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Reduced Incidence of Prevotella and Other Fermenters in Intestinal Microflora of Autistic Children

Description

High proportions of autistic children suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, implying a link between autism and abnormalities in gut microbial functions. Increasing evidence from recent high-throughput sequencing analyses indicates that disturbances in composition and diversity of gut microbiome are associated with various disease conditions. However, microbiome-level studies on autism are…

High proportions of autistic children suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, implying a link between autism and abnormalities in gut microbial functions. Increasing evidence from recent high-throughput sequencing analyses indicates that disturbances in composition and diversity of gut microbiome are associated with various disease conditions. However, microbiome-level studies on autism are limited and mostly focused on pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, here we aimed to define systemic changes in gut microbiome associated with autism and autism-related GI problems. We recruited 20 neurotypical and 20 autistic children accompanied by a survey of both autistic severity and GI symptoms. By pyrosequencing the V2/V3 regions in bacterial 16S rDNA from fecal DNA samples, we compared gut microbiomes of GI symptom-free neurotypical children with those of autistic children mostly presenting GI symptoms. Unexpectedly, the presence of autistic symptoms, rather than the severity of GI symptoms, was associated with less diverse gut microbiomes. Further, rigorous statistical tests with multiple testing corrections showed significantly lower abundances of the genera Prevotella, Coprococcus, and unclassified Veillonellaceae in autistic samples. These are intriguingly versatile carbohydrate-degrading and/or fermenting bacteria, suggesting a potential influence of unusual diet patterns observed in autistic children. However, multivariate analyses showed that autism-related changes in both overall diversity and individual genus abundances were correlated with the presence of autistic symptoms but not with their diet patterns. Taken together, autism and accompanying GI symptoms were characterized by distinct and less diverse gut microbial compositions with lower levels of Prevotella, Coprococcus, and unclassified Veillonellaceae.

ContributorsKang, Dae Wook (Author) / Park, Jin (Author) / Ilhan, Zehra (Author) / Wallstrom, Garrick (Author) / LaBaer, Joshua (Author) / Adams, James (Author) / Krajmalnik-Brown, Rosa (Author) / Biodesign Institute (Contributor)

Created2013-06-03

How Privilege and Opportunity Are Associated with Psychological Well-being

Description

Ethnic groups experience different societal and economic circumstances that contribute to their well-being. Life satisfaction and happiness are commonly used as a measure of well-being; but they are not often used to evaluate well-being in lower income countries. This study focuses on the self-reported life satisfaction and happiness of members…

Ethnic groups experience different societal and economic circumstances that contribute to their well-being. Life satisfaction and happiness are commonly used as a measure of well-being; but they are not often used to evaluate well-being in lower income countries. This study focuses on the self-reported life satisfaction and happiness of members of ethnic groups from low- and middle-income countries and its correlation with ethnic privilege, gender opportunity, and income. Using two self-reported measures of well-being—life satisfaction and happiness—among 110,391 women in 27 countries (ages 15-49) surveyed in Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys, this study examines how country-level indicators of gender opportunity, ethnic-level indicators of privilege and household-level measures of wealth are associated with well-being. Our findings indicate a significant relationship between ethnic privilege, gender opportunity and income on life satisfaction. The results from this study provide valuable data and implications for lower income countries to identify and reduce modifiable risk factors that affect a population’s well-being.

ContributorsChavez Lopez, Giselle (Co-author, Co-author) / Hruschka, Daniel (Thesis director) / Gonzales, Angela (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2020-05

The Importance of Friendship and Community in a Phoenix Homeless Population

Description

The lonely, empty face panhandling on the street corner has a story to tell. At first glance, most people write the homeless off as less than worthy. However, there is a deeper connection and understanding of relationships and a sense of community unseen by the majority of passer-byers. Amidst the…

The lonely, empty face panhandling on the street corner has a story to tell. At first glance, most people write the homeless off as less than worthy. However, there is a deeper connection and understanding of relationships and a sense of community unseen by the majority of passer-byers. Amidst the humdrum beat of every day life, there is toil to find basic necessities such as food, water, sanitation, and a place to rest. At the same time, there is laughter and friendship as they help one another through the hostilities of their circumstances. Combining the creative elements of photojournalism and qualitative interviewing, the basic daily needs and struggles of the homeless will be delved into to answer how friendship is pertinent to survival on the streets.

ContributorsFisher, Meghan (Author) / Hruschka, Daniel (Thesis director) / Hita, Liza (Committee member) / Newland, Judy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor)

Created2012-12

The Association of Community Membership and Socioeconomic Status in India with Contraceptive Use

Description

Examining the effect of various factors such as class, gender, and status on health inequalities in India is crucial for improving access to health services. However, most research on castes in India is done using broad, government-defined categories, including “Scheduled Castes,” “Scheduled Tribes,” “Forward Classes,” and “Other Backwards Classes.” These…

Examining the effect of various factors such as class, gender, and status on health inequalities in India is crucial for improving access to health services. However, most research on castes in India is done using broad, government-defined categories, including “Scheduled Castes,” “Scheduled Tribes,” “Forward Classes,” and “Other Backwards Classes.” These general categories erase the experiences that more specific caste groups have in their health and their livelihood. Using the 2015-2016 Demographic and Health Survey of India, this study analyzes data on 699,686 women aged 15-49 to investigate the association of socioeconomic status, assessed by wealth, education, and community status on two types of contraceptive use–sterilization and other modern methods. Those with secondary education or higher were much less likely to be sterilized and more likely to use non-sterilization forms of modern contraception. Interestingly, those with greater household wealth were more likely to be sterilized but had no different chance of using non-sterilization forms of modern contraception. After controlling for other socioeconomic factors, members of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes are more likely to be sterilized. However, there was additional heterogeneity between groups, with Muslim groups and Northeastern tribes much less likely to be sterilized, and Southern tribes more likely to be sterilized. Moreover, Muslim groups as well as Northern and Northeastern tribes were more likely to use non-sterilizations forms of contraception, whereas Southern tribes were less likely to use non-sterilization forms of contraception. These findings illustrate that in addition to differences by major caste categories, there is still religious and regional variation in the likelihood of using different forms of contraception. Future research should examine how unique community factors erased within the already present government caste system can affect health. In addition, more research should be done on the various effects of discrimination faced by these communities and how this discrimination affects their health education, access, and autonomy.

ContributorsChandra, Natasha (Author) / Hruschka, Daniel (Thesis director) / Drake, Alexandria (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)

Created2024-05