Resveratrol Ameliorates Experimental Alcoholic Liver Disease by Modulating Oxidative Stress

The aim of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of resveratrol in alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Alcohol was administered to healthy female rats starting from 6% (v/v) and gradually increased to 20% (v/v) by the fifth week. After 16 weeks of intervention, liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and alanine aminotransferase [ALT]) were analyzed using a chemistry analyzer, while hepatic antioxidant enzymes, oxidative stress markers, and caspase 3 activity were assessed using ELISA kits. Furthermore, hepatic CYP2E1 protein levels and mRNA levels of antioxidant and inflammation-related genes were determined using western blotting and RT-PCR, respectively. The results showed that resveratrol significantly attenuated alcohol-induced elevation of liver enzymes and improved hepatic antioxidant enzymes. Resveratrol also attenuated alcohol-induced CYP2E1 increase, oxidative stress, and apoptosis (caspase 3 activity). Moreover, genes associated with oxidative stress and inflammation were regulated by resveratrol supplementation. Taken together, the results suggested that resveratrol alleviated ALD through regulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammation, which was mediated at the transcriptional level. The data suggests that resveratrol is a promising natural therapeutic agent against chronic ALD.

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Unilateral Arm Crank Exercise Test for Assessing Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Individuals with Hemiparetic Stroke

Cardiorespiratory fitness assessment with leg cycle exercise testing may be influenced by motor impairments in the paretic lower extremity. Hence, this study examined the usefulness of a unilateral arm crank exercise test to assess cardiorespiratory fitness in individuals with stroke, including sixteen individuals with hemiparetic stroke (mean ± SD age, years) and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Participants performed the unilateral arm crank and leg cycle exercise tests to measure oxygen consumption (O2) and heart rate at peak exercise. The O2 at peak exercise during the unilateral arm crank exercise test was significantly lower in the stroke group than in the control group (). In the stroke group, the heart rate at peak exercise during the unilateral arm crank exercise test did not significantly correlate with the Brunnstrom recovery stages of the lower extremity (), whereas there was a significant correlation during the leg cycle exercise test (rho = 0.775, ). The unilateral arm crank exercise test can detect the deterioration of cardiorespiratory fitness independently of lower extremity motor impairment severity in individuals with hemiparetic stroke. This study is registered with UMIN000014733.

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LPA Gene Polymorphisms and Gene Expression Associated with Coronary Artery Disease

The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of LPA gene polymorphisms for CAD risk and Lp(a) in a case-control study of Chinese Han population. In addition, we further analyzed the effect of LPA gene expression on plasma levels of Lp(a) and CAD risk. First, five SNPs (rs1367211, rs3127596, rs6415085, rs9347438, and rs9364559) in LPA gene were genotyped using the SEQUENOM Mass-ARRAY system in two groups. Second, we used quantitative real-time PCR to examine the mRNA expression levels of LPA gene in 92 cases and 32 controls. Results showed that the frequency of rs6415085-T allele was significantly higher in case group than that in control group (). Haplotypes were not associated with CAD risk (). And cases with the TT/TG genotype had significantly higher plasma Lp(a) levels compared with those that have the rs6415085 GG genotype (). Additionally, the mRNA expression levels in case group are significantly higher than that in control group (). Our study confirmed that rs6415085 was associated with CAD and increased plasma Lp(a) levels. And increased mRNA expression level of LPA gene may be a mechanism in development of CAD.

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Decreased Expression of Semaphorin3A/Neuropilin-1 Signaling Axis in Apical Periodontitis

Apical periodontitis (AP) is a chronic infection of endodontic origin accompanied with bone destruction around the apical region. Semaphorin3A (Sema3A) and neuropilin-1 (Nrp1) are regarded as a pair of immune regulators in bone metabolism. In this study, we firstly investigated the expression pattern of Sema3A/Nrp1 in apical periodontitis and its correlation with bone destruction. Using rat animal model, we analysed the level of mandibular bone destruction and the expression of Sema3A/Nrp1 on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 after pulp exposure. In addition, clinical samples from apical periodontitis patients were obtained to analyse the expression of Sema3A/Nrp1. These results indicated that the bone destruction level expanded from days 7 to 35. The number of positive cells and level of mRNA expression of Sema3A/Nrp1 were significantly decreased from days 7 to 35, with a negative correlation with bone destruction. Moreover, expression of Sema3A/Nrp1 in the AP group was reduced compared to the control group of clinical samples. In conclusion, decreased expression of Sema3A/Nrp1 was observed in periapical lesions and is potentially involved in the bone resorption of the periapical area, suggesting that Sema3A/Nrp1 may contribute to the pathological development of apical periodontitis.

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The Tubular Penetration Depth and Adaption of Four Sealers: A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study

Background. The tubular penetration and adaptation of the sealer are important factors for successful root canal filling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the tubular penetration depth of four different sealers in the coronal, middle, and apical third of root canals as well as the adaptation of these sealers to root canal walls. Materials and Methods. 50 single-rooted teeth were prepared in this study. Forty-eight of them were filled with different sealers (Cortisomol, iRoot SP, AH-Plus, and RealSeal SE) and respective core filling materials. Then the specimens were sectioned and scanning electron microscopy was employed to assess the tubular penetration and adaptation of the sealers. Results. Our results demonstrated that the maximum penetration was exhibited by RealSeal SE, followed by AH-Plus, iRoot SP, and Cortisomol. As regards the adaptation property to root canal walls, AH-Plus has best adaptation capacity followed by iRoot SP, RealSeal SE, and Cortisomol. Conclusion. The tubular penetration and adaptation vary with the different sealers investigated. RealSeal SE showed the most optimal tubular penetration, whereas AH-Plus presented the best adaptation to the root canal walls.

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Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 15 Randomized Controlled Trials

We aimed to examine the effects of zinc supplementation on nutritional status, lipid profile, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory therapies in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled clinical trials of zinc supplementation. Metaregression analyses were utilized to determine the cause of discrepancy. Begg and Egger tests were performed to assess publication bias. Subgroup analysis was utilized to investigate the effects of zinc supplementation in certain conditions. In the crude pooled results, we found that zinc supplementation resulted in higher serum zinc levels (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 28.489; ), higher dietary protein intake (WMD = 8.012; ), higher superoxide dismutase levels (WMD = 357.568; ), and lower levels of C-reactive protein (WMD = −8.618; ) and malondialdehyde (WMD = −1.275; ). The results showed no differences in lipid profile. In the metaregression analysis, we found that serum zinc levels correlated positively with intervention time (; ) and varied greatly by ethnicity (). Results from Begg and Egger tests showed that there was no significant bias in our meta-analysis (). Results of subgroup analysis supported the above results. Our analysis shows that zinc supplementation may benefit the nutritional status of MHD patients and show a time-effect relationship.

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Insulin Resistance and Its Association with Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Children

Background. This study investigated the association between insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children. Methods. A cross-sectional study involving 1036 healthy children aged between 7 and 13 years was conducted. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated as an index of IR. Participants were classified according to the HOMA-IR quartiles. Results. Incremental, linear trends were found in age (), body mass index (BMI) (), body fat (), waist circumference (), resting blood pressures (BP) (), triglycerides (TG) (), total cholesterol (TC) (), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (), FBG (), and insulin (

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