The ratio of boys to girls (sex ratio) at birth (SRB) is about 1.01-1.05 in most populations and is influenced by various factors, such as maternal stress, maternal inflammation, and endocrine ...disruption. Male fetus is biologically weaker and more vulnerable to prenatal events than female fetuses. Hence, premature death (and consequently decline the SRB) is higher in boys than girls. The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been known to have a variety of stressful and psychological impacts. This stress may consequently enhance maternal inflammation, pregnancy complication, and fetal loss. Also, male fetuses have more adverse outcomes than female fetuses among asymptomatic pregnant women with SARS-Cov-2 infection. Inasmuch as the male fetus are more vulnerable to prenatal events and premature death, it is proposed that the SRB can decline in pregnant women following the COVID-19 stress. However, future studies are needed to define the impact of the COVID-19 on SRB rate.
Inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and treatment of IBD mainly targets on inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators. Helminth-based therapy is a ...novel strategy for resolution of inflammation in IBD, because helminths have great immunomodulatory properties. Helminth-based therapy may be efficacious as a vaccine for patients with IBD. This article is a highlight on the therapeutic potential of helminths in IBD.
Treatment of the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a complicated challenge, especially among patients with severe disease. In recent studies, immunosuppressive therapy has shown ...promising results for control of the cytokine storm syndrome (CSS) in severe cases of COVID-19. However, it is well documented that immunosuppressive agents (
e.g.,
corticosteroids and cytokine blockers) increase the risk of opportunistic infections. On the other hand, several opportunistic infections were reported in COVID-19 patients, including
Aspergillus
spp
.
,
Candida
spp
.
,
Cryptococcus neoformans
,
Pneumocystis jiroveci
(
carinii
), mucormycosis,
Cytomegalovirus
(CMV),
Herpes simplex virus
(HSV),
Strongyloides stercoralis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis,
and
Toxoplasma gondii
. This review is a snapshot about the main opportunistic infections that reported among COVID-19 patients. As such, we summarized information about the main immunosuppressive agents that were used in recent clinical trials for COVID-19 patients and the risk of opportunistic infections following these treatments. We also discussed about the main challenges regarding diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19-associated opportunistic infections (CAOIs).
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is caused by different species of the genus Leishmania. Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines play different roles in resistance/susceptibility and the immunopathogenesis ...of Leishmania infection. The balance and dynamic changes in cytokines may control or predict clinical outcome. T helper 1 (Th1) inflammatory cytokines (especially interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-12) are the crucial factors in the initiation of protective immunity against L. major infection, whereas T helper 2 cytokines including IL-5, IL-4, and IL-13 facilitate the persistence of parasites by downregulating the Th1 immune response. On the other hand, aggravation of inflammatory reactions leads to collateral tissue damage and formation of ulcer. For this reason, immunity system such as T regulatory cells produce regulatory cytokines such as transforming growth factor-β and IL-10 to inhibit possible injures caused by increased inflammatory responses in infection site. In this article, we review the role of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the immunoprotection and immunopathology of CL.
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a worldwide distributed protozoan parasite which has infected a wide range of warm-blooded animals and humans. The most common form of T. gondii infection is ...asymptomatic (latent); nevertheless, latent toxoplasmosis can induce various alterations of sex hormones, especially testosterone, in infected humans and animals. On the other hand, testosterone is involved in behavioral traits and reproductive functions in both sexes. Hence, the purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the available evidence regarding the association between T. gondii infection and testosterone alteration.
In the setting of a systematic review, an electronic search (any date to 10 January 2023) without language restrictions was performed using Science Direct, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The PRISMA guidelines were followed. Following the initial search, a total of 12,306 titles and abstracts were screened initially; 12,281 were excluded due to the lack of eligibility criteria or duplication. Finally, 24 articles met the included criteria. A mean±standard deviation (SD) was calculated to assess the difference of testosterone between T. gondii positive and T. gondii negative humans. The possibility of publication bias was assessed using Egger's regression. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
This systematic review identified 24 articles (18 studies in humans and six studies in animals). Most human studies (13 out of 19) reported an increased level of testosterone following latent toxoplasmosis in males, while three studies reported decreased levels and two studies reported an insignificant change. Eleven articles (seven datasets in males and seven datasets in females) were eligible to be included in the data synthesis. Based on the random-effects model, the pooled mean± SD of testosterone in T. gondii positive than T. gondii negative was increased by 0.73 and 0.55 units in males and females, respectively. The Egger's regression did not detect a statistically significant publication bias in males and females (p = value = 0.95 and 0.71), respectively. Three studies in male animals (rats, mice, and spotted hyenas) and two studies in female animals (mice and spotted hyenas) reported a decline in testosterone in infected compared with non-infected animals. While, one study in female rats reported no significant changes of testosterone in infected than non-infected animals. Moreover, two studies in male rats reported an increased level of testosterone in infected than non-infected animals.
This study provides new insights about the association between T. gondii infection and testosterone alteration and identifies relevant data gaps that can inform and encourage further studies. The consequence of increased testosterone levels following T. gondii infection could partly be associated with increased sexual behavior and sexual transmission of the parasite. On the other hand, declining testosterone levels following T. gondii infection may be associated with male reproductive impairments, which were observed in T. gondii-infected humans and animals. Furthermore, these findings suggest the great need for more epidemiological and experimental investigations in depth to understand the relationship between T. gondii infection and testosterone alteration alongside with future consequences of testosterone alteration.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Salt is an important macronutrient that plays pivotal roles in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. High salt intake is an important cause of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and ...stroke. However, recent investigations uncovered the role of excessive salt intake in the induction of severe inflammatory reactions through augmentation of T helper‐17 pathway and their inflammatory cytokines. In contrast, numerous studies have shown the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders (NPD). Here, it is hypothesized that high salt intake can increase the risk of NPD through salt‐derived neural inflammations. Therefore, this hypothesis suggests that low‐salt intake can decrease the risk of NPD. The present review discusses the potential role of excessive salt intake in the pathophysiology of NPD.
Excessive salt intake induced severe inflammatory reactions. Inflammations in known to be involve in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. Thus, high salt intake may increase risk of neuropsychiatric disorders through salt derived neural inflammations.
BACKGROUND： Inflammatory conditions are involved in the pathophysiology of cancer. Recent findings have revealed thatexcessive salt and fat intake is involved in the development of severe ...inflammatory reactions.METHODS： A literature search was performed on various online databases （PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar） regardingthe roles of high salt and fat intake in the induction of inflammatory reactions and their roles in the etiopathogenesis of cancer.RESULTS： The results indicate that high salt and fat intake can induce severe inflammatory conditions. However, variousinflammatory conditions have been strongly linked to the development of cancer. Hence, high salt and fat intake might beinvolved in the pathogenesis of cancer progression via putative mechanisms related to inflammatory reactions.
Neuropsychiatric disorders (NPDs) are among the major debilitating disorders worldwide with multiple etiological factors. However, in recent years, psychoneuroimmunology uncovered the role of ...inflammatory condition and autoimmune disorders in the etiopathogenesis of different NPDs. Hence, resolution of inflammation is a new therapeutic target of NPDs. On the other hand, Helminth infections are among the most prevalent infectious diseases in underdeveloped countries, which usually caused chronic infections with minor clinical symptoms. Remarkably, helminths are among the master regulator of inflammatory reactions and epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between prevalence of autoimmune disorders with these infections. As such, changes of intestinal microbiota are known to be associated with inflammatory conditions in various NPDs. Conversely, helminth colonization alters the intestinal microbiota composition that leads to suppression of intestinal inflammation. In animal models and human studies, helminths or their antigens have shown to be protected against severe autoimmune and allergic disorders, decline the intensity of inflammatory reactions and improved clinical symptoms of the patients. Therefore, “helminthic therapy” have been used for modulation of immune disturbances in different autoimmunity illnesses, such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Here, it is proposed that “helminthic therapy” is able to ameliorate neuroinflammation of NPDs through immunomodulation of inflammatory reactions and alteration of microbiota composition. This review discusses the potential application of “helminthic therapy” for resolution of neuroinflammation in NPDs.
Blastocystis
is one of the most common intestinal protozoan parasites worldwide, which is linked to cutaneous lesions and urticaria. In a setting of systematic review, the data on the association of
...Blastocystis
infection with cutaneous lesions were searched in order to summarize the main clinical symptoms, diagnostic methods, treatment, and outcome of the patients. The search identified 28 eligible articles, including 12 cross-sectional studies and 16 case reports/case series (including 23 cases). A diverse spectrum of skin symptoms, mainly urticaria, rash, and itching, was reported from the studies. Of the 23 infected cases with the skin symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms were reported from the 16 cases, whereas 7 cases with urticaria had asymptomatic infection. The most frequent subtypes were ST1, ST2, and ST3, respectively. Metronidazole, paromomycin, and tinidazole were the most prescribed drugs in patients with single
Blastocystis
infection. Notably, urticaria and other cutaneous symptoms of all treated patients were resolved after treatment. In conclusion, this study indicates that
Blastocystis
infection can be a neglected cause of urticaria and skin disorders. Since the treatment of
Blastocystis
infection is simple, screening and treatment of this infection should be considered in patients with urticaria and other skin disorders.
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