The Interplay among Radiation Therapy, Antibiotics and the Microbiota: Impact on Cancer Treatment Outcomes.

Radiation therapy has been used for more than a century, either alone or in combination with other therapeutic modalities, to treat most types of cancer. On average, radiation therapy is included in the treatment plans for over 50% of all cancer patients, and it is estimated to contribute to about 40% of curative protocols, a success rate that may reach 90%, or higher, for certain tumor types, particularly on patients diagnosed at early disease stages. A growing body of research provides solid support for the existence of bidirectional interaction between radiation exposure and the human microbiota.

The effects of atrazine on the microbiome of the eastern oyster: Crassostrea virginica.

Long-standing evidence supports the importance of maintaining healthy populations of microbiota for the survival, homeostasis, and complete development of marine mollusks. However, the long-term ecological effects of agricultural runoff on these populations remains largely unknown. Atrazine (6-Chloro-n-ethyl-n'-(1-methylethyl)-triazine-2,4-diamine), a prevalent herbicide in the United States, is often used along tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay where oyster breeding programs are concentrated.