Solution methods for advection-diffusion-reaction equations on growing domains and subdomains, with application to modelling skin substitutes

Problems involving the solution of advection-diffusion-reaction equations on domains and subdomains whose growth affects and is affected by these equations, commonly arise in developmental biology. Here, a mathematical framework for these situations, together with methods for obtaining spatio-temporal solutions and steady states of models built from this framework, is presented. The framework and methods are applied to a recently published model of epidermal skin substitutes. Despite the use of Eulerian schemes, excellent agreement is obtained between the numerical spatio-temporal, numerical steady state, and analytical solutions of the model.

Gender differences in recreational and transport cycling : a cross-sectional mixed-methods comparison of cycling patterns, motivators, and constraints

Background: Gender differences in cycling are well-documented. However, most analyses of gender differences make broad comparisons, with few studies modeling male and female cycling patterns separately for recreational and transport cycling. This modeling is important, in order to improve our efforts to promote cycling to women and men in countries like Australia with low rates of transport cycling. The main aim of this study was to examine gender differences in cycling patterns and in motivators and constraints to cycling, separately for recreational and transport cycling. Methods: Adult members of a Queensland, Australia, community bicycling organization completed an online survey about their cycling patterns; cycling purposes; and personal, social and perceived environmental motivators and constraints (47% response rate). Closed and open-end questions were completed. Using the quantitative data, multivariable linear, logistic and ordinal regression models were used to examine associations between gender and cycling patterns, motivators and constraints. The qualitative data were thematically analysed to expand upon the quantitative findings. Results: In this sample of 1862 bicyclists, men were more likely than women to cycle for recreation and for transport, and they cycled for longer. Most transport cycling was for commuting, with men more likely than women to commute by bicycle. Men were more likely to cycle on-road, and women off-road. However, most men and women did not prefer to cycle on-road without designed bicycle lanes, and qualitative data indicated a strong preference by men and women for bicycle-only off-road paths. Both genders reported personal factors (health and enjoyment related) as motivators for cycling, although women were more likely to agree that other personal, social and environmental factors were also motivating. The main constraints for both genders and both cycling purposes were perceived environmental factors related to traffic conditions, motorist aggression and safety. Women, however, reported more constraints, and were more likely to report as constraints other environmental factors and personal factors. Conclusion: Differences found in men’s and women’s cycling patterns, motivators and constraints should be considered in efforts to promote cycling, particularly in efforts to increase cycling for transport.

Development of network-level project screening methods supporting the 4-Year pavement management plan in Texas

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is concerned about the widening gap between pavement preservation needs and available funding. Thus, the TxDOT Austin District Pavement Engineer (DPE) has investigated methods to strategically allocate available pavement funding to potential projects that improve the overall performance of the District and Texas highway systems. The primary objective of the study presented in this paper is to develop a network-level project screening and ranking method that supports the Austin District 4-year pavement management plan development. The study developed candidate project selection and ranking algorithms that evaluated pavement conditions of each project candidate using data contained in the Pavement Management Information system (PMIS) database and incorporated insights from Austin District pavement experts; and implemented the developed method and supporting algorithm. This process previously required weeks to complete, but now requires about 10 minutes including data preparation and running the analysis algorithm, which enables the Austin DPE to devote more time and resources to conducting field visits, performing project-level evaluation and testing candidate projects. The case study results showed that the proposed method assisted the DPE in evaluating and prioritizing projects and allocating funds to the right projects at the right time.

Evaluation of methods for cultivating limbal mesenchymal stromal cells

Background: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) with similar properties to bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSC) have recently been grown from the limbus of the human cornea. We presently contribute to this novel area of research by evaluating methods for culturing human limbal MSC (L-MSC). Methods: Four basic strategies are compared: serum-supplemented medium (10% foetal bovine serum; FBS), standard serum-free medium supplemented with B-27, epidermal growth factor, and fibroblast growth factor 2, or one of two commercial serum-free media including Defined Keratinocyte Serum Free Medium (Invitrogen), and MesenCult-XF (Stem Cell Technologies). The phenotype of resulting cultures was examined using photography, flow cytometry (for CD34, CD45, CD73, CD90, CD105, CD141, CD271), immunocytochemistry (α-sma), differentiation assays (osteogenesis, adipogenesis, chrondrogenesis), and co-culture experiments with human limbal epithelial (HLE) cells. Results: While all techniques supported to varying degrees establishment of cultures, sustained growth and serial propagation was only achieved in 10% FBS medium or MesenCult-XF medium. Cultures established in 10% FBS medium were 70-80% CD34-/CD45-/CD90+/CD73+/CD105+, approximately 25% α-sma+, and displayed multi-potency. Cultures established in MesenCult-XF were >95% CD34-/CD45-/CD90+/CD73+/CD105+, 40% CD141+, rarely expressed α-sma, and displayed multi-potency. L-MSC supported growth of HLE cells, with the largest epithelial islands being observed in the presence of MesenCult-XF-grown L-MSC. All HLE cultures supported by L-MSC widely expressed the progenitor cell marker ∆Np63, along with the corneal differentiation marker cytokeratin 3. Conclusions: We conclude that MesenCult-XF® is a superior culture system for L-MSC, but further studies are required to explore the significance of CD141 expression in these cells.

β-glucan triggers spondylarthritis and Crohn's disease-like ileitis in SKG mice

Objective The spondylarthritides (SpA), including ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), reactive arthritis, and arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease, cause chronic inflammation of the large peripheral and axial joints, eyes, skin, ileum, and colon. Genetic studies reveal common candidate genes for AS, PsA, and Crohn's disease, including IL23R, IL12B, STAT3, and CARD9, all of which are associated with interleukin-23 (IL-23) signaling downstream of the dectin 1 β-glucan receptor. In autoimmune-prone SKG mice with mutated ZAP-70, which attenuates T cell receptor signaling and increases the autoreactivity of T cells in the peripheral repertoire, IL-17–dependent inflammatory arthritis developed after dectin 1–mediated fungal infection. This study was undertaken to determine whether SKG mice injected with 1,3-β-glucan (curdlan) develop evidence of SpA, and the relationship of innate and adaptive autoimmunity to this process. Methods SKG mice and control BALB/c mice were injected once with curdlan or mannan. Arthritis was scored weekly, and organs were assessed for pathologic features. Anti–IL-23 monoclonal antibodies were injected into curdlan-treated SKG mice. CD4+ T cells were transferred from curdlan-treated mice to SCID mice, and sera were analyzed for autoantibodies. Results After systemic injection of curdlan, SKG mice developed enthesitis, wrist, ankle, and sacroiliac joint arthritis, dactylitis, plantar fasciitis, vertebral inflammation, ileitis resembling Crohn's disease, and unilateral uveitis. Mannan triggered spondylitis and arthritis. Arthritis and spondylitis were T cell– and IL-23–dependent and were transferable to SCID recipients with CD4+ T cells. SpA was associated with collagen- and proteoglycan-specific autoantibodies. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the SKG ZAP-70W163C mutation predisposes BALB/c mice to SpA, resulting from innate and adaptive autoimmunity, after systemic β-glucan or mannan exposure.

An investigation of gaseous and particulate emissions from compression ignition engines operated with alternative fuels, injection technologies, and combustion strategies

Whilst the compression ignition (CI) engine exhibits many design advantages relative to its spark ignition engine counterpart; such as: high thermal efficiency, fuel economy and low carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions, the issue of Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM) emissions continues to be an unresolved problem for the CI engine. Primarily, this thesis investigates a range of DPM mitigation strategies such as alternative fuels, injection technologies and combustion strategies conducted with a view to determine their impact on the physico-chemical properties of DPM emissions, and consequently to shed light on their likely human health impacts. Regulated gaseous emissions, Nitric oxide (NO), Carbon monoxide (CO), and Hydrocarbons (HCs), were measured in all experimental campaigns, although the major focus in this research program was on particulate emissions...

Observational research and verbal protocol methods

This paper describes observational research and verbal protocols methods, how these methods are applied and integrated within different contexts, and how they complement each other. The first case study focuses on nurses’ interaction during bandaging of patients’ lower legs. To maintain research rigor a triangulation approach was applied that links observations of current procedures, ‘talk-aloud’ protocol during interaction and retrospective protocol. Maps of interactions demonstrated that some nurses bandage more intuitively than others. Nurses who bandage intuitively assemble long sequences of bandaging actions while nurses who bandage less intuitively ‘focus-shift’ in between bandaging actions. Thus different levels of expertise have been identified. The second case study consists of two laboratory experiments. It focuses on analysing and comparing software and product design teams and how they approached a design problem. It is based on the observational and verbal data analysis. The coding scheme applied evolved during the analysis of the activity of each team and is identical for all teams. The structure of knowledge captured from the analysis of the design team maps of interaction is identified. The significance of this work is within its methodological approach. The maps of interaction are instrumental for understanding the activities and interactions of the people observed. By examining the maps of interaction, it is possible to draw conclusions about interactions, structure of knowledge captured and level of expertise. This research approach is transferable to other design domains. Designers will be able to transfer the interaction maps outcomes to systems and services they design.

‘Wide Atlantic Ocean’ : acting methods and cultural translation in mainstream theatre

A recent production of Nicholson’s Shadowlands at the Brisbane Powerhouse could have included two advertising lines: “Outspoken American-Jewish poet meets conservative British Oxford scholar” and “Emotive American Method trained actor meets contained British trained actor.” While the fusion of acting methodologies in intercultural acting has been discussed at length, little discussion has focussed on the juxtaposition of diverse acting styles in production in mainstream theatre. This paper explores how the permutation of American Method acting and a more traditional British conservatory acting in Crossbow’s August 2010 production of Shadowlands worked to add extra layers of meaning to the performance text. This sometimes inimical relationship between two acting styles had its beginnings in the rehearsal room and continued onstage. Audience reception to the play in post-performance discussions revealed the audience’s acute awareness of the transatlantic cultural tensions on stage. On one occasion, this resulted in a heated debate on cultural expression, continuing well after the event, during which audience members became co-performers in the cultural discourses of the play.

In vitro and in vivo studies on protease-activated receptor-2

Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) is a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that is activated by proteolytic cleavage of its amino terminal domain by trypsin-like serine proteases. Cleavage of this receptor exposes a neoepitope, termed the tethered ligand (TL), which binds intramolecularly within the receptor to stimulate signal transduction via coupled G proteins. PAR2-mediated signal transduction is also experimentally stimulated by hexapeptides (agonist peptides; APs) that are homologous to the TL sequence. Due to the irreversible nature of PAR2 proteolysis, downstream signal transduction is tightly regulated. Following activation, PAR2 is rapidly uncoupled from downstream signalling by the post-translational modifications phosphorylation and ubiquination which facilitate interactions with â- arrestin. This scaffolding protein couples PAR2 to the internalisation machinery initiating its desensitisation and trafficking through the early and late endosomes followed by receptor degradation. PAR2 is widely expressed in mammalian tissues with key roles for this receptor in cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous and musculoskeletal systems. This receptor has also been linked to pathological states with aberrant expression and signalling noted in several cancers. In prostate cancer, PAR2 signalling induces migration and proliferation of tumour derived cell lines, while elevated receptor expression has been noted in malignant tissues. Importantly, a role for this receptor has also been suggested in prostate cancer bone metastasis as coexpression of PAR2 and a proteolytic activator has been demonstrated by immunohistochemical analysis. Based on these data, the primary focus of this project has been on two aspects of PAR2 biology. The first is characterisation of cellular mechanisms that regulate PAR2 signalling and trafficking. The second aspect is the role of this receptor in prostate cancer bone metastasis. In addition, to permit these studies, it was first necessary to evaluate the specificity of the commercially available anti-PAR2 antibodies SAM11, C17, N19 and H99. The evaluation of the four commercially available antibodies was assessed using four techniques: immunoprecipitation; Western blot analysis; immunofluorescence; and flow cytometry. These approaches demonstrated that three of the antibodies efficiently detect ectopically expressed PAR2 by each of these techniques. A significant finding from this study was that N19 was the only antibody able to specifically detect N-glycosylated endogenous PAR2 by Western blot analysis. This analysis was performed on lysates from prostate cancer derived cell lines and tissue derived from wildtype and PAR2 knockout mice. Importantly, further evaluation demonstrated that this antibody also efficiently detects endogenous PAR2 at the cell surface by flow cytometry. The anti-PAR2 antibody N19 was used to explore the in vitro role of palmitoylation, the post-translational addition of palmitate, in PAR2 signalling, trafficking, cell surface expression and desensitization. Significantly, use of the palmitoylation inhibitor 2-bromopalmitate indicated that palmitate addition is important in trafficking of PAR2 endogenously expressed by prostate cancer cell lines. This was supported by palmitate labelling experiments using two approaches which showed that PAR2 stably expressed by CHO cells is palmitoylated and that palmitoylation occurs on cysteine 361. Another key finding from this study is that palmitoylation is required for optimal PAR2 signalling as Ca2+ flux assays indicated that in response to trypsin agonism, palmitoylation deficient PAR2 is ~9 fold less potent than wildtype receptor with a reduction of about 33% in the maximum signal induced via the mutant receptor. Confocal microscopy, flow cytometry and cell surface biotinylation analyses demonstrated that palmitoylation is required for efficient cell surface expression of PAR2. Importantly, this study also identified that palmitoylation of this receptor within the Golgi apparatus is required for efficient agonist-induced rab11amediated trafficking of PAR2 to the cell surface. Interestingly, palmitoylation is also required for receptor desensitization, as agonist-induced â-arrestin recruitment and receptor degradation were markedly reduced in CHO-PAR2-C361A cells compared with CHO-PAR2 cells. Collectively, these data provide new insights on the life cycle of PAR2 and demonstrate that palmitoylation is critical for efficient signalling, trafficking, cell surface localization and degradation of this receptor. This project also evaluated PAR2 residues involved in ligand docking. Although the extracellular loop (ECL)2 of PAR2 is known to be required for agonist-induced signal transduction, the binding pocket for receptor agonists remains to be determined. In silico homology modelling, based on a crystal structure for the prototypical GPCR rhodopsin, and ligand docking were performed to identify PAR2 transmembrane (TM) amino acids potentially involved in agonist binding. These methods identified 12 candidate residues that were mutated to examine the binding site of the PAR2 TL, revealed by trypsin cleavage, as well as of the soluble ligands 2f-LIGRLO-NH2 and GB110, which are both structurally based on the AP SLIGRLNH2. Ligand binding was evaluated from the impact of the mutated residues on PAR2-mediated calcium mobilisation. An important finding from these experiments was that mutation of residues Y156 and Y326 significantly reduced 2f-LIGRLO-NH2 and GB110 agonist activity. L307 was also important for GB110 activity. Intriguingly, mutation of PAR2 residues did not alter trypsin-induced signalling to the same extent as for the soluble agonists. The reason for this difference remains to be further examined by in silico and in vitro experimentation and, potentially, crystal structure studies. However, these findings identified the importance of TM domains in PAR2 ligand docking and will enhance the design of both PAR2 agonists and potentially agents to inhibit signalling (antagonists). The potential importance of PAR2 in prostate cancer bone metastasis was examined using a mouse model. In patients, prostate cancer bone metastases cause bone growth by disrupting bone homeostasis. In an attempt to mimic prostate cancer growth in bone, PAR2 responsive 22Rv1 prostate cancer cells, which form mixed osteoblastic and osteolytic lesions, were injected into the proximal aspect of mouse tibiae. A role for PAR2 was assessed by treating these mice with the recently developed PAR2 antagonist GB88. As controls, animals bearing intra-tibial tumours were also treated with vehicle (olive oil) or the prostate cancer chemotherapeutic docetaxel. The effect of these treatments on bone was examined radiographically and by micro-CT. Consistent with previous studies, 22Rv1 tumours caused osteoblastic periosteal spicule formation and concurrent osteolytic bone loss. Significantly, blockade of PAR2 signalling reduced the osteoblastic and osteolytic phenotype of 22Rv1 tumours in bone. No bone defects were detected in mice treated with docetaxel. These qualitative data will be followed in the future by quantitative micro-CT analysis as well as histology and histomorphometry analysis of already collected tissues. Nonetheless, these preliminary experiments highlight a potential role for PAR2 in prostate cancer growth in bone. In summary, in vitro studies have defined mechanisms regulating PAR2 activation, downstream signalling and trafficking and in vivo studies point to a potential role for this receptor in prostate cancer bone metastasis. The outcomes of this project are that a greater understanding of the biology of PAR2 may lead to the development of strategies to modulate the function of this receptor in disease.

Studies of assisted reproduction in the spotted grass frog Limnodynastes tasmaniensis: ovulation, early development and microinjection (ICSI)

Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) offer a wide range of techniques that have the potential to augment efforts to conserve and manage endangered amphibians and improve wild and captive population numbers. Gametes and tissues of species nearing endangered or extinct status can be cryopreserved and stored in gene banks, to provide material that can be utilised in the future as ART methods are refined. The Spotted Grass Frog, Limnodynastes tasmaniensis, is an abundant amphibian species in South-Eastern Australia of the family Myobatrachidae, that is suitable for the development of ART systems that can be applied to the threatened and endangered myobatrachid and other amphibian species native to Australia. The aim of this study was to advance the understanding of ovulation, fertilisation and embryo nic development of Lim. tasmaniensis and in vitro manipulations of reproduction and development for use in the development of advanced ART procedures such as intracytoplasmic spermatozoon injection (ICSI), androgenesis and nuclear transfer. Ovulation in amphibians can be induced by protocols utilising natural or synthetic hormones. All protocols tested on Lim. tasmaniensis in this study required two injections and the most effective protocols continued to require a first injection of pituitary extracts to induce ovulation. The second injection was, however, successfully replaced by synthetic chorionic gonadotrophin at a threshold dosage of 100 iu and halved the number of cane toads required to source the pituitaries. A combination of LHRH and Pimozide offered a less effective protocol, that did not require the use of pituitary extracts, and avoided the risk of pathogen transfer associated with unsterilised pituitary extracts. Unfertilised eggs of Lim. tasmaniensis were exposed to media of various osmolalities to determine media effects on eggs and their surrounding jelly layers that might impact on egg viability and fertilisability. Osmolality had no effect upon the egg diameter, however, rapid swelling of the jelly layers occurred within 15 minutes of exposure to various media treatments and plateaued from 30-90 minutes without further expansion. Swelling of the jelly layers was increased in hypotonic media (2.5% SAR, H2O) and minimised in the isotonic media (100% SAR). The optimal conditions for the culture of Lim. tasmaniensis eggs were identified as a holding media of 100% SAR, followed by a medium change to 2.5% SAR at insemination. This sequence of media minimised the rate of swelling of the jelly layers prior to contact with the spermatozoa, and maximised the activation of spermatozoa and eggs throughout fertilisation and embryonic development. Embryos of Lim. tasmaniensis were cultured at four temperatures (13 C, 17 C, 23 C and 29 C), to determine the effect of temperature on cleavage and embryonic development rates. Embryonic development progressed through a sequence of stages that were not altered by changes in temperature. However cleavage rates were affected by changes in temperature as compared with normal embryonic growth at 23 C. Embryonic development was suspended at the lowest temperature (13 C) while embryonic viability was maintained. A moderate decrease in temperature (17 C) slowed cleavage, while the highest temperature (29 C) increased the cleavage rate, but decreased the embryo survival. Rates of embryonic development can be manipulated by changes in temperature and this method can be used to source blastomeres of a specific size/stage at a predetermined age or halt cleavage at specific stages for embryos or embryo derived cells to be included in ART procedures. This study produced the first report of the application of Intracytoplasmic Spermatozoon Injection (ICSI) in an Australian amphibian. Eggs that were activated by microinjection with a single spermatozoon (n=50) formed more deep, but abnormal, cleavage furrows post-injection (18/50, 36%), than surface changes (12/50, 24%). This result is in contrast to eggs injected without a spermatozoon (n=42), where the majority of eggs displayed limited surface changes (36/42, 86%), and few deep, abnormal furrows (3/42, 7%). Three advanced embryos (3/50, 6%) were produced by ICSI that developed to various stages within the culture system. Technical difficulties were encountered that prevented the generation of any metamorphs from ICSI tadpoles. Nevertheless, when these blocks to ICSI are overcome, the ICSI procedure will be both directly useful as an ART procedure in its own right, and the associated refinement of micromanipulation procedures will assist in the development of other ART procedures in Lim. tasmaniensis. A greater understanding of basic reproductive and developmental biology in Lim. tasmaniensis would greatly facilitate refinement of fertilisation by ICSI. Assisted Reproductive Technologies, in conjunction with gene banks may in the future regenerate extinct amphibian species, and assist in the recovery of declining amphibian populations nationally and worldwide.

Evaluation of the quality of diverse teaching practice in higher education research methods

The purpose of this paper is to report on a methods research project investigating the evaluation of diverse teaching practice in Higher Education. The research method is a single site case study of an Australian university with data collected through published documents, surveys, interviews and focus groups. This project provides evidence of the wide variety of evaluation practice and diverse teaching practice across the university. This breadth identifies the need for greater flexibility of evaluation processes, tools and support to assist teaching staff to evaluate their diverse teaching practice. The employment opportunities for academics benchmark the university nationally and position the case study in the field. Finally this reaffirms the institutional responsibility for services to support teaching staff in an ongoing manner.

The Donald Mackay Churchill Fellowship to study methods of preventing and supporting victims of online fraud

Every day inboxes are being flooded with invitations to invest money in overseas schemes, notifications of overseas lottery wins and inheritances, as well as emails from banks and other institutions asking for customers to confirm information about their identity and account details. While these requests may seem outrageous, many believe the request to be true and respond, through the sending of money or personal details. This can have devastating consequences, financially, emotionally and physically. While enforcement action is important, greater success is likely to come in the area of prevention, which avoids victim losses in the first place. Considerable victim support is also required by victims who have suffered significant losses, in trying to get their lives back on track. This project examined fraud prevention strategies and support services for victims of online fraud across the United Kingdom, United States of America and Canada. While much work has already been undertaken in Queensland, there is considerable room for improvement and a great deal can be learnt from these overseas jurisdictions. There are several examples of innovative and effective responses, particularly in the area of victim support, that are highlighted throughout this report. It is advocated that Australia can continue to improve its position regarding the prevention and support of online fraud victims, by applying the knowledge and expertise learnt overseas to a local context.

Refraction in children : a comparison of two methods of accommodation control

Purpose: The prevalence of refractive errors in children has been extensively researched. Comparisons between studies can, however, be compromised because of differences between accommodation control methods and techniques used for measuring refractive error. The aim of this study was to compare spherical refractive error results obtained at baseline and using two different accommodation control methods – extended optical fogging and cycloplegia, for two measurement techniques – autorefraction and retinoscopy. Methods: Participants comprised twenty-five school children aged between 6 and 13 years (mean age: 9.52 ± 2.06 years). The refractive error of one eye was measured at baseline and again under two different accommodation control conditions: extended optical fogging (+2.00DS for 20 minutes) and cycloplegia (1% cyclopentolate). Autorefraction and retinoscopy were both used to measure most plus spherical power for each condition. Results: A significant interaction was demonstrated between measurement technique and accommodation control method (p = 0.036), with significant differences in spherical power evident between accommodation control methods for each of the measurement techniques (p < 0.005). For retinoscopy, refractive errors were significantly more positive for cycloplegia compared to optical fogging, which were in turn significantly more positive than baseline, while for autorefraction, there were significant differences between cycloplegia and extended optical fogging and between cycloplegia and baseline only. Conclusions: Determination of refractive error under cycloplegia elicits more plus than using extended optical fogging as a method to relax accommodation. These findings support the use of cycloplegic refraction compared with extended optical fogging as a means of controlling accommodation for population based refractive error studies in children.

Analysis of indirect message injection for MAC generation using stream ciphers

This paper presents a model for generating a MAC tag with a stream cipher using the input message indirectly. Several recent proposals represent instances of this model with slightly different options. We investigate the security of this model for different options, and identify cases which permit forgery attacks. Based on this, we present a new forgery attack on version 1.4 of 128-EIA3. Design recommendations to enhance the security of proposals following this general model are given.

S-allylmercaptocysteine reduces carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic oxidative stress and necroinflammation via nuclear factor kappa B-dependent pathways in mice.

Purpose To study the protective effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of SAMC on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute hepatotoxicity in the mouse model. Methods Mice were intraperitoneally injected with CCl4 (50 μl/kg; single dose) to induce acute hepatotoxicity with or without a 2-h pre-treatment of SAMC intraperitoneal injection (200 mg/kg; single dose). After 8 h, the blood serum and liver samples of mice were collected and subjected to measurements of histological and molecular parameters of hepatotoxicity. Results SAMC reduced CCl4-triggered cellular necrosis and inflammation in the liver under histological analysis. Since co-treatment of SAMC and CCl4 enhanced the expressions of antioxidant enzymes, reduced the nitric oxide (NO)-dependent oxidative stress, and inhibited lipid peroxidation induced by CCl4. SAMC played an essential antioxidative role during CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity. Administration of SAMC also ameliorated hepatic inflammation induced by CCl4 via inhibiting the activity of NF-κB subunits p50 and p65, thus reducing the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines, mediators, and chemokines, as well as promoting pro-regenerative factors at both transcriptional and translational levels. Conclusions Our results indicate that SAMC mitigates cellular damage, oxidative stress, and inflammation in CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity mouse model through regulation of NF-κB. Garlic or garlic derivatives may therefore be a potential food supplement in the prevention of liver damage.