THE HEALTH | AUGUST , 2023

BRAIN BITES

BY DR WAEL MY MOHAMED

Researchers often collect biological samples from participants to study illness progression and therapy efficacy . However , proper care must be taken with biological samples to ensure their viability for researchers and your doctor , and the findings accurately reflect what is in the sample rather than artifacts introduced during collection .

EXPOSOME

Pollutants are ever-present in human life , with new chemicals being brought to the market and found not just in food ( such as pesticides ) but also in many other things that come in touch with people ( such as flame retardants , plasticisers , antimicrobials , and so on ).

In 2015 , it was forecast that pollution-related illnesses killed nine million people prematurely over the globe . That ’ s more than the combined death toll from HIV / AIDS , TB , and malaria .

We don ’ t yet know how emerging contaminants ( such as new pesticides or nano-particles ) affect human health after they ’ ve been exposed to them . It ’ s possible that the combined or additive effects of many chemicals might be more harmful than any one of them alone . Considerable work has gone into characterising human exposure to pollutants , or the so-called “ chemical exposome ,” in an attempt to understand better the role of all these chemicals in the start of different illnesses .

Everything a person comes into contact with , from birth to death , is considered part of the exposome . This includes everything from the minerals in the water we use to clean ourselves to the chemicals in the food we consume .

Exposome measurements are made by collecting biological samples ( blood , urine , and , more recently , hair ) and then directly analysing them for the pollutants in question . To better describe a person ’ s “ chemical exposome ,” modern technology allows for analysing hundreds of contaminants .

Anything we come into touch with during our lives , not only chemicals , may affect our bodies . This emerging study area reveals previously unknown details about a patient ’ s past . Improved disease prevention and patient care may be achieved with the use of chemical exposome evaluation in personalised medicine .

MICROBIOME

It ’ s true that bacteria may be found everywhere in the body ; in fact , for every human cell , you host at least one bacterial cell . However , the colon is where the majority of bacteria live , thriving on undigested food particles .

The ‘ gut ’ microbiome may ferment part of this undigested portion , which is largely dietary fibre , to produce energy . Human health may be affected by the resultant metabolic by-products .

The word “ microbiome ” refers to the community of microorganisms found in a certain area of the body . This word usually only applies to the microorganisms found in a certain setting .

In recent years , the microbiome has been the subject of much study because we have only just begun to comprehend the profound influence that so-called “ good ” bacteria have on human health . If we eat less fibre , for instance , our gut bacteria may switch to eating the mucous lining of our colon for fuel .

Foodborne pathogens like salmonella and E . coli may enter the body via these openings . Bacteria in our microbiome may regulate inflammation , affect the gut-brain axis , and even produce substances that can behave like hormones , all of which go beyond just altering the physical barriers that protect us from illness .

Understanding whether bacteria or chemicals may be utilised to precisely manage interactions between our immune systems and gut microbiomes is a primary focus of microbiome research . Obesity , cancer , and autoimmune diseases are just a few examples of the many conditions in which it is becoming clear that differences in individual microbiomes are linked to individual responses to diet and disease treatments . Going forward , understanding our unique gut microbiomes and how to regulate them for optimal health should be a key component of preventing and treating these conditions .

Dr Wael MY Mohamed is with the Department of Basic Medical Science , Kulliyyah of Medicine , International Islamic University Malaysia ( IIUM ).

RNA BIOMARKERS

Proteins are the body ’ s structural components , and they are typically synthesised by RNA molecules , which are encoded from DNA . This was thought to be RNA ’ s sole function for a long time .

However , it was found around a decade after the first complete genome sequencing that certain RNAs never triggered the synthesis of proteins . Non-coding RNAs ( ncRNAs ) have been shown to provide a distinct function .

As studies progressed , the importance of RNAs grew with it . Many biological processes in humans may be regulated by the discovery that RNAs are not only present inside cells but may also be shuttled to discharge transport signals from one cell to another .

To date , Covid-19 vaccines have been developed using RNAs . The use of RNAs as diagnostic tools and therapeutic agents in the name of precision medicine is entering a new era . Indeed , RNAs can be used for diagnostics ( i . e ., determining whether or not a disease is present ), patient stratification ( i . e ., dividing patients into groups based on a clinical characteristic ), and the identification of patients at high risk for developing a disease or being more severely affected by an existing one .

More study is required , however , before RNAs can be utilised routinely as precision health tools . To accelerate the discovery of RNA-based biomarkers or therapeutics , research institutions need to work together and for new investigators to join the biomedical research community . – The Health