Lipoprotein lipase activator ameliorates the severity of dietary steatohepatitis

Dietary model of steatohepatitis was established by feeding mice a methionine choline deficient (MCD) diet. Mice on MCD or control diet for 3 weeks were treated with or without NO-1886, a newly synthetic lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activator. In a separate experiment, NO-1886 was given after pre-treatment with 3 weeks of MCD diet. NO-1886 significantly reduced MCD-induced inflammation by repressing levels of hepatic lipid peroxides and pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). In addition, NO-1886 dampened hepatic steatosis via accelerating fatty acid oxidation caused by enhanced expression of PPARα, cytochrome P450-10 (Cyp4a10), and Acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO). It failed to regulate genes of fatty acid uptake and synthesis pathways. In conclusion, NO-1886 ameliorated and induced regression of experimental steatohepatitis via increasing endogenous LPL activation resulting in suppression on pro-inflammatory factors and reduction of hepatic fatty acids. These findings indicate that NO-1886 is a potential therapeutic agent for steatohepatitis. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Measuring aesthetic emotions : a review of the literature and a new assessment tool

Aesthetic perception and judgement are not merely cognitive processes, but also involve feelings. Therefore, the empirical study of these experiences requires conceptualization and measurement of aesthetic emotions. Despite the long-standing interest in such emotions, we still lack an assessment tool to capture the broad range of emotions that occur in response to the perceived aesthetic appeal of stimuli. Elicitors of aesthetic emotions are not limited to the arts in the strict sense, but extend to design, built environments, and nature. In this article, we describe the development of a questionnaire that is applicable across many of these domains: the Aesthetic Emotions Scale (Aesthemos). Drawing on theoretical accounts of aesthetic emotions and an extensive review of extant measures of aesthetic emotions within specific domains such as music, literature, film, painting, advertisements, design, and architecture, we propose a framework for studying aesthetic emotions. The Aesthemos, which is based on this framework, contains 21 subscales with two items each, that are designed to assess the emotional signature of responses to stimuli’s perceived aesthetic appeal in a highly differentiated manner. These scales cover prototypical aesthetic emotions (e.g., the feeling of beauty, being moved, fascination, and awe), epistemic emotions (e.g., interest and insight), and emotions indicative of amusement (humor and joy). In addition, the Aesthemos subscales capture both the activating (energy and vitality) and the calming (relaxation) effects of aesthetic experiences, as well as negative emotions that may contribute to aesthetic displeasure (e.g., the feeling of ugliness, boredom, and confusion)