microbiota – Naturally Inspiring

November 4, 2024

Fibromyalgia: a Mystery Disease?

What is Fibromyalgia and who does it affect?

Could you imagine waking up every day with pain that never goes away? That is the reality many fibromyalgia sufferers experience in their everyday lives. Fibromyalgia is from the Latin word fiber (fiber) and the Greek words myo (muscle) and algos (pain). These root words offer a glimpse into what fibromyalgia is and how it causes suffering. It is a pain of the fibrous tissues and muscle in the human body. While anyone of any background regardless of race or ethnicity can get fibromyalgia, it typically affects women more than men (NIH, 2024). You are more likely to develop fibromyalgia as you age, and if a family member has fibromyalgia. There are cases of children and young adults having fibromyalgia, but it usually occurs in middle-aged women (Erdrich et al., 2023).

Around 2 to 4% of adults live with the challenges of fibromyalgia (Stewart, 2022). They wake up, feeling exhausted, struggling to get through daily tasks, and facing unpredictable flare-ups. This chronic condition, along with many other symptoms mentioned can affect your mental health, sleep and cognitive issues like brain fog, chronic headaches, and memory impairment. In addition, It can also make you more at risk for depression and anxiety by more than 50% (Freirich et al., 2021). Figure 1(A) displays many of the possible or common symptoms that sufferers of fibromyalgia have. The National Institute of Health has a great page about fibromyalgia, including its symptoms, causes and an overview.

November 4, 2024November 5, 2024

How the Facial Microbiome Changes as we Age

Background

The human microbiome refers to all the microorganisms that live on and inside us. These microorganisms are predominantly bacteria and can consist of both beneficial and harmful species that change throughout our lives due to different factors. Our facial skin is home to millions of these microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses; that influence the health of our skin (Byrd, A., Belkaid, Y. & Segre, J, 2018). These include the bacteria that peacefully coexist on our skin, as well as potentially harmful and dangerous invader bacteria (Scharschmidt TC, Fischbach MA, 2013). These facial microbes function in maintaining the physical barrier of our skin, protection against pathogens, working with the immune response, and the breakdown of natural products (Byrd, A., Belkaid, Y. & Segre, J, 2018).

Aging is a factor that influences the composition and function of the facial microbiome and is unavoidable for all humans. As we get older, our facial skin experiences a decrease in collagen, sebaceous/oil glands, and sweat, which can impact and influence the facial microbiome (Sun, C. et al. 2024). Skin aging is associated with physical changes such as wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and the appearance of rough texture (Kim, HJ. et al., 2022). It has been found that elderly individuals exhibit significantly higher microbiome diversity linked to reduced immune capabilities that are not as effective at eliminating certain bacteria and microbes (Jensen, J. M., & Proksch, E., 2009).

October 22, 2021

Athletes Have Unique Gut Microbial Communities

Background

People may be familiar with products that claim to impact gut health via probiotics and prebiotics, like kombucha and supplements. Prebiotics are plant fibers that encourage growth of beneficial gut bacteria, while probiotics are usually live bacteria that are associated with good gut health (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2021). Diversity comes up often in discussions about gut microbes. Diversity refers to the amount of different species present in a sample, and more diverse samples contain a wider range of microbes. We know that a less diverse community of gut microbes is associated with inflammatory bowel diseases (Cénit et al., 2014) and obesity (Turnbaugh et al., 2008). However, relatively little is known about how the performance of endurance exercise might impact the microbes living within the gut.

October 22, 2020October 23, 2020

How Microbes are Affecting Dairy Farmers

Background

There are many common bovine diseases yet there is one in particular that is undetected, difficult to treat and detrimental for farmers. Endometritis is a common bovine disease that is an inflammation of the innermost layer of the uterus. It is typically seen 21 days postpartum and there are no symptoms of illness. Endometritis occurs due to the dilating of the cervix and relaxation of the vagina; this natural occurrence post-birth allows the essential barriers to become impaired and the uterus becomes compromised (“Endometritis in Cattle”). Another reason this occurs is that the cow’s immune system is suppressed in the last few weeks of pregnancy and post-birth.

Endometritis can be split into two groups: subclinical and clinical. Subclinical is the non-severe form that is typically undiagnosed because there is no external clinical finding. Clinical is the diagnosed and treated disease; typically showing vaginal discharge. Whereas subclinical is only diagnosed through cytology. Continue reading “How Microbes are Affecting Dairy Farmers”