Effect of insulin on ultrastructure and glycogenesis in primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes

Insulin in the presence of high concentrations of glucose has a beneficial trophic effect on the development of primary cultures of hepatocytes. Compared to the situation observed in hormone-free control cultures, the flattening of the reaggregated hepatocytes is enhanced, and the reconstituted cell trabeculae are enlarged and tend to form a confluent monolayer after 3 days; the survival time is prolonged from 3 to 5 or 6 days. Ultrastructural modifications are also initiated by insulin; numerous glycogen particles appear after 24 h, in between the cisternae of the proliferated smooth endoplasmic reticulum. After 48 h, large amounts of glycogen are stored, and numerous polysomes are present. A small number of cells showed an increased synthesis of lipid droplets in the lumen of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and form liposomes at the same time. After 72 h, cytolysomes filled with glycogen develop, simulating glycogenosis type II. Simultaneously, microtubules and microfilaments, closely related to numerous polysomes, appear in cytoplasmic extensions constituting undulating membranes. The biochemical data demonstrate that, in the absence of insulin, a high concentration of glucose stimulates glycogenesis and hinders glycogenolysis. This effect of glucose on polysaccharide synthesis is progressively lost. The addition of insulin to the culture induces after 48 and 72 h, a three- to fivefold increase of the glucose incorporation into glycogen, as compared to the controls. The presence of insulin is required to maintain the hepatocyte's capacity to store glycogen. Glycogen synthetase is converted into its active form under the influence of glucose. Insulin increases the rate of activation

Can a conservative rehabilitation strategy improve shoulder proprioception? A systematic review

Context: Proprioception deficits contribute to persistent and recurring physical disability, particularly with shoulder disorders. Proprioceptive training is thus prescribed in clinical practice. It is unclear whether nonsurgical rehabilitation can optimize shoulder proprioception. Objectives: To summarize the available evidence of conservative rehabilitation (ie, nonsurgical) on proprioception among individuals with shoulder disorders. Evidence Acquisition: PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO were systematically searched, from inception until November 24, 2019. Selected articles were systematically assessed, and the methodological quality was established using the Dutch Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were utilized for this review. The conservative treatments were categorized as follows: (1) conventional therapy, (2) proprioceptive training, (3) elastic kinesiology tape, and (4) other passive therapies. Evidence Synthesis: Twelve articles were included, yielding 58 healthy control shoulders and 362 shoulders affected by impingement syndrome, glenohumeral dislocations, nonspecific shoulder pain, rotator cuff dysfunction, or subluxation poststroke. The level of agreement between the evaluators was excellent (84.9%), and the studies were evaluated to be of fair to excellent quality (risk of bias: 28.5%–100%). This review suggests, with moderate evidence, that proprioceptive training (upper-body wobble board or flexible foil training) can improve proprioception in the midterm. No decisive evidence exists to suggest that conventional therapy is of added value to enhance shoulder proprioception. Conflicting evidence was found for the improvement of proprioception with the application of elastic kinesiology tape, while moderate evidence suggests that passive modalities, such as microcurrent electrical stimulation and bracing, are not effective for proprioceptive rehabilitation of the shoulder. Conclusions: Proprioceptive training demonstrates the strongest evidence for the effective rehabilitation of individuals with a shoulder proprioceptive deficit. Elastic kinesiology tape does not appear to affect the sense of shoulder proprioception. This review suggests a possible specificity of training effect with shoulder proprioception.This project did not receive funding from any sources

Antibiofilm, Antioxidant, Antimutagenic Activities and Phenolic Compounds of Allium orientale BOISS.

ABSTRACT This is the first study to investigate the antibiofilm, antioxidant and antimutagenic activities and phenolic compounds of Allium orientale. Antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts of A. orientale was determined by a broth microdilution method. Antibiofilm activity was evaluated by microplate biofilm assay. The antioxidant activity was determined using three complementary assays; namely, DPPH scavenging, β-carotene-linoleic acid, and total phenolic compounds assays. Phenolic compounds were evaluated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The antimutagenic effect of extracts was analyzed by the Ames test. In RP-HPLC analysis, (+)-catechin, apigenin and caffeic acid were identified as major phenolic compounds in the aerial parts of A. orientale. The aerial parts extract possessed the highest total phenolic content (120.979 ± 1.05 mg gallic acid equivalent/g), which were in good correlation with its significant DPPH (IC50 42.18 ± 1.68 mg/mL) and lipid peroxidation (89.98 ± 0.69% at 10 mg/mL concentration) capacities. A. orientale exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against the organisms tested with MICs ranging from 3.125 to 25 mg/mL. Escherichia coli biofilm formation was inhibited maximum by the aerial parts extract to an extent of 68.51%. The strongest antimutagenic activity was observed at 2.5 mg/plate concentration of aerial parts extract against Salmonella typhimurium TA98.These results suggested that the ethanolic extract of the aerial parts of A.orientale could become useful supplement for pharmaceutical products as a new antioxidant, antibiofilm and antimutagenic agent