Publications by authors named "Karen E Nava-Castro"

Article Synopsis
  • Helminth infections in school-age children lead to cognitive deficits, and deworming treatment improves memory recall; similar effects are observed in mice with distinct differences between sexes.
  • Male and female mice showed different parasite loads and changes in neurotransmitter levels, with males experiencing increased norepinephrine and serotonin in the hippocampus, while females had decreased levels.
  • The study indicates that the brain's response to infection varies across different structures and can explain the behavioral changes seen in infected individuals, highlighting the complex interactions between the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems.
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Introduction: In colorectal cancer, men exhibit a higher incidence than women, and there is a disturbance in the levels of sex steroids in serum in patients with this disease. Consistently, in animals, males have greater tumor growth than females in diverse models. Nevertheless, the role of sex steroids is not well established.

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Introduction: Sexual dimorphism significantly influences cancer incidence and prognosis. Notably, females exhibit a lower risk and favorable prognosis for non-reproductive cancers compared to males, a pattern observable beyond the scope of risk behaviors such as alcohol consumption and smoking. Colorectal cancer, ranking third in global prevalence and second in mortality, disproportionately affects men.

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Introduction: Worldwide, breast cancer is the most important cancer in incidence and prevalence in women. Different risk factors interact to increase the probability of developing it. Biological agents such as helminth parasites, particularly their excretory/secretory antigens, may play a significant role in tumor development.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on Toxocariasis, a helminth parasite linked to poverty and health issues like blindness and tumor growth, with limited research on sexual differences in infection response.
  • Researchers analyzed liver and lung lesions, immune cell types, and cytokine and antibody production in infected male and female rats to investigate susceptibility differences.
  • Results showed females had more larvae in the liver, while males had them in the lungs, with varied immune responses and lower antibody production observed in females compared to males.
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Although the modulation of immunity by exercise has been a long-studied paradigm, the molecular pathways connecting the two are still not fully understood. Regular moderate aerobic exercise is associated with improved health and directly impacts the immune system by changing the proportion of cell subpopulations, their function, and interleukin production. The endocannabinoid system has gained importance as an immune modulator, affected by moderate aerobic promoting the production of endocannabinoids, which are ligands of the cannabinoid receptors (CBRs) expressed on the surface of all immune cells.

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Breast cancer treatment failure is related to low response rates, high costs, and long-term toxicities. Thus, it is necessary to find less toxic, cheaper, and more effective treatments. In situ administration ensures drug delivery to tumor cells and decreases systemic toxic effects.

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Unlabelled: Phthalates and bisphenols are ubiquitous environmental pollutants with the ability to perturb different systems. Specifically, they can alter the endocrine system, and this is why they are also known as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). Interestingly, they are related to the development and progression of breast cancer (BC), but the threshold concentrations at which they trigger that are not well established.

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The interaction of the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems is crucial in maintaining homeostasis in vertebrates, and vital in mammals. The spleen is a key organ that regulates the neuroimmunoendocrine system. The mouse system is an excellent experimental model to study the complex host-parasite relationship, particularly sex-associated susceptibility to infection.

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Breast cancer (BC) metastasis represents the main physiopathology leading to poor prognosis and death. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a pollutant, classified as an endocrine-disrupting chemical compound with estrogenic properties, their exposure in the early stages of neonatal life leads to an increase in the size and weight of breast tumors and induces cellular changes in the tumoral immune microenvironment where cytokines play a key role. Thus, we used female BALB/c mice exposed neonatally to a single dose of BPA.

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Public concern has emerged about the effects of endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) on neuropsychiatric disorders. Preclinical evidence suggests that exposure to EDCs is associated with the development of major depressive disorder (MDD) and could result in neural degeneration. The interaction of EDCs with hormonal receptors is the best-described mechanism of their biological activity.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how progesterone affects the Trichinella spiralis nematode, focusing on a protein called PGRMC2-Ts that may mediate this interaction.
  • Researchers found that PGRMC2-Ts is specifically expressed in the parasite's oocytes and cuticle, suggesting a potential role in the nematode's reproductive cycle.
  • The findings could provide insight into host-parasite interactions, sex-related susceptibility to infections, and the development of new anti-parasitic drugs.
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Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the apicomplexa protozoan parasite . This disease is a health burden, mainly in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has proved to be an important molecule that could drive resistance against a variety of infections, including intracellular parasites such as and , among others.

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Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies and the second leading cause of death in women. Despite efforts for its early detection, its worldwide incidence continues to increase. Thus, identification of risk factors for its development and new targets for its therapy are of vital importance.

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Phthalates are endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) used as plasticizers in a wide array of daily-use products, from flooring and automotive parts to medical devices and are even present in the children�s toys. Since these compounds are not covalently bound other molecules, they leach from these synthetic products, causing a high level of human exposure to them. EDCs exert several endocrine effects, most typically, reduced biosynthesis of the male hormone, testosterone and disturbances in estrogen, androgen, PPAR-gamma and AhR that control complex immunoendocrine regulatory networks.

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Taiep rat is a myelin mutant with a progressive motor syndrome characterized by tremor, ataxia, immobility episodes, epilepsy and paralysis of the hindlimbs. Taiep had an initial hypomyelination followed by a progressive demyelination associated with an increased expression of some interleukins and their receptors. The pathology correlated with an increase in nitric oxide activity and lipoperoxidation.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The text explores the rise of industrial waste, particularly plastic pollution, and the associated health risks from toxic chemicals like bisphenols and phthalates, which disrupt endocrine functions and are prevalent in everyday products.
  • - Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates are recognized as endocrine disruptors that can leach out of plastics, leading to high human exposure and are linked to adverse effects on reproductive health and the immune system.
  • - The review highlights how exposure to these chemicals during critical developmental periods can impair immune functions and potentially contribute to the development of various diseases, including cancer.
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Article Synopsis
  • Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women globally, influenced by various risk factors, including biological environmental contaminants like infectious agents.
  • Helminths, a type of parasitic worm, can promote cancer by altering the immune response, shifting it towards a type 2 response which can help tumors grow.
  • In a study on infected mice, researchers found that those with the infection had larger tumors due to changes in immune cell types and an increase in signals that favor tumor growth, indicating the infection may enhance cancer development.
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Aims: Industrial growth has increased the exposure to endocrine disruptor compounds (EDCs) in all organisms. Bisphenol A (BPA), an EDC, has been demonstrated to be involved in the susceptibility to parasite infections. However, few studies have analysed this connection in more depth.

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Bisphenol A, a very widespread environmental pollutant and endocrine disruptor compound, can interact with several steroid receptors, particularly with estrogen ones. In different studies, it has observed that the endocrine disruption during critical periods of development can trigger alterations in the immune response during the adult life. Male Wistar rats were exposed indirectly to BPA at a dose of 250 μg/kg day during the perinatal period (from day 5 of pregnancy until day 21 postnatal), At the 60 days of age, the adulthood, animals were infected with larvated eggs of the Toxocara canis, and were sacrificed at 7 days post-infection.

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The impact of performing exercise on the immune system presents contrasting effects on health when performed at different intensities. In addition, the consequences of performing chronic exercise have not been sufficiently studied in contrast to the effects of acute bouts of exercise. The porpoise of this work was to determine the effect that a popular exercise regimen (chronic/moderate/aerobic exercise) has on the proportion of different immune cell subsets, their function and if it affects the cannabinoid system with potentially functional implications on the immune system.

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Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor to which animals and humans are highly exposed. Many reports have established a relationship between BPA exposure and breast cancer incidence, especially during critical periods of development. However, its effects on the immune response in testicular tumour growth have not yet been described.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the immune response to chronic Toxocara canis infection, a zoonotic nematode, in a mouse model, focusing on both cellular and humoral aspects.
  • - Following infection, there was a significant increase in the number of larvae in brain and muscle tissues compared to other organs, alongside elevated levels of various immune cells in the spleen and lymph nodes of the infected mice.
  • - Results indicate an enhanced type 2 immune response characterized by increased IgG1, IL-4, IL-10, and IL-5 levels, suggesting an emerging regulatory component in response to T. canis infection.
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Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor compound with estrogenic activity, possessing affinity for both nuclear (ERα and ERβ) and membrane estrogen receptors. The main source of BPA exposure comes from the contamination of food and water by plastic storage containers or disposable bottles, among others, in which case BPA is easily ingested. Exposure to BPA during early pregnancy leads to lifelong effects; however, its effect on the immune system has not been fully studied.

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