Anti-obesity effects of olivetol in adult zebrafish model induced by short-term high-fat diet

Obesity is a complex disease caused by various factors, and synthetic drugs used to treat it can have side effects. Natural compounds, such as olivetol, could be a promising alternative. Olivetol is a substance found in certain lichen species and has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. In this study, researchers conducted in-silico molecular docking studies and found that olivetol had significant binding affinity with receptors involved in obesity. They also investigated the effects of olivetol on a diet-induced obese zebrafish model and found that high doses of olivetol reduced excessive fat accumulation and triglyceride and lipid accumulation. The low dose of olivetol showed a significant reduction in liver enzymes' levels. However, the high dose of olivetol resulted in a significant increase in HMG-CoA levels. These results suggest that olivetol may be a promising anti-obesity agent for the treatment of hyperlipidemia-related disorders, but further research is necessary to understand its full effects on the body.

In Vitro Chromatin Assembly: Strategies and Quality Control

Chromatin accessibility is modulated by structural transitions that provide timely access to the genetic and epigenetic information during many essential nuclear processes. These transitions are orchestrated by regulatory proteins that coordinate intricate structural modifications and signaling pathways. In vitro reconstituted chromatin samples from defined components are instrumental in defining the mechanistic details of such processes. The bottleneck to appropriate in vitro analysis is the production of high quality, and quality-controlled, chromatin substrates. In this chapter, we describe methods for in vitro chromatin reconstitution and quality control. We highlight the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches and emphasize quality control steps that ensure reconstitution of a bona fide homogenous chromatin preparation. This is essential for optimal reproducibility and reliability of ensuing experiments using chromatin substrates.

Small bowel trans-vaginal evisceration following vault biopsy: general surgeons beware!

A case-report of vaginal evisceration following vault biopsy is described. This case highlights the importance of good surgical technique when performing a vaginal biopsy in order to avoid this rare, but life-threatening, complication. General surgeons may well be faced with this acute presentation and prompt management is vital in order to preserve the involved small bowel.

Prevalence of duodenal ulcer-promoting gene (dupA) of Helicobacter pylori in patients with duodenal ulcer in North Indian population

BACKGROUND

The duodenal ulcer (DU)-promoting gene (dupA) of Helicobacter pylori has been identified as a novel virulent marker associated with an increased risk for DU. The presence or absence of dupA gene of H. pylori present in patients with DU and functional dyspepsia in North Indian population was studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and hybridization analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One hundred and sixty-six patients (96 DU and 70 functional dyspepsia) were included in this study. In addition, sequence diversity of dupA gene of H. pylori found in these patients was analyzed by sequencing the PCR products jhp0917 and jhp0918 on both strands with appropriate primers.

RESULTS

PCR and hybridization analyses indicated that dupA gene was present in 37.5% (36/96) of H. pylori strains isolated from DU patients and 22.86% (16/70) of functional dyspepsia patients (p < or = .05). Of these, 35 patients with DU (97.2%) and 14 patients with functional dyspepsia (81.25%) were infected by H. pylori positive for cagA genotype. Furthermore, the presence of dupA was significantly associated with the cagA-positive genotype (p < or = .02).

CONCLUSION

Results of our study have shown that significant association of dupA gene with DU in this population. The dupA gene can be considered as a novel virulent marker for DU in this population.

Bilateral emphysematous pyelonephritis responding to nonsurgical management

Bilateral emphysematous pyelonephritis is a rare condition, with only 14 cases reported in the English literature. It carries a bad prognosis, surgical management being the recommended mode of therapy. We report a case of bilateral emphysematous pyelonephritis in a 50-year-old diabetic lady which was successfully managed using antibiotics alone.

Hydroxymalonate inhibits lactate uptake by the rabbit hindlimb

Lactate uptake by skeletal muscle occurs under diverse conditions, including hypoxia and electrical stimulation. A possible metabolic fate of lactate in resting muscle is its conversion to pyruvate followed by carboxylation to malate in the cytosolic malic reaction. To test this hypothesis, we measured hindlimb lactate uptake in hypoxic mechanically ventilated rabbits. Rabbits were given intravenous infusions of hydroxymalonate, an inhibitor of the malic reaction (200 mM; n = 7), or normal saline (n = 7) at 1.1 ml/min. Hindlimb lactate uptake/release was calculated as femoral blood flow times the arteriovenous lactate difference. Saline or hydroxymalonate was infused continuously during sequential 30-min periods of normoxia (arterial PO2 approximately 150 Torr), hypoxemia (arterial PO2 approximately 30 Torr), and reoxygenation (arterial PO2 approximately 150 Torr). Hindlimb O2 transport decreased with hypoxemia, but O2 consumption remained unchanged in both groups. During hypoxemia there was net uptake of lactate by the hindlimb of the group given normal saline [4.5 +/- 0.9 (SE) mumol/min]. The hindlimb of the hydroxymalonate group continued to release lactate (-0.5 +/- 1.0 mumol/min). The inhibition of lactate uptake by hydroxymalonate supports the hypothesis that the malic reaction plays a major role in the metabolism of lactate by resting rabbit skeletal muscle.

XNEOr: development and evaluation of an expert system to improve the quality and cost of decision-making in neuro-oncology

The treatment of brain tumors requires a large team of medical experts. However, the process of medical decision-making for these patients is hampered by the frequent inaccessibility of the experts because of conflicting scheduling, inconsistencies in the management of different patients, and the fact that multiple experts often yield multiple opinions. The goals of this work were (1) to develop and validate an expert system to assist the medical team deliver efficient, quality care to children with recurrent medulloblastoma, a common type of pediatric brain tumor, and (2) to determine if the expert system can be used as an educational tool. The results of our study indicate that residents enjoy learning by using XNEOr, the brain tumor expert system. XNEOr enabled residents to order appropriate ancillary tests for patients and to make fewer incorrect treatment decisions. The potential net effect of residents using XNEOr may be increased patient and family satisfaction and decreased probability of medical liability. At a time of important changes in our health care system, novel expert systems hold promise as tools to reduce medical costs, improve the quality of multi-expert medical care, and advance health care education.