Obesity has been identified as a chronic low-grade systemic inflammation and a key risk factor for diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and malignancies, and has become an urgent global health burden. Adipose tissue macrophages play a significant role in adipose immune homeostasis and inflammatory responses. Under different conditions, they can be polarized into pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype or anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. In obese individuals, there is abnormal polarization of macrophages in adipose tissue, leading to an imbalance in the M1/M2 phenotype dynamic equilibrium and the development of pathological inflammation. Therefore, restoring the balance of M1/M2 macrophage polarization is an important potential target for the treatment of chronic inflammation in obesity. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) can positively modulate macrophage polarization and produce beneficial effects on obesity. Based on existing evidence, this paper systematically reviewed the potential mechanisms of TCM in improving chronic inflammation in obesity from the perspective of macrophage polarization, in order to provide evidence for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of chronic inflammation in obesity with TCM and offer new insights for related research design and the development of new TCM.
Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Obesity/drug therapy* ; Adipose Tissue/pathology* ; Inflammation/drug therapy* ; Macrophages ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Objectives: To examine the landscape and metastases of the lymph nodes in prostatic anterior fat pad (PAFP) at radical prostatectomy (RP), and to describe the clinical characteristic of the patients with lymph node metastases in PAFP. Methods: The clinical and pathological data of 287 prostate cancer patients underwent RP from December 2019 to August 2021 in Department of Urology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were collected and analyzed retrospectively. All patients were male, aging (66±7) years (range: 42 to 83 years). The preoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (M(IQR)) were 16.00(29.64) μg/L (range: 0.01 to 99.90 μg/L). There were 244 patients with localized or locally advanced prostate cancer and 43 patients with metastatic prostate cancer. All PAFP were dissected at RP routinely and were sent for pathologic analysis respectively. The PAFP was dissected from the prostate apex caudally toward the bladder neck and dissection extended to the joint of the prostate and the endopelvic fascia bilaterally. All the specimen of PAFP were examined and reported by subspecialty pathologists of genitourinary tumors. Statistical analysis was performed by Student t test, Wilcoxon rank-sum test, χ² test or Fisher exact test. Results: There were 8.0% (23/287) patients with lymph nodes in PAFP, 3.8% (11/287) patients with PAFP lymph node metastases. Pathologically upstaged occurred in 1 patient due to the PAFP lymph node as the solitary metastatic lesion. Patients with lymph node metastases in PAFP presented higher preoperative PSA (M(IQR): 48.2(73.0) μg/L vs. 15.4(26.5) μg/L, Z=3.158, P=0.002), clinical T stage and N stage (Z=2.977, P=0.003; Z=2.780, P=0.005) and preoperative Gleason score (Z=2.205, P=0.027). Conclusions: Routine dissection of PAFP at RP and separately pathological analysis may allow more lymph nodes and lymph node metastases detection. More accurate pathological N stage may be acquired and consequently may improve the survival of patients by offering more appropriate adjuvant or salvage therapy.
Humans ; Male ; Prostate/pathology* ; Lymphatic Metastasis/pathology* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Retrospective Studies ; Prostatectomy ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Prostatic Neoplasms/therapy* ; Adipose Tissue ; Lymph Node Excision

BACKGROUND: Although fat accumulation in human organs is associated with a variety of diseases, there is little evidence about the effect of a fatty pancreas on the development of subclinical chronic pancreatitis over the clinical course. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study from 2008 to 2014 of patients who underwent a medical checkup consultation for fat accumulated in the pancreas. Patients included in the analysis were divided into a non-fatty pancreas group (n = 9710) and fatty pancreas group (n = 223). The primary end point was the odds ratio (OR) for chronic pancreatitis associated with fatty pancreas, which was diagnosed using ultrasonography. We used a multiple logistic regression model to estimate the OR and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Ninety-two people were diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, including both presumptive and definitive diagnoses. Twelve people were diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis by ultrasonography among the 223 patients with fatty pancreas, and 80 patients among 9710 were diagnosed with non-fatty pancreas. The crude OR was 6.85 (95% CI 3.68, 12.75), and the multiple adjusted OR was 3.96 (95% CI 2.04, 7.66). CONCLUSIONS Fat accumulation in the pancreas could be a risk factor for developing subclinical chronic pancreatitis.
Adipose Tissue ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Adult ; Alcohol Drinking ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Japan ; epidemiology ; Life Style ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreas ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Pancreatitis, Chronic ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Physical Examination ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Smoking ; epidemiology

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a fundamental role in maintaining body temperature by producing heat. BAT that had been know to exist only in mammals and the human neonate has received great attention for the treatment of obesity and diabetes due to its important function in energy metabolism, ever since it is recently reported that human adults have functional BAT. In addition, beige adipocytes, brown adipocytes in white adipose tissue (WAT), have also been shown to take part in whole body metabolism. Multiple lines of evidence demonstrated that transplantation or activation of BAT or/and beige adipocytes reversed obesity and improved insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, many genes involved in BATactivation and/or the recruitment of beige cells have been found, thereby providing new promising strategies for future clinical application of BAT activation to treat obesity and metabolic diseases. This review focuses on recent advances of BAT function in the metabolic aspect and the relationship between BAT and cancer cachexia, a pathological process accompanied with decreased body weight and increased energy expenditure in cancer patients. The underlying possible mechanisms to reduce BAT mass and its activity in the elderly are also discussed.
Adipose Tissue, Brown ; metabolism ; Aging ; metabolism ; Animals ; Cachexia ; metabolism ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Energy Metabolism ; Humans ; Metabolic Syndrome ; metabolism ; Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Obesity ; metabolism ; Thermogenesis

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver dysfunction and a significant global health problem with substantial rise in prevalence over the last decades. It is becoming increasingly clear that NALFD is not only predominantly a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, but also involves extra-hepatic organs and regulatory pathways. Therapeutic options are limited for the treatment of NAFLD. Accordingly, a better understanding of the pathogenesis of NAFLD is critical for gaining new insight into the regulatory network of NAFLD and for identifying new targets for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. In this review, we emphasize on the current understanding of the inter-organ crosstalk between the liver and peripheral organs that contributing to the pathogenesis of NAFLD.
Adipose Tissue ; pathology ; Animals ; Extracellular Vesicles ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hypothalamus ; metabolism ; Intestines ; microbiology ; pathology ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; etiology ; metabolism ; microbiology ; pathology

Obesity is characterized by abnormal and excessive adipose tissue accumulated in the body. Compared with peripheral obesity (the accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue), abdominal obesity (the accumulation of visceral adipose tissue) is associated with increased risk of the metabolic syndrome, such as diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and dyslipidemia. Adipose tissue is a highly heterogeneous endocrine organ. Adipose tissue depots differ significantly in anatomy, cell biology, glucose and lipid metabolism as well as in endocrine regulation. Visceral adipose tissue has a stronger metabolic activity and secrets a larger amount of free fat acids, adipocytokines, hormones and inflammatory factors, which flux into the liver directly via the hepatic portal vein. These characteristics indicate that visceral adiposity may lead to the metabolic syndrome and thus visceral adipose tissue might be the clinical target for the prevention and treatment of obesity.
Adipose Tissue ; pathology ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; pathology ; Lipid Metabolism ; Metabolic Syndrome ; physiopathology ; Obesity ; physiopathology ; Obesity, Abdominal ; physiopathology ; Subcutaneous Fat ; pathology

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is believed to be the most prevalent liver disease worldwide and a major cause of chronic liver injury. It is characterized by lipid accumulation in the absence of significant alcohol consumption and frequently progresses to steatohepatitis, liver fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although many studies have been conducted to better understand NAFLD since it was first recognized, there are still many gaps in knowledge of etiology, prognosis, prevention and treatment. Methionine-choline deficient (MCD) diet, a well-established experimental model of NAFLD in rodents, rapidly and efficiently produces the clinical pathologies including macrovesicular steatosis and leads to disease progression. In this study, we measured the response to MCD diet in C57BL/6N mice obtained from three different sources; Korea NIFDS, USA, and Japan. We evaluated changes in body weight, food consumption, and relative weights of tissues such as liver, kidney, gonadal white adipose tissue, inguinal white adipose tissue, and brown adipose tissue. These basic parameters of mice with an MCD diet were not significantly different among the sources of mice tested. After 3 weeks on an MCD diet, histopathological analyses showed that the MCD diet induced clear fat vacuoles involving most area of the acinus in the liver of all mice. It was accompanied by increased serum activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, and decreased levels of serum triglyceride and cholesterol. In conclusion, the response of C57BL6N mice originating from different sources to the MCD diet showed no significant differences as measured by physiological, biochemical, and histopathological parameters.
Adipose Tissue, Brown ; Adipose Tissue, White ; Alanine Transaminase ; Alcohol Drinking ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Body Weight ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Disease Progression ; Fatty Liver* ; Gonads ; Japan ; Kidney ; Korea ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases ; Methionine* ; Mice* ; Models, Theoretical ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; Pathology ; Prognosis ; Rodentia ; Triglycerides ; Vacuoles ; Weights and Measures

Obesity, which underlies various metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, is a growing public health challenge for which established therapies are inadequate. Given the current obesity epidemic, there is a pressing need for more novel therapeutic strategies that will help adult individuals to manage their weight. One promising therapeutic intervention for reducing obesity is to enhance energy expenditure. Investigations into human brown fat and the recently discovered beige/brite fat have galvanized intense research efforts during the past decade because of their pivotal roles in energy dissipation. In this review, we summarize the evolution of human brown adipose tissue (hBAT) research and discuss new in vivo methodologies for evaluating energy expenditure in patients. We highlight the differences between human and mouse BAT by integrating and comparing their cellular morphology, function, and gene expression profiles. Although great advances in hBAT biology have been achieved in the past decade, more cellular models are needed to acquire a better understanding of adipose-specific processes and molecular mechanisms. Thus, this review also describes the development of a human brown fat cell line, which could provide promising mechanistic insights into hBAT function, signal transduction, and development. Finally, we focus on the therapeutic potential and current limitations of hBAT as an anti-glycemic, anti-lipidemic, and weight loss-inducing 'metabolic panacea'.
Adipose Tissue, Beige ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adipose Tissue, Brown ; metabolism ; pathology ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Energy Metabolism ; Humans ; Mice ; Obesity ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo establish a diet-induced obesity model in zebrafish larvae.

METHODSAt 7 days post-fertilization (dpf), 200 zebrafish larvae with normal development were randomly allocated to two groups with the feeding quantity of 30 mg per day (normal feeding group) or 180 mg per day (overfed group) for 20 days. The weight, length, BMI, triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (TCH) of each group were measured. Whole-mount Oil Red O staining, frozen Oil Red O staining and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining were used to estimate the rate of hepatic steatosis and liver histology of the zebrafish. The dynamic change of hepatic lipid droplets and distribution of adipose tissue were observed with Nile Red staining in overfed zebrafish in vivo.

RESULTSThe weight, length, BMI and TG of overfed zebrafish were significantly increased compared with those in normal feeding group. Whole-mount Oil Red O staining showed that the percent of hepatic steatosis in overfed group (89.4%) was markedly higher than that in normal feeding group (20.7%). Macrovesicular steatosis was observed in the liver of the overfed larvae. Nile Red staining visualized hepatic lipid droplets and the distribution of larval adipose tissue, which increased with feeding time in the overfed zebrafish. Starving larvae showed depletion of fat and hepatic lipid, and adipose tissue was induced after refeeding.

CONCLUSIONSWe successfully established an diet-induced obesity model in zebrafish larva, in which Nile Red staining allows in vivo observation of the adipocytes and hepatic lipid droplets.

Adipose Tissue ; Animals ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; adverse effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Fatty Liver ; Larva ; Lipids ; Obesity ; pathology ; Triglycerides ; Zebrafish

Objective To evaluate the sensitivities of various biopsy methods for the diagnosis of systematic amyloidosis (SA). Methods The clinical data and biopsy results of 194 SA patients who were treated in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2009 to June 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Results The highest sensitivity was achieved by biopsy of affected organs,with renal biopsy 97.4%,heart biopsy 95.0% and liver biopsy 87.5%. Among non-invasive biopsy methods,tongue biopsy was found to be 75% sensitive,followed by gingiva biopsy at 57%,abdominal fat pad aspiration at 57%,rectum biopsy at 16%,and bone marrow examination at 8%. Combination of tongue and abdominal fat pad biopsy yielded a detection rate of 93.1%. Conclusions Biopsy of the involved organ has the highest sensitivity. However,combination of multiple non-invasive biopsy methods may has sensitivity comparable to organ biopsy and is safer and more convenient.
Adipose Tissue ; pathology ; Amyloidosis ; diagnosis ; Biopsy ; methods ; Biopsy, Needle ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tongue ; pathology