Quercetin, one of the most abundant flavonoids in human diet has been reported to exhibit a wide range of pharmacological properties. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of quercetin on hepatic injury induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in rats. Treatment with DMN caused a significant decrease in body and liver weight. Oral administration of quercetin (10 mg kg(-1) daily for 4 weeks) remarkably prevented this DMN-induced loss in body and liver weight and inhibited the elevation of serum alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase and bilirubin levels. Quercetin also increased serum albumin and hepatic glutathione levels and reduced the hepatic level of malondialdehyde. Furthermore, DMN-induced elevation of hydroxyproline content was reduced in the quercetin treated rats, the result of which was consistent with a reduction in type I collagen mRNA production and histological analysis of liver tissue stained with Sirius red. A reduction in hepatic stellate cell activation, as assessed by alpha-smooth muscle actin staining, was associated with quercetin treatment as well as a reduction in transforming growth factor-beta1 expression. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that quercetin exhibited in-vivo hepatoprotective and anti-fibrogenic effects against DMN-induced liver injury and suggest that quercetin may be useful in the preventing the development of hepatic fibrosis.

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Although sustainable design has become one of the major concerns in the interior design industry, the frequency of making such sustainable choices in real practice is still limited. Given that little research has yet focused on interior designers' choice of sustainable material, this study aimed to identify factors affecting interior designers' sustainable material choices focusing on sustainable flooring materials for residential use. On the basis of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a theoretical framework, we developed hypotheses to test relationships (1) between three determinants (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control) and behavioral intention and (2) between two behavioral beliefs (environmental outcome and health outcome) and attitude. This study used quantitative methodologies through an Internet survey with a sample selected from American Society of Interior Designers practicing residential design. A total of 225 final surveys were utilized for further analysis. Findings revealed that all three determinants (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) were positively associated with behavioral intention to choose sustainable flooring materials. Attitude toward adopting sustainable flooring materials were significantly related to environmental beliefs but not to health beliefs. Our findings imply that the TPB framework can provide valuable insights for developing more effective and comprehensive strategies and strengthening the interior design curriculum to promote interior designers' sustainable decision‐making in material choices in actual real‐life design practice.

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During the past decade, residential consumers’ adoption of energy-efficient lighting has increased slowly in the United States. To identify residential consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward the adoption of energy-efficient lighting, this study examined gender differences in (1) residential consumers’ environmental behaviors in relation to lighting practice and (2) background variables of environmental behaviors including ecological value orientation, subjective norms, and lighting perceptions. Data were collected from residents in a Midwestern town in the United States; 303 surveys were used for the analysis. The findings indicated that women were more likely to engage in energy-saving practices and were more willing to pay a higher price for energy-efficient light sources. However, no gender differences emerged in the purchase of energy-efficient light sources and support for policies banning inefficient incandescent light sources. In terms of environmental attitudes, women scored significantly higher in altruistic and biospheric values than men, yet there was no difference in egoistic values. In addition, compared to men, women scored higher on subjective norms in the adoption of energy-efficient lighting. Finally, women were more likely to perceive lighting as an important factor in their everyday lives, prefer incandescent lighting, and perceive fluorescent lighting as having negative effects on human health. This study expects to contribute to the theoretical knowledge of gender differences in environmental research and provide policy makers and consumer scientists with understanding about the role of gender in residential consumers’ adoption of energy-efficient lighting