Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has been used extensively as a food ingredient and medicinally, but the effect on asthmatic airway inflammation has not been studied in detail. We accordingly explored the protective effects exerted by various garlic fraction extracts against airway inflammation with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p)–induced allergic asthma in vivo and in vitro. Garlic extraction was realized using n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate, n-butanol, and water in sequence to obtain different fraction extracts. Mice were orally administered different fractions (80 mg/kg) daily for four weeks. The histological results showed that the water fraction could ameliorate lung-based goblet cell hyperplasia, inflammatory cell infiltration, and mucus hypersecretion. The water fraction extracts decreased IgE and IgG1, and they decreased inflammatory cells as quantified in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF); however, they increased IgG2a in serum. Moreover, the water fraction extracts increased IFN-γ and IL-12 (both constituting Th1 cytokines) in BALF, but they reduced IL-13, -4, and -5 (all constituting Th2 cytokines), and also inhibited the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. The water fraction also inhibited the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signal pathways in A549 cells. These findings suggest that water fraction extracts of garlic have a clear anti-inflammatory effect on Der p–induced allergic asthma.

Among young adults, a carotid artery dissection is one of the etiologies of morbidity. In the general population, the incidence of stroke due to dissection is around 2.5%, whereas a carotid dissection accounts for 19.5% of ischemic stroke in young adults. This could be due to injury or spontaneity, with the etiology controlled by several factors. A carotid artery dissection is a separation of arterial layers, which results in a tear in the arterial wall, causing invasion of blood into the wall of artery and leading to intra-luminal stenosis or aneurysmal dilatation. We describe a patient presented with claudication-like vision impairment. The image studies revealed spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection with severe occluded left internal carotid artery. With medical therapy with antiplatelets and anticoagulants, she was managed successfully with endovascular stenting with good neurological recovery to date. We also reviewed current reported studies of the dissection of the petrous portion of the internal carotid artery in Medline from 1960 to the present.