Inhibitory effect of liposomal quercetin on acute hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis induced by concanavalin A

Immune response plays an important role in the development of hepatic fibrosis. In the present study, we investigated the effects of quercetin on hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis induced by immunological mechanism. In the acute hepatitis model, quercetin (2.5 mg/kg) was injected iv into mice 30 min after concanavalin A (Con A) challenge. Mice were sacrificed 4 or 24 h after Con A injection, and aminotransferase tests and histopathological sections were performed. Treatment with quercetin significantly decreased the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Consistent with this observation, treatment with quercetin markedly attenuated the pathologic changes in the liver. A hepatic fibrosis model was also generated in mice by Con A challenge once a week for 6 consecutive weeks. Mice in the experimental group were treated with daily iv injections of quercetin (0.5 mg/kg). Histopathological analyses revealed that treatment with quercetin markedly decreased collagen deposition, pseudolobuli development, and hepatic stellate cells activation. We also examined the effects of quercetin on the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) pathways by immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). NF-κB and TGF-β production was decreased after treatment with quercetin, indicating that the antifibrotic effect of quercetin is associated with its ability to modulate NF-κB and TGF-β production. These results suggest that quercetin may be an effective therapeutic strategy in the treatment of patients with liver damage and fibrosis.

X-cephalometric study of different parts of the upper airway space and changes in hyoid position following mandibular fractures / Estudio cefalométrico con rayos X de diferentes partes del espacio de las vías respiratorias superiores y cambios en la posición hioidea tras fracturas mandibulares

OBJECTIVE: This study analyses the different parts of the upper airway space and the changes in hyoid position. The results provide a clinical reference for developing timely and effective treatment programmes for patients with mandibular fractures caused by maxillofacial trauma. METHODS: Standard X-cephalometric measurements of the lateral skull of 210 subjects were taken. The subjects were divided into four fracture groups: condylar, mandibular angle, mandibular body, and parasymphyseal. RESULTS: The radiographs of the mandibular fracture groups were compared with the normal occlusion group to analyse the upper airway space and the changes in hyoid position. Different types of fractures have different effects on the upper airway space. Bilateral mandibular body fracture and the parasymphyseal fracture have a significant influence on the lower oropharyngeal and laryngopharyngeal airway spaces, with serious obstructions severely restricting the ventilatory function ofpatients. CONCLUSIONS: Fractures at different parts of the mandibular structure are closely related to the upper airway and hyoid position.

OBJETIVO: Este estudio analiza las diferentes partes del espacio de las vías respiratorias superiores y los cambios de posición hioidea. Los resultados proporcionan una referencia clínica para desarrollar programas de tratamiento oportuno y eficaz para los pacientes con fracturas de la mandíbula, causadas por trauma maxilofacial. MÉTODOS: Se hicieron mediciones X-cefalométricas estándares del cráneo lateral a 210 sujetos. Los sujetos fueron divididos en cuatro grupos de fractura: ángulo mandibular, condilar, cuerpo mandibular y parasinfisaria. RESULTADOS: Las radiografías de los grupos de fractura mandibular fueron comparadas con el grupo de oclusión normal para analizar el espacio de las vías respiratorias superiores y los cambios de posición hioidea. Diferentes tipos de fracturas tienen diferentes efectos sobre el espacio de las vías respiratorias superiores. La fractura de cuerpo mandibular bilateral y la fractura de parasinfisaria tienen una influencia significativa en los espacios de las vías respiratorias orofaríngea y laringofaríngea inferiores, con serios obstáculos restringiendo severamente la función respiratoria de los pacientes. CONCLUSIONES: Las fracturas en diferentes partes de la estructura mandibular se hallan estrechamente vinculadas a las vías respiratorias superiores y a la posición hioidea.

Prokaryotic expression of a novel mouse pro-apoptosis protein PNAS-4 and application of its polyclonal antibodies

Mouse PNAS-4 (mPNAS-4) has 96 percent identity with human PNAS-4 (hPNAS-4) in primary sequence and has been reported to be involved in the apoptotic response to DNA damage. However, there have been no studies reported of the biological functions of mPNAS-4. In studies conducted by our group (unpublished data), it was interesting to note that overexpression of mPNAS-4 promoted apoptotic death in Lewis lung carcinoma cells (LL2) and colon carcinoma cells (CT26) of mice both in vitro and in vivo. In our studies, mPNAS-4 was cloned into the pGEX-6P-1 vector with GST tag at N-terminal in Escherichia coli strain BL21(DE3). The soluble and insoluble expression of recombinant protein mPNAS-4 (rmPNAS-4) was temperature-dependent. The majority of rmPNAS-4 was insoluble at 37°C, while it was almost exclusively expressed in soluble form at 20°C. The soluble rmPNAS-4 was purified by one-step affinity purification, using a glutathione Sepharose 4B column. The rmPNAS-4 protein was further identified by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry analysis. The search parameters of the parent and fragment mass error tolerance were set at 0.1 and 0.05 kDa, respectively, and the sequence coverage of search result was 28 percent. The purified rmPNAS-4 was further used as immunogen to raise polyclonal antibodies in New Zealand white rabbit, which were suitable to detect both the recombinant and the endogenous mPNAS-4 in mouse brain tissue and LL2 cells after immunoblotting and/or immunostaining. The purified rmPNAS-4 and our prepared anti-mPNAS-4 polyclonal antibodies may provide useful tools for future biological function studies for mPNAS.