Osthol attenuates hepatic steatosis via decreased triglyceride synthesis not by insulin resistance

AIM: To evaluate the effects of osthol on intrahepatic fat synthesis, β-oxidation, inflammation, and insulin resistance by multifaceted analysis.METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats(n = 30) were randomly divided into control, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD), and osthol groups. NAFLD and osthol groups were fed with a high-fat diet for 14 wk. After 8 wk of the high-fat diet, the osthol group also received osthol 20 mg/kg orally 5 times/wk. To assess the insulin resistance, oral glucose tolerance was performed at the end of 14 wk. Immunohistochemical(4-HNE, F4/80) and hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining wereperformed on liver tissue extracts after animal sacrifice at 14 wk. SREBP1 c, FAS, SCD-1, PPAR-α, CROT, MCP-1, IRS-1, and IRS-2 mRNA expressions were assessed with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.RESULTS: HE staining revealed that, compared with the NAFLD group, the osthol group showed significantly decreased intrahepatic fat content(39.4% vs 21.0%; P = 0.021). SREBP1 c expression in the NAFLD group increased compared to controls(P = 0.0001), while osthol treatment decreased SREBP1 c expression compared with the NAFLD group(P = 0.0059). In the osthol group, intrahepatic FAS and SCD-1, which act downstream of SREBP1 c, decreased significantly compared with the NAFLD group. Moreover, PPAR-α expression in the osthol group was also significantly higher than in the NAFLD group(P = 0.0147).CONCLUSION: Osthol treatment attenuated liver steatosis by decreasing de novo liver triglyceride synthesis and had nominal effects on insulin resistance and liver inflammation.

Melatonin modulates adiponectin expression on murine colitis with sleep deprivation

AIM To determine adiponectin expression in colonic tissue of murine colitis and systemic cytokine expression after melatonin treatments and sleep deprivation.METHODS The following five groups of C57BL/6 mice were used in this study:(1) group Ⅰ,control;(2) group Ⅱ,2% DSS induced colitis for 7 d;(3) group Ⅲ,2% DSS induced colitis and melatonin treatment;(4) group Ⅳ,2% DSS induced colitis with sleep deprivation(SD) using specially designed and modified multiple platform water baths; and(5) group V,2% DSS induced colitis with SD and melatonin treatment. Melatonin(10 mg/kg) or saline was intraperitoneally injected daily to mice for 4 d. The body weight was monitored daily. The degree of colitis was evaluated histologically after sacrificing the mice. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis was performed using anti-adiponectin antibody. After sampling by intracardiac punctures,levels of serum cytokines were measured by ELISA. RESULTS Sleep deprivation in water bath exacerbated DSS induced colitis and worsened weight loss. Melatonin injection not only alleviated the severity of mucosal injury,but also helped survival during stressful condition. The expression level of adiponectin in mucosa was decreased in colitis,with the lowest level observed in colitis combined with sleep deprivation. Melatonin injection significantly(P < 0.05) recovered the expression of adiponectin. The expression levels of IL-6 and IL-17 were increased in the serum of mice with DSS colitis but decreased after melatonin injection. CONCLUSION This study suggested that melatonin modulated adiponectin expression in colonic tissue and melatonin and adiponectin synergistically potentiated antiinflammatory effects on colitis with sleep deprivation.

Breast adenoid cystic carcinoma arising in microglandular adenosis:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Breast adenoid cystic carcinoma(AdCC)is a rare invasive carcinoma composed of epithelial and myoepithelial cells.Microglandular adenosis(MGA)is a rare benign proliferative lesion consisting of small,uniform,and round glands formed by a single layer of epithelial cells and basement membrane without a myoepithelial cell layer.MGA may progress to atypical MGA and carcinoma arising in MGA.Among various invasive carcinomas from MGA,AdCC has been rarely reported.Here,we report a case of AdCC arising in MGA.CASE SUMMARY A 59-year-old woman was diagnosed with a newly developed density on a routine mammogram.The density was similar to or slightly lower than that of the breast parenchyma.Sonography showed an irregular mass with a slightly higher echo than that of fat.Magnetic resonance imaging showed an irregular mass with a similar T1 signal intensity and a slightly higher T2 signal intensity compared to muscles or the breast parenchyma.The lesion showed heterogeneous internal enhancement with an initially slow and delayed persistent enhancing pattern.Microscopically,the tumor was composed of invasive AdCC,in situ AdCC,and MGA.AdCC is composed of basaloid and ductal epithelial cells forming cribriform or solid sheets,or haphazardly scattered small cribriform or tubular glands.MGA showed small glands with a single epithelial lining and retained lumen.S-100 staining was strongly positive in MGA area.The patient underwent breast-conserving surgery with sentinel lymph node biopsy.CONCLUSION Breast AdCC arising in MGA showed unique imaging findings that was different from usual invasive cancer.

Factors Affecting Verbal Agitation in Dementia Patients Living in Nursing Homes, South Korea

The purpose of this study using secondary data analysis was to identify factors affecting verbal agitation in patients with dementia staying at nursing home. This study is a secondary analysis of an existing original quantitative data set (n = 193). A total of 166 subjects’ data were included in this current study after 27 subjects’ data were excluded from the original data because they did not appear verbal agitation. Multiple regression analyses identified hallucination (β = 0.27), total number of physiologic discomforts (β = 0.19) and pain (β = 0.17) as significant predictors of verbal agitation and these factors explained 27.8% of the variance in the model. The findings of this study showed that hallucination, total number of physiologic discomforts and pain with dementia need to be considered when intervention programs to control verbal agitation in patients with dementia were developed.