Non-invasive sampling of water-borne hormones demonstrates individual consistency of the cortisol response to stress in laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Glucocorticoid (GC) stress hormones are well-known for their impact on phenotypic traits ranging from immune function to behaviour and cognition. For that reason, consistent aspects of an individual's physiological stress response (i.e.

Effects of Pseudoloma neurophilia infection on the brain transcriptome in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Laboratory zebrafish are commonly infected with the intracellular, brain-infecting microsporidian parasite Pseudoloma neurophilia. Chronic P. neurophilia infections induce inflammation in meninges, brain and spinal cord, and have been suggested to affect neural functions since parasite clusters reside inside neurons.

Behavioural effects of the common brain-infecting parasite Pseudoloma neurophilia in laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Research conducted on model organisms may be biased due to undetected pathogen infections. Recently, screening studies discovered high prevalence of the microsporidium Pseudoloma neurophilia in zebrafish (Danio rerio) facilities. This spore-forming unicellular parasite aggregates in brain regions associated with motor function and anxiety, and despite its high occurrence little is known about how sub-clinical infection affects behaviour.

Cocoa procyanidins modulate transcriptional pathways linked to inflammation and metabolism in human dendritic cells.

Foods rich in polyphenols such as procyanidins (PC) have been proposed to have anti-inflammatory properties, and we have previously reported inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory cytokine secretion in human dendritic cells (DCs) by PC derived from cocoa. To explore the mechanistic basis of this inhibition, here we conducted transcriptomic analysis on DCs cultured with either LPS or LPS combined with oligomeric cocoa PC. Procyanidins suppressed a number of genes encoding cytokines and chemokines such as CXCL1, but also genes involved in the cGMP pathway such as GUCY1A3 (encoding guanylate cyclase soluble subunit alpha-3).

Ascaris Suum Infection Downregulates Inflammatory Pathways in the Pig Intestine In Vivo and in Human Dendritic Cells In Vitro.

Ascaris suum is a helminth parasite of pigs closely related to its human counterpart, A. lumbricoides, which infects almost 1 billion people. Ascaris is thought to modulate host immune and inflammatory responses, which may drive immune hyporesponsiveness during chronic infections.