Role of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in the Pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Comprehensive Review

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the most common liver disorder, affecting around 25% of the population worldwide. It is a complex disease spectrum, closely linked with other conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome, which may increase liver-related mortality. In light of this, numerous efforts have been carried out in recent years in order to clarify its pathogenesis and create new prevention strategies. Currently, the essential role of environmental pollutants in NAFLD development is recognized. Particularly, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have a notable influence. EDCs can be classified as natural (phytoestrogens, genistein, and coumestrol) or synthetic, and the latter ones can be further subdivided into industrial (dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, and alkylphenols), agricultural (pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides), residential (phthalates, polybrominated biphenyls, and bisphenol A), and pharmaceutical (parabens). Several experimental models have proposed a mechanism involving this group of substances with the disruption of hepatic metabolism, which promotes NAFLD. These include an imbalance between lipid influx/efflux in the liver, mitochondrial dysfunction, liver inflammation, and epigenetic reprogramming. It can be concluded that exposure to EDCs might play a crucial role in NAFLD initiation and evolution. However, further investigations supporting these effects in humans are required.     

Characterization of pili nut (Canarium ovatum) oil: Fatty acid and triacylglycerol composition and physicochemical properties

The fatty acid and triacylglycerol composition of pili nut (Canarium ovatum) oil and fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. The oil obtained by solvent extraction was low in polyunsaturated fatty acids and high in saturates. The polyunsaturated fatty acid (18∶2 and 18∶3) contents were less than 11%, whereas palmitic (16∶0) and stearic acid (18∶0) were 33.3 and 10.9%, respectively. The saturated fatty acid level of the low-melting fraction oil was reduced from 44.4 to 35.5% and the total unsaturated fatty acid levels were increased from 55.6 to 65% by fractional crystallization. Triacylglycerol analysis showed that the high-melting fraction (HM) from pili nut oil consisted of POP, POS, and SOS+SSO (P=palmitic acid, O=oleic acid, and S=stearic acid) in the proportion of 48.6, 38.8, and 8.7%, respectively. The physicochemical properties of the HM fraction were studied using differential scanning calorimetry and pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance. The results showed that the melting range and solid fat content of the HM fraction were very similar to those isolated from cocoa butter and olive oil. The content of POP played an important role in determining the melting range of the HM fraction. It is suggested that this HM fraction may have applications as a cocoa butter substitute in confectionery products.     

Design of an integrated single-input dual-output 3-switch buck converter based on sliding mode control

This paper presents the design, implementation, and testing of a proof-of-concept monolithic single-input dual-output buck converter. The proposed architecture implements an analog hysteretic controller. This avoids the use of extra circuitry to generate a dedicated reference carrier signal to create the pulse-width modulated waveform, thus saving area, and reducing static power consumption. Furthermore, the proposed topology implements only three switches (instead of four switches in conventional solutions), and can save additional silicon area with proper design of the power switches in the voltage regulator. The IC prototype was fabricated in standard 0.5 μm CMOS technology (V_THN = 0.78 V, V_THP = ?0.93 V), operates with a single voltage supply of 1.8 V, generates 1.2 and 0.9 V output-voltage levels, and supplies a maximum total current of 200 mA (100 mA provided by each output), reaching up to 88 % efficiency.     

Effectiveness of probiotics,prebiotics, and prebiotic‐like components in common functional foods

The bioactive ingredients in commonly consumed foods include, but are not limited to, prebiotics, prebiotic‐like components, probiotics, and postbiotics. The bioactive ingredients in functional foods have also been associated with beneficial effects on human health. For example, they aid in shaping of gut microflora and promotion of immunity. These functional components also contribute in preventing serious diseases such as cardiovascular malfunction and tumorigenesis. However, the specific mechanisms of these positive influences on human health are still under investigation. In this review, we aim to emphasize the major contents of probiotics, prebiotics, and prebiotic‐like components commonly found in consumable functional foods, and we present an overview of direct and indirect benefits they provide on human health. The major contributors are certain families of metabolites, specifically short‐chain fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids produced by probiotics, and prebiotics, or prebiotic‐like components such as flavonoids, polyphenols, and vitamins that are found in functional foods. These functional ingredients in foods influence the gut microbiota by stimulating the growth of beneficial microbes and the production of beneficial metabolites that, in turn, have direct benefits to the host, while also providing protection from pathogens and maintaining a balanced gut ecosystem. The complex interactions that arise among functional food ingredients, human physiology, the gut microbiota, and their respective metabolic pathways have been found to minimize several factors that contribute to the incidence of chronic disease, such as inflammation oxidative stress.     

Medial prefrontal cortex and Pavlovian conditioning: Trace versus delay conditioning.

Pavlovian eyeblink (EB) conditioning was studied in both trace and delay paradigms in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) with either medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) lesions or sham lesions. mPFC lesions of prelimbic cortex (Brodmann's Area 32) retarded EB conditioning in the trace but not the delay paradigm. However, this effect was significant only when the conditioned stimulus (CS) was 500 rather than 100 ms in duration. Lesions of the anterior cingulate cortex (Area 24) did not affect EB conditioning in a trace paradigm. Accompanying CS-evoked heart rate slowing was attenuated under all conditions by the mPFC lesions, although this result was not always statistically significant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Amygdala–prefrontal interactions and conditioned bradycardia in the rabbit.

Damage to the amygdala or medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) produces deficits in learned autonomic adjustments. Whether connections between these 2 structures are necessary for acquiring classically conditioned heart rate (HR) decelerations was studied. Connections between them were interrupted by unilateral lesions of the mPFC and amygdala, but on opposite sides of the brain. One experiment focused on the mPFC and amygdala central nucleus and a second on the mPFC and amygdala basolateral complex. Bilateral lesions of either structure disrupted the HR conditioned response. The response of the 2 crossed lesioned groups also was smaller than that of the sham-operated and unilateral lesioned groups, but significant conditioned stimulus-evoked bradycardia occurred in both, suggesting that although interactions between the amygdala- and mPFC may normally occur during associative emotional responding, these connections are not necessary for the acquisition of conditioned bradycardia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posttraining lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex impair performance of Pavlovian eyeblink conditioning but have no effect on concomitant heart rate changes in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a critical role in conditioned autonomic adjustments but is not involved in classically conditioned somatomotor responses unless the training conditions include reversal or trace conditioning. The studies showing these effects have all used pretraining lesions. The present study assessed the effects of posttraining lesions on eyeblink (EB) and heart rate (HR) conditioned responses (CRs) in both delay and trace conditioning paradigms in the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Posttraining lesions lowered the percentage of EB CRs during retesting compared with pretesting levels for both delay and trace conditioning. Control lesions and pretraining lesions produced no significant effects during retesting. Posttraining lesions had no effect on the HR CR. These findings suggest that a critical mechanism in the mPFC is involved in retrieval of information during EB conditioning but that the mPFC integration of autonomic and somatomotor processes is not critical to this retrieval process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)