because I was aware of individuals purposely infecting themselves with parasites such as tapeworms for aesthetic reasons, but never heard of such a symbiotic relationship for medical reasons. The subject of P’ng Loke’s study suffered from ulcerative colitis and would intentionally infect himself with hundreds to thousands of whipworm eggs and allow them to burrow in his intestinal tract. Within months, the pain and inflammation from his ulcers would subside, but over time as the worms were evacuated, symptoms would resume. It turns out, the worms’ presence in the body caused immune cells to produce more mucus than regular, which in turn provided a barrier between E.coli and other beneficial bacteria in the stomach, keeping them from stimulating inflammation of the tract. Further tests have been done in which patients with similar autoimmune diseases ingested worms, where an overwhelming 72.4% showed improvement. What was once thought to be a parasitic relationship has become a symbiotic one in special circumstances such as these. Despite the disturbing nature of this treatment, it may very well prove to be a promising and available form of therapy in the future.

First Respondent

The article “A Darwinian View of the Hygiene or ‘Old Friends’ Hypothesis” by Graham A.W Rook details the specific outcomes of research that supports the hygiene hypothesis. This hypothesis states that some autoimmune diseases are becoming more prevalent in developed areas due to the lack of exposure to pathogens at a young age. This is due as the lack of pathogen exposure suppresses the natural progression of the immune system and causes a lower degree of immune tolerance. The article “For the Good of the Gut: Can Parasitic Worms Treat Autoimmune Diseases?” by Ferris Jabr elaborates on a specific field of research that is associated with the hygiene hypothesis.  Jabr focuses on the ingestion of parasitic worms to decrease the symptoms associated with gastrointestinal diseases.

In the article by Jabr, it was mentioned that the use of whipworms completely treated the symptoms of a man’s colitis. The article then continues with additional data that supports the use of helminthic therapy without listing any of its’ drawbacks. When reading the article, I initially believed that the whipworm parasite was just a benign worm that probably just hung around in the intestines for a little bit before being passed out without causing any symptoms. However, a quick online search shows that while light infestations of less that 100 worms are usually symptomless (the examples of helminthic therapies in the article used up from 1000-3000 worms), anything more than that number may cause additional GI symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, and even bacterial infections from the worms penetrating the intestinal lining. These symptoms are for acute expose to the worms only, but seeing as the worm eggs in helminthic therapy need to be reintroduced continually in order to remain symptom free (from the autoimmune disease), it is possible that more serious chronic symptoms can occur. This is why I don’t think helminthic therapy will be a viable option in the future mainly because the costs outweigh the benefits.

However, in the article by Rook he states that the GI microbiota also exert a degree of immunoregulatory control. Because the bacteria in the gut flora is so numerous and has a great deal of diversity/ variation from person to person, it presents a better target in developing therapies against autoimmune diseases. Specifically in determining which species of bacteria are helpful in reducing the symptoms of certain diseases and which species exacerbate the symptoms.    

First Respondent

     First of all, wow. I would never ever willingly consume stomach parasites as a form of therapy or treatment. For me it is likened to that of leeching as a barbaric form of treatment. However, the results of Loke’s study are shocking and bizarre. He found that ulcerative colitis symptoms can be significantly reduced with helminths infection because the worms stimulate mucus production and prevent bad bacteria from spreading. Although the results of his experiment are compelling, the article from Scientific American makes a great point that the sample size is just one. I am not sure a big enough sample size can be achieved because not many people would be willing to submit their bodies to parasitic infection, and even so it would risk bias because it could not be a double blind study. I am surprised that enough people were willing to participate in the trials that the article describes! As for the Microbe magazine article and the chapters we read for this week, I am convinced. When we are exposed to more germs are immune system functions better, when we are not exposed to germs our immune system is not going to be able to handle germs when we eventually run into them. It makes sense. In a past anthropology class I learned that obsessive hygiene around new borns and younger children, parents who attack their children with wet wipes, those children have been shown to have lesser immune systems than their dirty counterparts. The microbe article described that in rural farming areas significantly less children have hay fever and allergy disorders, and I for one would like to take this moment to scold my parents for living in an urban area since my severe seasonal allergies are such a pain in my neck. The section on vaccinations in Chapter 8 made me cringe, I would be absolutely terrified to receive an active vaccination or to be around someone who has received it. As we discussed in class and as mentioned in the text, when the majority of school children are vaccinated some who go unvaccinated can coast by. When not enough are vaccinated diseases and infections can be life threatening to those unvaccinated. When parents today are unwilling to vaccinate due to falsified myths this can be a huge problem for their children and others. After reading these texts, especially after the information on helminth therapy, I have a psycho somatic stomach ache! 

These Old Friends of Ours (Respondent)

One of the first readers makes a good point about the increased prevalence of certain autoimmune disease and inflammatory disorders in urban centers: our current problems are the result result of a tradeoff. The elimination of harmful bacteria through antibiotics was a game-changer. While the grave problems the misuse of antibiotics has caused in treating what should be easily-curable infections should makes us critical, the fact is that implementing good hygiene practices along with the occasional use of antibiotics has drastically reduced mortality rates everywhere.

What I think scientists who are advocating for the “old friend hypothesis,” including Jabr and Rook, are stressing is that our germ-phobic culture has swung too far to one extreme: all germs are bad and must be killed. Our thinking is simply wrong. Instead of viewing bacteria and helminthes as creatures to be avoided at all costs, we must instead think of them as we would any other animal: some are dangerous and should be avoided and others we can live in harmony with and even use to our benefit. The same paradigm shift can be seen in scientists studying the microbiome. The unpleasantly named practice of “fecal transplants” has quickly been recognized as a viable means of treating Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), and its success rests on the notion that we need bacteria in order to be healthy.

Continued research into these “old friends” of ours and a shift in our thinking may be what is necessary to maintain a healthy society in the near future, and I think Rook and Jabr do an excellent job in outlining why this field is so promising and so critical to the future of medicine.  

First Response 4/12

This weeks topic of bacteria and parasite exposure in order to treat or prevent diseases both interested me as well as left me feeling doubtful. The data that was presented by Jabr article on stomach parasites as well as the Rook reading on bacteria exposure and it's effect on autoimmune function and development were both fairly strong points and made a lot of sense. I completely believe that a lack of exposure to traditionally prevalent bacterias and organisms in our environment is constricting our auto immune growth and our resistance to allergy and disease. However, Rook continually called on the boom in urbanization as well as the developed societies hygienic practices as being at fault for an increasing vulnerability to illness and allergy. He frames the cleanliness and the elimination of certain bacterias in a seemingly negative and harmful light to modern society, completely disregarding the amounts of serious illness that has receded in members of developed societies and cultures. The article completely failed to hit on the amount of trade off that is experienced between diseases that hit underdeveloped and less hygienic cultures with the disease vulnerability that is now being felt in more structured and hygienic societies. When actually looking into what we are gaining in terms of health and disease avoidance with a very clean urbanized society along with the increase in risk apparent with decreased exposure to traditional bacteria, the effects being felt by modern society must seem much less menacing than they are presented in Rook's article.

Similar sentiments remain with me after reading Jabr's article on the use of stomach parasites to treat the symptoms of bowel and colon diseases. The idea of infecting a patient with stomach worms to lessen painful symptoms of these illnesses is backed with strong biological and scientific support, with the increased production of mucus. Furthermore, the tested statistics of those with stomach illness infected with parasites against those not infected measuring experienced symptoms saw overwhelming support for the infection of worms to treat the negative effects of illnesses as being a successful treatment method. However, I remained skeptical of this theory due to the negative effects that are often associated with tapeworms and other parasites in the human body. In the Jabr article, many of the side effects that came with the infection of parasites in humans were comparable to the symptoms experienced by patients with serious stomach illnesses. I think that the idea of parasite treatment has great potential and is also very helpful in aiding our understanding of what fights the symptoms of those with stomach illness. However, I would need to see more data on parasites treating the symptoms successfully with only a negative downside experienced by patients before I would consider it a truly viable treatment option. I also believe that a less harmful cure must continually be strode for in the medical field.

The Grandmother hypothesis applies to whales too!

This article actually helped me to understand the grandmother hypothesis a little more. Whales are similar to humans in that females live long past menopause. I know we had discussed it in class, but it now makes sense to me that females would be the ones to aid fitness as a trade off from losing fertility. It is also very interesting to see such a similar social environment in whales as exists in great apes. This leads me to ask what other species see patterns of grandmothering and fitness. Surely they would be species that live beyond reproduction and are also very social. This is a very narrow category and I cannot think of another species that might see this phenomenon.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10451533