Calcitonin-like immunoreactivity in human milk, longitudinal alterations and divalent cations

The Function and Alteration of Immunological Properties in Human Milk of Obese Mothers

Maternal obesity is associated with metabolic changes in mothers and higher risk of obesity in the offspring. Obesity in breastfeeding mothers appears to influence human milk production as well as the quality of human milk. Maternal obesity is associated with alteration of immunological factors concentrations in the human milk, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), leptin, IL-6, insulin, TNF-Alpha, ghrelin, adiponectin, and obestatin. Human milk is considered a first choice for infant nutrition due to the complete profile of macro nutrients, micro nutrients, and immunological properties. It is essential to understand how maternal obesity influences immunological properties of human milk because alterations could impact the nutrition status and health of the infant. This review summarizes the literature regarding the impact of maternal obesity on the concentration of particular immunological properties in the human milk.

Biophysics and the nonlinear dynamics instigated by a special hormone

Calcitonin, a potent hypocalcemic hormone, plays a vital role in inhibiting osteoclastic activities and suppressing bone removal. The physiological characteristics of calcitonin have long been discussed, along a few recommending calcitonin as a vestigial hormone. The basis for this article is to discuss the role of low and high levels of calcitonin in normal and osteoprotic bone turnover. The effect of calcitonin on the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-ligand and osteoclasts has been demonstrated using numerical simulations. This behavior recommends that treatment of osteoporosis via calcitonin does not provide the required upshots. For effectiveness calcitonin must be advised along with a combined therapy like aspirin which agrees with the experimental results available in the literature.

Oral contraceptives do not affect magnesium in breast milk

OBJECTIVES

To study the effects of oral contraceptives on magnesium metabolism of lactating mothers.

METHODS

Serum and breast-milk magnesium were measured in three groups of mothers that were using combination pill (12), mini-pill (21), and a control group (21).

RESULTS

There was no significant effect of oral contraceptives on breast-milk magnesium.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of oral contraceptives such as the combination pill and mini-pill does not seem to affect the secretion of magnesium in breast milk.

Magnesium in human milk

Reported concentrations for magnesium in breast milk vary over a wide range (15 to 64 mg/L) with a median value of 31 mg/L and 75% of reported mean concentrations below 35 mg/L. Constitutional variables such as adolescent motherhood, gestation length, maternal undernutrition, metabolic disorders (diabetes, galactosemia), race, stage of lactation, sampling techniques (foremilk and hindmilk), as well as environmental variables such as socio-cultural diversity, smoking habits, dietary calcium and magnesium (including supplementation), vegetarianism, calciotropic agents (immunoreactive calcitonin, vitamin D), medication (hormonal contraceptives, magnesium sulfate) are critically reviewed in relation to changes in milk magnesium concentrations. Magnesium secretion into breast milk does not seem to be affected by the studied variables.

Genetic variants of calcitonin receptor and breast cancer in Japanese

Calcitonin (CT) inhibits the growth of human breast cancer cell lines and calcitonin receptor (CTR) is expressed in breast cancer lines and breast cancer tissue. In this study, the allele frequencies of the CTR gene were compared in the peripheral blood and tumour from 46 breast cancer patients with 50 peripheral blood samples from Japanese women. The allele frequencies of CTR gene did not differ between them. There was no significant association of CTR allele frequencies in invasive breast carcinomas. These results indicate that allelic variation of the CTR gene is not a significant risk factor for the development of breast carcinoma in Japanese women. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of CT and CTR in human breast tissue.

Hormonally active peptides in human milk

Human milk contains many hormone and hormone-like peptides. The gastrointestinal tract of newborn infants exhibits lower proteolytic activity than in adults and higher "permeability" for macromolecules. Studies in experimental animals demonstrate that several peptides (epidermal growth factors, insulin-like growth factor I and bombesin) after orogastric administration exhibit effects on the small intestine and other organs (liver or pancreas). Few studies performed in human neonates suggest a "survival" of epidermal growth factor in their gastric content. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of milk-borne hormonally active peptides. This need is stressed by the fact that several of those known to be present in human milk were found to be low or not detectable in infant formulae (epidermal growth factor, insulin-like growth factor I, insulin, parathyroid hormone-related peptide.

Immunoextracted calcitonin from human seminal plasma constitutes different forms

Levels of immunoreactive calcitonin (iCT) in human seminal plasma were studied after extraction with immobilized antibodies. Immunoextraction of semen was necessary to abolish the high concentrations of proteolytic enzymes that can interfere in radioimmunoassay (RIA). Since proteolysis occurs already during semen liquefaction, iCT levels and chromatographic properties were compared in extracts from liquefied ejaculates, and samples were the proteolysis was suppressed by immediate dilution of the ejaculates with buffer. The levels in the two groups were 81 +/- 43 pg-equivalents ml-1 seminal plasma (mean +/- SD, n = 6) in liquefied samples and 120 +/- 42 pg-equivalents ml-1 (n = 7) in diluted samples, which is about ten times the iCT levels in extracted blood plasma from healthy males. Extracted liquefied seminal plasma from two vasectomized men contained 93 and 107 pg-equivalents of iCT ml-1 seminal plasma, respectively. Gel chromatography of undiluted semen samples disclosed that iCT was composed of forms larger than monomeric CT, the major part with an approximate molecular weight (MW) of 10,000. Two of the six subjects had a smaller amount of iCT eluting with a MW of about 40,000. In diluted samples, iCT seemed to be more heterogenous with approximate molecular weights ranging from 40,000 to fragments smaller than monomeric CT. In some ejaculates, monomeric CT seemed to be present. Undiluted samples from vasectomized men contained iCT with the same chromatographic pattern as in normal men.