Diabetic nephropathy produces alterations in the tissue expression profile of the orphan receptors GPR149, GPR153, GPR176, TAAR3, TAAR5 and TAAR9 in Wistar rats.

Diabetes mellitus is a debilitating health care problem affecting 382 million people around the world and one of the most common complications is diabetic nephropathy. For this reason, it is important to try to identify new mechanisms that could be involved in diabetes. A new class of receptors has been reported, called orphan receptors because the associated ligand and signaling cascades are unknown.

Naringenin prevents experimental liver fibrosis by blocking TGFβ-Smad3 and JNK-Smad3 pathways.

Aim: To study the molecular mechanisms involved in the hepatoprotective effects of naringenin (NAR) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl)-induced liver fibrosis.

Methods: Thirty-two male Wistar rats (120-150 g) were randomly divided into four groups: (1) a control group ( = 8) that received 0.7% carboxy methyl-cellulose (NAR vehicle) 1 mL/daily p.

Coffee consumption prevents fibrosis in a rat model that mimics secondary biliary cirrhosis in humans.

Investigations demonstrated that oxidative stress plays an important role in injury promotion in cholestatic liver disease. We hypothesized that coffee attenuates cholestasis-induced hepatic necrosis and fibrosis via its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic properties. The major aim of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective properties of coffee and caffeine in a model of chronic bile duct ligation (BDL) in male Wistar rats.

Redox state and methods to evaluate oxidative stress in liver damage: From bench to bedside.

 Oxidative stress is importantly involved in the pathophysiology of various liver diseases. The redox state participates on the course of the inflammatory, metabolic and proliferative liver diseases. The main sources of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) are represented by the mitochondria and cytochrome P450 enzymes in the hepatocyte, Kupffer cells and neutrophils.

Nicotinic acid prevents experimental liver fibrosis by attenuating the prooxidant process.

Unlabelled: Liver fibrosis is the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins that occurs in most chronic liver diseases. Nicotinamide treatment has been shown to prevent collagen accumulation and fibrogenesis in a bleomycin model of lung fibrosis. In this study, we evaluated the effects of nicotinic acid (NA) on experimental liver fibrosis and investigated its underlying mechanism.

Caffeine prevents experimental liver fibrosis by blocking the expression of TGF-β.

Background: There is a growing body of evidence that caffeine exerts beneficial effects on the liver; however, the molecular mechanisms by which caffeine exerts beneficial effects on the liver are poorly defined.

Aims: The aim of the present study was to examine the efficacy of caffeine in preventing thioacetamide (TAA)-induced cirrhosis in rats.

Materials And Methods: Cirrhosis was induced by chronic TAA administration and the effects of coadministration of caffeine for 8 weeks were evaluated, including control groups.

Coffee attenuates fibrosis by decreasing the expression of TGF-β and CTGF in a murine model of liver damage.

This study was performed to evaluate the antifibrotic properties of coffee in a model of liver damage induced by repeated administration of thioacetamide (TAA) in male Wistar rats. In this study, cirrhosis was induced by chronic TAA administration and the effects of co-administration of conventional caffeinated coffee or decaffeinated coffee (CC, DC, respectively) for 8 weeks were evaluated. TAA administration elevated serum alkaline phosphatase (AP), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) and alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), liver lipid peroxidation, collagen content, depleted liver glycogen and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity.

Contrasting effects of cord injury on intravenous and oral pharmacokinetics of diclofenac: a drug with intermediate hepatic extraction.

Study Design: Laboratory investigation in rats submitted to experimental spinal cord injury (SCI).

Objective: To determine the effect of acute SCI on the pharmacokinetics of diclofenac, a marker drug of intermediate hepatic extraction, administered by the intravenous and the oral routes.

Methods: Female Wistar rats were submitted to complete section of the spinal cord at the T8 level.

Prevalence of the fibrinogen beta-chain, angiotensin-converting enzyme and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 polymorphisms in Costa Rican young adults with thrombotic disease.

Thrombotic disease is a multifactorial condition that involves both classical and genetic risk factors. We studied the association between the classical risk factors of hypertension and smoking, and polymorphisms on the genes of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), the beta-chain of fibrinogen (FG), and the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in patients with venous and arterial thrombosis. The present investigation is a retrospective case-control study.

Coffee and liver diseases.

Coffee consumption is worldwide spread with few side effects. Interestingly, coffee intake has been inversely related to the serum enzyme activities gamma-glutamyltransferase, and alanine aminotransferase in studies performed in various countries. In addition, epidemiological results, taken together, indicate that coffee consumption is inversely related with hepatic cirrhosis; however, they cannot demonstrate a causative role of coffee with prevention of liver injury.

Kernicterus by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency: a case report and review of the literature.

Introduction: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is an X-linked recessive disease that causes acute or chronic hemolytic anemia and potentially leads to severe jaundice in response to oxidative agents. This deficiency is the most common human innate error of metabolism, affecting more than 400 million people worldwide.

Case Presentation: Here, we present the first documented case of kernicterus in Panama, in a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient newborn clothed in naphthalene-impregnated garments, resulting in reduced psychomotor development, neurosensory hypoacousia, absence of speech and poor reflex of the pupil to light.

Wegener's granulomatosis appearing initially in the trachea.

We treated ten patients with Wegener's granulomatosis whose clinical picture differed only in stage of the disease at the time of the first visit. All patients were female with a mean age of 30 years and all presented with a picture of high tracheal obstruction. Three died and six have a permanent tracheostomy.