Chronic Fatigue Connection

People with myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) have a different gut microbiome than healthy people, new research shows. ME/CFS is characterized by debilitating fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, gastrointestinal disturbances, and other symptoms. Although its cause is unknown, it often follows an infection.

Scientists at the School’s Center for Infection and Immunity analyzed fecal samples collected from a geographically diverse cohort of 106 cases and 91 healthy controls from five sites across the United States.

Beneficial gut bacteria

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Eubacterium rectale were reduced in ME/ CFS participants. Loss of these important bacteria contributed to trouble synthesizing butyrate, a bacterial metabolite with anti-inflammatory properties and the main fuel for the body’s colon cells. Other types of bacteria, which are correlated with fatigue and inflammatory bowel disease, were present in greater amounts. These differences in gut microbes could serve as biomarkers to aid in diagnosis of ME/CFS, which currently relies on clinical criteria and symptoms. Understanding the connection between ME/CFS and disturbances in the gut microbiome may also lead to ways to classify the disease and develop targets for therapeutic trials.

Older Drivers: Caution Signals

A novel and highly accurate algorithm could predict mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older drivers.

Investigators from Columbia Mailman School, Columbia Engineering, and Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons constructed 200 variable modules using naturalistic driving data on the driver, the vehicle, and the environment captured by in-vehicle recording devices for 2,977 drivers. With artificial intelligence, they processed data measuring driving behavior, performance, and tempospatial pattern in exceptional detail, predicting mild cognitive impairment and dementia with 96 percent accuracy.

“About 85 percent of older adults in the United States are licensed drivers. Our study show that digital markers in routinely collected driving data can be used through machine learning techniques to predict impairment, leading to timely intervention,” says Guohua Li, MD, DrPH, professor of Epidemiology.

Out of COVID-19 Came Creativity

Traditionally, healthcare delivery organizations have been slow to generate and implement new ideas. But throughout the pandemic, they have been hotbeds of innovation, according to an article co-authored by Yuna Lee, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of Health Policy and Management, in Health Affairs. Doctors and nurses repurposed baby monitors, snorkels, and hair dryer hoods for COVID-19 care; supply chain supervisors contacted laundromats and hardware stores for personal protective equipment; environmental services managers experimented with sanitizer placement and clever signage; and public health workers turned closed Sears stores into vaccine centers.

Many innovations are now standardized: Clear surgical masks facilitate lip-reading, and families are included in virtual discussions of palliative care. Telemedicine, once on a slow track, is now widely available. Says Lee: “While COVID-19 brought much devastation, it also showed the creative potential of the industry to address serious problems. That lesson should not be lost.”

Asthma: A Cannabis Connection

Asthma has increased among teens and among children from some minority racial and ethnic groups in states that legalized cannabis for recreational use. Researchers at Columbia Mailman School and the City University of New York were the first to examine the relationship between cannabis policy changes and youth asthma. “Cannabis use is increasing among adults with children in the home, and secondhand smoke is a key risk factor for asthma among children,” notes Renee D. Goodwin, PhD, MPH ’03 adjunct associate professor of Epidemiology. Asthma is already the nation’s most common chronic condition affecting children. An earlier study by Goodwin observed cannabis use in 12 percent of parents of minor children in states with legal recreational cannabis. “Yet, no education regarding child exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke is routinely offered,” she notes.

97 Number of countries in which the School has partnerships or other activities

96% Likelihood a graduate is employed or continuing their education within one year of graduation

17,000+

Number of alumni households who connected with the School during the 2022–2023 academic year

Tainted Data About Toxins

Researchers at the School continue to examine 1970s documents related to toxicity studies conducted for Monsanto by Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories (IBT). An examination published in the American Journal of Public Health reveals fraudulent research practices used to thwart government investigations.

“Monsanto contracted with IBT in 1969 to perform chronic toxicity studies, one of which did not turn out to be ‘as favorable as Monsanto had hoped or anticipated,’” says author David Rosner, PhD, professor of Sociomedical Sciences and co-founder of the School’s Center for the History & Ethics of Public Health. Monsanto then arranged with IBT to repeat some of the studies for better conclusions. This is the first paper to look at the relationship between the corporate funders of research and its fraudulent practices in the 1970s.

In addition to compromised test conditions, IBT employees made up data. “The influence of industry on laboratory practices made the corruption of science more likely,” notes Rosner. “We need to maintain vigilance over companies whose self-interest has distorted science and