scholarly journals Targeting the Immune system and Epigenetic Landscape of Urological Tumors

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 829 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Lobo ◽  
Carmen Jerónimo ◽  
Rui Henrique

In the last years, we have witnessed remarkable advances in targeted therapies for cancer patients. There is a growing effort to either replace or reduce the dose of unspecific, systemic (chemo)therapies, given the associated short- and long-term side effects, by introducing more specific targeted therapies as single or combination agents. Due to the well-known implications of the immune system and epigenetic landscape in modulating cancer development, both have been explored as potential targets in several malignancies, including those affecting the genitourinary tract. As the immune system function is also epigenetically regulated, there is rationale for combining both strategies. However, this is still rather underexplored, namely in urological tumors. We aim to briefly review the use of immune therapies in prostate, kidney, bladder, and testicular cancer, and further describe studies providing supporting evidence on their combination with epigenetic-based therapies.

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 118
Author(s):  
Anna Skarpańska-Stejnborn ◽  
Mirosława Cieślicka ◽  
Hanna Dziewiecka ◽  
Sławomir Kujawski ◽  
Anita Marcinkiewicz ◽  
...  

An intensive physical exercise program could lead to a decrease in immune system function. Effects of long-term supplementation of bovine colostrum on the response of immune function on physical exercise test in athletes were examined. Twenty-seven elite female basketball players (age 16–19) were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Eventually, n = 11 athletes completed intervention in the experimental group (3.2 g bovine colostrum orally twice a day for 24 weeks), while n = 9 athletes in the control group were given a placebo. Before the supplementation, after 3 and 6 months, subjects performed the physical exercise stress test. Before, just after, and 3 h after physical exercise testing, blood was drawn and immune system indicators were examined. Plasma interleukin (IL)-1alpha, IL-2, IL-10, IL-13, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, creatine kinase (CK MM), immunoglobulin G (IgG), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1), and WBC, lymphocyte (LYM), monocyte (MON), and granulocyte (GRA) were measured. A statistically significant change in IL-10 in response to the exercise program during the supplementation period in both groups was observed (p = 0.01). However, the results of the rest of the comparisons were statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). Contrary to our initial hypothesis, there were no significant effects of bovine supplementation on the dynamics of immune system function indicators.


2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea McConico ◽  
Kim Butters ◽  
Karen Lien ◽  
Bruce Knudsen ◽  
Xiaosheng Wu ◽  
...  

Trafficking of cells between mother and fetus during the course of normal pregnancy is well documented. Similarly, cells are known to travel between twins that share either a placenta (i.e. monozygotic) or associated chorion (i.e. monochorionic). Transferred cells are thought to be channelled via the vessels of the placenta or vascular connections established via the chorion and the long-term presence of these cells (i.e. microchimerism) can have important consequences for immune system function and reparative capacity of the host. Whether cells can be transferred between twins with separate placentas and separate chorions (i.e. no vascular connections between placentas) has not been investigated nor have the biological consequences of such a transfer. In the present study, we tested the possibility of this type of cell transfer by injecting human cord blood-derived cells into a portion of the littermates of swine and probing for human cells in the blood and tissues of unmanipulated littermates. Human cells were detected in the blood of 78% of unmanipulated littermates. Human cells were also detected in various tissues of the unmanipulated littermates, including kidney (56%), spleen (33%), thymus (11%) and heart (22%). Human cells were maintained in the blood until the piglets were sacrificed (8 months after birth), suggesting the establishment of long-term microchimerism. Our findings show that the transfer of cells between fetuses with separate placentas and separate chorions is significant and thus such twins may be subject to the same consequences of microchimerism as monozygotic or monochorionic counterparts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Jullien

AbstractWe looked at existing recommendations and supporting evidence on the effectiveness of universal screening for language and speech delay in children under 5 years of age for short- and long-term outcomes.We conducted a literature search up to the 20th of November 2019 by using key terms and manual search in selected sources. We summarized the recommendations and the strength of the recommendation when and as reported by the authors. We summarized the main findings of systematic reviews with the certainty of the evidence as reported on the accuracy of the screening tests for detecting language and speech delay, the efficacy of existing interventions for children with language and speech delay, and the potential harms associated with screening and the associated interventions.Several screening tools are used to assess language and speech delay with a wide variation in their accuracy. Targeted interventions improve some measures of speech and language delay and disorders. However, there is no evidence on the effectiveness of such interventions in children detected by screening with no specific concerns about their speech or language before screening. There is no evidence assessing whether universal screening for language and speech delay in a primary care setting improves short and long-term outcomes (including speech and language outcomes and other outcomes). Finally, there is no evidence on the harms of screening for language and speech delay in primary care settings, and there is limited evidence assessing the potential harms of interventions.


Author(s):  
Kayla F Goliwas ◽  
Jessy S. Deshane ◽  
Craig A Elmets ◽  
Mohammad Athar

The host immune system shapes the fate of tumor progression. Hence, manipulating patients' immune system to activate host immune responses against cancer pathogenesis is a promising strategy to develop effective therapeutic interventions for metastatic and drug resistant cancers. Understanding the dynamic mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment (TME) that contribute to heterogeneity and metabolic plasticity is essential to enhance the patients' responsiveness to immune targeted therapies. Riera-Domingo et. al. describe the immune landscape within the TME, and highlight the significance of metabolic and hypoxic signatures that impact immune function and response to immunotherapy. Current literature in this field confirms that targeting tumor metabolism and the acidic microenvironment commonly associated with tumors may present as viable strategies to modulate the host immune system in favor of developing highly effective immune targeted therapies. However, development of better tools to understand tumor-immune interactions and identify mechanisms driving non-responders, more innovative clinical trial design, and new therapies will need to be identified to move the field forward. Personalized immune therapies incorporating metabolic and microbiome-based gene signatures to influence the therapeutic response and novel methods to generate immunologically "hot" tumors are at the forefront of immunotherapy currently. The combination of these approaches with clinically approved immunotherapies will also be valuable moving forward.


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fábio Pires Santos ◽  
Raimar Weber ◽  
Bibiana Callegaro Fortes ◽  
Shirley Shizue Nagata Pignatari

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 6752
Author(s):  
Cora S. Thiel ◽  
Christian Vahlensieck ◽  
Timothy Bradley ◽  
Svantje Tauber ◽  
Martin Lehmann ◽  
...  

Microgravity acts on cellular systems on several levels. Cells of the immune system especially react rapidly to changes in gravity. In this study, we performed a correlative metabolomics analysis on short-term and long-term microgravity effects on primary human macrophages. We could detect an increased amino acid concentration after five minutes of altered gravity, that was inverted after 11 days of microgravity. The amino acids that reacted the most to changes in gravity were tightly clustered. The observed effects indicated protein degradation processes in microgravity. Further, glucogenic and ketogenic amino acids were further degraded to Glucose and Ketoleucine. The latter is robustly accumulated in short-term and long-term microgravity but not in hypergravity. We detected highly dynamic and also robust adaptative metabolic changes in altered gravity. Metabolomic studies could contribute significantly to the understanding of gravity-induced integrative effects in human cells.


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