COVID-19: Emerging Challenges for Students in Medicine and Schools in the United States

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the world everywhere, including the lives of high schoolers in America. The sudden sharp rise in coronavirus cases forced the closure of schools in Mid-March to curb the further spread of the virus. Several end-of-the-year celebrations, school activities, and examinations were canceled. At the same time, the cancellations gave a chance for the youth to adapt to uncertain situations and learn adifferent perspective of life. Living in Florida, a state that battles hurricanes for almost half a year, school closures have become the norm: it is not rare for students to be reminded to keep their textbooks and notes home for a week or two. Prepared from past closures due to hurricanes, the school district board already had a virtual school platform, and the principal instructed all students to shift to Zoom and alternative eLearning. However, when the coronavirus pandemic led to the indefinite closure of high schools across the country, thiswas something new, different, and unexpected that school communities had to face

Mind-Mending Microbiome: A Meta-analysis

The prevalence of any mental illness (AMI) among younger populations has substantially increased, with most studies pointing to psychosocial factors. Yet, less research has been done in uncovering the relationships between diet, gut microbiome health, and mental health disorders. Recently, reports of gut dysbiosis and microbiome perturbations are more frequent in patients with mood disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, psychotic disorders, and anxiety disorders when compared with the general population. Here, this meta-analysis aimed to identify biomarkers of the gut microbiome attributed to the abovementioned classes of mental health illnesses and evaluate the potential of dietary modifications to modulate. Human case-control studies with participants between ages 5-39 investigating human microbial characteristics associated with various psychiatric disorders mentioned in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V) were searched using PubMed, Web of Science, PsychINFO, ProQuest, Disbiome, and gutMDisorder databases. Statistically significant changes in the relative abundances, species diversity, species richness, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) markers, and other relevant parameters were tabulated per phenotype. For the second part, studies were identified and selected using the above databases that correlate dietary aspects to the immunonutrition of the gut flora. The information obtained can help improve our understanding of connecting dietary modifications to serve as a potential preventative or therapeutic measure to mental health disorders

Mind-Mending Microbiome: A Meta-analysis

The prevalence of any mental illness (AMI) among younger populations has substantially increased, with most studies pointing to psychosocial factors. Yet, less research has been done in uncovering the relationships between diet, gut microbiome health, and mental health disorders. Recently, reports of gut dysbiosis and microbiome perturbations are more frequent in patients with mood disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, psychotic disorders, and anxiety disorders when compared with the general population. Here, this meta-analysis aimed to identify biomarkers of the gut microbiome attributed to the abovementioned classes of mental health illnesses and evaluate the potential of dietary modifications to modulate. Human case-control studies with participants between ages 5-39 investigating human microbial characteristics associated with various psychiatric disorders mentioned in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V) were searched using PubMed, Web of Science, PsychINFO, ProQuest, Disbiome, and gutMDisorder databases. Statistically significant changes in the relative abundances, species diversity, species richness, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) markers, and other relevant parameters were tabulated per phenotype. For the second part, studies were identified and selected using the above databases that correlate dietary aspects to the immunonutrition of the gut flora. The information obtained can help improve our understanding of connecting dietary modifications to serve as a potential preventative or therapeutic measure to mental health disorders