Gut microbiome could predict prognosis for rheumatoid arthritis patients, study finds
CBSN
Trillions of microorganisms in our bodies, including bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses, make up the human microbiome. A rheumatoid arthritis patient's gut microbiome may indicate whether the condition will improve over time, according to a recent study published in Genome Medicine shows.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic used gut microbiome data and artificial intelligence to predict clinical outcomes with an accuracy of 90%.
"There's microbiome on the skin, in the lungs, everywhere," said Dr. Bob Lahita, director of the Institute for Autoimmune and Rheumatic Diseases at St. Joseph Health and author of the forthcoming book "Immunity Strong," to CBSN. "And they stimulate the immune system. They actually are involved in the development of our nervous system and our brain and they're the main source of vitamins, like vitamin K and vitamin B. They also protect our bowels from infection and from organisms going into our bloodstream."
Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.