Psychoneuroendocrine influences on immunocompetence and neoplasia

Cortisol affects macrophage polarization by inducing miR-143/145 cluster to reprogram glucose metabolism and by promoting TCA cycle anaplerosis

Chronic stress can have adverse consequences on human health by disrupting the hormonal balance in our body. Earlier, we observed elevated levels of cortisol, a primary stress hormone, and some exosomal microRNAs in the serum of breast cancer patients. Here, we investigated the role of cortisol in microRNA induction and its functional consequences. We found that cortisol induced the expression of miR-143/145 cluster in human monocyte (THP1 and U937)-derived macrophages but not in breast cancer cells. In silico analysis identified glucocorticoid-response element in the upstream CARMN promoter utilized by the miR-143/145 cluster. Enhanced binding of glucocorticoid-receptor (GR) upon cortisol exposure and its regulatory significance was confirmed by chromatin-immunoprecipitation and promoter-reporter assays. Further, cortisol inhibited IFNγ-induced M1 polarization and promoted M2 polarization, and these effects were suppressed by miR-143-3p and miR-145-5p inhibitors pretreatment. Cortisol-treated macrophages exhibited increased oxygen-consumption rate (OCR) to extracellular-acidification rate (ECAR) ratio, and this change was neutralized by functional inhibition of miR-143-3p and miR-145-5p. HK2 and ADPGK were confirmed as the direct targets of miR-143-3p and miR-145-5p, respectively. Interestingly, silencing of HK2 and ADPGK inhibited IFNγ-induced M1 polarization, but failed to induce M2 polarization, since it suppressed both ECAR and OCR, while OCR was largely sustained in cortisol-treated M2-polarized macrophages. We found that cortisol treatment sustained OCR by enhancing fatty acid and glutamine metabolism through upregulation of CPT2 and GLS, respectively, to support M2 polarization. Thus, our findings unfold a novel mechanism of immune suppression by cortisol and open avenues for preventive and therapeutic interventions.

Housing Systems Affect Eggshell Lightness and Free Amino Acid Contents of Egg Albumen in Tosa-Jidori Chickens: A Preliminary Research

Many countries have gradually shifted to animal welfare-friendly housing systems for egg layers. However, there is still no consensus among researchers on whether the housing system affects egg quality traits. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of housing systems on egg traits and free amino acid contents of albumen and yolk using two types of housing systems, the conventional cage (cage) system and a floor rearing (litter) system. Tosa-jidori (n = 20) hens were divided into two groups. Experiments during the 7 weeks were performed twice by switching the housing systems (first and second stages). One-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate the effects of housing systems on body weight gain, egg traits, albumen and yolk amino acid contents, and fecal corticosterone. We observed significant housing effects in body weight gain, eggshell weight, yolk weight, eggshell thickness, eggshell lightness, and several albumen amino acids (A_Gln, A_His, A_Met, A_Cys, A_Lys, A_Asp, A_Glu, A_Ser, A_Thr, A_Ala, A_Pro, and A_Phe). Notably, a robust effect was seen in eggshell lightness, even after switching housing systems. These results suggest that eggshell lightness and several egg traits, including albumen amino acid contents, can be changed by using the different housing systems.

Emerging Roles of the Nervous System in Gastrointestinal Cancer Development

Simple Summary

Nerve–cancer cross-talk has increasingly become a focus of the oncology field, particularly in gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. The indispensable roles of the nervous system in GI tumorigenesis and malignancy have been dissected by epidemiological, experimental animal and mechanistic data. Herein, we review and integrate recent discoveries linking the nervous system to GI cancer initiation and progression, and focus on the molecular mechanisms by which nerves and neural receptor pathways drive GI malignancy.

Abstract

Our understanding of the fascinating connection between nervous system and gastrointestinal (GI) tumorigenesis has expanded greatly in recent years. Recent studies revealed that neurogenesis plays an active part in GI tumor initiation and progression. Tumor-driven neurogenesis, as well as neurite outgrowth of the pre-existing peripheral nervous system (PNS), may fuel GI tumor progression via facilitating cancer cell proliferation, chemoresistance, invasion and immune escape. Neurotransmitters and neuropeptides drive the activation of various oncogenic pathways downstream of neural receptors within cancer cells, underscoring the importance of neural signaling pathways in GI tumor malignancy. In addition, neural infiltration also plays an integral role in tumor microenvironments, and contributes to an environment in favor of tumor angiogenesis, immune evasion and invasion. Blockade of tumor innervation via denervation or pharmacological agents may serve as a promising therapeutic strategy against GI tumors. In this review, we summarize recent findings linking the nervous system to GI tumor progression, set the spotlight on the molecular mechanisms by which neural signaling fuels cancer aggressiveness, and highlight the importance of targeting neural mechanisms in GI tumor therapy.

Psycho-Oncology: A Bibliometric Review of the 100 Most-Cited Articles

(1) Background: A bibliometric review of psycho-oncology research is overdue. (2) Methods: The 100 most-cited journal articles were compiled and ranked according to Scopus. (3) Results: The total citation count for the results ranged from 488-8509 (Mean = 940.27; SD = 1015.69). A significant correlation was found between years since publication and number of citations (p = 0.039). The majority of research originated from the United States (66%). The vast majority of research publications were original articles (80%). Observational research study designs represented the majority of studies (37%). Mixed cancer population research studies represented the largest cancer research population (36%). Positive psychology topics represented the most prolific proportion of studies (30%). Findings were reported in line with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. (4) Conclusions: This analysis offers a comprehensive account of seminal journal articles in psycho-oncology, identifying landmark contributions and areas for future research developments within the field, namely highlighting a need for more RCT studies. This analysis serves as an educational tool for interdisciplinary researchers and clinicians to support compassionate cancer care.

Social isolation in mice: behavior, immunity, and tumor growth

The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioral, immunological, and neurological effects of long-term isolation in an animal model. Male C3H/eB mice wereraised in either social isolation or standard conditions for 6 weeks. At 10 weeks, each group was further divided into 3 sets. (A) Physical strength and behavior were evaluated with the grip strength, hot plate, staircase, and elevated plus-maze tests. Natural-killer cell activity and lymphocyte proliferation were measured. (B) Half the animals were subjected to electric shock with 3 reminders, and freezing time was evaluated at each reminder. Cortisone levels were evaluated after 16 weeks. (C)Mice were injected with 38 C-13 B lymphoma cells and followed for tumor size and survival. Strength evaluation yielded asignificantly lower body weight and grip strength in the socially isolated mice. Behavioral test results were similar in the two groups. The pattern of reactions to stress conditioning differed significantly, with the socially isolated mice showing an incline in freezing with each successive reminder, and the control mice showing a decline. The socially isolated mice had significantly attenuated tumor growth, with no significant difference in survival from control mice. There were no significant between-group differences in immunological parameters. In conclusion, social isolation serves as a model for chronic stress. It was associated with significant changes in stress conditioning reaction, resembling symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and attenuated tumor development. No differences from controls were found in behavior tests, immune parameters, or survival after tumor cell inoculation.Lay summaryThis article explores biological and behavioral consequences of social isolation in a mice model. Our results show that social isolation leads to changes in the Hypothalamic-hypophyseal-adrenal axis, which in turn alter the response to stress. Additionally, social isolation was shown to impact tumor progression.

Chronic Stress Promotes Cancer Development

Stress is an inevitable part of life. Chronic stress on account of reasons like adversity, depression, anxiety, or loneliness/social isolation can endanger human health. Recent studies have shown that chronic stress can induce tumorigenesis and promote cancer development. This review describes the latest progress of research on the molecular mechanisms by which chronic stress promotes cancer development. Primarily, chronic stress activates the classic neuroendocrine system [the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis] and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and leads to a decline and dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus under stress. Stress hormones produced during the activation of both the HPA axis and the SNS can promote tumorigenesis and cancer development through a variety of mechanisms. Chronic stress can also cause corresponding changes in the body's immune function and inflammatory response, which is significant because a long-term inflammatory response and the decline of the body's immune surveillance capabilities are implicated in tumorigenesis. Stress management is essential for both healthy people and cancer patients. Whether drugs that limit the signaling pathways downstream of the HPA axis or the SNS can suppress chronic stress-induced cancers or prolong patient survival deserves further study.

Refinement of Experimental Procedures

Certain types of experiments using intact animals inevitably cause some suffering, ranging from psychological stress to physical pain or discomfort. The aim of refinement is to reduce such suffering to an absolute minimum, and if possible to eliminate it altogether. Ways of reducing environmental and handling stress, the use of anaesthesia and analgesia, the minimisation of aversive stimuli, the modification of severe endpoints, the limitation of survival times for animals with induced abnormalities, and the prediction of distress are discussed. It is essential that researchers recognise their animals as sensitive individuals, and that avoidance of animal suffering be regarded as a high research priority.

Adverse Effects in Animals and their Relevance to Refining Scientific Procedures

This paper highlights the areas in which refinement, with the specific aim of reducing laboratory animal pain, distress and anxiety, can be achieved. Good husbandry and housing which meet the animals’ behavioural needs, careful and gentle handling, competence in carrying out scientific procedures, and alleviation of any unwanted side-effects, are all of paramount importance. Whilst “suffering” cannot easily be tightly defined, it is essential to recognise when an animal is suffering so that its alleviation can be instigated.

The Third R: Refinement

This review attempts to provide an introduction to the complicated subject of refinement, the third R in the concept of alternatives. It starts with a brief discussion of what refinement means and the lack of specific attention paid to this third R. This is followed by an analysis of the conceptual underpinnings of pain, distress and suffering, and the problems of both definition and measurement which must be faced if we are to be objective and consistent in our search for refinement. The review then touches upon husbandry, care and handling issues as they affect animal discomfort and distress. Antibody production, both polyclonal and monoclonal, is discussed as an example of the refinement of research techniques. Finally, a few brief comments are offered on the refinement of a variety of other experimental techniques, including those used in toxicology, cancer research and behavioural research.

Stress and cancer. Part I: Mechanisms mediating the effect of stressors on cancer

Observations indicating a link between psychosocial stress and cancer can be traced back almost 2 millennia. However, the pathways and mechanisms interconnecting them has only been elucidated in more detail since the end of the 20th century. Importantly, recently accumulated evidences have confirmed the ability of stress to promote the induction and progression of cancer. The main aim of this review is to describe the pathways and mechanisms mediating the stimulatory effects of the neuroendocrine stress response on the induction of cancer, potentiation of cancer growth, and the development of metastases.

The Effects of Different Feeding Routines on Welfare in Laboratory Mice

The accepted norm in most laboratories around the globe is feeding laboratory mice an ad libitum diet, although several health impairments are well-established. In contrast, reducing the animals' body weight by feeding them less food once per day (referred to as 24 h schedule) has been shown to enhance life span and reduce disease susceptibility. Against this background, this study aimed at systematically investigating the effects of different feeding routines. Therefore, three feeding routines were compared to the standard ad libitum feeding and effects on body weight development and welfare were investigated in male C57BL/6J mice. In particular, a 24 h schedule group, an AUTO group, characterized by an automated supply of small pieces of food all over the day, and a 4 h removal group, characterized by daily removal of food for 4 h, were studied. While the removal of food for 4 h per day did not lead to a reduction of body weight, and hence is unlikely to prevent negative effects of overfeeding, both the 24 h schedule group and the AUTO group led to the aspired body weight reduction. In the AUTO group, however, higher levels of corticosterone metabolites and stereotypies were observed, implying a rather negative impact on welfare. By contrast, no distinct negative effects of a 24 h schedule were found. Studies like this underline the general need for evidence-based severity assessments of any procedure involving living animals.

How to Monitor the Neuroimmune Biological Response in Patients Affected by Immune Alteration-Related Systemic Diseases

The clinical management of patients affected by systemic diseases, including cancer and autoimmune diseases, is generally founded on the evaluation of the only markers related to the single disease rather than the biological immuno-inflammatory response of patients, despite the fundamental role of cytokine network in the pathogenesis of cancer and autoimmunity is well known. Cancer progression has appeared to be associated with a progressive decline in the blood levels of the main antitumor cytokines, including IL-2 and IL-12, in association with an increase in those of inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IL-1-beta, and immunosuppressive cytokines, namely TGF-beta and IL-10. On the other hand, the severity of the autoimmune diseases has been proven to be greater in the presence of high blood levels of IL-17, TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-1-beta, IFN-gamma, and IL-18, in association with low levels of TGF-beta and IL-10. However, because of excessive cost and complexity of analyzing the data regarding the secretion of the single cytokines, the relation between lymphocyte-induced immune activation and monocyte-macrophage-mediated immunosuppression has been recently proven to be expressed by the simple lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR). The evidence of low LMR values has appeared to correlate with a poor prognosis in cancer and with a disease control in the autoimmune diseases. Moreover, since the in vivo immunoinflammatory response is physiologically under a neuroendocrine modulation, for the evaluation of patient biological response it would be necessary to investigate the function of at least the two main neuroendocrine structures involved in the neuroendocrine modulation of the immune responses, consisting of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the pineal gland, since the lack of physiological circadian rhythm of cortisol and pineal hormone melatonin has appeared to be associated with a worse prognosis in the human systemic diseases.

Breast cancer: Is grief a risk factor?

Cancer is characterized by the disordered growth of cells that have high capacity of invasion to the tissues and organs. One of the types of tumour that has national incidence and high mortality is breast cancer. Studies show that in addition to hereditary factors, lifestyle and environmental factors, there are factors related to emotional distress (mourning), which interfere with the development of breast cancer. Thus, it is necessary to investigate if the experience of mourning can trigger the appearance of the tumour. For this, an integrative review was performed to verify the existence of the relationship between mourning and development of breast cancer, which presented contradictory results. Methodological errors and lack of access to important information, such as alcohol and tobacco use, were pointed out as the main causes of the contradiction found. A possible mechanism involving cortisol release has been proposed, but more research is needed to make it clear whether the association between mourning and breast cancer really exists, and by what path.

Neuroendocrine Control of Macrophage Development and Function

Macrophages carry out numerous physiological activities that are essential for both systemic and local homeostasis, as well as innate and adaptive immune responses. Their biology is intricately regulated by hormones, neuropeptides, and neurotransmitters, establishing distinct neuroendocrine axes. The control is pleiotropic, including maturation of bone marrow-derived myeloid precursors, cell differentiation into functional subpopulations, cytotoxic activity, phagocytosis, production of inflammatory mediators, antigen presentation, and activation of effector lymphocytes. Additionally, neuroendocrine components modulate macrophage ability to influence tumor growth and to prevent the spreading of infective agents. Interestingly, macrophage-derived factors enhance glucocorticoid production through the stimulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. These bidirectional effects highlight a tightly controlled balance between neuroendocrine stimuli and macrophage function in the development of innate and adaptive immune responses. Herein, we discuss how components of neuroendocrine axes impact on macrophage development and function and may ultimately influence inflammation, tissue repair, infection, or cancer progression. The knowledge of the crosstalk between macrophages and endocrine or brain-derived components may contribute to improve and create new approaches with clinical relevance in homeostatic or pathological conditions.

Beneficial effects of environmental enrichment on behavior, stress reactivity and synaptophysin/BDNF expression in hippocampus following early life stress

Exposure to environmental enrichment can beneficially influence the behavior and enhance synaptic plasticity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mediated effects of environmental enrichment on postnatal stress-associated impact with regard to behavior, stress reactivity as well as synaptic plasticity changes in the dorsal hippocampus. Wistar rat pups were submitted to a 3 h maternal separation (MS) protocol during postnatal days 1-21, while another group was left undisturbed. On postnatal day 23, a subgroup from each rearing condition (maternal separation, no-maternal separation) was housed in enriched environmental conditions until postnatal day 65 (6 weeks duration). At approximately three months of age, adult rats underwent behavioral testing to evaluate anxiety (Elevated Plus Maze), locomotion (Open Field Test), spatial learning and memory (Morris Water Maze) as well as non-spatial recognition memory (Novel Object Recognition Test). After completion of behavioral testing, blood samples were taken for evaluation of stress-induced plasma corticosterone using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while immunofluorescence was applied to evaluate hippocampal BDNF and synaptophysin expression in dorsal hippocampus. We found that environmental enrichment protected against the effects of maternal separation as indicated by the lower anxiety levels and the reversal of spatial memory deficits compared to animals housed in standard conditions. These changes were associated with increased BDNF and synaptophysin expression in the hippocampus. Regarding the neuroendocrine response to stress, while exposure to an acute stressor potentiated corticosterone increases in maternally-separated rats, environmental enrichment of these rats prevented this effect. The current study aimed at investigating the compensatory role of enriched environment against the negative outcomes of adverse experiences early in life concurrently on emotional and cognitive behaviors, HPA function and neuroplasticity markers.

Psychiatric morbidity and its impact on surgical outcomes for esophageal and gastric cancer patients: A nationwide cohort study

Background

Due to the lack of detailed clinical information, existed evidence regarding a link between psychiatric factors and adverse cancer prognosis was inclusive.

Results

We identified 1,340 patients (48.8%) with perioperative psychiatric morbidity. Preoperative psychiatric morbidity was significantly associated with both general and surgical complications within 30 days (RR = 1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–1.5), and the risk of death within 90 days (RR = 1.6; 95% CI 1.1–2.2) after surgery. The hazards for mortality beyond 90 days was approximately 2-fold increased among patients with perioperative psychiatric morbidity (HR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.7–2.3 for overall mortality).

Materials and Methods

Based on the Swedish National Registry for Esophageal and Gastric cancer (NREV), we constructed a nationwide prospective cohort containing 2,745 surgically treated patients in 2006–2012. Perioperative psychiatric morbidity was defined as a clinical diagnosis of psychiatric disorder, from two years before to two years after surgery. Using propensity scores, we applied inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW)-weighted Poisson regression model to evaluate relative risk (RR) of short-term surgical outcomes in relation to perioperative psychiatric morbidity. Further, IPTW-weighted Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality that occurred after 90 days of surgery.

Conclusions

Perioperative psychiatric morbidity could worsen both short-term and long-term surgical outcomes among patients with gastric or esophageal cancer.

The psychoneuroendocrine-immunotherapy of cancer: Historical evolution and clinical results

The prognosis of the neoplastic diseases depends not only on the biogenetic characteristics of cancer cells but also on the immunological response of patients, which may influence the biological features of cancer cells themselves as well as the angiogenic processes. Moreover, the immune system in vivo is under a physiological psychoneuroendocrine (PNE) regulation, mainly mediated by the brain opioid system and the pineal gland. In more detail, the anticancer immunity is stimulated by the pineal hormone melatonin (MLT) and inhibited by the opioid system, namely, through a mu-opioid receptor. Several alterations involving the pineal endocrine function and the opioid system have been described in cancer patients, which could play a role in tumor progression itself. Therefore, the pharmacological correction of cancer progression-related anomalies could contribute to control cancer diffusion, namely, the pineal endocrine deficiency and the hyperactivity of brain opioid system. In fact, the administration of pharmacological doses of the only MLT has already been proven to prolong the 1-year survival in untreatable metastatic cancer patients. Better results may be achieved by associating other pineal indoles to MLT, mu-opioid antagonists, cannabinoids, beta-carbolines. Moreover, these neuroendocrine combinations may be successfully associated with antitumor cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-12, as a PNE-immune cancer therapy as well as with antitumor plants as PNE-phytotherapy of cancer in an attempt to propose possible anticancer treatments also to patients with disseminated cancer and untreatable according to the standard oncology.

Time Perspective as a Potential Tool for Psychotherapeutic Intervention

This pilot study shows (1) similarities among adults in the patterns of organization of the past, present, and future based upon individual imagery and spatial representation of their personal perspective of their lives and (2) a relationship between perceived health and future-orientation, i.e., how far into their future a person imagines self still to be alive. The data support the concept of a personal spatial representation of past, present, and future (a timeline) and sets the foundation for the development of psychological interventions based on this representation for 50 participants (23 men and 27 women). When asked to visualize their personal timelines, subjects indicated a general pattern of their future spatially located to the right and in front of themselves; their past was generally located to the left or behind. The distance into the future seen by participants initially ( M ± SE) were 8 ± 2.3 yr., 16 ± 2.8 yr., and 27 ± 5.5 yr. for the self-reported health status of “poor”, “good”, and “excellent”, respectively ( p <.05). Research must firmly establish general patterns of spatial representations of time (timeliness) across cultures, age, race, and beliefs, and explore implications for treatment.

Increases in Cancer Rates Among Blacks

The recent increases in cancer rates among Blacks in the United States and in other countries is examined. Black males have the highest rates, but at one time had lower rates than White males. Levy's (1983) model is employed to examine direct and indirect psychological and behavioral risk factors that might explain racial differences in the initiation and progression of cancer. Differences are noted and suggestions for needed research, including a Black Studies perspective of this issue, are offered.

Adaptive Potential, Stress, and Natural Killer Cell Activity in Older Adults

The authors examined the relationship among psychosocial vulnerability (stress) and resilience (adaptive potential) factors and three outcome measures, self-reported physical symptoms, positive and negative affect, and natural killer cell activity in 39 male and female older adults residing in a retirement community (mean age = 73.5). Although life events were directly related to physical health symptoms, both perceived stress and adaptive potential were significantly associated with positive and negative affect. There was a tendency for adaptive potential to buffer the effect of perceived stress on negative affect. However, natural killer cell activity was not significantly related to any psychosocial vulnerability and resilience factors in this small sample. Implications for studying the effects of stress on health in older adults are discussed.

An Analysis of the Carcinogenesis Testing Experience of the National Cancer Institute

Tabulations of the results of the initial approximately 200 NCI carcinogenesis bioassays conducted in mice and rats were published recently. However, no analysis of the results were provided. Such an analysis is the subject of this report.

Ninety eight NCI bioassays were positive for carcinogenicity. Only three bioassays (<2%) were negative in both species and the ratio of positive to negative bioassays was 33:1. The remaining 47% of the bioassays were considered to be suggestive or inconclusive and it is inappropriate to refer to the total positive rate as 50%. The liver was the predominant tumor site and the only tumors produced in either rodent species in 19% of the positive bioassays were in the livers of mice. The high ratio of positive to negative results and the use of the mouse liver as a discriminating target organ raise serious concerns about the carcinogenesis protocol and in the methods of evaluating the results. Several recommendations are offered which may be useful in the current reexamination of bioassay procedures.

Development of multiple malignancies following long-term glucocorticoid therapy in a patient with leukocytoclastic vasculitis: A case report

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) is a neutrophilic inflammation of the blood vessels. LCV may present as a paraneoplastic syndrome occurring before, synchronously with, or after the diagnosis of malignancy. In this study, we report a unique case of multiple malignancies developing simultaneously in a patient with a long history of LCV. The patient was originally diagnosed with LCV and received long-term glucocorticoid treatment. After 11 years of therapy, the patient developed three primary malignancies, including small-cell lung carcinoma, gastric adenocarcinoma and colonic adenocarcinoma. It is likely that LCV was not a paraneoplastic syndrome in this case, but rather an independent process, and the development of multiple cancers is likely associated with the long-term glucocorticoid treatment, which caused imbalance of the immune system. Although the development of cancer during the course of glucocorticoid treatment is very rare, clinicians must be aware of this possible association and immunodysregulation may play a role in this context.

When can we measure stress noninvasively? Postdeposition effects on a fecal stress metric confound a multiregional assessment

Measurement of stress hormone metabolites in fecal samples has become a common method to assess physiological stress in wildlife populations. Glucocorticoid metabolite (GCM) measurements can be collected noninvasively, and studies relating this stress metric to anthropogenic disturbance are increasing. However, environmental characteristics (e.g., temperature) can alter measured GCM concentration when fecal samples cannot be collected immediately after defecation. This effect can confound efforts to separate environmental factors causing predeposition physiological stress in an individual from those acting on a fecal sample postdeposition. We used fecal samples from American pikas (Ochotona princeps) to examine the influence of environmental conditions on GCM concentration by (1) comparing GCM concentration measured in freshly collected control samples to those placed in natural habitats for timed exposure, and (2) relating GCM concentration in samples collected noninvasively throughout the western United States to local environmental characteristics measured before and after deposition. Our timed‐exposure trials clarified the spatial scale at which exposure to environmental factors postdeposition influences GCM concentration in pika feces. Also, fecal samples collected from occupied pika habitats throughout the species' range revealed significant relationships between GCM and metrics of climate during the postdeposition period (maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and precipitation during the month of sample collection). Conversely, we found no such relationships between GCM and metrics of climate during the predeposition period (prior to the month of sample collection). Together, these results indicate that noninvasive measurement of physiological stress in pikas across the western US may be confounded by climatic conditions in the postdeposition environment when samples cannot be collected immediately after defecation. Our results reiterate the importance of considering postdeposition environmental influences on this stress metric, especially in multiregional comparisons. However, measurements of fecal GCM concentration should prove useful for population monitoring within an eco‐region or when postdeposition exposure can be minimized.

Psychological stress-induced catecholamines accelerates cutaneous aging in mice

Psychological stress may be an important extrinsic factor which influences aging process. However, neither study demonstrated the mechanism by which chronic stress participates in skin aging. Aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic psychological stress on mice skin. Mice were daily submitted to rotational stress, for 28 days, until euthanasia. After 28 days, mice were killed and normal skin was analyzed. Macroscopically, dorsum skin of chronically stressed mice presented more wrinkled when compared to that of nonstressed mice. In mice skin, chronic stress increased lipid peroxidation, carbonyl protein content, nitrotyrosine levels, neutrophil infiltration, neutrophil elastase, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and metalloproteinase-8 levels. Nevertheless, chronic stress reduced dermis thickness, collagen type I, fibrilin-1 and elastin protein levels in mice skin. In in vitro assays, murine skin fibroblasts were exposed to elevated epinephrine levels plus inhibitors of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), fibroblast activity was evaluated in a short time. In skin fibroblast culture, treatment with inhibitors of ROS and RNS synthesis abolished the increase in carbonyl protein content and lipid peroxide accumulation induced by epinephrine. In conclusion, chronic psychological stress may be an important extrinsic factor, which contributes to skin aging in mice.

How pure are inbred strains of mice?

As useful as immunologists find the inbred mouse, they cannot help but become disenchanted when they encounter genetically disparate mice in a purportedly inbred strain. Genetic impurity (allogenicity) can arise from a number of sources: incomplete inbreeding, mutation, inadvertent outcrossing, mislabeling, and epislatic and heterozygote selection. In this article D. W. Bailey discusses these vitiating sources and the appropriate precautions against there.

Anti-stress action of an orally-given combination of resveratrol, β-glucan, and vitamin C

Stress has repeatedly been found to reduce the abilities of the immune system to fight against individual attacks. The current dissatisfaction with classical medications has led to more attention being focused on natural molecules. As recent studies have suggested that some bioactive molecules can have synergistic effects in stimulation of immune system and reduction of stress, we have evaluated the stress-reducing effects of the resveratrol-β-glucan-vitamin C combination. We found that compared to its individual components, this combination was the strongest reducer of stress-related symptoms, including corticosterone levels and IL-6, IL-12 and IFN-γ production.

Cortisol is not the primary mediator for augmented CXCR4 expression on natural killer cells after acute exercise

CXC-chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and its ligand, stromal-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α; also known as CXCL12), are crucial for the redistribution of immune cells after acute exercise. We investigated the relationships between acute exercise and CXCR4 expression on natural killer (NK) cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were cultured with cortisol and analyzed for CXCR4 expression on CD3−/CD56+ NK cells and NK cell migration activity. To determine the effect of exercise, we isolated PBMCs from subjects before and after a 90-min exercise at 70% peak O2 uptake (V̇o2peak) and determined the changes in CXCR4 expression on NK cells after exercise. We cultured PBMCs with plasma obtained before and after exercise and with the glucocorticoid antagonist RU-486 to determine NK cell migration activity and the effects of cortisol on CXCR4 expression in vitro. Cortisol treatment increased CXCR4 expression ( P < 0.05) and migration activity ( P < 0.05) of NK cells. Exercise did not affect CXCR4 expression on NK cells, whereas incubating them with postexercise plasma significantly increased CXCR4 expression ( P < 0.05) and migration activity ( P < 0.05). RU-486 blocked cortisol-induced CXCR4 upregulation on NK cells, but only partially blocked (7%) CXCR4 upregulation when PMBCs were incubated with postexercise plasma. Thus acute exercise increases CXCR4 expression on NK cells and their migration activity and may contribute to NK cell redistribution after acute exercise; however, cortisol did not appear to be the primary mediator of augmented CXCR4 expression.

Does stress predispose to periodontal disease?

The relationship of a sound mind to the maintenance of a healthy body has been recognized throughout most of recorded history. The term 'stress' is used to describe adverse emotions or reactions to unpleasant experiences. Individuals with high levels of stress and poor coping skills experience twice as much periodontal disease as compared to those with minimal stress and good coping skills. Although stress may predispose an individual to more destruction from periodontitis, the presence of periodontal pathogens remains the essential aetiologic factor. This review presents a summary of stress, discussing how it can predispose an individual to periodontal disease.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Stress, which is a universal phenomenon, is implicated to have various systemic effects besides being a risk factor for periodontal disease. This article elucidates the relationship between psycho-social stress and destructive periodontal disease.

Gonadal hormones differently modulate cutaneous wound healing of chronically stressed mice

Gonadal hormones influence physiological responses to stress and cutaneous wound healing. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of gonadal hormones on cutaneous wound healing in chronically stressed mice. Male and female mice were gonadectomized, and after 25 days, they were spun daily at 115 rpm for 15 min every hour until euthanasia. Twenty-eight days after the gonadectomy, an excisional lesion was created. The animals were killed 7 or 14 days after wounding, and the lesions were collected. Myofibroblast density, macrophage number, catecholamine level, collagen deposition, and blood vessel number were evaluated. In the intact and gonadectomized groups, stress increased the plasma catecholamine levels in both genders. In intact groups, stress impaired wound contraction and re-epithelialization and increased the macrophage number in males but not in females. In addition, stress compromised myofibroblastic differentiation and blood vessel formation and decreased collagen deposition in males but not in females. In contrast to intact mice, wound healing in ovariectomized female mice was affected by stress, while wound healing in castrated male mice was not. In conclusion, gender differences contribute to the cutaneous wound healing of chronically stressed mice. In addition, androgens contribute to the stress-induced impairment of the healing of cutaneous wounds but estrogens inhibit it.

Stress hormone concentration in Rocky Mountain populations of the American pika (Ochotona princeps)

The American pika (Ochotona princeps) is considered a sentinel species for detecting ecological effects of climate change. Pikas are declining within a large portion of their range, but previous studies have focused only on local pika extinction as a metric of change. We designed a procedure which can provide an earlier warning signal, based on non-invasive sampling and analysis of physiological stress in living pikas. Pikas were sampled at several locations in the Rocky Mountains for the measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites (GCMs) in faeces. Using a time series of faecal pellets from 12 individuals, we detected a significant increase in faecal GCM level in response to capture, thus biologically validating the use of a corticosterone enzyme immunoassay. We also established baseline, peak, and post-peak GCM concentrations for pikas in the Rocky Mountains, which varied according to gender and individual. This is the first study to measure stress hormone metabolites in any species of pika. The methods developed and validated in this study can be used to add non-invasive measurements of physiological stress to pika monitoring programmes and other research designed to assess pika vulnerability to predicted changes in climate. Pika monitoring programmes currently in place use a protocol that relates current site use by pikas with data on local habitat characteristics, such as elevation, to infer potential effects of climate change. Data generated by these monitoring studies can be used to identify the trends in site use by pikas in relationship to habitat covariates. However, this approach does not take into account the role of behavioural thermoregulation and the pika's use of microhabitats to ameliorate variations in climate. Incorporating a stress metric, such as GCM concentration, will provide relatively direct evidence for or against the hypothesis that pikas can be stressed by climate regardless of behavioural adaptations.

Individual differences in pre-carcinogen cytokine and corticosterone concentrations and depressive-like behavior predict tumor onset in rats exposed to a carcinogen

Individual variation in the susceptibility to chronic disease can be attributed to both genetic and environmental factors. Measures of the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems are predictive of survival outcomes after a chronic disease is diagnosed. However, determining biomarkers or "traits" that predict risk before chronic disease development remains elusive. In this study, natural individual variation in circulating cytokines, corticosterone, and depressive-like behaviors (using the Porsolt forced swim test) were measured in female rats before induction of mammary tumors using a chemical carcinogen (N-nitroso-N-methylurea). Early tumor onset was associated with relatively high (but within the physiologically typical range) circulating cytokine concentrations (IL-1α, IL-1β, TNFα) and depressive-like behavior and with relatively low corticosterone concentrations, all of which were assessed at baseline before carcinogen treatment. Multiple regression analyses indicated that IL-1β was primarily responsible for the variation in tumor onset when controlling for corticosterone concentration. These results suggest that the susceptibility to tumor initiation and/or growth may be related to individual differences in baseline immune and endocrine physiology and emotional tone present at the time of carcinogen exposure. Investigation of the mechanistic relevance of these individual differences may lead to prophylactic approaches to cancer treatment in the context of carcinogen exposure.

Effect of acute stressor and serotonin transporter genotype on amygdala first wave transcriptome in mice

The most prominent brain region evaluating the significance of external stimuli immediately after their onset is the amygdala. Stimuli evaluated as being stressful actuate a number of physiological processes as an immediate stress response. Variation in the serotonin transporter gene has been associated with increased anxiety- and depression-like behavior, altered stress reactivity and adaptation, and pathophysiology of stress-related disorders. In this study the instant reactions to an acute stressor were measured in a serotonin transporter knockout mouse model. Mice lacking the serotonin transporter were verified to be more anxious than their wild-type conspecifics. Genome-wide gene expression changes in the amygdala were measured after the mice were subjected to control condition or to an acute stressor of one minute exposure to water. The dissection of amygdalae and stabilization of RNA was conducted within nine minutes after the onset of the stressor. This extremely short protocol allowed for analysis of first wave primary response genes, typically induced within five to ten minutes of stimulation, and was performed using Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse Gene 1.0 ST Arrays. RNA profiling revealed a largely new set of differentially expressed primary response genes between the conditions acute stress and control that differed distinctly between wild-type and knockout mice. Consequently, functional categorization and pathway analysis indicated genes related to neuroplasticity and adaptation in wild-types whereas knockouts were characterized by impaired plasticity and genes more related to chronic stress and pathophysiology. Our study therefore disclosed different coping styles dependent on serotonin transporter genotype even directly after the onset of stress and accentuates the role of the serotonergic system in processing stressors and threat in the amygdala. Moreover, several of the first wave primary response genes that we found might provide promising targets for future therapeutic interventions of stress-related disorders also in humans.

Hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant properties of tulsi (Ocimum sanctum linn) on streptozotocin induced diabetes in rats

Effect of oral administration of 200 mg/Kg body weight of the aqueous extract ofOcimum sanctum (Tulsi) mixed with diet for eight weeks to diabetic (streptozotocin induced) rats was studied. There was significant reduction in fasting blood glucose, serum lipid profile, lipid peroxidation products, (LPO) and improvement in glucose tolerance. The aqueous extract also decreased LPO formation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances TBARS) and increased antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione transferase (GT) and one antioxidant reduced glutathione (GSH) in plasma and rat liver, lung, kidney and brain. The decrease in TBARS and increase in GSH, SOD, CAT, GPX, and GT clearly shows the antioxidant property ofOcimum sanctum.

Immune enhancing effects of WB365, a novel combination of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and Maitake (Grifola frondosa) extracts

BACKGROUND

Stress has been found to significantly reduce the abilities of the immune system to fight infections. One of the ways to overcome the defects of the immune system is the strengthening of the defense reactions by nutrition.

AIMS

TO EVALUATE IMMUNE ENHANCING EFFECTS OF THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL: WB365, a novel combination of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) and Maitake (Grifola frondosa) extracts.

RESULTS

We found that both glucan-rich maitake extract and WB365 caused a similar stimulation of phagocytic activity. Stress-induced increase of corticosterone production was blocked by feeding with Ashwagandha extract and even more by WB365. Cytokine experiments showed that feeding with WB365 helped overcome the stress-related inhibition of IL-6, IL-12 and IFN-γ production.

CONCLUSION

This study clearly demonstrated that WB365, a combination of Maitake mushroom-derived glucan and Ashwagandha extracts, has strong pleiotropic biological effects related to immune health and stress reduction.

Gut and intestinal passage time in the Rainbow Skink (Trachylepis margaritifer): implications for stress measures using faecal analysis

Stress levels in organisms provide a rapid measure for assessing population health. Handling and capture stress, however, cause error in blood measures, so this method is rapidly being replaced by assessing levels of stress metabolites in faeces. This eliminates the source of error because there is a lag period between stress perception and the resultant stress metabolite accumulation within faeces. This lag period is correlated with specific intestinal passage time, a measure that can vary greatly between taxa, particularly amongst ectotherms. Due to two deleterious consequences associated with extended exposure of the metabolites to the intestinal environment, species that exhibit long and variable intestinal passage times are not good candidates for metabolite studies. We measured gut and intestinal passage times in Trachylepis margaritifer to ascertain whether it would be an appropriate candidate for stress metabolite studies. We first tested if barium sulphate in the meal had an effect on gut passage time at three ambient temperatures (25, 27 and 32 °C). Barium sulphate had no effect; however, temperature had a significant effect with an unexpected pattern: gut passage time was fastest at 32 °C but was slower at 27 °C than at 25 °C. We then used X-ray technology and barium sulphate-loaded meals to measure gut and intestinal passage times at 25 and 27 °C. This allowed us to observe which parts of the digestive process were responsible for increased passage times at 27 °C: the faster passage time at 25 °C was due to faster intestinal passage time; there was no difference in gastric emptying time. We assess the species to be a suitable candidate for studies using faeces to measure stress. It is imperative however, that the effect of temperature on passage rates is known and taken into account in such studies.

Effect of hydrocortisone on interleukin-6 production in human ,peripheral blood rnononuclear ceils

The effect of hydrocortisone on the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells was studied. Using our newly developed radioimmunoassay system for IL-6 of which specificity, reproducibility, sensitivity and usefulness have been demonstrated. IL-6 production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of ten normal subjects revealed that in lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10μg/ml)-stimulation, the mean ± SD of IL-6 was 2.71 ± 0.85 ng/ml. No detectable amount of IL-6 was observed in the absence of LPS and in the presence of hydrocortisone alone. Hydrocortisone (10⁻¹⁰ M to 10⁻³ M) inhibited LPS-stimulated IL-6 production in a dose-dependent manner. However, there was a wide variation in the response to hydrocortisone, namely, ranging from steroid-sensitive to steroid-resistant. Based on the concentration required to inhibit 50% of LPS-stimulated IL-6 production, three of ten subjects were at 10⁻⁶ M, three at 10⁻⁵ M and the rest at 10⁻⁴ M, respectively. The dramatic anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects of glucocorticosteroids can be life-saving in autoimmune diseases. The present findings suggested that there existed the differences in susceptibility to glucocorticosteroids even among normal subjects, providing some implications for the drug treatment, and also gave further evidence that there may exist an immunoregulatory feedback circuit between the immune and neuroendocrine systems.

High-anxious individuals show increased chronic stress burden, decreased protective immunity, and increased cancer progression in a mouse model of squamous cell carcinoma

In spite of widespread anecdotal and scientific evidence much remains to be understood about the long-suspected connection between psychological factors and susceptibility to cancer. The skin is the most common site of cancer, accounting for nearly half of all cancers in the US, with approximately 2-3 million cases of non-melanoma cancers occurring each year worldwide. We hypothesized that a high-anxious, stress-prone behavioral phenotype would result in a higher chronic stress burden, lower protective-immunity, and increased progression of the immuno-responsive skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma. SKH1 mice were phenotyped as high- or low-anxious at baseline, and subsequently exposed to ultraviolet-B light (1 minimal erythemal dose (MED), 3 times/week, 10-weeks). The significant strengths of this cancer model are that it uses a normal, immunocompetent, outbred strain, without surgery/injection of exogenous tumor cells/cell lines, and produces lesions that resemble human tumors. Tumors were counted weekly (primary outcome), and tissues collected during early and late phases of tumor development. Chemokine/cytokine gene-expression was quantified by PCR, tumor-infiltrating helper (Th), cytolytic (CTL), and regulatory (Treg) T cells by immunohistochemistry, lymph node T and B cells by flow cytometry, adrenal and plasma corticosterone and tissue vascular-endothelial-growth-factor (VEGF) by ELISA. High-anxious mice showed a higher tumor burden during all phases of tumor development. They also showed: higher corticosterone levels (indicating greater chronic stress burden), increased CCL22 expression and Treg infiltration (increased tumor-recruited immuno-suppression), lower CTACK/CCL27, IL-12, and IFN-γ gene-expression and lower numbers of tumor infiltrating Th and CTLs (suppressed protective immunity), and higher VEGF concentrations (increased tumor angiogenesis/invasion/metastasis). These results suggest that the deleterious effects of high trait anxiety could be: exacerbated by life-stressors, accentuated by the stress of cancer diagnosis/treatment, and mediate increased tumor progression and/or metastasis. Therefore, it may be beneficial to investigate the use of chemotherapy-compatible anxiolytic treatments immediately following cancer diagnosis, and during cancer treatment/survivorship.

Mind matters in cancer survival

OBJECTIVE

The very name "psycho-oncology" implies interaction between brain and body. One of the most intriguing scientific questions for the field is whether or not living better may also mean living longer.

METHODS

Randomized intervention trials examining this question will be reviewed.

RESULTS

The majority show a survival advantage for patients randomized to psychologically effective interventions for individuals with a variety of cancers, including breast, melanoma, gastrointestinal, lymphoma, and lung cancers. Importantly, for breast and other cancers, when aggressive anti-tumor treatments are less effective, supportive approaches appear to become more useful. This is highlighted by a recent randomized clinical trial of palliative care for non-small cell lung cancer patients.There is growing evidence that disruption of circadian rhythms, including rest-activity patterns and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, affects cancer risk and progression. Women with metastatic breast cancer have flatter diurnal cortisol patterns than normal, and the degree of loss of daily variation in cortisol predicts earlier mortality. Mechanisms by which abnormal cortisol patterns affect metabolism, gene expression, and immune function are reviewed. The HPA hyperactivity associated with depression can produce elevated levels of cytokines that affect the brain. Tumor cells can, in turn, co-opt certain mediators of inflammation such as NFkB, interleukin-6, and angiogenic factors to promote metastasis. Also, exposure to elevated levels of norepinephrine triggers release of vascular endothelial growth factor, which facilitates tumor growth.

CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, the stress of advancing cancer and management of it is associated with endocrine, immune, and autonomic dysfunction that has consequences for host resistance to cancer progression.

Effects of L-carnosine on splenic sympathetic nerve activity and tumor proliferation

l-Carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine), a dipeptide of the amino acids β-alanine and histidine, is found in mammalian tissues including those in the central nervous system and in skeletal muscles. In the present study, we examined the effects of intraduodenal (ID) injection of l-carnosine on splenic sympathetic nerve activity (splenic-SNA) in urethane-anesthetized rats and found that ID injection of 3.3mg/kg of body weight of l-carnosine significantly suppressed splenic-SNA. Since it has been suggested that splenic-SNA reduction increases natural killer (NK) activity of splenic cells, which in turn elevates tumor immunity, we then investigated the effect of l-carnosine on the proliferation of human colon cancer cells transplanted into athymic nude mice. The findings of this study revealed that 1mg/mL of l-carnosine solution given as the only drinking water inhibited tumor proliferation. These results suggest that l-carnosine suppresses splenic-SNA and inhibits cancer cell proliferation, probably by elevating NK activity.