Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Hepatic Diseases: Current and Future Therapy.

Liver disease is a highly prevalent disease that is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The continuous exposure of the liver to some factors such as viruses, alcohol, fat, and biotransformed metabolites can cause hepatic injury, which can lead to inflammation and liver degeneration. When the injury is sustained for long time, it can cause chronic liver diseases (CLDs), which include a spectrum of disease states ranging from simple steatosis and steatohepatitis (steatosis with inflammation and hepatocyte injury and death) to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Multiple evidences indicate that oxidative stress and inflammation are the most important pathogenic events in liver diseases regardless of etiology. Oxidative stress and inflammation are not always harmful; they help phagocytes to kill microorganisms and modulate signaling events through redox regulation. However, unregulated and prolonged imbalance in the liver between the production of free radicals and/or reactive oxygen species (ROS) and their elimination by protective mechanisms (antioxidants) leads to damage of important biomolecules and cells, with potential impact on the whole organism causing many chronic diseases. During liver damage, ROS can induce the generation of proinflammatory genes. A critical component of inflammation is the infiltration of inflammatory cells, like neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes, to the site of stimulus. At the site of inflammation, the activated inflammatory cells release chemical mediators (eicosanoids, cytokines, chemokines, nitric oxide, etc.) that induce tissue damage and augmented oxidative stress and reactive species (superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, etc.). Thus, overexpression of the proinflammatory genes provokes an intracellular signaling cascade that produces more ROS, resulting in a vicious cycle, where increased oxidative stress and inflammatory lesion promote the pathogenesis of liver diseases. A better understanding of the basic pathophysiology underlying the development of steatosis, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and HCC is needed, so that better treatments can evolve for liver diseases. Thus, this special issue is dedicated to study the implications of the central roles that oxidative stress and inflammation play in CLDs, as well as the associated current and future therapies. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory therapy has been considered to have the possibility of beneficial effects in the management of liver diseases. In this regard, the group of S. Li et al. from China (in “Insights into the Role and Interdependence of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Liver Diseases”) summarize the following: (i) the crucial roles of oxidative stress and inflammation in the development of liver damage and (ii) the relationship and interdependence of these processes and also describe (iii) the different herbal medicines or derived compounds targeting oxidative stress and inflammation in various liver diseases. Also from China, the group of Z. Wang et al. (in “Oxidative Stress and Liver Cancer: Etiology and Therapeutic Targets”) provided a review about the development of liver cancer from the perspective of cellular and molecular mechanisms and reported the therapeutic targets of hepatocarcinoma, suggesting that antioxidants are urgently needed to prevent carcinogenesis in the liver. On the other hand, U. S. U. Kumar et al. from Malaysia (in “Redox Control of Antioxidant and Antihepatotoxic Activities of Cassia surattensis Seed Extract against Paracetamol Intoxication in Mice: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies of Herbal Green Antioxidant”) reported the protective effect of Cassia surattensis seed extract against paracetamol-induced liver toxicity in mice and described the antagonist effects of antioxidants during mild colitis. Moreover, the group of R. Chaphalkar et al. from India (in “Antioxidants of Phyllanthus emblica L. Bark Extract Provide Hepatoprotection against Ethanol-Induced Hepatic Damage: A Comparison with Silymarin”) observed that PEE possesses potent antioxidant activity against free radicals and provides significant protection against alcohol-induced liver damage, thus supporting the therapeutic claims made in Ayurveda about Phyllanthus emblica for treatment of hepatic disorders. In recent times, a new puzzle in medical science has appeared: antioxidants may exert either beneficial or harmful effects depending on the cellular requirement for ROS at a particular situation. In this regard, the group of F. A. Moura et al. from Brazil (in “Colonic and Hepatic Modulation by Lipoic Acid and/or N-Acetylcysteine Supplementation in Mild Ulcerative Colitis Induced by Dextran Sodium Sulfate in Rats”) observed that N-acetylcysteine is a promising antioxidant toward alleviating ulcerative colitis and hepatotoxicity, but the combination of lipoic acid and N-acetylcysteine in contrast causes hepatic injury and colonic inflammation. Antioxidants and anti-inflammatories also play a crucial role in metabolic liver diseases. From Brazil, A. Paiva et al. (in “Apolipoprotein CIII Overexpression Induced Hypertriglyceridemia Increases Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Association with Inflammation and Cell Death”) demonstrated that persistent hypertriglyceridemia might be more relevant to liver inflammation than intracellular lipid accumulation and that overexpression of apo-CIII increases severity of diet-induced fatty liver disease. This study will be useful to develop new targets to treat metabolic liver diseases. In addition, P. K. Leong and K. M. Ko from China (in “Schisandrin B: A Double-Edged Sword in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease”) suggest that Schisandrin B, a traditional Chinese herb, may offer potential as a therapeutic agent for NAFLD, due to its antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant, anti-ER stress, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic activities in cultured hepatocytes in vitro and in rodent livers in vivo. The reduction of oxidative stress is suggested to be one of the main mechanisms to explain the benefits of subnormothermic perfusion against ischemic liver damage. In this regard, T. Carbonell et al. from Spain (in “Subnormothermic Perfusion in the Isolated Rat Liver Preserves the Antioxidant Glutathione and Enhances the Function of the Ubiquitin Proteasome System”) found that subnormothermic perfusion in the liver can induce oxidative stress concomitantly with antioxidant glutathione preservation, triggering antioxidant mechanisms, protecting against ischemic, hypoxic, and toxic damage. In addition, the group of Y. Zhang et al. from China (in “Hyperglycemia Aggravates Hepatic Ischemia Reperfusion Injury by Inducing Chronic Oxidative Stress and Inflammation”) suggested that chronic oxidative stress, inflammation, and potential malfunction of antioxidative system are the reasons why hyperglycemia aggravates hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury. Biomarkers are necessary for the evaluation of the severity of oxidative stress in I/R injury; thus, the group of H. Li et al. form China (in “Renalase as a Novel Biomarker for Evaluating the Severity of Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury”) demonstrated that renalase, a ubiquitous flavin adenine dinucleotide-containing amino oxidase, is a sensitive ROS-responsive gene in hepatocytes which can serve as an efficient and sensitive biomarker for the early warning or evaluation of the severity of hepatic I/R injury. Liver diseases remain a significant and major health problem around the world. Current therapies in chronic liver diseases are limited and liver transplantation is the only available treatment for end-stage liver disease. This special issue believes to provide novel, effective, and safe approaches to create future antioxidant and anti-inflammatory therapies for patients with CLDs

Imaginarios urbanos del público de ciudadanos de la vereda La Florida

El presente trabajo de investigación surge a partir de la propuesta desarrollada por el proyecto Pereira Imaginada dirigido por la Dra. Olga Lucía Bedoya, llevado a cabo por la Maestría en Comunicación Educativa de la facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de la Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, la cual hace parte del proyecto Culturas Urbanas patrocinado por el convenio Andrés Bello y liderado por el doctor Armando Silva Téllez, por medio del cual se ha llevado a cabo el proceso de identificar los Imaginarios Urbanos de diferentes ciudades de Latinoamérica y España. Siguiendo esta línea, se pretende reconstruir los Imaginarios Urbanos que sobre la ciudad de Pereira tienen los habitantes de la vereda La Florida, teniendo en cuenta que esta se encuentra considerablemente apartada del casco urbano de la ciudad, de modo que aunque su población haga parte de la ciudadanía de Pereira, experimenta una realidad distinta que se evidencia en sus percepciones y en sus modos de usar la ciudad a la que se desplazan cotidiana o eventualmente

Gain-Reconfigurable Hybrid Metal-Graphene Printed Yagi Antenna for Energy Harvesting Applications

This paper presents a hybrid metal-graphene printed Yagi antenna with reconfigurable gain that operates in the 5.5-GHz band. The balun and the driven elements are made of copper, while the directors are made of graphene. The graphene acts as a tunable material in the design. By switching the conductivity of the graphene, it is achieved a similar effect to adding or subtracting directors in the antenna. Hence the gain of the printed Yagi can be easily controlled. This could be of special interest in RF energy harvesting in the design of reconfigurable harvesting elements.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Houses built from accommodating cabins

The current economic crisis has meant, particularly in Spain, the almost cessation of new buildings construction. This deep crisis will mean in future an irreversible change in the Spanish construction model, based to date almost exclusively on the brick. After focusing on the Spanish property boom and examining its impact on the concept of housing (in a few years the house has moved forward from being contemplated exclusively as a primary good to be also considered a capital asset), we analyse the influence that this transformation has had on architecture (housing typology, building methods, the architectural profession and the architect training) and offers architectural alternatives –trough the university– to the present crisis. The project “Houses built from accommodating cabins” is part of a larger research within the line “Modular Architecture” developed by the Research Group “Design and Industrial Production”, belonging to the Technical University of Madrid, which aims to respond to the need for decent housing at an affordable price, by offering through Internet the plans, resources and other technical details required to build a house oneself. The proposed houses are built from the combination of industrially made modules (accommodation cabins, which are prefabricated modules usually used as provisional constructions in conventional building works), prefabricated subsystems and other catalogue components available on the market, all they set together by dry joints

Prefabricación y vivienda de emergencia

En los países industrializados afectados por desastres, donde una rápida reconstrucción no es posible, se produce una demanda masiva de vivienda temporal. Las razones son, principalmente, grandes expectativas en la ayuda gubernamental, riesgo climático y expectativas de un periodo muy lento de reconstrucción. Se trata de países con muy altos estándares y gran dependencia de servicios. Estos países posen un sector de la construcción privado activo, con un grado importante de industrialización, donde la construcción tradicional ha sido reemplazada por métodos materiales modernos. En este contexto, las técnicas de construcción industrializada, como prefabricación, pre-ensamblaje, modulación y fabricación ?off-site?, pueden proporcionar alojamientos temporales adecuados, disponibles en tiempo, y precio asequible, formando parte de una estrategia nacional basada en el principio de proveer refugio entendido como un proceso, usando sistemas industrializados propios del país como recurso económico para la comunidad, atendiendo las necesidades de los supervivientes con la calidad y los estándares adecuados

Accommodating cabins as a new way of building houses

The current economic crisis has meant, particularly in Spain, the almost cessation of new buildings construction. This deep crisis will mean in future an irreversible change in the Spanish construction model, based to date almost exclusively on the brick. The project “Accommodating cabins as a new way of building houses” is part of a larger research within the line “Modular Architecture” developed by the Research Group “Design and Industrial Production”, belonging to the Technical University of Madrid, which aims to respond to the need for decent housing at an affordable price, by offering through Internet the plans, resources and other technical details required to build a house oneself. The proposed houses are built from the combination of industrially made modules (accommodation cabins, which are prefabricated modules usually used as provisional constructions in conventional building works), prefabricated subsystems and other catalogue components available on the market, all they set together by dry joints

Significados alrededor del tejido de pelucas oncológicas en mujeres diagnosticadas con cáncer

Fundamento: La pérdida de cabello se constituye como una alteración física que puede influir en la autoestima de mujeres con cáncer. Objetivo: Comprender los significados alrededor del tejido de pelucas oncológicas en mujeres diagnosticadas con cáncer pertenecientes a un grupo de autoayuda en Cali (Colombia).Método: Estudio cualitativo de diseño fenomenológico interpretativo en el que participaron 10 mujeres. Los resultados preliminares se presentaron en dos grupos focales conformados por todas las integrantes del grupo, quienes contribuyeron en el análisis de los resultados recolectados previamente en las 10 entrevistas en profundidad. El análisis de los datos se realizó con el apoyo del programa Atlas.Ti.Resultados: Las participantes describieron la pérdida del cabello como una experiencia traumática de alto impacto emocional. El uso de accesorios les permitió ocultar y reservarse la enfermedad. Las motivaciones para vincularse al grupo se relacionaron con la oportunidad de compartir experiencias con otras pacientes y con el deseo de mejorar tanto su bienestar como el de mujeres con cáncer. Además, pertenecer al grupo les permitió contar con una red de apoyo en la que pudieron expresar sus miedos e inquietudes.Conclusiones: Aunque la caída del cabello no genera implicaciones funcionales para el organismo, se ha identificado que sobre esta parte del cuerpo se inscriben representaciones sociales vinculadas al significado de ser mujer. La actividad de tejido se presenta como un espacio terapéutico en el que las participantes desarrollan estrategias para afrontar aspectos de su vida.</p

Leptospira and bats : story of an emerging friendship

A growing number of recent studies have highlighted bats as a reservoir for Leptospira bacteria, pointing out the potential role of bats in the epidemiology of the most widespread zoonotic disease in the world [1]. Because leptospirosis is a largely neglected disease, a number of unanswered questions remain about the ecology and evolution of Leptospira, especially those associated with bats. Here we summarize what has been recently learned about this emerging but enigmatic host–pathogen association. We show how this system can provide exciting new opportunities to obtain insights into the evolutionary ecology of bat-borne pathogens and propose future directions to disentangle the role of bats in human leptospirosis.The National Research Foundation, South Africa (NRF – N00595) to MD.http://www.plospathogens.orgam2016Microbiology and Plant Patholog

Effect of freezing treatments and yeast amount on sensory and physical properties of sweet bakery products

The frozen bakery market has grown significantly in developed countries over the past decade. Of the available preservation technologies, freezing has been recognized as an excellent method of preserving the quality characteristics of bakery products. The aim of this work was to study the influence of freezing conditions (-20, -30, -40 °C and cryogenic immersion) and yeast content on the sensory and physical properties in the final baked product (Kougelhopf). Physical parameters such as specific volume, moisture, hardness, gas cells distribution and size were determined experimentally. A sensory evaluation (appearance, color, flavor, taste, texture and overall acceptability) was performed in Kougelhopf obtained from fresh and frozen sweet doughs. The experimental results showed that high freezing rates were correlated with more extended damage, yeast activity loss and lower Kougelhopf specific volume. The freezing rate also influenced the gas cells number and size. It was shown that increasing yeast in frozen sweet doughs improved the overall quality of Kougelhopf compensating for the loss of yeast activity during the freezing process. Kougelhopf produced from sweet dough with higher yeast content (DY) presented a higher specific volume, whereas freezing rate increases its hardness. Sensory tests confirmed that experimental results were detected by panelists. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Fil: Meziani, Smail. Coco Lm Company (maison Alsacienne de Biscuiterie); Francia. Laboratoire D'ingénierie Des Biomolécules; FranciaFil: Kaci, Messaouda. Laboratoire D'ingénierie Des Biomolécules; FranciaFil: Jacquot, Muriel. Laboratoire D'ingénierie Des Biomolécules; FranciaFil: Jasniewski, Jordane. Laboratoire D'ingénierie Des Biomolécules; FranciaFil: Ribotta, Pablo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Muller, Jean-Marc. Coco Lm Company (maison Alsacienne de Biscuiterie); FranciaFil: Ghoul, Mohamed. Laboratoire D'ingénierie Des Biomolécules; FranciaFil: Desobry, Stéphane. Laboratoire D'ingénierie Des Biomolécules; Franci