Search

Conflict of interest: No Introduction and Objectives: The Metabolic dysfunction associated with fatty liver (MAFLD) is the most common hepatic affection worldwide1. The critical pathophysiological hallmark of MAFLD is the hepatocyte's accumulation of intracellular fats2.The gold standard for diagnosing MAFLD is liver biopsy; however, this method is invasive and cannot be used to follow the progression of the disease. On the other hand, changes in total weight and body fat distribution can be used for clinically suspected indicators of MAFLD progression3,4; however, sex dependence is not completely elucidated.This study aims to investigate the sex differences in body composition changes and their relationship with liver disease progression in the eNOS KO. The eNOS KO is a metabolic model of MAFLD and recapitulates the disease in 8-12 weeks when fed a high-calorie and high-fat diet5. Patients / Materials and Methods: We fed 8 groups of 12-week-old eNOS KO mice for 0 weeks (n=6), 4 weeks (n=6), 8 weeks (n=6), and 12 weeks (n=6)At each time point, an in vivo MRI imaging of body composition and Dixon Quant quantification were acquired using a Philips Ingenia 3T MR scan. We harvested the liver each time for histology analyses and obtained plasma for serological measurements.All data were analyzed using no parametric statistics in Prism 9.0.0 (GraphPad Software Inc, La Jolla, CA). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) statistical package R v4.0.2. Results and Discussion: Males and females increased their weight during the diet intervention (23% males, 13% females, fig. 1A); however, both groups ate a similar amount of food. Males showed greater visceral fat accumulation than females throughout the intervention period; when we adjust for body weight, males have a significantly higher proportion of visceral fat volume per unit of mass than females (fig. 1B).During the dietary intervention, the mice showed a progressive increase in the NAS score, with females reaching a maximum score of 3 and males reaching 5 (fig. 1C).Using the dimensionality reduction technique and the KNN classification boundary, it was possible to demonstrate that the animals are grouped according to the progression of the disease but also grouped by sex (fig. 1D). Conclusions: The progression of MAFLD showed different phenotypes in males and females. Using markers from body composition, liver and muscle fat fraction, it was possible to identify sex-dependent clusters that correlate with the liver damage progression. Our results suggest the need to identify diagnostic and progression markers of MAFLD differentiated by sex.

Abstract Therapeutic effect of phytochemicals has been emphasized in the traditional medicine owing to the presence of bioactive molecules, such as polyphenols. Luteolin is a flavone belonging to the flavonoid class of polyphenolic phytochemicals with healing effect on hypertension, inflammatory disorders, and cancer due to its action as pro-oxidants and antioxidants. The anticancer profile of luteolin is of interest due to the toxic effect of contemporary chemotherapy paradigm, leading to the pressing need for the development and identification of physiologically benevolent anticancer agents and molecules. Luteolin exerts anticancer activity by downregulation of key regulatory pathways associated with oncogenesis, in addition to the induction of oxidative stress, cell cycle arrest, upregulation of apoptotic genes, and inhibition of cell proliferation and angiogenesis in cancer cells. In this review, we discuss about the anticancer profile of luteolin.

Abstract Anatomical complications of the craniofacial regions often present considerable challenges to the surgical repair or replacement of the damaged tissues. Surgical repair has its own set of limitations, including scarcity of the donor tissues, immune rejection, use of immune suppressors followed by the surgery, and restriction in restoring the natural aesthetic appeal. Rapid advancement in the field of biomaterials, cell biology, and engineering has helped scientists to create cellularized skeletal muscle‐like structures. However, the existing method still has limitations in building large, highly vascular tissue with clinical application. With the advance in the three‐dimensional (3D) bioprinting technique, scientists and clinicians now can produce the functional implants of skeletal muscles and bones that are more patient‐specific with the perfect match to the architecture of their craniofacial defects. Craniofacial tissue regeneration using 3D bioprinting can manage and eliminate the restrictions of the surgical transplant from the donor site. The concept of creating the new functional tissue, exactly mimicking the anatomical and physiological function of the damaged tissue, looks highly attractive. This is crucial to reduce the donor site morbidity and retain the esthetics. 3D bioprinting can integrate all three essential components of tissue engineering, that is, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and regeneration of the lost craniofacial tissues. Such integration essentially helps to develop the patient‐specific treatment plans and damage site‐driven creation of the functional implants for the craniofacial defects. This article is the bird's eye view on the latest development and application of 3D bioprinting in the regeneration of the skeletal muscle tissues and their application in restoring the functional abilities of the damaged craniofacial tissue. We also discussed current challenges in craniofacial bone vascularization and gave our view on the future direction, including establishing the interactions between tissue‐engineered skeletal muscle and the peripheral nervous system.

Introduction and objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) encompasses a spectrum of liver abnormalities including steatosis, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard method to determine the disease stage in NAFLD but is an invasive and risky procedure. Studies have previously reported that changes in intrahepatic fatty acids (FA) composition are related to the progression of NAFLD, mainly in its early stages. The aim of this study was to characterize the liver FA composition in mice fed a Choline-deficient L-amino-defined (CDAA) diet at different stages of NAFLD using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Methods: We used in-vivo MRS to perform a longitudinal characterization of hepatic FA changes in NAFLD mice for 10 weeks. We validated our findings with ex-vivo MRS, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and histology. Results: In-vivo and ex-vivo results showed that livers from CDAA-fed mice exhibit a significant increase in liver FA content as well as a change in FA composition compared with control mice. After 4 weeks of CDAA diet, a decrease in polyunsaturated and an increase in monounsaturated FA were observed. These changes were associated with the appearance of early stages of steatohepatitis, confirmed by histology (NAFLD Activity Score (NAS) = 4.5). After 10 weeks of CDAA-diet, the liver FA composition remained stable while the NAS increased further to 6 showing a combination of early and late stages of steatohepatitis. Conclusion: Our results suggest that monitoring lipid composition in addition to total water/fat with MRS may yield additional insights that can be translated for non-invasive stratification of high-risk NAFLD patients.

Computational approach to study of neuronal impairment is rapidly evolving, as experiments and intuition alone could not explain the complexity of brain system. The increase in an overwhelming amount of new data from both theory and computational modeling necessitate the development of databases and tools for analysis, visualization, and interpretation of neuroscience data. To ensure the sustainability of this development, consistent update and training of young professionals are imperative. For this purpose, relevant articles, chapters, and modules are essential to keep abreast of developments. Therefore, this article seeks to outline the biological databases and analytical tools along with their applications. It’s envisaged that knowledge along this line would be a “training recipe” for young talents and guide for professionals and researchers in neuroscience.