Sleep Deprivation, Immune Suppression and SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Sleep health and its adaptation to individual and environmental factors are crucial to promote physical and mental well-being across animal species. In recent years, increasing evidence has been reported regarding the relationship between sleep and the immune system and how sleep disturbances may perturb the delicate balance with severe repercussions on health outcomes. For instance, experimental sleep deprivation studies in vivo have reported several major detrimental effects on immune health, including induced failure of host defense in rats and increased risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS) and immune suppression in humans. In addition, two novel risk factors for dysregulated metabolic physiology have recently been identified: sleep disruption and circadian misalignment. In light of these recent findings about the interplay between sleep and the immune system, in this review, we focus on the relationship between sleep deprivation and immunity against viruses, with a special interest in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Effect of Moderate-Intensity Endurance Exercise on Inflammatory Cytokines in Leukocytes of Dogs

This study aimed to investigate the effect of a treadmill exercise on hematological and serum biochemical parameters and the expression of immune-related cytokine genes in leukocytes. For the experiment, six healthy adult dogs were divided into exercise and control groups. The exercise group performed an endurance exercise three times a week for four weeks. Blood samples were collected before exercise, two weeks after exercise, and post-exercise, and hematological and serum biochemical analysis and cytokine gene analysis were conducted. In the exercise group, white blood cell count (WBC), aspartate aminotransferase, serum alkaline phosphatase, and glucose levels were significantly decreased, but there was no change in the control group. The mRNA expression of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-1β, and IL-4 was significantly decreased in the exercise group compared to the control group. There was no difference in IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 mRNA expression between groups. The results in the current study demonstrate that short-term moderate-intensity endurance exercise alters WBC levels and mRNA cytokine expression in leukocytes and may have a meaningful effect on immune health in dogs.

The Exposome and Immune Health in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Growing evidence supports the importance of lifestyle and environmental exposures—collectively referred to as the ‘exposome’—for ensuring immune health. In this narrative review, we summarize and discuss the effects of the different exposome components (physical activity, body weight management, diet, sun exposure, stress, sleep and circadian rhythms, pollution, smoking, and gut microbiome) on immune function and inflammation, particularly in the context of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We highlight the potential role of ‘exposome improvements’ in the prevention—or amelioration, once established—of this disease as well as their effect on the response to vaccination. In light of the existing evidence, the promotion of a healthy exposome should be a cornerstone in the prevention and management of the COVID-19 pandemic and other eventual pandemics.

Putative Familial Transmissible Bacteria of Various Body Niches Link with Home Environment and Children’s Immune Health

Our study revealed that the children’s microbiota was partially transmitted from their family members and specific putative transmissible ASVs were associated with the immune system of children. These findings suggest that home life plays a key role in the shaping of young children’s microbiomes and has long-term health benefits.

Role of Dietary Fiber in Promoting Immune Health -- An EAACI Position Paper

Microbial metabolism of specific dietary components, such as fiber, contribute to the sophisticated inter-kingdom dialogue in the gut that maintains a stable environment with important beneficial physiological, metabolic, and immunological effects on the host. Historical changes in fiber intake may be contributing to the increase of allergic and hypersensitivity disorders as fiber-derived metabolites are evolutionarily hardwired into the molecular circuitry governing immune cell decision making processes. In this review, we highlight the importance of fiber as a dietary ingredient, its effects on the microbiome, its effects on immune regulation, and potential mechanisms for dietary fibers in the prevention and management of allergic diseases. In addition, we review the human studies examining fiber or prebiotic interventions on asthma and respiratory outcomes, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and overall risk of atopic disorders. While exposures, interventions and outcomes were too heterogeneous for meta-analysis, there is significant potential for using fiber in targeted manipulations of the gut microbiome and its metabolic functions in promoting immune health.

Redox Switches in Noise-Induced Cardiovascular and Neuronal Dysregulation

Environmental exposures represent a significant health hazard, which cumulatively may be responsible for up to 2/3 of all chronic non-communicable disease and associated mortality (Global Burden of Disease Study and The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health), which has given rise to a new concept of the exposome: the sum of environmental factors in every individual’s experience. Noise is part of the exposome and is increasingly being investigated as a health risk factor impacting neurological, cardiometabolic, endocrine, and immune health. Beyond the well-characterized effects of high-intensity noise on cochlear damage, noise is relatively well-studied in the cardiovascular field, where evidence is emerging from both human and translational experiments that noise from traffic-related sources could represent a risk factor for hypertension, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. In the present review, we comprehensively discuss the current state of knowledge in the field of noise research. We give a brief survey of the literature documenting experiments in noise exposure in both humans and animals with a focus on cardiovascular disease. We also discuss the mechanisms that have been uncovered in recent years that describe how exposure to noise affects physiological homeostasis, leading to aberrant redox signaling resulting in metabolic and immune consequences, both of which have considerable impact on cardiovascular health. Additionally, we discuss the molecular pathways of redox involvement in the stress responses to noise and how they manifest in disruptions of the circadian rhythm, inflammatory signaling, gut microbiome composition, epigenetic landscape and vessel function.