Evaluation of urinary hydrogen peroxide as an oxidative stress biomarker in a healthy Japanese population

The usefulness of urinary hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as an oxidative stress biomarker was evaluated in 766 healthy Japanese. The mean level of urinary concentrations of H2O2 was 5.66 +/- 8.27 mu mol/g creatinine, and was significantly higher in females than in males. Significant correlations of H2O2 were observed with age, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), insulin, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and exercise habit in females. In both sexes, H2O2 showed a significant correlation with 8-OHdG. By a multiple logistic regression analysis, urinary H2O2 was positively associated with urinary 8-OHdG and TC and was inversely associated with insulin. By stratification of sex and age, the association of urinary H2O2 with TC was positive in both sexes under 50 years old and was inverse in males over 50 years old, and that with insulin was inverse in males over 50 years old and in females under 50 years old. Moreover, by stratification of sex and age, a positive association of H2O2 with exercise and an inverse association of H2O2 with alcohol consumption became clear in males under 50 years old, although there were no significant odds for H2O2 after adjustment for covariates. In conclusion, the present results suggest that urinary H2O2 is a useful biomarker for oxidative stress, showing an association with 8-OHdG, TC, and insulin independently

Suppressive impact of anethum graveolens consumption on biochemical risk factors of atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic rabbits

Background: We aimed to determine the effects of Anethum graveolens (Dill) powder on postprandial lipid profile, markers of oxidation and endothelial activation when added to a fatty meal. Methods: In an experimental study, 32 rabbits were randomly designated into four diet groups: normal diet, high cholesterol diet (1), high cholesterol diet plus 5 (w/w) dill powder and high cholesterol diet plus lovastatin (10 mg/kg, bw). The concentrations of glucose, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (LDL-C), alanine aminotransferase (alt), aspartate aminotransferase (ast), fibrinogen, factor VII, apolipoprotein B (ApoB), nitrite and nitrate were measured in blood samples following 15 h of fasting and 3 h after feeding. Results: Concurrent use of A. graveolens powder or lovastatin significantly decreased ALT, TC, glucose, fibrinogen and LDL-C values in comparison with hypercholesterolemic diet group (P < 0.05). Consumption of A. graveolens or lovastatin did not change factor VII, ApoB, nitrite and nitrate levels significantly in comparison with hypercholesterolemic diet group. Intake of A. graveolens significantly decreased serum AST compared to hypercholesterolemic diet. Conclusions: A. graveolens might have some protective values against atherosclerosis and that it significantly affects some biochemical risk factors of this disease. Our findings also confirm the potential harmful effects of oxidized fats and the importance of dietary polyphenols in the meal

The Effects of Expertise and Information Location on Change Blindness Detection within an Aviation Domain

Change blindness is a phenomenon where the viewer fails to detect change in an object or scene during a visual disturbance. During a flight, a pilot samples multiple displays for information about the task at hand. It is imperative that the changes in the displays are being correctly viewed by pilots to ensure a safe flight. However, it is unknown how much change blindness affects pilots or if pilot expertise plays a role in change detection. A change blindness experiment was performed with twenty four participants divided into two groups based on expertise. Expert pilots were defined as instructor pilots with an average of 952 flight hours and novice pilots were student pilots with an average of 80 flight hours. There were a total of 24 images that were presented to participants during a flicker paradigm that was used to induce change blindness and assess change detection within cockpit instruments by the pilots. Images were static depictions of the primary cockpit displays. Results showed that there were no significant differences between expert pilots and novice pilots when detecting change in displays. The results did show that there was significant difference in location display. It was found that the ADI was the most commonly viewed display with other instruments slower in terms of detection. No difference was found for accuracy in all cases. Results indicate that future research is still needed in change blindness and aviation domain

Protective effect of dehydroandrographolide on obstructive cholestasis in bile duct-ligated mice

Background: Dehydroandrographolide (DA) is the main contributor to the therapeutic properties of the medicinal plant Andrographis paniculata (AP). However, it is unknown whether DA has a hepatoprotective effect on obstructive cholestasis in mice and humans. Methods: We administered DA to mice for 5 days prior to bile duct ligation (BDL) and for the 7 days. Liver function markers, liver histology and necrosis, compensatory responses of hepatocytes, liver fibrosis and the expression of hepatic fibrogenesis markers were evaluated in BDL mice and/or human LX-2 cells. Results: Mice treated with DA demonstrated lower levels of serum alanine transarninase (ALT), milder liver damage, liver necrosis and fibrosis formation than in vehicle control with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) mice after BDL. DA treatment also enhanced the Mrp3 expression of hepatocytes but not Mrp4 following BDL. Further, DA treatment in BDL mice significantly reduced liver mRNA and/or protein expression of Tgf-β, Col1a1, α-Sma and Mmp2. This result was also supported by hydroxyproline analysis. The molecular mechanisms of DA treatment were also assessed in human hepatic stellate cell line (LX-2 cell). DA treatment significantly inhibited Tgf-β-induced Col1a1, Mmp2 and α-Sma expression in human LX-2 cells. These data suggested that DA treatment reduced liver damage through development of a hepatic adaptive response and inhibition of the activation of HSCs, which led to a reduction in liver fibrosis formation in BDL mice. Conclusions: DA treatment protected against liver damage and fibrosis following BDL and might be an effective therapy for extrahepatic cholestasis due to bile duct obstruction

Neutron diffraction study of lunar materials Final report

Apollo 12 lunar samples studied with neutron diffraction at room and cryogenic temperature

Supplementation with probiotics modifies gut flora and attenuates liver fat accumulation in rat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease model

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between gut probiotic flora and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a diet-induced rat model, and to compare the effects of two different probiotic strains on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 4 groups for 12 weeks: control (standard rat chow), model (fat-rich diet), Lactobacillus (fat-rich diet plus Lactobacillus acidophilus), and Bifidobacterium (fat-rich diet plus Bifidobacterium longum) groups. Probiotics were provided to rats in drinking water (1010/ml). Gut bifidobacteria and lactobacilli were obviously lower at weeks 8 and 10, respectively, in the model group compared with the control group. Supplementation with Bifidobacterium significantly attenuated hepatic fat accumulation (0.10 ± 0.03 g/g liver tissue) compared with the model group (0.16 ± 0.03 g/g liver tissue). However, there was no improvement in intestinal permeability in either the Lactobacillus or the Bifidobacterium group compared with the model group. In all 40 rats, the hepatic total lipid content was negatively correlated with gut Lactobacillus (r = −0.623, p = 0.004) and Bifidobacterium (r = −0.591, p = 0.008). Oral supplementation with probiotics attenuates hepatic fat accumulation. Further, Bifidobacterium longum is superior in terms of attenuating liver fat accumulation than is Lactobacillus acidophilus

Role of Probiotics in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Does Gut Microbiota Matter?

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic consequence of metabolic syndrome, which often also includes obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. The connection between gut microbiota (GM) and NAFLD has attracted significant attention in recent years. Data has shown that GM affects hepatic lipid metabolism and influences the balance between pro/anti-inflammatory effectors in the liver. Although studies reveal the association between GM dysbiosis and NAFLD, decoding the mechanisms of gut dysbiosis resulting in NAFLD remains challenging. The potential pathophysiology that links GM dysbiosis to NAFLD can be summarized as: (1) disrupting the balance between energy harvest and expenditure, (2) promoting hepatic inflammation (impairing intestinal integrity, facilitating endotoxemia, and initiating inflammatory cascades with cytokines releasing), and (3) altered biochemistry metabolism and GM-related metabolites (i.e., bile acid, short-chain fatty acids, aromatic amino acid derivatives, branched-chain amino acids, choline, ethanol). Due to the hypothesis that probiotics/synbiotics could normalize GM and reverse dysbiosis, there have been efforts to investigate the therapeutic effect of probiotics/synbiotics in patients with NAFLD. Recent randomized clinical trials suggest that probiotics/synbiotics could improve transaminases, hepatic steatosis, and reduce hepatic inflammation. Despite these promising results, future studies are necessary to understand the full role GM plays in NAFLD development and progression. Additionally, further data is needed to unravel probiotics/synbiotics efficacy, safety, and sustainability as a novel pharmacologic approaches to NAFLD

Multicomponent intervention efect on cardiometabolic risk factors among overweight/obese Brazilian children: a mediation analysis

Purpose To verify whether percentage of body fat, physical ftness, physical activity and calorie intake mediates the multicomponent intervention efect on cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight/obese children, and present the relative contribution of each mediator. Methods This is an intervention study, developed with 35 overweight/obese school-aged children (control group=17 and intervention group=18), aged between 7 and 13 years (9.05±1.90). A 12-week multicomponent intervention was performed, consisting of physical exercise, nutritional education sessions and parental support. The following variables were evaluated at baseline and post-intervention: anthropometric measures and percentage of body fat, physical ftness, physical activity assessed by accelerometer, total calorie intake and biochemical assays. For statistical analysis, generalized linear models were used. Results The intervention efect on glucose was mediated by percentage of body fat (24%), muscular ftness (22%) and total calorie intake (40%). The same was observed for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), with a mediation proportion of 26, 31 and 35%, respectively, as well as for HDL-C (percentage of body fat −30%, muscular ftness −30% and total calorie intake −33%); while vigorous physical activity mediated the intervention efect on glucose (40%), HDL-C (39%) LDL-C (43%) and total cholesterol (37%). Conclusion Interventions strategies should focus on reducing percentage of body fat and calorie intake, and enhancing muscular ftness and vigorous physical activity to achieve efective changes on cardiometabolic risk factors

El precedente en el sistema jurídico colombiano: un estudio comparado en el derecho público

Artículo de reflexiónEn Colombia la Jurisprudencia emitida por las Altas Cortes, es a la luz de la Carta Política, criterio auxiliar y fuente secundaria de derecho. Sin embargo, esa misma Carta Política creó la Corte Constitucional y la erigió como su guardiana y protectora, y esta desde 1993 decidió hacer claridad en cuanto a la obligatoriedad de su precedente. A partir de la Sentencia C-104 de (1993), la Corte determinó que el decisum de sus sentencias de constitucionalidad, de forma explícita y su ratio decidendi de forma implícita con efectos erga omnes, son precedentes de obligatorio cumplimiento. Posteriormente, la misma Corte en Sentencia C-836 de (2001), convirtió el sistema jurídico en un sistema de precedentes, y recordó el carácter vinculante de las sentencias de la Corte Suprema de Justicia en lo que se ha conocido desde antaño como doctrina probable. En el mismo sentido, el Art. 102 de la Ley 1437 de (2011) ha dado un papel muy importante al precedente, a través de la figura de las sentencias de unificación del Consejo de Estado, lo que significa que es necesario establecer si el Código de Procedimiento Administrativo y de lo Contencioso Administrativo, reemplazó la teoría del Precedente Jurisprudencial desarrollada tanto por el Alto Tribunal en materia Contencioso Administrativo, como por la Corte Constitucional, a través de reiterados pronunciamientos o por el contrario, si dichas instituciones coexisten y se pueden aplicar de manera unánime. Por último, es importante igualmente establecer las diferencias entre el precedente y la jurisprudencia en las diferentes especialidades del derecho público nacional.INTRODUCCIÓN I. EL PRECEDENTE EN EL SISTEMA JURÍDICO COLOMBIANO II. EL PRECEDENTE EN LA JURISDICCIÓN CONSTITUCIONAL, ADMINISTRATIVA Y DISCIPLINARIA III. ANÁLISIS JURISPRUDENCIAL COMPARADO CONCLUSIONES REFERENCIASPregradoAbogad