Background
In ulcerative colitis (UC), reduction of inflammation may represent a key mechanism in UC therapy, and anti-inflammatory agents would be good candidates for preventing UC. Kaempferol, a ...natural flavonoid, is believed to have anti-inflammatory activities and has been shown to be potentially immune-modulatory.
Aims
The aim of this study was to determine whether kaempferol alleviates the inflammatory responses of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice.
Methods
Female C57BL/6J mice were divided into six groups: a negative control group, a DSS control group, and DSS + 0.1% or 0.3% kaempferol pre- or post-fed groups. At the end of the experimental period, clinical and biochemical markers were evaluated.
Results
Plasma levels of NO and PGE
2
were significantly decreased in both the 0.3% kaempferol pre- and post-fed groups. The plasma LTB
4
level was profoundly decreased in all animals fed kaempferol. Colonic mucosa MPO activity was also suppressed in both the 0.3% kaempferol pre- or post-fed groups. TFF3 mRNA, a marker for goblet cell function, was up-regulated in kaempferol pre-fed animals.
Conclusions
These results indicate that kaempferol is an effective anti-inflammatory agent that protects colonic mucosa from DSS-induced UC. Dietary kaempferol fed prior to colitis induction was more effective to suppress some of the colitis-associated markers.
The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a dominant atmospheric variability in the Northern Hemisphere that has a substantial impact on weather and climate on various time scales. Here, we investigate ...the role of energy conversion terms day‐by‐day during the NAO life cycle. The relative timing and contribution of the energy conversion terms are quantified by projecting the terms onto the eddy total energy, eddy kinetic energy (EKE), and eddy available potential energy (EAPE) patterns associated with the NAO. The results show a remarkable phase dependence in the growth and maintenance mechanisms. For positive NAOs, the initial growth is driven by the barotropic interactions between the eddies propagating over North America. This suggests that a non‐local growth mechanism plays an important role in the initiation of positive NAOs. In contrast, it is the baroclinic processes that initiate negative NAOs. The conversion of the mean APE into the EAPE and then into the EKE, processes which include eddy heat fluxes and vertical motions, results in the relatively local growth of negative NAOs. During the mature phase, the largest source of energy is the conversion of the mean APE into EAPE. Part of this is converted to EKE, making a substantial contribution to the maintenance of the EKE. This process is particularly important for negative NAOs.
Here the daily energy cycles of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during the boreal winter are examined using budget analysis on the energy tendency equations. We find some phase‐dependent process in the energetics of the NAO phases. The positive NAO events are driven by the barotropic process, whereas the negative NAO events are initiated by the baroclinic processes. Such a difference stems from the relative position of the NAO to the background state.
More than half of the adult population worldwide is overweight or obese, while excess adiposity has been linked to chronic low-grade inflammation, contributing to the development of chronic diseases. ...Recent studies have showed that diet-induced alterations to the gut microbiota composition play a pivotal role in the development of obesity. However, the cause-effect relationship between obesity and gut microbiota composition is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigated the short-term responses of gut microbiota composition to diets with different fat contents and their associations with inflammatory biomarkers.
Sixty male C57BL/6 J mice were fed a normal diet (ND; 15% fat) or a high-fat diet (HFD; 45% fat) for 10 or 20 weeks. The relative proportion of the phylum Actinobacteria was elevated by the HFD and was positively associated with body weight and proinflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. The proportion of the phylum Firmicutes increased with aging and was also positively correlated with proinflammatory cytokines. The proportions of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were inversely associated with tight junction proteins claudin-1 and E-cadherin, respectively. The proportions of the class Clostridia and the family Ruminococcaceae within the phylum Firmicutes were affected by both diet and age. In addition, the proportions of the phylum Bacteroidetes, the family Bacteroidaceae, and the genus Bacteroides decreased with aging and were inversely correlated with colonic proinflammatory cytokines representing a positive association with tight junction proteins.
Host age and dietary fat intake are important elements that induce proportional changes in gut microbiota, and these changes are also associated with systemic inflammation. This study provides evidence that diet affects the gut microbiota composition within a short period of time.
Abstract
Energetics of the major atmospheric teleconnection patterns of the Northern Hemisphere winter are examined to investigate the role of baroclinic and barotropic energy conversions in their ...growth. Based on characteristics of the energetics and the horizontal structures, the patterns are classified into three general types: meridional dipole (D-type), wave (W-type), and hybrid (H-type). The primary energy conversion term that differentiates these patterns is the baroclinic energy conversion of the available potential energy from the climatology to the eddy field associated with the teleconnections. For this conversion term, D-type patterns exhibit the comparable conversion of potential energy via the eddy heat flux across the climatological thermal gradient in both the zonal and meridional directions. In contrast, baroclinic conversion for W-type patterns occurs primarily in the meridional direction, while H-type patterns exhibit a structure that combines the characteristics of the other two pattern types. An important secondary factor is barotropic conversion from the climatology to the eddy field, which takes place mainly in the regions where the climatological shear is strong. For the D-type patterns, conversion occurs on the flank of the climatological jet exit, while it occurs at the center of the jet exit for the W-type patterns. Last, for all the patterns, synoptic-time-scale eddies make a negative contribution via the baroclinic process, but a positive contribution via the barotropic process. Damping by diabatic heating weakens the temperature anomalies associated with the patterns.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common causes ofcancer morbidity both in men and in women. However,females over 65 years old show higher mortality andlower 5-year survival rate of colorectal ...cancer comparedto their age-matched male counterparts. The objectiveof this review is to suggest gender-based innovationsto improve colorectal cancer outcomes in females.Women have a higher risk of developing right-sided（proximal） colon cancer than men, which is associatedwith more aggressive form of neoplasia compared toleft-sided （distal） colon cancer. Despite differencesin tumor location between women and men, most ofscientific researchers do not consider sex specificityfor study design and interpretation. Also, colorectalcancer screening guidelines do not distinguish femalesfrom male, which may explain the higher frequencyof more advanced neoplasia when tumors are firstdetected and false negative results in colonoscopyin females. Moreover, socio-cultural barriers withinfemales are present to delay screening and diagnosis.Few studies, among studies that included both menand women, have reported sex-specific estimatesof dietary risk factors which are crucial to establishcancer prevention guidelines despite sex- and genderassociateddifferences in nutrient metabolism anddietary practices. Furthermore, anti-cancer drug usefor colorectal cancer treatment can cause toxicityto the reproductive system, and gender-specificrecurrence and survival rates are reported. Therefore,by understanding sex- and gender-related biologicaland socio-cultural differences in colorectal cancer risk,gender-specific strategies for screening, treatment andprevention protocols can be established to reduce themortality and improve the quality of life.
The aloe ingredients responsible for physiological effects and the concentrations required to exert their biological activities are not fully understood. This study compares the anti-inflammatory ...effects of aloin and aloe-emodin with other polyphenols. Our results demonstrated that aloe-emodin dose-dependently inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression and nitric oxide (NO) production at 5-40 μM. In addition, the levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA and prostaglandin E
2
(PGE
2
) production were suppressed by 40 μM aloe-emodin. Aloin also suppressed the production of NO at 5-40 μM, although it did not suppress PGE
2
production. The present results indicate that aloin and aloe-emodin possibly suppress the inflammatory responses by blocking iNOS and COX-2 mRNA expression. The anti-inflammatory effect of aloe-emodin was comparable to that of kaempferol and quercetin, indicating aloe-emodin as a possible key constituent responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity of aloe.
This study investigates the origin of the interdecadal variability in the warm Arctic and cold Eurasia (WACE) pattern, which is defined as the second empirical orthogonal function of surface air ...temperature (SAT) variability over the Eurasian continent in Northern Hemisphere winter, by analyzing the Twentieth Century Reanalysis dataset. While previous studies highlight recent enhancement of the WACE pattern, ascribing it to anthropogenic warming, the authors found that the WACE pattern has experienced a seemingly periodic interdecadal variation over the twentieth century. This long-term variation in the Eurasian SAT is attributable to the altered coupling between the Siberian high (SH) and intraseasonal Rossby wave emanating from the North Atlantic, as the local wave branch interacts with the SH and consequentially enhances the continental temperature perturbation. It is further identified that these atmospheric circulation changes in Eurasia are largely controlled by the decadal amplitude modulation of the climatological stationary waves over the North Atlantic region. The altered decadal mean condition of stationary wave components brings changes in local baroclinicity and storm track activity over the North Atlantic, which jointly change the intraseasonal Rossby wave generation and propagation characteristics as well. With simple stationary wave model experiments, the authors confirm how the altered mean flow condition in the North Atlantic acts as a source for the growth of the Rossby wave that leads to the change in the downstream WACE pattern.
The North Pacific Oscillation (NPO), which is characterized by a north‐south dipole‐like pattern of sea level pressure (SLP) in the North Pacific, is an atmospheric circulation that is a key to ...understanding tropical‐extratropical interactions in the Pacific. We show that the center of the southern lobe SLP in the NPO during boreal winter (December‐January‐February) is shifted to the east after the mid‐1990s compared to before the mid‐1990s. This leads to the change in the relationship between the NPO and El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The NPO is closely associated with the convective forcing in the tropical Pacific during boreal winter before the mid‐1990s. After the mid‐1990s, in contrast, the simultaneous relationship of the NPO and ENSO during boreal winter becomes weak. However, an eastward shift of the NPO's southern lobe SLP during boreal winter causes a close relationship with the ENSO in the winter of the following year through atmosphere‐ocean coupled processes after the mid‐1990s. These results indicate that atmospheric circulation in the North Pacific characterized by the NPO becomes more influential in the tropical Pacific with a lagged time after the mid‐1990s, likely due to the eastward shift in the NPO's structure. We also briefly discuss which processes cause an eastward shift in the NPO's southern lobe SLP.
Plain Language Summary
Understanding the North Pacific Oscillation (NPO), which is characterized by a north‐south dipole‐like pattern of sea level pressure (SLP) in the North Pacific, is a key to understanding tropical‐extratropical interactions in the Pacific. This study examines the decadal changes in the NPO's spatial structure and its consequent change in the relationship with El Niño and the Southern Oscillation (ENSO) for 1979–2016. It is found that the center of the southern lobe SLP in the NPO during boreal winter (December‐January‐February) is shifted to the east after the mid‐1990s compared to before the mid‐1990s. This leads to the change in the relationship between the NPO and ENSO. An eastward shift of the NPO's southern lobe SLP during boreal winter causes a close relationship with the ENSO in the winter of the following year through atmosphere‐ocean coupled processes after the mid‐1990s.
Key Points
A simultaneous relationship of the NPO and ENSO during boreal winter becomes weak after the mid‐1990s
A shift of the NPO's southern lobe SLP causes a close relationship with the ENSO in the winter of the following year after the mid‐1990s
A shift of the NPO's southern lobe indicates that the NPO has played an active role in influencing the tropical Pacific in the recent past
Malnutrition in gastrectomized patients receiving chemotherapy is associated with the susceptibility to chemotherapy-related adverse events. This study evaluated pre-operative nutritional ...status-related indices associated with adverse events in post-operation gastric cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
Medical records of 234 gastrectomized patients under adjuvant tegafur/gimeracil/oteracil chemotherapy with extended lymph node dissection were analyzed. Nutritional status assessment included Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), body weight, body mass index, serum albumin concentration, and Nutrition Risk Index (NRI). Chemotherapy-originated adverse events were determined using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.
PG-SGA indicated 59% of the patients were malnourished, and 27.8% of the patients revealed serious malnutrition with PG-SGA score of ≥9. Fifteen % of patients lost ≥10% of the initial body weight, 14.5% of the patients had hypoalbuminemia (<3.5 g/dL), and 66.2% had NRI score less than 97.5 indicating moderate to severe malnutrition. Hematological adverse events were present in 94% (≥grade 1) and 16.2% (≥grade 3). Non-hematological adverse events occurred in 95.7% (≥grade1) and 16.7% (≥grade 3) of the patients. PG-SGA and NRI score was not associated with treatment-induced adverse events. Multivariate analyses indicated that female, low body mass index, and hypoalbuminemia were independent risk factors for grade 3/4 hematological adverse events. Age was an independent risk factor for grade 3/4 non-hematological adverse events. Neutropenia was the most frequently occurring adverse event, and associated risk factors were female, total gastrectomy, and hypoalbuminemia.
Hypoalbuminemia, not PG-SGA or NRI may predict chemotherapy-induced adverse events in gastrectomized cancer patients.
PDF
