ANTRODIA CINNAMOMEA EXTRACT ATTENUATES CARBON TETRACHLORIDE-INDUCED CHRONIC LIVER FIBROSIS IN SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RATS

Background: Antrodia cinnamomea (AC) mycelia have been traditionally used by majority of the indigenous populace in Taiwan for symptoms including treating alcohol intoxication. Other beneficial effects have been studied at some point. The present study evaluated the hepato-protection effects in Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: The model used carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) to induce a chronic liver injury in male rats. Animals were treated with silymarin 200 mg/kg and AC mycelia at doses of 206, 619 and 1,032 mg/kg. The effects of AC on hepatic enzyme markers alanine and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT and AST) and other biochemical parameters were measured in the CCl4 -induced rats. Results: AC demonstrated a hepato-protective effect by decreasing ALT and AST levels and increasing albumin levels in CCl4 treated rats. The effects of AC on the activity of antioxidant enzymes were evaluated. AC administration restored the activities of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GrD). The degree of liver fibrosis was significantly reduced by AC administration in CCl4 -treated rats. Conclusion: These results suggest that AC could protect the hepatocytes from CCl4 -induced liver injury likely via an antioxidant mechanism

Comparison of Cortical Bone Trajectory to Pedicle-Based Dynamic Stabilization: An Analysis of 291 Patients

Objective Pedicle-based dynamic stabilization (DS) has gained popularity outside of America. Although pedicle screw (PS) loosening has always been a concern, it is reportedly innocuous. Cortical bone trajectory (CBT) screw is an emerging option with less invasiveness and similar effectiveness to PS in short-segment lumbar fusion. This study aimed to verify the use of CBT for DS by comparing the outcomes between pedicle- and CBT-based DS. Methods Consecutive patients with lumbar spondylosis or low-grade spondylolisthesis who underwent 1- or 2-level DS between L3–5 with a minimum follow-up of 24 months were reviewed. Screw loosening was determined by computed tomography and the incidences were compared. Results A total of 291 patients who underwent Dynesys DS (235 pedicle- and 56 CBT-based, respectively) were compared. The demographics and preoperative conditions were similar. All the clinical outcomes improved at 24-month postoperation, while the CBT-based group had less operation time and blood loss than the pedicle-based group. The rates of screw loosening were lower in the CBT-based (5.4% per screw and 12.5% per patient) than the pedicle-based group (9% per screw and 26.4% per patient). Furthermore, there were no differences in the clinical outcomes and complication profiles. Conclusion The CBT-based DS for 1- or 2-level lumbar degeneration demonstrated equivalent clinical improvement as the pedicle-based DS. The adaption of CBT-based screws for DS could be a less invasive approach (shorter operation time and less blood loss), with lower chances of screw loosening than the conventional PS-based DS

Kefir peptides attenuate atherosclerotic vascular calcification and osteoporosis in atherogenic diet-fed ApoE−/− knockout mice

Aims: Vascular calcification (VC) and osteoporosis were previously considered two distinct diseases. However, current understanding indicates that they share common pathogenetic mechanisms. The available medicines for treating VC and osteoporosis are limited. We previously demonstrated that kefir peptides (KPs) alleviated atherosclerosis in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE−/−) mice. The present study further addressed the preventive effects of KPs on VC and osteoporosis in ApoE−/− mice fed a high-cholesterol atherogenic diet (AD).Main methods: Seven-week-old ApoE−/− and wild-type C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into five groups (n = 6). The development of VC and osteoporosis was evaluated after AD feeding for 13 weeks in KP-treated ApoE−/− mice and compared to C57BL/6 and ApoE−/− mice fed a standard chow diet (CD).Key findings: The results indicated that KP-treated ApoE−/− mice exhibited lower serum total cholesterol, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase (CK) activities, which suggested that KPs prevented hyperlipidemia and possible damages to the liver and muscle in ApoE−/− mice. KPs reduced serum tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and the local expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and macrophage-specific CD68 markers in aortic tissues, which suggested that KPs inhibited inflammatory responses in AD-fed ApoE−/− mice. KPs reduced the deposition of lipid, collagen, and calcium minerals in the aortic roots of AD-fed ApoE−/− mice, which suggested that KPs inhibited the calcific progression of atherosclerotic plaques. KPs exerted osteoprotective effects in AD-fed ApoE−/− mice, which was evidenced by lower levels of the bone resorption marker CTX-1 and higher levels of the bone formation marker P1NP. KPs improved cortical bone mineral density and bone volume and reduced trabecular bone loss in femurs.Significance: The present data suggested that KPs attenuated VC and osteoporosis by reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in AD-fed ApoE−/− mice. Our findings contribute to the application of KPs as preventive medicines for the treatment of hyperlipidemia-induced vascular and bone degeneration

SirT1—A Sensor for Monitoring Self-Renewal and Aging Process in Retinal Stem Cells

Retinal stem cells bear potency of proliferation, self-renewal, and differentiation into many retinal cells. Utilizing appropriate sensors one can effectively detect the self-renewal and aging process abilities. Silencing information regulator (SirT1), a member of the sirtuin family, is a NAD-dependent histone deacetylase and an essential mediator for longevity in normal cells by calorie restriction. We firstly investigate the SirT1 mRNA expression in retinal stem cells from rats and 19 human eyes of different ages. Results revealed that SirT1 expression was significantly decreased in in vivo aged eyes, associated with poor self-renewal abilities. Additionally, SirT1 mRNA levels were dose-dependently increased in resveratrol- treated retinal stem cells. The expression of SirT1 on oxidative stress-induced damage was significantly decreased, negatively correlated with the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species production. Treatment with resveratrol could effectively further reduce oxidative stress induced by H2O2 treatment in retinal stem cells. Importantly, the anti-oxidant effects of resveratrol in H2O2-treated retinal stem cells were significantly abolished by knockdown of SirT1 expression (sh-SirT1). SirT1 expression provides a feasible sensor in assessing self-renewal and aging process in retinal stem cells. Resveratrol can prevent reactive oxygen species-induced damages via increased retinal SirT1 expression

4β-Hydroxywithanolide E from Physalis peruviana (golden berry) inhibits growth of human lung cancer cells through DNA damage, apoptosis and G2/M arrest

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The crude extract of the fruit bearing plant, <it>Physalis peruviana </it>(golden berry), demonstrated anti-hepatoma and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the cellular mechanism involved in this process is still unknown.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Herein, we isolated the main pure compound, 4β-Hydroxywithanolide (4βHWE) derived from golden berries, and investigated its antiproliferative effect on a human lung cancer cell line (H1299) using survival, cell cycle, and apoptosis analyses. An alkaline comet-nuclear extract (NE) assay was used to evaluate the DNA damage due to the drug.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>It was shown that DNA damage was significantly induced by 1, 5, and 10 μg/mL 4βHWE for 2 h in a dose-dependent manner (<it>p </it>< 0.005). A trypan blue exclusion assay showed that the proliferation of cells was inhibited by 4βHWE in both dose- and time-dependent manners (<it>p </it>< 0.05 and 0.001 for 24 and 48 h, respectively). The half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) of 4βHWE in H1299 cells for 24 and 48 h were 0.6 and 0.71 μg/mL, respectively, suggesting it could be a potential therapeutic agent against lung cancer. In a flow cytometric analysis, 4βHWE produced cell cycle perturbation in the form of sub-G₁accumulation and slight arrest at the G₂/M phase with 1 μg/mL for 12 and 24 h, respectively. Using flow cytometric and annexin V/propidium iodide immunofluorescence double-staining techniques, these phenomena were proven to be apoptosis and complete G₂/M arrest for H1299 cells treated with 5 μg/mL for 24 h.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In this study, we demonstrated that golden berry-derived 4βHWE is a potential DNA-damaging and chemotherapeutic agent against lung cancer.</p

Bone mass in schizophrenia and normal populations across different decades of life

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chronic schizophrenic patients have been reported as having higher osteoporosis prevalence. Survey the bone mass among schizophrenic patients and compare with that of the local community population and reported data of the same country to figure out the distribution of bone mass among schizophrenic patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>965 schizophrenic patients aged 20 years and over in Yuli Veterans Hospital and 405 members aged 20 and over of the community living in the same town as the institute received bone mass examination by a heel qualitative ultrasound (QUS) device. Bone mass distribution was stratified to analyzed and compared with community population.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Schizophrenic patients have lower bone mass while they are young. But aging effect on bone mass cannot be seen. Accelerated bone mass loss during menopausal transition was not observed in the female schizophrenic patients as in the subjects of the community female population.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Schizophrenic patients have lower bone mass than community population since they are young. Further study to investigate the pathophysiological process is necessary to delay or avoid the lower bone mass in schizophrenia patients.</p

Ant colony system based . . .

This paper proposes two ant colony system (ACS) based approaches, called stepwise-ACS (SACS) and cheapest-insertion-stepwise-ACS (CISACS), to solve the airexpress courier’s routing problem. The courier visits N predetermined delivery points and M pickup requests during the en route delivery. The SACS performs an ACS to obtain the initial tour for the N delivery points and then to find the shortest Hamiltonian path, in a stepwise manner, when the M requests arrive. The CISACS, following the SACS, incorporates the cheapest insertion into the SACS as new requests become known. Experiments with various pickup emergence patterns that characterize the real-world circumstances are tested for the proposed algorithms. The computational results, in terms of total traveled distance, are compared with the baseline results by a cheapest insertion (CI) heuristic. The results show that both SACS and CISACS perform better than the CI heuristic and that CISACS yields the lowest traveled distance

The Effect of Emotional Labor on the Physical and Mental Health of Health Professionals: Emotional Exhaustion Has a Mediating Effect

(1) Background: Workers who perform emotional labor for an extended period are prone to emotional exhaustion; in particular, when the work exceeds the range of one’s emotional resources, it will produce job burnout. This study investigated the effects of emotional labor and emotional exhaustion on the physical and mental health of health professionals. (2) Methods: This study was cross-sectional and the sampling criteria were health professionals from August 2020 to July 2021, including rehabilitators, nutritionists, clinical psychologists, radiologists, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, medical examiners and audiologists. A questionnaire was used to collect data on participants’ emotional labor, emotional exhaustion, physical health and mental health. A total of 120 valid questionnaires were obtained. (3) Results: Significant positive correlations were found between emotional labor and emotional exhaustion, physical and mental health and anxiety. A hierarchical regression analysis found that the effect of emotional labor on physical and mental health increased the predictive power to 59.7% through emotional exhaustion, and emotional exhaustion had a mediating effect on the relationship between emotional labor and physical and mental health. (4) Conclusions: This study provides a reference for managers of medical institutions to care for employees’ work stress and physical and mental health, which will help institutions build a friendly and healthy workplace