Obesity Is Associated with a Weakened Gingival Inflammatory Cytokine Response.

: An obesity-related elevated body mass index (BMI) across life is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in blood. CRP is a marker and promoter of inflammation. The objectives of this study were to examine the effect of obesity on the relationship between peripheral and gingival CRP levels and to examine the effects of gingival CRP levels on gingival fluid inflammatory cytokines in periodontitis-resistant obese individuals.

Sympathetic Nerves and Innate Immune System in the Spleen: Implications of Impairment in HIV-1 and Relevant Models.

The immune and sympathetic nervous systems are major targets of human, murine and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV-1, MAIDS, and SIV, respectively). The spleen is a major reservoir for these retroviruses, providing a sanctuary for persistent infection of myeloid cells in the white and red pulps. This is despite the fact that circulating HIV-1 levels remain undetectable in infected patients receiving combined antiretroviral therapy.

Psychosocial Stress and Age Influence Depression and Anxiety-Related Behavior, Drive Tumor Inflammatory Cytokines and Accelerate Prostate Cancer Growth in Mice.

Prostate cancer (PCa) prevalence is higher in older men and poorer coping with psychosocial stressors effect prognosis. Yet, interactions between age, stress and PCa progression are underexplored. Therefore, we characterized the effects of age and isolation combined with restraint (2 h/day) for 14 days post-tumor inoculation on behavior, tumor growth and host defense in the immunocompetent, orthotopic RM-9 murine PCa model.

Cross-sectional comparisons of subgingival microbiome and gingival fluid inflammatory cytokines in periodontally healthy vegetarians versus non-vegetarians.

Background: Vegetarian diets are known to reduce inflammation. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that reduced inflammation associated with a vegetarian diet would promote a more commensal subgingival bacterial profile.

Methods: A total of 39 periodontally healthy subjects (PD ≤3 mm, bleeding on probing <10%) were enrolled.

Loss of APP in mice increases thigmotaxis and is associated with elevated brain expression of IL-13 and IP-10/CXCL10.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to memory loss and is often accompanied by increased anxiety. Although AD is a heterogeneous disease, dysregulation of inflammatory pathways is a consistent event. Interestingly, the amyloid precursor protein (APP), which is the source of the amyloid peptide Aβ, is also necessary for the efficient regulation of the innate immune response.

Driving β- While Suppressing α-Adrenergic Receptor Activity Suppresses Joint Pathology in Inflammatory Arthritis.

Objective: Hypersympathetic activity is prominent in rheumatoid arthritis, and major life stressors precede onset in ~80% of patients. These findings and others support a link between stress, the sympathetic nervous system and disease onset and progression. Here, we extend previous research by evaluating how selective peripherally acting α/β-adrenergic drugs affect joint destruction in adjuvant-induced arthritis.

Short-term exposure to dietary cholesterol is associated with downregulation of interleukin-15, reduced thigmotaxis and memory impairment in mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition associated with loss of memory function, depression and anxiety. The etiology of AD is poorly understood, but both cholesterol dyshomeostasis and dysregulation of the immune system are contributing factors. Current evidence is consistent with a detrimental effect of excess cholesterol on neuroinflammation, both in mouse models of memory loss and in dementia in humans.

Loss of amyloid precursor protein exacerbates early inflammation in Niemann-Pick disease type C.

Background: Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that results in early fatality. NPC is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern from mutations in NPC1 or NPC2 genes. The etiology of NPC is poorly defined.

Maternal plasma proteomics in a rat model of pregnancy complications reveals immune and pro-coagulant gene pathway activation.

Problem: The Brown Norway (BN) rat is a model of T-helper 2 immune diseases, and also a model of pregnancy disorders that include placental insufficiency, fetal loss, and pre-eclampsia-like symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the plasma proteomic/cytokine profile of pregnant BN rats in comparison to that of the Lewis (LEW) rat strain.

Method Of Study: Plasma proteomics differences were studied at day 13 of pregnancy in pooled plasma samples by differential in-gel electrophoresis, and protein identification was performed by mass spectrometry.

The Association between Affect and Biomarkers of Stress and Inflammation in Healthy Seventh-Day Adventists.

Objective: To evaluate the association between positive and negative affective states with stress biomarkers, biomarkers of inflammation and blood pressure in a population of healthy Seventh-day Adventists.

Design: In a cross-sectional study, biomarkers were regressed on positive and negative affect and control variables among reportedly healthy 133 females and 100 males (35% Black and 65% White) who provided blood and urine samples following completion of a questionnaire and measurement of anthropometrics and vital signs.

Setting/location: Data were extracted from the Biological Manifestations of Religion Study, an NIA-funded study conducted in members of the entity who lived within driving distance of two clinic sites.

Interferon downstream signaling is activated early in pre-symptomatic Niemann-Pick disease type C.

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is a fatal neurodegenerative condition with no FDA-approved therapy. Previous studies demonstrated that neuroinflammation is an early pathologic event and a disease modifier of NPC, affecting symptomatic onset and overall lifespan. Therefore, NPC-specific anti-inflammatory therapy may result in clinical benefit.

Changes in the Morphology of Hypoglossal Motor Neurons in the Brainstem of Developing Rats.

The autonomic brainstem generates breathing rhythm by integrating inputs from chemosensors and mechanosensors in the viscera and coordinating descending outputs from higher structures in the central nervous system. Hypoglossal motoneurons (XII MNs) receive inputs from respiratory premotor neurons, important for maintaining airway patency. Previous studies in rodents report significant changes in breathing control during the first 3 weeks of life, with a sensitive period at 10 to 13 days postbirth (P10-P13) characterized by pronounced changes in neurotransmitters, excitation-inhibition balance, and breathing physiology.

Sympathetic neurotransmission in spleens from aging Brown-Norway rats subjected to reduced sympathetic tone.

Senescence of innate and adaptive responses and low-grade inflammation (inflammaging) hallmarks normal aging, which increases vulnerability to infectious diseases, autoimmunity and cancer. In normal aging, sympathetic dysregulation contributes to the dysregulation of innate and adaptive immunity and inflammaging. Sympathetic innervation of immune cells in secondary immune organs regulates immune responses.

Sympathetic Nerve Hyperactivity in the Spleen: Causal for Nonpathogenic-Driven Chronic Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (IMIDs)?

Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (IMIDs) is a descriptive term coined for an eclectic group of diseases or conditions that share common inflammatory pathways, and for which there is no definitive etiology. IMIDs affect the elderly most severely, with many older individuals having two or more IMIDs. These diseases include, but are not limited to, type-1 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, chronic pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and autoimmunity, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjőgren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.

Is spaceflight-induced immune dysfunction linked to systemic changes in metabolism?

The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on its final mission (STS-135) on July 8, 2011. After just under 13 days, the shuttle landed safely at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for the last time. Female C57BL/6J mice flew as part of the Commercial Biomedical Testing Module-3 (CBTM-3) payload.

Effects of a meal replacement system alone or in combination with phentermine on weight loss and food cravings.

Objective: To examine the effects of phentermine combined with a meal replacement program on weight loss and food cravings and to investigate the relationship between food cravings and weight loss.

Methods: In a 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 77 adults with obesity received either phentermine or placebo. All participants were provided Medifast meal replacements, were instructed to follow the Take Shape for Life Optimal Weight 5&1 Plan for weight loss, and received lifestyle coaching in the Habits of Health program.

Chlorisondamine, a sympathetic ganglionic blocker, moderates the effects of whole-body irradiation (WBI) on early host defense to a live bacterial challenge.

There is a growing consensus that long-term deficits in the brain are due to dynamic interactions between multiple neural and immune cell types. Specifically, radiation induces an inflammatory response, including changes in neuromodulatory pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine secretion. The purpose of this study was to establish that there is sympathetic involvement in radiation-induced decrements early in in vivo immune function host defense.

Religious vs. conventional cognitive behavioral therapy for major depression in persons with chronic medical illness: a pilot randomized trial.

We examine the efficacy of conventional cognitive behavioral therapy (CCBT) versus religiously integrated CBT (RCBT) in persons with major depression and chronic medical illness. Participants were randomized to either CCBT (n = 67) or RCBT (n = 65). The intervention in both groups consisted of ten 50-minute sessions delivered remotely during 12 weeks (94% by telephone).

Molecular mechanisms underlying β-adrenergic receptor-mediated cross-talk between sympathetic neurons and immune cells.

Cross-talk between the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and immune system is vital for health and well-being. Infection, tissue injury and inflammation raise firing rates of sympathetic nerves, increasing their release of norepinephrine (NE) in lymphoid organs and tissues. NE stimulation of β2-adrenergic receptors (ARs) in immune cells activates the cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) intracellular signaling pathway, a pathway that interfaces with other signaling pathways that regulate proliferation, differentiation, maturation and effector functions in immune cells.

Hypothermia modulates cytokine responses after neonatal rat hypoxic-ischemic injury and reduces brain damage.

While hypothermia (HT) is the standard-of-care for neonates with hypoxic ischemic injury (HII), the mechanisms underlying its neuroprotective effect are poorly understood. We examined ischemic core/penumbra and cytokine/chemokine evolution in a 10-day-old rat pup model of HII. Pups were treated for 24 hr after HII with HT (32℃; n = 18) or normothermia (NT, 35℃; n = 15).

Targeting α- and β-Adrenergic Receptors Differentially Shifts Th1, Th2, and Inflammatory Cytokine Profiles in Immune Organs to Attenuate Adjuvant Arthritis.

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) regulates host defense responses and restores homeostasis. SNS-immune regulation is altered in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and rodent models of RA, characterized by nerve remodeling in immune organs and defective adrenergic receptor (AR) signaling to immune cell targets. The SNS typically promotes or suppresses inflammation via α- and β2-AR activation, respectively, and indirectly drives humoral immunity by blocking Th1 cytokine secretion.

Religious involvement is associated with greater purpose, optimism, generosity and gratitude in persons with major depression and chronic medical illness.

Objective: Religious involvement may help individuals with chronic medical illness cope better with physical disability and other life changes. We examine the relationships between religiosity, depressive symptoms, and positive emotions in persons with major depression and chronic illness.

Methods: 129 persons who were at least somewhat religious/spiritual were recruited into a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of religious vs.

Autonomic regulation of cellular immune function.

The nervous system and the immune system (IS) are two integrative systems that work together to detect threats and provide host defense, and to maintain/restore homeostasis. Cross-talk between the nervous system and the IS is vital for health and well-being. One of the major neural pathways responsible for regulating host defense against injury and foreign antigens and pathogens is the sympathetic nervous system (SNS).

Altered sympathetic-to-immune cell signaling via β₂-adrenergic receptors in adjuvant arthritis.

Adjuvant-induced arthritic (AA) differentially affects norepinephrine concentrations in immune organs, and in vivo β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) agonist treatment distinctly regulates ex vivo cytokine profiles in different immune organs. We examined the contribution of altered β-AR functioning in AA to understand these disparate findings. Twenty-one or 28 days after disease induction, we examined β₂-AR expression in spleen and draining lymph nodes (DLNs) for the arthritic limbs using radioligand binding and western blots and splenocyte β-AR-stimulated cAMP production using enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA).

Prevention of Mammary Tumor Development through Neuroimmunomodulation in the Spleen and Lymph Nodes of Old Female Sprague-Dawley Rats by L-Deprenyl.

Background: Development of mammary tumors is an age-associated phenomenon that is likely due to deficits in the neuroendocrine-immune interactions. Previously, we demonstrated that L-deprenyl, a monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitor, can enhance immune responses and restore noradrenergic (NA) innervation in the spleens of rats with carcinogen-induced and spontaneously developing mammary tumors.

Objectives: To investigate whether (1) treatment of early middle-aged female rats would prevent the spontaneous development of mammary tumors accompanied by restoration of immunity in the spleen and draining lymph nodes (DLN) and sympathetic NA innervation in the spleen and (2) deprenyl can influence the proliferation of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive (MCF-7 and T47D) and ER-negative (MDA-MB-231 and Hs 578T) human breast cancer cells.