Enhancement of porcine in vitro embryonic development through luteolin‑mediated activation of the Nrf2/Keap1 signaling pathway

Background Oxidative stress,caused by an imbalance in the production and elimination of intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS),has been recognized for its detrimental effects on mammalian embryonic development.Luteolin(Lut)has been documented for its protective effects against oxidative stress in various studies.However,its specific role in embryonic development remains unexplored.This study aims to investigate the influence of Lut on porcine embryonic development and to elucidate the underlying mechanism.Results After undergoing parthenogenetic activation(PA)or in vitro fertilization,embryos supplemented with 0.5μmol/L Lut displayed a significant enhancement in cleavage and blastocyst formation rates,with an increase in total cell numbers and a decrease in the apoptosis rate compared to the control.Measurements on D2 and D6 revealed that embryos with Lut supplementation had lower ROS levels and higher glutathione levels compared to the control.Moreover,Lut supplementation significantly augmented mitochondrial content and membrane potential.Intriguingly,activation of the Nrf2/Keap1 signaling pathway was observed in embryos supplemented with Lut,leading to the upregulation of antioxidant-related gene transcription levels.To further validate the relationship between the Nrf2/Keap1 signaling pathway and effects of Lut in porcine embryonic development,we cultured PA embryos in a medium supplemented with brusatol,with or without the inclusion of Lut.The positive effects of Lut on developmental competence were negated by brusatol treatment.Conclusions Our findings indicate that Lut-mediated activation of the Nrf2/Keap1 signaling pathway contributes to the enhanced production of porcine embryos with high developmental competence,and offers insight into the mechanisms regulating early embryonic development.

Anethole improves the developmental competence of porcine embryos by reducing oxidative stress via the sonic hedgehog signaling pathway

Background Anethole(AN)is an organic antioxidant compound with a benzene ring and is expected to have a positive impact on early embryogenesis in mammals.However,no study has examined the effect of AN on porcine embryonic development.Therefore,we investigated the effect of AN on the development of porcine embryos and the underlying mechanism.Results We cultured porcine in vitro-fertilized embryos in medium with AN(0,0.3,0.5,and 1 mg/mL)for 6 d.AN at 0.5 mg/mL significantly increased the blastocyst formation rate,trophectoderm cell number,and cellular survival rate compared to the control.AN-supplemented embryos exhibited significantly lower reactive oxygen species levels and higher glutathione levels than the control.Moreover,AN significantly improved the quantity of mitochondria and mitochondrial membrane potential,and increased the lipid droplet,fatty acid,and ATP levels.Interestingly,the levels of proteins and genes related to the sonic hedgehog(SHH)signaling pathway were significantly increased by AN.Conclusions These results revealed that AN improved the developmental competence of porcine preimplantation embryos by activating SHH signaling against oxidative stress and could be used for large-scale production of high-quality porcine embryos.

Biliary phytobezoar resulting in intestinal obstruction

Phytobezoar is the most common type of bezoar.It is composed of indigestible vegetable matter and is usually found in the stomach.Biliary phytobezoar is extremely rare and difficult to diagnose preoperatively.The pathogenesis is not clear,and there have been only a few reports of biliary bezoars associated with sphincteric impairmentat the ampulla of Vater.Here,we present a report of biliary bezoar that resulted in jejunal obstruction.We were unable to identifythe bezoar in the extrahepatic bile duct until it obstructed the small bowel lumen.To our knowledge,this is the first report of small bowel obstruction resulting frommigration of a biliary bezoar.

Computed tomography findings for predicting severe acute hepatitis with prolonged cholestasis

AIM: To evaluate the significance of computed tomography (CT) findings in relation to liver chemistry and the clinical course of acute hepatitis. METHODS: Four hundred and twelve patients with acute hepatitis who underwent enhanced CT scanning were enrolled retrospectively. Imaging findings were analyzed for the following variables: gallbladder wall thickness (GWT), arterial heterogeneity, periportal tracking, number and maximum size of lymph nodes, presence of ascites, and size of spleen. The serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, albumin, and prothrombin time were measured on the day of admission and CT scan, and laboratory data were evaluated every 2-4 d for all subjects during hospitalization. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 34.4 years, and the most common cause of hepatitis was hepatitis A virus (77.4%). The mean GWT was 5.2 mm. The number of patients who had findings of arterial heterogeneity, periportal tracking, lymph node enlargement > 7 mm, and ascites was 294 (80.1%), 348 (84.7%), 346 (84.5%), and 56 (13.6%), respectively. On multivariate logistic regression, male gender [odds ratio (OR) = 2.569, 95%CI: 1.477-4.469, P = 0.001], toxic hepatitis (OR = 3.531, 95%CI: 1.444-8.635, P = 0.006), level of albumin (OR = 2.154, 95%CI: 1.279-3.629, P = 0.004), and GWT (OR = 1.061, 95%CI: 1.015-1.110, P = 0.009) were independent predictive factors for severe hepatitis. The level of bilirubin (OR = 1.628, 95%CI: 1.331-1.991, P < 0.001) and GWT (OR = 1.172, 95%CI: 1.024-1.342,P = 0.021) were independent factors for prolonged cholestasis in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: In patients with acute hepatitis, GWT on CT scan was an independent predictor of severe hepatitis and prolonged cholestasis.

Cryptogenic multifocal ulcerous stenosing enteritis: Radiologic features and clinical behavior

AIM To investigate the characteristic radiologic findings of cryptogenic multifocal ulcerous stenosing enteritis(CMUSE) which can be differentiated from other similar bowel disease and to assess their clinical behavior.METHODS Twenty pathologically and clinically confirmed CMUSE patients(males:females = 8:12; mean age: 40.4 years) between March 2002 and August 2015 from seven academic centers in South Korea were retrospectively reviewed. We evaluated small bowel series(SBS; n = 25), computed tomography(CT) enterography(n = 21), magnetic resonance(MR) enterography(n = 2), and abdominopelvic CT(n = 18) images, focusing on enteric and perienteric manifestations. Any change in radiologic features during followup period was recorded. We evaluated clinical data including presenting symptoms, laboratory finding and presence of relapse from electronic medical records. Histopathologic findings were also evaluated. RESULTS The main symptoms were abdominal pain(n = 12) and anemia(n = 10). All patients showed small bowel strictures(n = 52, mean: 2.6 per patient) on initial CT/MR, located in the ileum(n = 47) or jejunum(n = 5). Strictures showed short-length(mean: 10.44 mm) and circumferential bowel wall thickening(mean: 5.56 mm) with layered enhancement(n = 48) that were also noted on initial SBS(n = 36) with shallow ulcers(n = 10). Some ulcerative lesions or wall thickening progressed into strictures on follow-up SBS/CT, and some strictures revealed recurrent ulceration on followup SBS. There were no penetrating disease features like fistula or abscess and no gastrointestinal tract involvement except the small bowel. Nine patients experienced disease recurrence(median relapse-free period: 32 mo) even post-operatively. Histopathologic features of surgically resected specimens were characterized as multiple superficial ulcerations confined to mucosa or submucosa and multiple strictures.CONCLUSION Under characteristic radiologic findings with multiple short-segmental strictures and/or shallow ulcers of the small intestine, CMUSE should be considered when assessing patients with recurrent abdominal pain and anemia.

Cystic Brunner's gland hamartoma in the duodenum:A case report

Cystic Brunner's gland hamartoma in the duodenum is exceedingly rare,although microscopic examination may sometimes reveal a Brunner's gland hamartoma containing dilated ducts in the duodenum.We present a case of large cystic Brunner's gland hamartoma in the duodenum with a long stalk,which is described in light of multidetector-row computed tomography,magnetic resonance imaging,and a modified small bowel series,together with pathologic correlation and differential diagnosis.

Development of Three Dimensional Automatic Body Fat Measurement Software from CT, and Its Validation and Evaluation

Abdominal obesity describes the accumulation of excessive fat in the abdomen. It is known that depending on its distribution, visceral obesity presents a greater danger to health than subcutaneous obesity. To properly prevent and treat visceral obesity, accurate evaluation methods are necessary, and hence quantitative VAT estimation is extremely important. CT scans are the most accurate method for estimating VAT, but it requires a great deal of time and effort, limiting its use in studying or evaluating obesity in patients. This paper proposed automatic measurement software that could quickly differentiate between and measure VAT and SAT. The method was verified using a total of 100 abdominal CT data values;this paper measured the SAT and VAT in the entire abdomen using the automatic measurement software. Additionally, through a comparative evaluation between the automated measurements and manual measurements such as BMI and waist circumference, clinical reliability and viability were validated and evaluated. Between automated measurements and manual measurements, the TAT (r = 0.995, p = 0.01), SAT (r = 0.987, p = 0.01) and VAT (r = 0.993, p = 0.01) showed high correlation. Using BMI as the main metric, the TAT for automated measurements (r = 0.674, p = 0.01) and the TAT for manual measurements (r = 0.703, p = 0.01) showed the strongest correlation. When using waist circumference, the VAT for automated measurements (r = 0.826, p = 0.01) and the VAT for manual measurements (r = 0.822, p = 0.01) showed the strongest correlation. With these results, the reliability and viability of the automatic measurement software were confirmed. The software is expected to help greatly in reducing the time and in providing objective data of VAT measurements from CT scans for clinical research.

Comparative standardized ileal amino acid digestibility and metabolizable energy contents of main feed ingredients for growing pigs when adding dietary β-mannanase

The present study was conducted to test whether the dietary supplementation of β-mannanase affects amino acids(AA) digestibility,metabolizable energy(ME) contents of corn,wheat,soybean meal,distillers dried grains with solubles,and palm kernel meal(PKM),nutrient digestibility,and growth performance of pigs.In Exp.1,22 cannulated pigs were used for 10 dietary treatments including 5 feed ingredients and 2 β-mannanase concentrations(0 and 0.5 g/kg of the diet) in 6 periods in an incomplete Latin square design to determine the AA and energy digestibility.In Exp.2,200 growing pigs were randomly allotted to 4 treatments with 2 nutrient levels(high and low) and 2 concentrations of β-mannanase(2×2 factorial arrangement) in 2 phases(phase 1,d 0 to 21;and phase 2,d 22 to 42).In Exp.1,β-mannanase increased the mean standardized ileal digestibility(SID) of AA in all feed ingredients.The amount of digestible energy was increased(P <0.05) in β-mannanase-treated PKM.Pigs fed β-mannanase showed a greater(P <0.05) digestibility of gross energy(GE).The feed-to-gain(F:G) ratio was improved(P <0.01) in pigs fed high-nutrient diets.Pigs fed β-mannanase in the diets had greater(P <0.05) average daily gain and F:G.In phase 2,the concentration of fecal ammonia was decreased(P <0.05) in pigs fed β-mannanase.Considering the 2 experiments,it can be concluded that β-mannanase increases the SID of AA,which has to be considered in balancing the rations.

Immunomodulatory nanodiamond aggregate-based platform for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

We previously demonstrated that octadecylamine-functionalized nanodiamond(ND-ODA)and dexamethasone(Dex)-adsorbed ND-ODA(ND-ODA–Dex)promoted anti-inflammatory and proregenerative behavior in human macrophages in vitro.In this study,we performed a pilot study to investigate if these immunomodulatory effects translate when used as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in mice.Following local injection in limbs of mice with collagen type II-induced arthritis,microcomputed tomography showed that mice treated with a low dose of ND-ODA and ND-ODA–Dex did not experience bone loss to the levels observed in non-treated arthritic controls.A low dose of ND-ODA and ND-ODA–Dex also reduced macrophage infiltration and expression of proinflammatory mediators iNOS and tumor necrosis factor-a compared to the arthritic control,while a high dose of ND-ODA increased expression of these markers.Overall,these results suggest that ND-ODA may be useful as an inherently immunomodulatory platform,and support the need for an in-depth study,especially with respect to the effects of dose.