The influence of biological rhythms on host–parasite interactions

Biological rhythms, from circadian control of cellular processes to annual cycles in life history, are a main structural element of biology. Biological rhythms are considered adaptive because they enable organisms to partition activities to cope with, and take advantage of, predictable fluctuations in environmental conditions. A flourishing area of immunology is uncovering rhythms in the immune system of animals, including humans. Given the temporal structure of immunity, and rhythms in parasite activity and disease incidence, we propose that the intersection of chronobiology, disease ecology, and evolutionary biology holds the key to understanding host–parasite interactions. Here, we review host–parasite interactions while explicitly considering biological rhythms, and propose that rhythms: influence within-host infection dynamics and transmission between hosts, might account for diel and annual periodicity in host–parasite systems, and can lead to a host–parasite arms race in the temporal domain

Frequency and Circadian Timing of Eating May Influence Biomarkers of Inflammation and Insulin Resistance Associated with Breast Cancer Risk.

Emerging evidence suggests that there is interplay between the frequency and circadian timing of eating and metabolic health. We examined the associations of eating frequency and timing with metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers putatively associated with breast cancer risk in women participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination 2009-2010 Survey. Eating frequency and timing variables were calculated from 24-hour food records and included (1) proportion of calories consumed in the evening (5 pm-midnight), (2) number of eating episodes per day, and (3) nighttime fasting duration. Linear regression models examined each eating frequency and timing exposure variable with C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations and the Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Each 10 percent increase in the proportion of calories consumed in the evening was associated with a 3 percent increase in CRP. Conversely, eating one additional meal or snack per day was associated with an 8 percent reduction in CRP. There was a significant interaction between proportion of calories consumed in the evening and fasting duration with CRP (p = 0.02). A longer nighttime fasting duration was associated with an 8 percent lower CRP only among women who ate less than 30% of their total daily calories in the evening (p = 0.01). None of the eating frequency and timing variables were significantly associated with HOMA-IR. These findings suggest that eating more frequently, reducing evening energy intake, and fasting for longer nightly intervals may lower systemic inflammation and subsequently reduce breast cancer risk. Randomized trials are needed to validate these associations

Sick and tired: how molecular regulators of human sleep schedules and duration impact immune function.

Why do we need to sleep? What regulates when we sleep? And what dictates the number of hours we require? These are often viewed as three separate biological questions. Here, we propose they share molecular etiologies, whereby regulators of sleep schedules and sleep duration also govern the physiological purposes of sleep. To support our hypothesis, we review Mendelian human genetic variants sufficient to advance sleep-wake onset (PER2) and shorten sleep length (DEC2), and evaluate their emerging roles in immune responses that may rely on a sound night of slumber

Chronodisruption and Ambulatory Circadian Monitoring in Cancer Patients: Beyond the Body Clock

Purpose of Review: Circadian rhythms impose daily rhythms a remarkable variety of metabolic and physiological functions, such as cell proliferation, inflammation, and DNA damage response. Accumulating epidemiological and genetic evidence indicates that circadian rhythms’ disruption may be linked to cancer. The integration of circadian biology into cancer research may offer new options for increasing cancer treatment effectiveness and would encompass the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease. Recent Findings: In recent years, there has been a significant development and use of multi-modal sensors to monitor physical activity, sleep, and circadian rhythms, allowing, for the very first time, scaling accurate sleep monitoring to epidemiological research linking sleep patterns to disease, and wellness applications providing new potential applications. Summary: This review highlights the role of circadian clock in tumorigenesis, cancer hallmarks and introduces the state-of-the-art in sleep-monitoring technologies, discussing the eventual application of insights in clinical settings and cancer research.publishersversionpublishe

Chronodisruption and Ambulatory Circadian Monitoring in Cancer Patients: Beyond the Body Clock

Purpose of Review: Circadian rhythms impose daily rhythms a remarkable variety of metabolic and physiological functions, such as cell proliferation, inflammation, and DNA damage response. Accumulating epidemiological and genetic evidence indicates that circadian rhythms’ disruption may be linked to cancer. The integration of circadian biology into cancer research may offer new options for increasing cancer treatment effectiveness and would encompass the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease. Recent Findings: In recent years, there has been a significant development and use of multi-modal sensors to monitor physical activity, sleep, and circadian rhythms, allowing, for the very first time, scaling accurate sleep monitoring to epidemiological research linking sleep patterns to disease, and wellness applications providing new potential applications. Summary: This review highlights the role of circadian clock in tumorigenesis, cancer hallmarks and introduces the state-of-the-art in sleep-monitoring technologies, discussing the eventual application of insights in clinical settings and cancer researchThis work was supported in part by CLARIFY project, within European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 875160, Instituto de Fomento de la Región de Murcia (INFO) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER

Chronodisruption and Ambulatory Circadian Monitoring in Cancer Patients: Beyond the Body Clock.

Purpose of Review Circadian rhythms impose daily rhythms a remarkable variety of metabolic and physiological functions, such as cell proliferation, infammation, and DNA damage response. Accumulating epidemiological and genetic evidence indicates that circadian rhythms’ disruption may be linked to cancer. The integration of circadian biology into cancer research may ofer new options for increasing cancer treatment efectiveness and would encompass the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease. Recent Findings In recent years, there has been a signifcant development and use of multi-modal sensors to monitor physical activity, sleep, and circadian rhythms, allowing, for the very frst time, scaling accurate sleep monitoring to epidemiological research linking sleep patterns to disease, and wellness applications providing new potential applications. Summary This review highlights the role of circadian clock in tumorigenesis, cancer hallmarks and introduces the stateof-the-art in sleep-monitoring technologies, discussing the eventual application of insights in clinical settings and cancer research.post-print1077 K

Biological rhythms in COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in an observational cohort study of 1.5 million patients

BACKGROUNDCircadian rhythms are evident in basic immune processes, but it is unclear if rhythms exist in clinical endpoints like vaccine protection. Here, we examined associations between COVID-19 vaccination timing and effectiveness.METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed a large Israeli cohort with timestamped COVID-19 vaccinations (n = 1,515,754 patients over 12 years old, 99.2% receiving BNT162b2). Endpoints included COVID-19 breakthrough infection and COVID-19-associated emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Our main comparison was among patients vaccinated during morning (800-1159 hours), afternoon (1200-1559 hours), or evening hours (1600-1959 hours). We employed Cox regression to adjust for differences in age, sex, and comorbidities.RESULTSBreakthrough infections differed based on vaccination time, with lowest the rates associated with late morning to early afternoon and highest rates associated with evening vaccination. Vaccination timing remained significant after adjustment for patient age, sex, and comorbidities. Results were consistent in patients who received the basic 2-dose series and who received booster doses. The relationship between COVID-19 immunization time and breakthrough infections was sinusoidal, consistent with a biological rhythm that modifies vaccine effectiveness by 8.6%-25%. The benefits of daytime vaccination were concentrated in younger (\u3c20 years old) and older patients (\u3e50 years old). COVID-19-related hospitalizations varied significantly with the timing of the second booster dose, an intervention reserved for older and immunosuppressed patients (HR = 0.64, morning vs. evening; 95% CI, 0.43-0.97; P = 0.038).CONCLUSIONWe report a significant association between the time of COVID-19 vaccination and its effectiveness. This has implications for mass vaccination programs.FUNDINGNIH

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate Among Latinos in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study.

Low blood dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels have strong positive associations with stroke and coronary heart disease. However, it is unclear whether DHEAS is independently associated with cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, we examined the association between cardiovascular risk factors and DHEAS concentration among a high-risk population of Latinos (Puerto Ricans aged 45 to 75 years at baseline) in a cross-sectional analysis of the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. Of eligible participants, 72% completed baseline interviews and provided blood samples. Complete data were available for 1355 participants. Associations between cardiovascular risk factors (age, sex, total cholesterol, high-density lipid cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose) and log-transformed DHEAS (μg/dL) were assessed. In robust multivariable regression analyses, DHEAS was significantly inversely associated with age (β = -12.4; 95% CI: -15.2, -9.7; per 5 years), being female (vs. male) (β = -46; 95% CI: -55.3, -36.6), and plasma triglyceride concentration (β = -0.2; 95% CI: -0.3, -0.1; per 10 mg/dL) and was positively associated with total cholesterol and plasma glucose levels (β = 1.8; 95% CI: 0.6, 3 and β = 0.2; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.3, respectively, per 10 mg/dL) after adjustment for smoking, alcohol, and physical activity and for postmenopausal hormone use in women. Estimates were unchanged after adjustment for measures of chronic disease and inflammation. Women exhibited a stronger age-related decline in DHEAS and a positive association with glucose in contrast to findings among men (P interaction < 0.05). In conclusion, in this large study of Latinos with a heavy cardiovascular risk factor burden, we observed significant associations between cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and DHEAS, with variations by sex. These findings improve our understanding of the role DHEAS may play in CVD etiology