Positive psychological effects of seated acupressure massage are associated with a rise in plasma oxytocin without affecting CGRP levels or circulating IL-6.

Work-related stress is a major public health issue. Given the relationship between acute stress responses and health, finding strategies to deal with the unpleasant symptoms brought on by stress is essential. Massage therapy is a popular stress-reduction technique, but its effectiveness has yet to be shown.

Emergence of Lipid Droplets in the Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis and Therapeutic Responses.

Cancer shares common risk factors with cardiovascular diseases such as dyslipidemia, obesity and inflammation. In both cases, dysregulations of lipid metabolism occur, and lipid vesicles emerge as important factors that can influence carcinogenesis. In this review, the role of different lipids known to be involved in cancer and its response to treatments is detailed.

Some Plant Defense Stimulators can induce IL-1β production in human immune cells .

Among Plant Protection Products (PPP), a new emerging category of pesticides act by stimulating plant defense in order to improve plant resistance against microbial pathogens. Given that these compounds, the so-called Plant Defense Stimulators (PDS) act on innate immunity, we tested, using an approach on human mononuclear leucocytes (PBMC), the potential toxicity (XTT assay) and inflammatory effects (production of IL-1β) of 4 PPP belonging to different chemical families. We found that two products (LBG-01F34® and Regalis®) did not induce any cytotoxicity or IL-1 β production.

Gold(I)-Coumarin-Caffeine-Based Complexes as New Potential Anti-Inflammatory and Anticancer Trackable Agents.

Three new gold(I)-coumarin-based trackable therapeutic complexes and two non-trackable analogues have been synthesised and fully characterised. They all display anti-proliferative properties on several types of cancer cell lines, including those of colon, breast, and prostate. Two complexes displayed significant anti-inflammatory effects; one displayed pro-inflammatory behaviour; this highlights the impact of the position of the fluorophore on the caffeine scaffold.

Nlrp3 Gene Expression in Circulating Leukocytes Declines During Healthy Aging.

Aging is often associated with elevated levels of low grade inflammation supposed to drive age-associated diseases. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study on 58 healthy volunteers, aged from 19 to 81, to investigate the relationship between age and the expression of three inflammasome component genes (Nlrp3, Asc, Casp1), the up-stream transcription factor NFkB, and the pro-inflammatory cytokine Il-1β in leukocytes. We also assessed C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-1β in plasma, as additional inflammatory markers.

Inflammatory Effects of the Plant Protection Product Stifenia (FEN560) on Vertebrates.

Plant defense stimulators (PDSs) rely on the activation of plant innate immunity in order to protect crops against various pests. These molecules are thought to be a safer alternative to classical plant protection products. Given that innate immune systems share common features in plants and vertebrates, PDS can potentially cross-react with innate immunity of non-target organisms.

In vitro inflammatory/anti-inflammatory effects of nitrate esters of purines.

Six purine analogues bearing a nitrate ester group (potential NO donor) were tested on human THP-1 macrophages to investigate their effects on the inflammatory response. Only three analogues increased the basal level of IL-1β. Two analogues exacerbated the inflammatory response induced by ATP but not that induced by H2O2.

Chemotherapy-triggered cathepsin B release in myeloid-derived suppressor cells activates the Nlrp3 inflammasome and promotes tumor growth.

Chemotherapeutic agents are widely used for cancer treatment. In addition to their direct cytotoxic effects, these agents harness the host's immune system, which contributes to their antitumor activity. Here we show that two clinically used chemotherapeutic agents, gemcitabine (Gem) and 5-fluorouracil (5FU), activate the NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing-3 protein (Nlrp3)-dependent caspase-1 activation complex (termed the inflammasome) in myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), leading to production of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), which curtails anticancer immunity.

Effect of a chronic cholesterol-rich diet on vascular structure and oxidative stress in LDLR-/- mice.

Aims: There is conflicting evidence regarding the relationship between hypercholesterolemia and oxidative stress in vessels. To test the potential relationship, a mouse model of hypercholesterolemia was used.

Methods: Low density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (LDLR(-/-)) and control (C57Bl/6) mice were fed a normal or (1.

A cholesterol-rich diet improves resistance to ischemic insult in mouse hearts but suppresses the beneficial effect of post-conditioning.

Background: Conflicting evidence is reported about the beneficial effects of post-conditioning (Post-C) in pathologic conditions. A pathologic mouse model of hypercholesterolemia was used. The study examined the effect of Post-Con cardiac recovery after the ischemia-reperfusion sequence and the effect of Post-Con on low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (LDLR(-/-)) mice and control animals.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARdelta) activation protects H9c2 cardiomyoblasts from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.

Objective: Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) and PPARgamma plays beneficial roles in cardiovascular disorders such as atherosclerosis and heart reperfusion. Although PPARalpha and gamma have been documented to reduce oxidative stress in the vasculature and the heart, the role of PPARdelta remains poorly studied.

Methods And Results: We focused on PPARdelta function in the regulation of oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in the rat cardiomyoblast cell line H9c2.

Antiapoptotic effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide on oxidative stress-induced injury in H9c2 cardiomyocytes via the RAMP1/CRLR complex.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) plays an important role in the mediation of protective effects observed in situations such as ischemic preconditioning in rat hearts. In this study, we investigated in H9c2 rat cardiomyoblasts if the protective effect of CGRP could be linked to an inhibitory effect on the apoptotic pathway. We also determined the specificity of observed effects by treatment with adrenomedullin (ADM) in stress conditions generated by 100 microM hydrogen peroxide.

Anteroposterior gradient during nymphal-adult moulting cycle of the tropical bont tick, Amblyomma variegatum (Acarina: Ixodidae) : Correlation between ecdysteroid titers and integument structure.

The structure of the extensible (alloscutum) and inextensible (scutum) integument of the nymph, Amblyomma variegatum was examined during the whole bloodmeal and the nymphal-adult moulting cycle. Integumental events were tentatively correlated with the ecdysteroid levels measured by radioimmunoassay. We observed that all the integumental events were realised along an anteroposterior gradient.