Chemical Composition and Chronic Toxicity of Disc-Cultured Antrodia cinnamomea Fruiting Bodies

Antrodia cinnamomea (AC) is a popular fungus for use as folk medicine in health maintenance and disease prevention and treatment. Disc culture is a novel technique for producing AC fruiting bodies. This study aimed to investigate the bioactive components and toxicological properties of disc-cultured AC fruiting body powders (ACP) in rats. The HPLC technique was used to quantify the composition of bioactive triterpenoids in ACP. Toxicological properties were evaluated on male and female Sprague-Dawley rats receiving ACP orally at 200, 600, and 1000 mg/kg body weight for 90 days; the control group received only distilled water. The results show that ACP contained seven important AC index compounds, namely antcins A, B, C, K, and H, dehydrosulphurenic acid, and dehydroeburicoic acid. At the tested doses, oral ACP administration for 90 days caused no mortality, adverse effects on general health, body and organ weights, and food intake. Furthermore, no significant variations were observed in hematological and biochemical parameters among either sex of ACP-treated and control animals. An histopathological examination of vital organs showed no significant structural changes in organs, even in high-dose ACP-treated animals. This study indicated that ACP contained the major bioactive triterpenoids of AC fruiting bodies, and its no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was 1000 mg/kg/day, about 20 times the recommended daily intake

Paniculite mesentérica (PM) e fibromatose mesentérica (FM): relato de casos Mesenteric panniculitis (MP) and mesenteric fibromatosis (MF): report of cases

A paniculite mesentérica (PM) e a fibromatose mesentérica (FM) são doenças fibróticas de etiologia incerta. São mais frequentes no mesentério do intestino delgado, no grande omento e nos mesocólons. Clinicamente a FM pode apresentar-se de forma aguda na qual uma complicação da doença é sua primeira expressão. Na forma crônica é caracterizada por sintomas abdominais vagos e/ou massa abdominal palpável. A comprovação diagnóstica, assim como na PM, é feita através de laparotomia exploradora ou videolaparoscopia diagnóstica e biopsia. Os autores relatam dois casos sendo um de PM e outro de FM, apresentam um paralelo dos aspectos clínicos, tomográficos, diagnóstico, histopatológico e terapêutico destacando as semelhanças e as diferenças entre essas duas patologias.<br>Mesenteric panniculitis (MP) and mesenteric fibromatosis (MF) are fibrotic diseases of uncertain aetiology. Both occur most frequently in the mesentery of the small intestine, the greater omentum and the mesocolons. In its acute form, the first clinical symptoms of MF are complications of the disease. Chronic MF is characterized by vague abdominal symptoms and/or a palpable abdominal mass. Like mesenteric panniculitis, mesenteric fibromatosis can be diagnostically verified by exploratory laparotomy, or diagnostic video-laparoscopy and biopsy. Here, we present two cases, one of MP and the other of MF, with resembling clinical and tomographic aspects, as well as similarities in diagnosis, histopathology and therapy. With our case report, we want to emphasise both similarities and differences between these two pathologies

Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of hidradenitis suppurativa among young adults in SingaporeCapsule Summary

Background: The prevalence of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is 0.00033% to 4.10% globally. Few epidemiological studies derive from Asia, with social stigmatization postulated to result in under-diagnosis. Objective: This study aimed to assess the self-reported prevalence of HS, and the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards HS among Singaporean young-adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study (n = 158) was conducted by anonymous online questionnaire. The association between demographic factors and risk of potentially undiagnosed HS was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Differences between attitude-perception scores by demographic factors and knowledge of HS were tested using two-sample t-tests. Results: The prevalence of diagnosed and potentially undiagnosed HS was 0.63% and 8.9%, respectively. Non-Chinese had significantly higher social attitude-perception scores than Chinese (P = .029). Females had significantly higher social (P = .048) as well as economic and work (P = .037) attitude-perception scores than males. Those with knowledge of HS had significantly higher attitude-perception scores for interpersonal (P = .031) and social (P = .0052) subsections. Limitations: Small sample size, low frequency of HS cases, and self-reported prevalence may not generalize to the broader population in Singapore. Conclusion: Our results suggest a potential underdiagnosis of HS. Non-Chinese stigmatize HS less than Chinese, and females less than males. Individuals with knowledge of HS might be more open to interpersonal and social interactions with HS sufferers

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field