Article Summaries - Extreme Weight Loss Surgery Works It Thanks Knife or Microbes

Health:

An article that I read from http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2015/08/extreme-weight-loss-surgery-works-it-thanks-knife-or-microbes, indicates a study that was done that a certain type of microbe is the cause of weight loss in bypass patients.  I learned that the microorganism microbiota (“the swarm of microbes that dwell in our intestines and helps us digest food”) may be the reason that the weight loss in bypass occurs. They performed a study on 14 women who had the surgery and overweight people who served as the control. The researchers “sequenced microbial DNA from patients’ feces”, this was to show to the researchers on what microorganisms that they already have for both the control and surgery patients. The surgery patients had a reduced bacterium, E-coli. Researchers then transplanted the microorganisms from the control group and the bypass group into mice to determine if there was a difference. It showed that the human intestinal in the control group, the mice had put weight and the bypass patients the mice lost more fat. This study was interesting to read on how a single microorganism that can alter the weight in humans to have an overall good health.

After reading about the study it was interesting to see how the study was performed. The microbe that is the source of bypass patients seems to be reacting to the patient’s body to help with the weight loss. Obese patients tend to overeat and not realize how much food they consume hence most of patients consider the bypass surgery. Knowing that the microbiota is the reason (not proven yet but from the study) why patients that undergo the surgery lose the weight can be a major breakthrough in the overall health.

Commercial Applications:

Another article that I had read from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2015/06/1 506031354 49.htm is describing a study that was done to accelerate the development of biofuels from nonfood plant matter. I learned that they use corn to convert into sugar on a corn Stover to convert plant matters to fuel. With the new approach with the yeast it converts to a hemicellulose and it increases the overall sugar but it also increases ethanol in a shorter period. By having yeast to help the overall production of the ethanol and sugar, it will create a faster production and cost efficient.