Regulation of intestinal immune response by selective removal of the anterior, posterior, or entire pituitary gland in Trichinella spiralis infected golden hamsters

The Role of Chicken Prolactin, Growth Hormone and Their Receptors in the Immune System

Prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) exhibit important roles in the immune system maintenance. In poultry, PRL mainly plays its roles in nesting, hatching, and reproduction, while GH is primarily responding to body weight, fat formation and feed conversion. In this review, we attempt to provide a critical overview of the relationship between PRL and GH, PRLR and GHR, and the immune response of poultry. We also propose a hypothesis that PRL, GH and their receptors might be used by viruses as viral receptors. This may provide new insights into the pathogenesis of viral infection and host immune response.

Identifying causal relationships of cancer treatment and long-term health effects among 5-year survivors of childhood cancer in Southern Sweden

Background

Survivors of childhood cancer can develop adverse health events later in life. Infrequent occurrences and scarcity of structured information result in analytical and statistical challenges. Alternative statistical approaches are required to investigate the basis of late effects in smaller data sets.

Methods

Here we describe sex-specific health care use, mortality and causal associations between primary diagnosis, treatment and outcomes in a small cohort (n = 2315) of 5-year survivors of childhood cancer (n = 2129) in southern Sweden and a control group (n = 11,882; age-, sex- and region-matched from the general population). We developed a constraint-based method for causal inference based on Bayesian estimation of distributions, and used it to investigate health care use and causal associations between diagnoses, treatments and outcomes. Mortality was analyzed by the Kaplan–Meier method.

Results

Our results confirm a significantly higher health care usage and premature mortality among childhood cancer survivors as compared to controls. The developed method for causal inference identifies 98 significant associations (p < 0.0001) where most are well known (n = 73; 74.5%). Hitherto undescribed associations are identified (n = 5; 5.1%). These were between use of alkylating agents and eye conditions, topoisomerase inhibitors and viral infections; pituitary surgery and intestinal infections; and cervical cancer and endometritis. We discuss study-related biases (n = 20; 20.4%) and limitations.

Conclusions

The findings contribute to a broader understanding of the consequences of cancer treatment. The study shows relevance for small data sets and causal inference, and presents the method as a complement to traditional statistical approaches.

Survivors of childhood cancer can develop late effects in adulthood. Knowledge about possible late effects can improve childhood cancer treatments and assist in follow-up. We developed a method to identify causative links between treatments and health outcomes. We applied it to a Swedish patient cohort and identified 98 causative links between treatments and outcomes, many of which are already known. Some, however, have not been previously described, including links between certain treatments and eye conditions or viral infections. We also confirm that childhood cancer survivors use more health care and have higher mortality compared to the general population. This study helps to create a better understanding of the late effects of cancer treatment in children and may help to guide strategies to monitor and treat children to avoid these effects.

Holst et al. study the relationship between cancer treatments and long-term health effects using registry data on childhood cancer survivors in Sweden. The authors utilize a causal inference approach to establish relationships between certain therapies and viral infections, eye conditions, and reproductive conditions, amongst others.

Imbalance of Steroid Hormones in Hamsters Infected with Schistosoma mansoni

OBJECTIVE

Schistosomiasis is a debilitating disease that affects 200 million people worldwide. Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni are the major causative agents of this disease. Cancer-association and infertility-association in Schistosoma haematobium infection have already been described and it is known that the parasite produces a catechol-estrogen molecule that induces a hormonal imbalance in the host.

METHODS

In order to better understand the relation of hormonal imbalance in experimental Schistosoma mansoni infection, we investigated a serum panel of steroid hormones in Schistosoma mansoni infected hamsters.

RESULTS

We found a decrease in the serum levels of Estradiol (E2), Testosterone and Progesterone in infected females and an increase of Testosterone and a decrease in Progesterone in infected males in comparison with controls.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that S. mansoni alters the levels of steroid hormones in infected males and females and it will increase the repertoire of data about the host-parasite molecular interplay and its relation with the endocrine system.

Endocrine immune interactions during chronic Toxocariasis caused by Toxocara canis in a murine model: New insights into the pathophysiology of an old infection

Toxocara canis is the helminth causing Toxocariasis, a parasitic disease with medical and veterinary implications. Their final host are members of the family Canidae and as paratenic hosts, most of the mammals are sensitive (man, rat, mouse, among others). It has been reported that a pituitary hormone, prolactin, it is responsible for reactivation and migration of larvae to the uterus and mammary gland during the last third of gestation in bitches. In addition, this hormone has been shown to play an important role in the regulation of the immune response. Thus, the aim of this study, was to evaluate the effect of hypophysectomy in the rat model of Toxocariasis, on the immune response against this parasite during a chronic infection, for which parasite loads were analyzed in different organs (lung and brain). Furthermore, serum specific antibody titers, and percentages of different cells of the immune system were also determined. The results showed a decrease in the number of larvae recovered from lung and brain in the hypophysectomized animals. In this same group of animals, there was no production of specific antibodies against the parasite. As for the percentages of the cells of the immune system, there are differences in some subpopulations due to surgery and others due to infection. Our results demonstrated that the lack of pituitary hormones alters parasite loads and the immune response to the helminth parasite Toxocara canis.

The endocrine-immune network during taeniosis by Taenia solium: The role of the pituitary gland

It is well known that sex hormones play an important role during Taenia solium infection; however, to our knowledge no studies exist concerning the immune response following complete or lobe-specific removal of the pituitary gland during T. solium infection. Thus, the aim of this work was to analyze in hamsters, the effects of lack of pituitary hormones on the duodenal immune response, and their impact on T. solium establishment and development. Thus, in order to achieve this goal, we perform anterior pituitary lobectomy (AL, n = 9), neurointermediate pituitary lobectomy (NIL, n = 9) and total hypophysectomy (HYPOX, n = 8), and related to the gut establishment and growth of T. solium, hematoxylin-eosin staining of duodenal tissue and immunofluorescence of duodenal cytokine expression and compared these results to the control intact (n = 8) and control infected group (n = 8). Our results indicate that 15 days post-infection, HYPOX reduces the number and size of intestinally recovered T. solium adults. Using semiquantitative immunofluorescent laser confocal microscopy, we observed that the mean intensity of duodenal IFN-γ and IL-12 Th1 cytokines was mildly expressed in the infected controls, in contrast with the high level of expression of these cytokines in the NIL infected hamsters. Likewise, the duodenum of HYPOX animals showed an increase in the expression of Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-6, when compared to control hamsters. Histological analysis of duodenal mucosa from HYPOX hamsters revealed an exacerbated inflammatory infiltrate located along the lamina propria and related to the presence of the parasite. We conclude that lobe-specific pituitary hormones affect differentially the T. solium development and the gut immune response.