Creatine supplementation protects against diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver but exacerbates alcoholic fatty liver.

AIMS: This work investigated the effects of creatine supplementation on different pathways related to the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and alcoholic liver disease. MAIN METHODS: To induce alcoholic liver disease, male Swiss mice were divided into three groups: control, ethanol and ethanol supplemented with creatine. To induce non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, mice were divided into three groups: control, high-fat diet and high-fat diet supplemented with creatine. Each group consisted of eight animals. In both cases, creatine monohydrate was added to the diets (1 %; weight/vol). KEY FINDINGS: Creatine supplementation prevented high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progression, demonstrated by attenuated liver fat accumulation and liver damage. On the other hand, when combined with ethanol, creatine supplementation up-regulated key genes related to ethanol metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation and lipid synthesis, and exacerbated ethanol-induced liver steatosis and damage, demonstrated by increased liver fat accumulation and histopathological score, as well as elevated oxidative damage markers and inflammatory mediators. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results clearly demonstrated creatine supplementation exerts different outcomes in relation to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and alcoholic liver disease, namely it protects against high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease but exacerbates ethanol-induced alcoholic liver disease. The exacerbating effects of the creatine and ethanol combination appear to be related to oxidative stress and inflammation-mediated up-regulation of ethanol metabolism.

Maternal separation on the ethanol-preferring adult rat liver structure.

UNLABELLED: Background and rationale for the study. We designed to test whether there is interaction of maternal separation (MS) on the ethanol-preferring rats liver structure. The UCh rat pups were separated daily from their mothers during the stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP), between four and 14 days-old, always at the same time for four hours in a cage containing eight subdivisions, one for each pup. Subsequently, rats that presented the highest (UChB) and the lowest (UChA) ethanol (EtOH) consumption were selected to the study. Both UChB and UChA rats received 10% (v/v) EtOH and distilled water ad libitum until the end of the experiment (120 days-old). The liver was collected to histological routine for morphometric and stereological analyses, and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: There was an interaction of MS and EtOH on the liver: increased liver mass, peritubular vessels, stellate cell numbers, steatosis and cell death, decreased necrosis, sinusoidal capillary diameters and cell proliferation. While there was a decrease in FSH, testosterone and 5α-di-hidrotestosterone, and increasing corticosterone and cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: There is interaction of MS and EtOH on the liver structure, dependent on the amount of EtOH intake. Furthermore, the interaction of stress and drugs can increase or decrease their effects on the liver or indirectly via hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axes.

[Clinical and biochemical characteristics in patients with histology compatible with steatothepatitis in National Hospital Arzobispo Loayza, Lima, Peru, from 2010 to 2012]. / Características clínicas y bioquímicas en pacientes con histología compatible con esteatohepatitis del Hospital Nacional Arzobispo Loayza, Lima, Perú en el 2010-2012.

OBJECTIVES: Describe the clinical and biochemical characteristics of patients with histopathological findings compatible with steatohepatitis of HNAL patients between 2010-2012. Determine the frequency of alcoholic and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, presence of metabolic syndrome and other factors associated to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, its main indications for liver biopsy and biochemical characteristics according to the severity of the histological findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated all histological slides of liver biopsies of the period between 2010-2012, of which, those with the diagnosis of steatohepatitis were selected. Their medical records were then reviewed. RESULTS: 32 patients met inclusion criteria. 28 were female and 4 male, the average age was 49±12 years. Two patients had a history of chronic alcohol consumption, representing the group of alcoholic steatohepatitis. The more frequent clinical finding in patients with NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), was obesity (37%). 50% of patients had AST/ALT ratio <1. CONCLUSIONS: Among population studied, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis was more common than alcoholic steatohepatitis, being obesity the most associated factor.

Percepção materna quanto aos filhos recém-nascidos hospitalizados / Maternal perception regarding hospitalized newborns / Percepción materna con respecto a hijos recién nacidos hospitalizados

Estudo transversal e descritivo, desenvolvido em unidade neonatal de um hospital público de ensino do estado de São Paulo, Brasil, em que se objetivou verificar a percepção das mães quanto aos filhos recém-nascidos hospitalizados. A amostra foi constituída por 100 mulheres, questionadas, por meio do Inventário de Percepção Neonatal de Broussard, sobre quanta dificuldade esperavam que os bebês da unidade, em geral, apresentassem para comportamentos como: chorar; alimentar; regurgitar ou vomitar; evacuar; dormir e estabelecer uma rotina. Em seguida, as mesmas perguntas foram repetidas sobre o próprio filho. Noventa mães consideraram os filhos com menos dificuldades que os outros bebês da unidade. As mulheres mais jovens e as mães de bebês com maiores pesos tenderam a considerar seus filhos com mais dificuldade. O Inventário é de fácil aplicação e pode ser útil no processo de avaliação da interação mãe-filho, embora seu resultado não possa ser considerado de forma isolada.

Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in the neonatal unit of a public teaching hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, which aimed to determine the perceptions of mothers about their newborns hospitalized children. The sample consisted of 100 women questioned, through the Neonatal Perception Inventory Broussard, about how much trouble was expected to be presented by babies of the general unit, on behaviors such as crying; feeding; regurgitate or vomit; evacuate; sleep and have a routine. Then, the same questions were repeated about their own babies. Ninety mothers considered their children with fewer difficulties than other babies at the unit. Younger women and mothers of infants with higher weights tended to consider their children with more difficulty. The Inventory is easy to apply and may be useful in the evaluation of mother-child interaction, although its result cannot be considered in isolation.

Estudio descriptivo transversal realizado en la unidad neonatal de un hospital público de enseñanza en el estado de São Paulo, Brasil, que tuve como objetivo determinar las percepciones de las madres con respecto a sus hijos recién nacidos hospitalizados. La muestra consistió en 100 mujeres a quien, a través del Inventario de Percepción Neonatal Broussard, se preguntó por la cantidad de problemas esperaban que los bebés de la unidad general presentasen respecto a comportamientos como el llanto; alimentos; regurgitar o vomitar; evacuar; dormir y establecer una rutina. Entonces, las mismas preguntas se repitieron a respecto de su propio hijo. Noventa madres consideraran a sus hijos con menos dificultad que los otros bebés en la unidad. Las mujeres más jóvenes y las madres de los recién nacidos con pesos mayores tendían a ver a sus hijos con más dificultades. El inventario es fácil de aplicar y puede ser útil en la evaluación del proceso de interacción madre-hijo, aunque sus resultados no pueden ser considerados aisladamente.

Fatty liver: how frequent is it and why?

There is increasing evidence that fatty liver may be the most frequent liver disorder in Western countries. However, the epidemiology of fatty liver is still not fully understood and there is a clear need of better assessing and defining the potential role of the risk factors identified by clinical series in the general population. This article reviews the available data on the epidemiology of fatty liver and addresses some important questions that should be answered in much needed future research.