Impaired Hepatocyte Regeneration in Toll-Like Receptor 4 Mutant Mice

Multiple lines of evidence suggest a role for endogenous lipopolysaccharides in toxin-induced liver injury. Toll-like receptor 4 has recently been implicated as a cell surface receptor important for lipopolysaccharide responsiveness. In these experiments, we sought to determine the role of toll-like receptor 4 in acute liver injury by carbon tetrachloride by utilizing the naturally occurring toll-like receptor 4 mutant and wild-type mice strains. Mice were injected with either carbon tetrachloride or the carrier. Serum transaminase levels peaked at 24 hr after carbon tetrachloride administration for both wild-type and mutant mice, with no significant histological difference in initial liver injury between the two groups. However, an overall decrease in hepatocyte proliferation was found in the mutant mice. Examination of the liver tissue revealed significant decreases in intrahepatic expressions of proinflammatory mediators. In conclusion, our results suggest that toll-like receptor 4 is important in the hepatic regenerative response to CCl 4 liver injury via its role in modulating the inflammatory response to hepatic injury.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44432/1/10620_2004_Article_490703.pd

Endoscopic mucosal resection: still a reliable therapeutic option for gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors

Background: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), as a rare and heterogeneous category of solid tumors, feature various morphologies and behaviors. In recent years, the incidence of NETs has continued to increase. Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is one of the therapeutic modalities for the treatment of gastric and rectal NETs. Methods: We evaluated patients with well-differentiated NETs of the stomach, duodenum, or rectum between 2011 and 2018. In this study, all cases with tumors confined to the mucosal or submucosal layers and smaller than 20 mm were resected using the EMR technique. We used EUS, CT scan, or MRI to exclude patients with advanced disease. All patients were actively monitored for recurrence according to the recommended protocols. Results: A total of 36 patients with NETs entered the study; 17 (47.2) were female and the remaining 19 (52.8) were male, with a total age range of 20�74 years (mean: 52.47 ± 13.47 years). Among the tumors, 31 cases (86.1) were G1 and the remaining 5 (13.9) were G2. Based on the pathology reports, 22 tumors (61.1) were smaller than 1 cm, while the remaining 14 (38.9) were between 1�2 cm. Twenty-two patients (61.1) had a margin of specimen involved with the tumor. No recurrence was observed during the mean follow-up time of 63.5 ± 19.8 months (range: 39�103 months). All 36 cases survived during the study period. Conclusion: Conventional EMR procedure provides low chance of R0 (complete resection) achievement in gastrointestinal NETs smaller than 20 mm and limited to the mucosa or sub mucosa. However, it could be an option if patients are closely followed. Postoperative marginal involvement is not a reliable predictor of disease recurrence, which may be explained by the deleterious effect of heat coagulation and cauterization applied during tumor removal. © 2021, The Author(s)

Soy protein–gum karaya conjugate: emulsifying activity and rheological behavior in aqueous system and oil in water emulsion

The main objective of this study is to investigate the effects of mixing and conjugation of soy protein isolate (SPI) with gum karaya on the characteristics of the hybrid polymer (protein–gum) in both aqueous systems and oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. It was hypothesized that the covalent linkage of gum karaya with SPI would improve the emulsifying activity and rheological properties of both polymers. Conjugation occurred under controlled conditions (i.e., 60 °C and 75 % relative humidity, 3 days). The conjugated hybrid polymer produced smaller droplet with better uniformity, higher viscosity and stronger emulsifying activity than native gum karaya, suggesting the conjugated polymer provided a bulkier secondary layer with more efficient coverage around oil droplets, thereby inducing stronger resistance against droplet aggregation and flocculation. Emulsions containing the native gum karaya produced the largest droplet size among all prepared emulsions (D 3,2 = 8.6 μm; D 4,3 = 22.4 μm); while the emulsion containing protein–gum conjugate (1:1 g/g) had the smallest droplet size (D 3,2 = 0.2 μm; D 4,3 = 0.7 μm) with lower polydispersity. The protein–gum conjugate (1:1 g/g) also showed the highest elastic and viscous modulus, the lowest polydispersity (span) and the highest emulsifying activity among all native, mixed and conjugated polymers. Therefore, the percentage of gum karaya used for production of O/W emulsion can be decreased by partially replacing it with the conjugated gum