Frontiers in endocrinology
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Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) · Jan 2017
ReviewEarly Microbes Modify Immune System Development and Metabolic Homeostasis-The "Restaurant" Hypothesis Revisited.
The developing infant gut microbiome affects metabolism, maturation of the gastrointestinal tract, immune system function, and brain development. Initial seeding of the neonatal microbiota occurs through maternal and environmental contact. Maternal diet, antibiotic use, and cesarean section alter the offspring microbiota composition, at least temporarily. ⋯ Misregulated development and activity of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, driven by early dysbiosis, could have long-lasting pathologic consequences such as increased autoimmunity, increased adiposity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This review will focus on factors during pregnancy and the neonatal period that impact a neonate's gut microbiome, as well as the mechanisms and possible links from early infancy that can drive increased risk for diseases including obesity and NAFLD. The complex pathways that connect diet, the microbiota, immune system development, and metabolism, particularly in early life, present exciting new frontiers for biomedical research.
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Under normal physiological conditions, leptin and the leptin receptor (ObR) regulate the body weight by balancing food intake and energy expenditure. However, this adipocyte-derived hormone also directs peripheral processes, including immunity, reproduction, and bone metabolism. ⋯ We provide an extensive overview of current structural insights on the leptin-ObR interface and ObR activation, coupling to signaling pathways and their negative regulation, and leptin functioning under normal and pathophysiological conditions (obesity, autoimmunity, cancer, … ). We also discuss possible cross-talk with other receptor systems on the receptor (extracellular) and signaling cascade (intracellular) levels.
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Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) · Jan 2017
Issues in Continuous 24-h Core Body Temperature Monitoring in Humans Using an Ingestible Capsule Telemetric Sensor.
There is increasing interest in the use of pill-sized ingestible capsule telemetric sensors for assessing core body temperature (Tc) as a potential indicator of variability in metabolic efficiency and thrifty metabolic traits. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of measuring Tc using the CorTemp® system. ⋯ Since Tc is regulated within a very narrow range in the healthy homeotherm's body (within 1°C), physiological investigations of Tc require great accuracy and precision (better than 0.1°C). Although ingestible capsule methodology appears of great interest for non-invasively monitoring the transit gut temperature, new technology requires a reduction in the inherent error of measurement and elimination of temperature drift and warrants more interlaboratory investigation on the above factors.
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Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) · Jan 2017
High Glucocorticoid Response to 24-h-Shift Stressors in Male but Not in Female Physicians.
Physicians' daily work is accompanied by emotional and physical stress, and 24-h shifts are considered to be a major stressor. Effects of stressors on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis can be evaluated by estimating the glucocorticoid excretion in urine samples. We characterized the impact of a 24-h working period on the urinary glucocorticoid excretion of physicians and focused on gender differences. 10 females and 12 male physicians collected 24-h urine samples during a 24-h shift ("on-duty") and on a free weekend ("off-duty") that were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. ⋯ Only male physicians had increased GERs on duty compared to off duty. As a measure of change between being on duty and off duty, the ratio GERs on duty/GERs off duty was significantly higher in males than in females. Thus, the 24-h shift stress factor generates diverging results between female and male subjects with activation of the HPA axis primarily in male physicians.
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Sepsis develops when an infection surpasses local tissue containment. A series of dysregulated physiological responses are generated, leading to organ dysfunction and a 10% mortality risk. When patients with sepsis demonstrate elevated serum lactates and require vasopressor therapy to maintain adequate blood pressure in the absence of hypovolemia, they are in septic shock with an in-hospital mortality rate >40%. ⋯ As a result, patients display diminished bactericidal clearance, increased infectious complications, and protracted sepsis mortality. Considering the substantial expansion of the elderly and obese population, global adoption of a Western diet and lifestyle, and multidrug resistant bacterial emergence and persistence, diabetic mortality from sepsis is predicted to rise dramatically over the next two decades. A better understanding of the underlying diabetic-induced immune cell defects that persist following sepsis are crucial to identify potential therapeutic targets to bolster innate and adaptive immune function, prevent infectious complications, and provide more durable diabetic survival.