Melissa K MelbyUniversity of Delaware | UDel UD · Department of Anthropology
Melissa K Melby
MPhil, PhD
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73
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Introduction
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March 2019 - present
Publications
Publications (73)
Microbial exposures during infancy shape the development of the microbiome, the collection of microbes living in and on the body, which in turn directs immune system training. Newborns acquire a substantial quantity of microbes during birth and throughout infancy via exposure to microbes in the physical and social environment. Alterations to early...
There is increasing evidence that interactions between microbes and their hosts not only play a role in determining health and disease but also in emotions, thought, and behavior. Built environments greatly influence microbiome exposures because of their built-in highly specific microbiomes coproduced with myriad metaorganisms including humans, pet...
There is concern that the time taken to publish academic papers in microbiological science has significantly increased in recent years. While the data do not specifically support this, evidence suggests that editors are having to invite more and more reviewers to identify those willing to perform peer review.
The human microbiome affects, and is affected by, biocultural and physiological factors including nutrition, metabolism, immunity, and mental health. The gut microbiome plays critical roles in inflammation, which influences how tissues, organs, and bodies age. Need for assisted care is often triggered by skeletal-related and brain-related condition...
The use of non-genetically modified microbial inoculants for beneficial purposes in agriculture, bioremediation, medicine, and infrastructure is increasing. The intentional introduction of plants and animals for similar purposes has a long history, but despite successes, has resulted in thousands of plant and animal species becoming invasive, with...
Humans are holobionts, hosting co-evolved communities of symbiotic microbiota (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses) transmitted, much like culture, from parents to children and between social actors. The human microbiome (aggregate genome of microorganisms residing in and on the human body) affects, and is affected by, biocultural and physiologi...
Taking a holistic approach to the study of aging, this volume uses biological, archaeological, medical, and cultural perspectives to explore how older adults have functioned in societies around the globe throughout human history. As the world’s population over 65 years of age increases, this wide-ranging approach fills a growing need for academics...
Evolutionary selection for survival and fitness favors bidirectional interactions between dynamic and malleable gut microbes and their hosts. By doing so, dynamic host inter-organ and gut microbiota-organ communications exchange information in an age and sex-dependent manner. An individual’s lifespan is determined by organ decline, “biological agin...
The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to affect the human microbiome in infected and uninfected individuals, having a substantial impact on human health over the long term. This pandemic intersects with a decades-long decline in microbial diversity and ancestral microbes due to hygiene, antibiotics, and urban living (the hygiene hypothesis). High...
Worldwide, antibiotic use is increasing, but many infections against which antibiotics are applied are not even caused by bacteria. Over-the-counter and internet sales preclude physician oversight. Regional differences, between and within countries highlight many potential factors influencing antibiotic use. Taking a systems perspective that consid...
Objective: This study sought to assess the association between unidimensional acculturation and diabetes, and analyze mediating pathways of the association in African immigrants to the United States (U.S.). Hypothesis: Acculturation would be positively associated with diabetes and that BMI (Body mass index), physical activity, and psychological dis...
Studies show that experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy is related to poor maternal–infant bonding. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are unclear. This article aims to examine whether maternal postpartum depressive (PPD) symptoms mediate the association between pregnancy IPV and maternal–infant bonding, an...
Humans' indigenous microbes strongly influence organ functions in an age- and diet-dependent manner, adding an important dimension to aging biology that remains poorly understood. Although age-related differences in the gut microbiota composition correlate with age-related loss of organ function and diseases, including inflammation and frailty, var...
Objectives:
Growing interest in integrative medicine motivates examination of who seeks integrative care, and why. By examining differences in demographics and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use between patients recruited from Japanese Kampo (traditional herbal medicine) versus biomedical clinics, this study aimed to identify whether...
Pregnancy-related metrics vary by race/ethnicity, yet most gestational weight gain (GWG) guidelines are ethnicity-blind. We estimated small-for-gestational age (SGA) risk in a Japanese population, examining GWG adequacy categorized by Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Japanese guidelines in male (N = 192) and female (N = 191) full-term singleton infa...
This chapter examines how culture influences what people eat, and how food practices function to enculturate the next generation. We examine four case studies of two food items (sugars and animal proteins) in countries ranging from developing to developed economies, and Western, Eastern, and African cultures. The first three case studies focus on s...
The paper seeks to counter arguments of Africa's neediness by highlighting two health-related efforts: Rwanda's cervical cancer eradication program and Elimination 8, an effort to eliminate malaria in Southern Africa.
DISCLAIMER: The article is not for mass dissemination or mass widespread distribution.
Family commensality, or meals eaten together with family members, is a key practice to understand the socio-cultural organization of eating and family lives. Yet empirical evidence is limited outside of western societies, which have different household structures, work styles, and socio-cultural constructions of the practice. This study examined fr...
Despite the growing popularity of food education and food literacy, the diversity and complexity of ideas about food education among people from different backgrounds have not yet been examined. To explore people’s understandings about food education and examine patterns among people of different occupation, gender, age, and household structure, we...
Despite the growing popularity of food education and food literacy, the diversity and complexity of ideas about food education among people from different backgrounds have not yet been examined. To explore people’s understandings about food education and examine patterns among people of different occupation, gender, age, and household structure, we...
Eating alone is driven by social and cultural factors, not solely by individual preferences. In academic research, eating alone is often simply treated as an alternative to social, commensal eating, and little is known about the practice of eating alone itself. This study employs a cross-cultural analysis to explore social and cultural associations...
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used for menopause, although not all women disclose use to their healthcare providers. This narrative review aims to expand providers’ understanding of cross-cultural approaches to treating and managing menopause by providing an overarching framework and perspective on CAM treatments. Increased...
Objectives:
Babies born small for gestational age (SGA) have a higher risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality as well as later life chronic disease. The objectives of this study were to examine the extent to which prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) influenced risk of SGA among Japanese, and to evaluate physician...
This chapter provides an overview of current scholarship on the effects of agriculture on environmental and human health, focusing primarily on contemporary industrialized agricultural practices. The conceptual framework is explicitly interdisciplinary and multi-level ranging from micro- to macro-level and we focus on three issues that are linked b...
Japan is leading the global trend of decreasing birth rates and the graying of society. In this study we examine women's changing gender and intergenerational relationships and how these affect their concerns and hopes for their futures. Many of the 121 midlife women (aged 45-55) interviewed viewed themselves as sandwiched between their mothers-in-...
Increasing demand for global health education in medical training has driven the growth of educational programs predicated on a model of short-term medical service abroad. Almost two-thirds of matriculating medical students expect to participate in a global health experience during medical school, continuing into residency and early careers. Despit...
Interprofessional collaboration not only improves our ability to offer high-quality patient care, but also offers unique, cost-effective opportunities to teach the next generation of health care providers to do the same. In 2011, the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) restructured the traditional model of health care delivery to impro...
Purpose
Increasing demand for global health (GH) education in medical training has fuelled the growth of GH educational programs predicated on a model of short-term medical service abroad. Such efforts, despite positive intent, might worsen global health inequities and cause harm. Educators must increasingly retool such experiences into academicall...
Japanese public health nutrition often promotes'traditional' cuisine. In-depth interviewswith 107 Japanese adults were conducted in Tokyo from 2009-11,using free-listing methods to examinedietary ideals and realities to assess the extent to which realities reflect inadequate nutrition education or lifestyle constraints.Ideal-reality gapswere widest...
This analysis was conducted to determine the efficacy of extracted or synthesized soybean isoflavones in the alleviation of hot flashes in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
PubMed and The Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trials Register Database were searched for relevant articles reporting double-blinded randomized controlled trials through Dec...
Each menopausal body is the product of decades of physiological responses to an environment composed of cultural and biological factors. Anthropologists have documented population differences in reproductive endocrinology and developmental trajectories, and ethnic differences in hormones and symptoms at menopause demonstrate that this stage of life...
Effects of soy isoflavones on osteoporosis remain unclear. This review aimed to clarify the effect of soy isoflavones on bone mineral density (BMD) and turnover markers in menopausal women. PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched in July 2011 for relevant meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials evaluating effects of soy isoflavones on B...
Methodological differences among studies of vasomotor symptoms limit rigorous comparison or systematic review. Vasomotor symptoms generally include hot flushes and night sweats although other associated symptoms exist. Prevalence rates vary between and within populations, but different studies collect data on frequency, bothersomeness, and/or sever...
This paper is the third in a series of reviews of cross-cultural studies of symptoms at midlife. The goal of this review is to examine methods used previously in cross-cultural studies of menopause and women's health at midlife to (1) identify challenges in the measurement of somatic symptoms across cultures and (2) recommend questions and tools th...
This paper is the second in a series of reviews of cross-cultural studies of menopausal symptoms. The goal of this review is to compare and contrast methods which have been previously utilized in Cross-Cultural Midlife Women's Health Studies with a view to (1) identifying the challenges in measurement across cultures in psychological symptoms and (...
This is the fourth in a series of reviews of cross-cultural studies of menopausal symptoms. The purpose of this review is to examine methods used in cross-cultural comparisons of sexual symptoms among women at midlife, and to examine the determinants of sexual symptoms and how those determinants were measured. The goal of this review is to make rec...
This paper reviews the methods used in cross-cultural studies of menopausal symptoms with the goal of formulating recommendations to facilitate comparisons of menopausal symptoms across cultures. It provides an overview of existing approaches and serves to introduce four separate reviews of vasomotor, psychological, somatic, and sexual symptoms at...
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Reported effects of different soy products on blood pressure vary. This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to clarify the effects of soy isoflavone extract supplements on systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) in adult humans.
PubMed, CENTRAL, ICHUSHI, and CNKI were searched in June 2009 for relevant randomized placebo-c...
Effects of soy isoflavone supplements on bone turnover markers remain unclear. This up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed primarily to more completely and precisely clarify the effects on urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD) and serum bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and secondarily to evaluat...
This study was conducted to clarify the effect of ingesting soy isoflavone extracts (not soy protein or foods containing isoflavones) on bone mineral density (BMD) in menopausal women. PubMed, CENTRAL, ICHUSHI, CNKI, Wanfang Data, CQVIP, and NSTL were searched for randomized controlled trials published in English, Japanese, or Chinese reporting the...
Distrust of food safety has grown among the Japanese people after the occurrence of bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE) in 2001. The Food Safety Commission was formed under the Cabinet Office and made a network among the ministries. The newly-established Consumer Agency may strengthen the quick response to emergencies. Shoku-iku (food and dietary...
Equol, a metabolite of the isoflavone daidzein, is hypothesized to play a major role in the health benefits of soy. We examined the effect of a new S-equol supplement on menopausal symptoms and mood states.
We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with our new equol supplement for 12 weeks with 134 Japanese women (aged 40-5...
The nutritional needs of Asian populations have changed dramatically in the last century. The role of nutrition, not only in preventing diseases associated with deficiency, but also in preventing lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, has become increasingly clear. Japan established the world's first nutrition institute almos...
To examine the differences between biomedical and Japanese women's concepts of vasomotor symptoms and the relationships between the symptom of chilliness (hieshō) and menopause status, other vasomotor symptoms, and environmental factors such as soy isoflavone intake and exposure in Japan.
Participants were healthy Japanese women, aged 45 to 55, liv...
To explore whether Japanese kōnenki (climacteric) symptoms are unique to women or are experienced by men, to compare common symptom indices, and to explore the relationship between symptoms and soy intake.
Two-week recall of 54 symptoms, an eight-item food frequency questionnaire, and views about kōnenki were collected from 60 individuals in Kanaza...
To describe the experiences of midlife women with migraines.
Qualitative data were collected in two consecutive studies, using open-ended interviews, focus groups, and online discussion boards. Interpretive methods were used for analysis.
Three patterns were identified: Changing Headache Patterns; Predicting, Preventing, and Controlling Headaches;...
As the epidemiological and physiological investigation of isoflavones and lignans expands, the need for sensitive methods for analyzing large numbers of samples intensifies. We have developed a method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a coulometric electrode array detector for separation and sensitive detection of da...
To identify menopausal and climacteric symptoms among midlife Japanese women by factor analysis of symptom frequency and severity data.
Demographic information, anthropometric data, 2-week recalls of 82 symptoms, and assessment of epidemiological menopausal and self-defined konenki (climacteric) status were collected from 140 Japanese women living...
The purpose of the present paper is to review recent research on the relationship of culture and menopausal symptoms and propose a biocultural framework that makes use of both biological and cultural parameters in future research. Medline was searched for English-language articles published from 2000 to 2004 using the keyword 'menopause' in the jou...
Many studies have reported beneficial health effects of isoflavones (IFs) on estrogenrelated cancer, cardiovascular disease, lipid profiles, climacteric symptoms, and osteoporosis in humans. However, results have been mixed and are difficult to compare due to differences in study populations (e.g., men vs. women, pre-vs. postmenopausal women, equol...
To characterize the prevalence of vasomotor symptoms affecting menopausal women in Japan, the relationship between vasomotor symptoms and menopause status as defined by menstrual patterns versus self-assigned kōnenki (climacteric) status, and the salience and specificity of hot flash terminology.
Participants were healthy Japanese women, aged 45 to...
Clinical trials have noted hypocholesterolemic effects of soy protein intake, but the components responsible are not known. This meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials was conducted to more precisely evaluate the effects of isoflavones on blood LDL cholesterol concentration independently of soy protein level. PubMed was searched for Englis...
Fifty-four young women with premenstrual syndrome participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention trial. They were divided into two groups: Twenty-eight women took a 20 mg/day isoflavone supplement (20 mg/day IF group); 26 women took a 40 mg/day isoflavone supplement (40 mg/day IF group).
During the three periods of base...
We calculated functional food factor (FFF) intakes using a new database and examined their relationship to health conditions commonly affecting Japanese women in midlife. One-day DRs were collected weekly for 6 months from 67 Japanese women, aged 45-55 yr, living in Kyoto prefecture, Japan. Macro- and micronutrient and FFF intake were calculated fr...
Isoflavone phytoestrogens are growing increasingly popular because of their reported cardiovascular and anticarcinogenic properties, but the effects of these compounds in the brain are largely unknown. In a previous study, we found that an isoflavone supplement, containing a mixture of soy phytoestrogens, inhibited estrogen-dependent female sexual...
Isoflavone phytoestrogens are growing increasingly popular because of their reported cardiovascular and anticarcino- genic properties, but the effects of these compounds in the brain are largely unknown. In a previous study, we found that an isoflavone supplement, containing a mixture of soy phy- toestrogens, inhibited estrogen-dependent female sex...
There is a growing concern in relation to the problem of insufficient sleep, particularly in the United States. In the early 1990s a Congressionally mandated commission noted that insufficient sleep is a major contributor to catastrophic events, such as Chernobyl and the Exxon Valdez, as well as personal tragedies, such as automobile accidents. Ado...
The physical state of poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) in whole cells and in the form of artificial biomimetic granules has been probed using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Studies on varying concentrations of whole cells of Alcaligenes eutrophus show that changes in the line widths of PHB in whole cells do not correlate with changes...