Migration Spurs Changes in the Human Microbiome: a Review.

International migration often results in major changes in living environments and lifestyles, and these changes may lead to the observed increases in obesity and diabetes among foreign-born people after resettling in higher-income countries. A possible mechanism linking changes in living environments to the onset of health conditions may be changes in the microbiome. Previous research has shown that unfavorable changes in the composition of the microbiome can increase disposition to diseases such as diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Challenges Accessing Food, Water, Healthcare Services, and Medications During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Adults in Puerto Rico and Their Association with Self-Rated Health: Assessments of PR-CEAL.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges in accessing food, water, medications, and healthcare services some of which are linked with lower self-rated health (SRH). These challenges have already been documented in the US, but it remains unknown how the pandemic affected access to food, water, medications and healthcare services, and how these challenges relate to SRH in this group, a population experiencing profound health disparities and limited resources prior to the pandemic.

Objective: To assess associations between challenges accessing food, water, healthcare, and medications during the COVID-19 pandemic and SRH among adults in Puerto Rico.