A sufficiently complex set of molecules, if subject to perturbation, will self-organize and show emergent behaviour. If such a system can take on information it will become subject to natural selection. This could explain how self-replicating molecules evolved into life and how intelligence arose. A pivotal step in this evolutionary process was of course the emergence of the eukaryote and the a...

BACKGROUND Many drugs (including toxicants) and radiation therapy have been reported to exert bi-phasic hormetic effects on cultured cells, but only when both the concentration and treatment time were optimal. Most previous studies have been carried out with multiple laser modalities other than CO(2) laser, and there has been no comparison of the hormetic response between normal and tumor cells...

Cellular metabolism generates the cytotoxic superoxide free radical, O(2).(-), and a family of enzymes called superoxide dismutases (SOD) protects us from O(2).(-) by catalyzing its conversion to O(2) and H(2)O(2). Superoxide production increases in a wide variety of pathological states, especially those involving inflammation or ischemic injury. Most of the literature has described systems whe...

Confounding factors in radiation pulmonary carcinogenesis are passive and active cigarette smoke exposures and radiation hormesis. Significantly increased lung cancer risk from ionizing radiation at lung doses < 1 Gy is not observed in never smokers exposed to ionizing radiations. Residential radon is not a cause of lung cancer in never smokers and may protect against lung cancer in smokers. Th...

Chronic low-level exposure to environmental toxins, including cadmium (Cd), is a growing problem in the industrialized world. One promising strategy for protection from these toxins is the use of low-dose exposure of environmental chemicals to induce cell tolerance and recovery, a phenomenon known as "protective hormesis". Hormetic [low-dose stimulatory] effects occur in a variety of systems an...

Establishing hormesis as an evolution-based biological phenomenon requires a broad discussion of its implications for currently used risk paradigms. The Jayjock et al. papers provide an industrial hygienist's perspective and, as such, represent a valuable contribution to this discussion. Our comments outline a toxicologist's view on the limits and practicability of the Jayjock et al. suggestion...

In his commentary in Environmental Health Perspectives, Calabrese (2009) offered a num­ ber of responses to my critique of hormesis methodology (Mushak 2009). Here I will provide a counterpoint to that effort. • Calabrese (2009) falsely asserted that I erred in calculations associated with entry and evaluatory criteria for hormesis frequency, specifically by choosing the wrong denomi­ nator for...

Hormesis is a biphasic dose-response relationship, occurring when low concentrations of toxic agents elicit apparent improvements. In this work, the ability of sub-inhibitory concentrations of Tetracycline to induce hormetic response in a model organism was investigated. To this aim a reference strain of Escherichia coli, MG1655, was exposed to six decreasing doses of Tetracycline (between 0.12...

Over time plants developed complex mechanisms in order to adapt themselves to the environment. Plant innate immunity is one of the most important mechanisms for the environmental adaptation. A myriad of secondary metabolites with nutraceutical features are produced by the plant immune system in order to get adaptation to new environments that provoke stress (stressors). Hormesis is a phenomenon...

Generally minute doses of drugs have been prescribed in biotherapies, homeopathy, immunization and vaccinations for centuries. Now the use of low doses of drugs is on the rise to combat serious diseases such as advanced cancers around the world. This new therapeutic approach to address solid tumors and other advanced diseases is a departure from the conventional use of maximum dose protocol. A ...