Green tea extract and its metabolites induce biochemical changes linked to hepatotoxicity in HepG2 cells

Green tea has been consumed for thousands of years and its concentrated extract is now a popular herbal supplement frequently consumed in isolation or as part of a multi-ingredient product. Green tea extract (GTE) is commonly used for its wide range of purported health benefits and, as with most herbal supplements, its sale on the Australian market is regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration without requiring pre-market safety or efficacy analysis. Unfortunately, GTE has been implicated in over 50 cases of liver damage in the last 20 years, a number of which resulted in transplantation as the only option for patient survival. Despite the clear link between this supplement and liver injury in these individuals, little is currently known in regards to which biochemical pathways are affected during GTE-induced hepatotoxicity and the extent to which this is mediated by metabolic products of GTE. In this study, GTE and individual catechins were metabolised with S9 human liver fraction and subsequently analysed using untargeted metabolomics. The results confirmed that some metabolism of the GTE had occurred, with the production of at least 17 GTE metabolites. Of these suspected metabolites, 10 were also found in the metabolised catechins, suggesting that more than half of these compounds were metabolites of the catechins in GTE. To assess hepatotoxicity, HepG2 cells were exposed to either unmetabolised or metabolised GTE at doses equivalent to 1 mg/mL. Additionally, to assess the impact of GTE on drug-induced liver injury, another group of cells were exposed to 15 mM paracetamol, 1 mg/mL GTE or a combination of both treatments. The exposure period for all treatments was 24 h, after which small molecule metabolites were extracted from harvested cells and analysed using untargeted metabolomics. Changes were observed in amino acids, carbohydrates and fatty acids in all treatment groups, and the same biochemical pathways appeared to be affected in all GTE treatment variations. Cell treatment with GTE metabolites appeared to yield less cytotoxicity than those treated with unmetabolised GTE. It was unable to be determined whether GTE exacerbated paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity from the results obtained in this study. Overall, the findings from this study suggested that GTE causes disruption to cellular lipids, proteins, nucleic acids and the mitochondria, potentially as a result of oxidative stress. Given the popularity and ready availability of GTE, regulation of herbal supplements containing this product must be improved to ensure consumer safety and ultimately prevent further cases of liver damage

The gendered impact agenda - how might more female academics' research be submitted as REF impact case studies?

As the impact agenda increases in importance, appropriate consideration should be given to its effects on female academics. The REF has obviously gendered implications, with a number of different factors combining to exacerbate existing inequalities in the academy. Emily Yarrow and Julie Davies have examined impact case study submissions to the REF2014 business and management studies unit of assessment and and found women to be significantly underrepresented. There is clearly scope to foster further inclusion of women in the impact agenda through doctoral education, while institutions might also consider the creation of a new career path of “REF impact case fellows” who are rewarded for their focus on impact as a clear career track

For the sake of all involved, we should stop the REF clock

Emily Yarrow and Julie Davies argue any benefits of the current March 31st submission date for REF2021 should not outweigh the human costs to the academics and staff currently working to achieve this deadline

Putting the brakes on professional nomadism? Prospects for long-distance commuting in a post-pandemic world.

Until now, academics have accepted that professional nomadism is part of the job. However, as the global pandemic puts a brake on unnecessary travel, Dr Emily Yarrow and Dr Julie Davies explore the challenges and opportunities that new working patterns mean for commutes, campuses and careers

Teachers’ Experiences in Responding to Students’ Exposure to Domestic Violence

Exposure to domestic violence in childhood can have long-term negative impacts on the social and emotional functioning and educational outcomes of children and adolescents. This study is the first known Australian research to examine teachers’ experiences of supporting students exposed to domestic violence. Interviews with eleven primary and secondary school teachers revealed the substantial impact of students’ domestic violence exposure on teachers, the need for support from other school staff, and the benefits of targeted professional development. Results suggest that there is a need for teacher training in relation to supporting students with exposure to domestic violence, better recognition of the impacts of students’ exposure to domestic violence on teachers, changes to the way information is communicated with teachers, and improved protocols and policies to support teachers. Outcomes of this study can be used to inform future training and supports for teachers

A typology of sexism in contemporary business schools: belligerent, benevolent, ambivalent, and oblivious sexism

The legitimacy of business schools is based on rankings, revenues, branding, and opportunities to support staff and students “to make a difference in the world”. Yet sexism in business schools is endemic. Drawing on Acker's inequality regimes framework and a thematic analysis of reports in Poets&Quants, EFMD's Global Focus and AACSB International's BizEd/AACSB Insights over a decade, this study explores how business schools are dealing (or not) with sexism. We propose a typology of four categories of sexism in business schools: belligerent, benevolent, ambivalent, and oblivious sexism. Our findings contribute to understandings of institutional theory and the institutional development of business schools as important sites of (sexist and gendered) knowledge production and dissemination and entrenched inequalities. We posit that media constructions of sexism may better inform individual decisions, organizational development, and governance about the imperative to eliminate sexist behaviors and discrimination. We argue that business schools need to gain substantive legitimacy as effective role models by reforming themselves. They must actively tackle institutional and cultural sexism from within. Implications for practice include the effective inclusion of mandatory sexism reporting in international business school accreditation standards and rankings criteria as well as requirements for research funding

Legal Avenues for Ending Impunity for the Death of Journalists in Conflict Zones: Current and Proposed International Agreements

Every bullet that kills a journalist in a warzone adds passion and urgency to calls for “something” to be done to better protect frontline media workers. International humanitarian law (the body of law that includes the Geneva Conventions) offers some avenues for legal redress, but problems with compliance and policing have contributed to a sense of impunity among perpetrators of these crimes. Consequently, calls for additional laws have reemerged. This article analyzes the current legal protections, examines a proposed new international convention, and discusses obstacles to ending impunity. It also analyzes whether a new convention would be a useful addition to international law and concludes that advocacy energies would be better spent promoting enforcement of existing laws