Review of cadmium toxicity effects on fish: Oxidative stress and immune responses.

Cadmium (Cd) in aquatic environments can cause environmental toxicity to fish and induce oxidative stress owing to an excessive production of reactive oxygen species in fish bodies. Fish have developed various antioxidant systems to protect themselves from reactive oxygen species; thus, a change in antioxidant responses in fish can be a criterion for evaluating oxidative stress resulting from Cd exposure. Because Cd exposure may be recognized as an exogenous substance by a fish body, it may lead to the stimulation or suppression of its immune system. Various immune responses can be assessed to evaluate Cd toxicity in fish. This review aimed to identify the impacts of Cd exposure on oxidative stress and immunotoxicity in fish as well as identify accurate indicators of Cd toxicity in aquatic ecosystems.

Dietary Leucine Supplementation Decreases Whole-Body Protein Turnover before, but Not during, Immune System Stimulation in Pigs.

BACKGROUND: Immune system stimulation (ISS) adversely affects protein metabolism and reduces pig productivity. Leu has a regulatory role in skeletal muscle and whole-body protein turnover, which may be affected by ISS. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the effect of supplemental Leu intake on whole-body protein turnover in pigs before and during ISS. METHODS: Pigs [mean ± SD initial body weight (BW): 10.6 ± 1.1 kg] were surgically fitted with jugular vein catheters and assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: 1.36% standardized ileal-digestible (SID) Leu (CON; n = 13); 2.04% SID Leu (LEU-M; n = 8); and 2.72% SID Leu (LEU-H; n = 7). Pigs were infused continuously with 0.66 ± 0.05 mmol 15N ⋅ kg BW-1 ⋅ d-1 to determine whole-body protein kinetics. The study consisted of a 72-h prechallenge period followed by a 36-h challenge period. At the start of the challenge period, ISS was induced in all LEU-M and LEU-H pigs and half of the CON pigs with LPS (ISS+); the remaining CON pigs were administered saline (ISS-). RESULTS: Whole-body protein synthesis (309, 273, and 260 ± 14 mmol N ⋅ kg BW-1 ⋅ d-1 for CON, LEU-M, and LEU-H pigs, respectively) and protein degradation (233, 203, and 185 ± 14 mmol N ⋅ kg BW-1 ⋅ d-1 for CON, LEU-M, and LEU-H pigs, respectively) were reduced with increasing Leu intake during the prechallenge period (P < 0.05). ISS reduced whole-body protein synthesis (203 compared with 169 ± 12 mmol N ⋅ kg BW-1 ⋅ d-1 for ISS- and ISS+ pigs fed CON, respectively; P < 0.05) and protein deposition (PD) (64.9 compared with 45.0 ± 2.9 mmol N ⋅ kg BW-1 ⋅ d-1 for ISS- and ISS+ pigs fed CON, respectively; P < 0.01), whereas ISS did not affect whole-body protein degradation. Leu intake did not affect whole-body protein synthesis or degradation in ISS+ pigs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that supplemental Leu intake improves the efficiency of PD rather than PD directly in healthy pigs but did not affect whole-body protein turnover during ISS.

Silicone implants and lymphoma: The role of inflammation.

The risk of hematological malignancies is mainly determined by genetic background, age, sex, race and ethnicity, geographic location, exposure to certain chemicals and radiation; along with the more recently proposed immune factors such as chronic inflammation, immunodeficiencies, autoimmunity, and infections. Paradigmatic examples include the development of lymphoma in Sjögren's syndrome and Hashimoto thyroiditis, gastric MALT lymphoma in Helicobacter pylori infection, or lymphomas associated with infections by Epstein-Barr virus, human herpes virus 8 (HHV 8) and leukemia/lymphoma virus 1 (HTLV-1). A growing number of reports indicates an increased risk of lymphoma, particularly of the anaplastic large cell (ALCL) type. The implants, specifically those used in the past, elicit chronic stimulation of the immune system against the prosthetic material. This is particularly the case in genetically susceptible hosts. We suggest that polyclonal activation may result in monoclonality in those at risk hosts, ultimately leading to lymphoma. We suggest that patients with an inflammatory response against silicone implants be monitored carefully.

Autonomic Stimulation Action of EAT (Epipharyngeal Abrasive Therapy) on Chronic Epipharyngitis.

This study investigated the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of chronic epipharyngitis, which presents a variety of symptoms, with a focus on autonomic neuropathy symptoms, and also investigated the literature for information on EAT, which is useful as a treatment method. The mechanism of action of EAT has recently been clarified in terms of its immune system-stimulating and endocrine system-stimulating effects. However, the autonomic nerve-stimulating effects of EAT are still largely unexplained. This study was conducted to collect and integrate previous studies and papers focusing on the autonomic nerve-stimulating effects of EAT and to provide insight into the still not fully elucidated autonomic nerve-stimulating effects of EAT on chronic epipharyngitis. The local stimulating effects of zinc chloride and the bleeding and pain effects of EAT are also summarized, suggesting that EAT exerts its therapeutic effects through the interaction of the immune system, the endocrine system, and the autonomic nervous system. It is important to determine which mechanism is predominantly involved in each case of chronic epipharyngitis and to utilize it in treatment. Elucidating the effects of EAT on the autonomic nervous system will be an important guideline in determining the treatment strategy for chronic epipharyngitis.

RORγT agonists as immune modulators in anticancer therapy.

RORγT is a transcription factor that directs the development of Th17 lymphocytes and other IL-17-expressing cells (e.g., Tc17 and ILC3 cells). These cells are involved in the body's defense against pathogenic bacteria and fungi, but they also participate in maintaining the proinflammatory environment in some autoimmune diseases and play a role in the immune system's response to cancer. Similar to other members of the nuclear receptor superfamily, the activity of RORγT is regulated by low-molecular-weight ligands. Therefore, extensive efforts have been dedicated to identifying inverse agonists that diminish the activity of this receptor and subsequently inhibit the development of autoimmune diseases. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of an ideal inverse agonist, the development of agonists has been overlooked. It is important to remember that these types of compounds, by stimulating lymphocytes expressing RORγT (Th17 and Tc17), can enhance the immune system's response to tumors. In this review, we present recent advancements in the biology of RORγT agonists and their potential application in anticancer therapy.

Immune system stimulation increases the irreversible loss of cysteine to taurine, but not sulfate, in starter pigs.

An isotope tracer study was conducted to evaluate the effects of immune system stimulation (ISS) on the irreversible loss of cysteine (Cys) to taurine (Tau) and sulfate (SO4), as well as glutathione (GSH) synthesis, during the fed state in pigs. We previously have reported that ISS increases plasma Cys flux and the GSH synthesis rate at the tissue and whole-body levels in growing pigs. Thus, the current article presents the data on the irreversible loss of Cys during ISS in pigs. Ten gilts (BW: 7.0 ±â€…0.12 kg) were feed restricted a sulfur amino acids (SAA) limiting diet and injected twice with either saline (n = 4) or increasing amounts of E. coli lipopolysaccharide (n = 6). The day after the second injection, a 5-h primed continuous intravenous infusion of 35S-Cys was conducted. ISS reduced plasma Cys and total SAA concentrations (16% and 21%, respectively; P < 0.05). However, ISS had no effect on the plasma concentrations of Tau and SO4, nor did it affect the appearance of 35S in plasma Tau, plasma SO4, urinary Tau, or urinary SO4 (P > 0.19). On a whole-body basis and including urinary excretion, ISS increased the appearance of 35S in Tau by 67% (P < 0.05), but tended to decrease the appearance of 35S in SO4 by 22% (P < 0.09). Overall, the current findings indicate that during ISS, decreased plasma SAA concentrations and increased plasma Cys flux are attributed in part to increased rates of Cys conversion to Tau, but not Cys catabolism to SO4. Thus, increased utilization of Cys for the synthesis of immune system metabolites, such as GSH and Tau, is likely the main contributor to increased Cys flux during ISS in pigs. In addition, the irreversible loss of Cys during ISS is small and has a minimal impact on the daily SAA requirements of starter pigs.

Immune System Stimulation Reduces the Efficiency of Whole-Body Protein Deposition and Alters Muscle Fiber Characteristics in Growing Pigs.

The effects of immune system stimulation (ISS), induced by repeated injection of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide, on the whole-body protein synthesis versus degradation rates, the efficiency of protein deposition (PD), and muscle fiber characteristics in pigs were evaluated. Twelve growing gilts were assigned to two levels of amino acid intake that was predicted based on the potential of each group's health status for PD and feed intake. Isotope tracer, nitrogen balance, and immunohistochemical staining techniques were used to determine protein turnover, PD, and muscle fiber characteristics, respectively. Protein synthesis, degradation, and PD were lower in immune-challenged pigs than in control pigs (p < 0.05). Strong tendencies for a higher protein synthesis-to-PD ratio (p = 0.055) and a lower protein synthesis-to-degradation ratio (p = 0.065) were observed in immune-challenged pigs. A decrease in muscle cross-sectional area of fibers and a shift from myosin heavy chain (MHC)-II towards MHC-I fibers (p < 0.05) were observed in immune-challenged pigs. These results indicated that ISS reduces PD not only by suppressing the whole-body protein synthesis and degradation rates, but also by decreasing the efficiency of PD in growing pigs. In addition, ISS induces atrophy in skeletal muscles and favors a slow-twitch oxidative fiber type composition.