Protective Effects of Curcumin on Gastric Inflammation and Liver Disease

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound, is isolated from the rhizomes of the plant Curcuma longa Linn. Most of the anti-inflammatory effects can be explained by the efficient inhibition of nuclear factor-κB–mediated and activation of PPARγ expression. These studies have been investigating the effects of curcumin on the gastric microcirculation, cytokine production after Helicobacter pylori–induced gastric inflammation, gastric cancer, drug-induced liver injury, and alcoholic liver disease (ALD). The results show that curcumin prevents indomethacin-induced gastropathy via decreased leukocyte-endothelium interaction at postcapillary venule, decreased ICAM-1 and TNF-α level, and improved gastric microcirculation. Curcumin attenuated gastric inflammation and gastric cancer via reduced NF-κB p65 expression, decreased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level, and macromolecular leakage in the gastric mucosa. Curcumin prevented liver injury through decreased oxidative stress, reduced liver inflammation, and restored GSH. Moreover, curcumin could decrease hepatocyte apoptosis and improved PPARγ protein expression in alcohol-induced liver injury

Calcitriol Protects against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Mice

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is one of the major causes of acute liver failure. Severe liver inflammation and the production of oxidative stress occur due to toxic APAP metabolites and glutathione depletion. Growing evidence has proved that vitamin D (VD) exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidative functions. Our objective was to explore the protective role of calcitriol (VD3) in acute APAP-induced liver injury. Methods: Adult male mice were randomized into three groups; control (n = 8), APAP (n = 8), and VD3 group (n = 8). All mice, except controls, received oral administration of APAP (400 mg/kg) and were sacrificed 24 h later. In the VD3 group, calcitriol (10 µg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 24 h before and after exposure to APAP. Blood samples were collected to assess serum aminotransferase and inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)]. Liver tissues were analyzed for hepatic glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and histopathology. Results: APAP administration significantly increased serum aminotransferase, inflammatory cytokines, and induced cellular inflammation and necrosis. APAP also depleted hepatic GSH and elevated oxidative stress, as indicated by high MDA levels. In the APAP group, 25% of the mice (two out of eight) died, while no deaths occurred in the VD3 group. Treatment with calcitriol significantly reduced serum aminotransferase, TNF-α, and IL-6 levels in the VD3 group compared to the APAP group. Additionally, VD3 effectively restored GSH reserves, reduced lipid peroxidation, and attenuated hepatotoxicity. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that VD3 prevents APAP-induced acute liver injury and reduces mortality in mice through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activity. Thus, VD3 might be a novel treatment strategy for APAP-induced hepatotoxicity

Effectiveness of epidural analgesia following open liver resection

AbstractObjectivesEpidural analgesia is often considered the reference standard for pain relief following major abdominal surgery; however, the provision of analgesia in the context of liver surgery raises unique challenges. This study investigated the effectiveness of analgesia and the postoperative course of patients who did or did not receive epidural analgesia following liver resection.MethodsData were collected retrospectively on 177 patients who underwent open liver resection between June 2007 and June 2009. Patients were divided into two groups consisting, respectively, of those who received epidural analgesia (Epidural group, n= 148) and those who did not (No-Epidural group, n= 29).ResultsIn the Epidural group, 27 patients (18%) required i.v. opiate analgesia on the day of surgery (DoS) or the first postoperative day (POD1). The Epidural group received significantly more i.v. colloid solution on the DoS (median: 1500ml vs. 750ml, range: 0–12000ml vs. 0–3500ml; P= 0.004) and POD1 (median: 0ml vs. 0ml, range: 0–5000ml vs. 0–1000ml; P= 0.018), and total fluid on the DoS and POD1 combined (median: 6522ml vs. 5453ml, range: 2150–21300ml vs. 2875–15886ml; P= 0.032).ConclusionsEpidural analgesia provided inadequate postoperative pain relief in approximately 20% of liver resection patients and was associated with the administration of significantly greater volumes of i.v. colloid solution

Applying Quality Function Deployment in Open Innovation Engineering

The purpose of the present study was to identify the customer requirements and engineering attribute expectations of an innovative product to which a Kano’s model and quality function deployment (QFD) analysis was applied. In order to accomplish the research, a new water filling machine design was used as the case study. This alternative machine was aimed at making life more convenient and to support people interested in small businesses, since a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) filling machine saved production costs. This research began by classifying the obtained answers from questionnaires into groups. We then conducted a statistical analysis on potential users. The number of elements of the customer requirements was 11 and the number of engineering attributes expected was 5. The customer requirements of the innovated automatic filling machine was quickly identified. The machine, therefore, was designed and evaluated according to the considerations and relationships between customer requirements and engineering characteristics, where the cost and the machining capacity were considered important factors in the analysis

High Intensity of Exercise and Ischemic Colitis

ABSTRACT Many of scientific evidence suggest that physical exercise has beneficial effects by increase aerobic capacity, prevents the progression of disability, reduces the risk factors of cardiovascular and endocrine disease, improves gastrointestinal function, lessen anxiety and depression, and results in promote health. However, the effect of exercise on gastrointestinal tract also has an adverse effect. Ischemic colitis is one of these. With the increasing popularity of endurance competition among the population, gastrointestinal (GI) complaints are very common, especially in endurance athletes and often impaired performance or subsequent recovery. The symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Because of blood flow to gastrointestinal tracts is reduced during an exercise and this is believed to the process of development of GI symptoms. In generally, ischemic colitis, after vigorous physical exercise, is reversible or irreversible depend on the onset of ischemic occur but it can indeed be serious and life threatening. The case we present in this paper highlight on how exercise inducing ischemic colitis and the other conceivable factor. This review is focus on the prevalence of colitis in athletes, pathophysiology and the treatments of colitis. However, the all clear mechanism of the pathology and the actual prevalence need still further investigate

Ring Irrigation System (RIS) design through customer preference representation

In agricultural field, irrigation is one of the most interesting considerations affecting the rate of plant growth and development. Micro-irrigation as the dripping or sprinkle method is one of the irrigation types that applies the small amount of water for fulfilling the humidity requirement. The most important factors affecting the demand of water for plants are soil conditions and effect of climatic factors. With less human labour required, to improve the irrigation method from the recent days, analyzing water used or water permeation automatically through the soil moisture has been raised as the interesting topic. Proposed in this research is the ring irrigation system (RIS) which is introduced as an alternative channel for emitters that drip water directly onto the soil at the plant’s root zone where the soil conditions before and after watering can be quickly detected by the sensors. This RIS can be used for the potted plant, green house, or other small farm fields. Product design and development (PDD) is applied in this research for assisting the designer to understand and create the RIS prototype properly according to the customer’s requirements where the suggested functions obtained will be added and tested