Human khat (Catha edulis) chewers have elevated plasma leptin and nonesterified fatty acids

In this study, the effect of regular khat (Catha edulis Forsk) chewing (200 and 400 g) in humans on plasma leptin, nonesterified fatty acid, triacyglycerol, and total cholesterol levels was investigated. The results presented show that khat chewing increases plasma leptin concentration particularly in individuals who chew 400 g of khat leaves. The significance of increased plasma leptin is in explaining the underlying mechanism of the observed effects associated with khat chewing such as loss of appetite, decreased body weight, and hyperthermia. The decreased body weight was evident from the significantly lower body mass index of the khat leaves chewers group as compared to the non–khat leaves chewers group (control). Moreover, like leptin, the plasma levels of nonesterified fatty acids were significantly higher in those chewing 400 g of khat leaves. On the other hand, the plasma levels of triacylglycerol were significantly lower in the 2 khat-chewers groups (200 and 400 g of khat leaves), whereas plasma cholesterol levels were not affected by the 2 levels of khat leaves used in this study. The significance of these results may suggest that khat leaves may contain a component(s) that has the ability to reduce body weight via decreasing appetite.     

毛细管气相色谱法测定人体血液中的游离脂肪酸和总脂肪酸

采用石英毛细管气相色谱法测量人体血液中的游离脂肪酸（FFA）和总脂肪酸（TFA），方法灵敏，可分离血浆中近20种脂肪酸，其中油酸（C18：1）、软脂酸（C16：0），亚油酸（C18：2）、硬脂酸（C18：0）和软脂油酸（C16：1）约占血浆中FFA总量的90％。本方法所需血量少，尤其对采血较困难的婴儿进行脂肪营养研究适用。     

N-ω-Carbethoxypentyl-4-quinolones: A New Class of Leukotriene Biosynthesis Inhibitors

6-[(4-Quinolinyl)oxy]hexanoic acids and the corresponding esters were designed and synthesized as inhibitors of the production of arachidonic acid metabolites. The inhibitory activities were assayed in vitro by evaluation of serum leukotriene B₄ and thromboxane B₂ production. While all 6-[(4-quinolinyl)oxy]hexanoic acids and their esters proved to be inactive, the N-alkyl-4-quinolones, obtained as by-products in their synthesis, were found to be a new class of leukotriene biosynthesis inhibitors.     

羟基胆烷酸类衍生物的抗癌活性研究Ⅰ.3β,5α,6β-三羟基胆烷-24-酸及其衍生物的合成与体外抗癌活性

报道３β，５α，６β三羟基胆烷２４酸及其衍生物的合成及对小鼠Ｌ１２１０白血病细胞的体外抗癌活性．实验表明３β，５α，６β三羟基胆烷２４酸，３β，５α，６β三羟基胆烷２４酸甲酯及３β，６β二乙酰氧基５α羟基胆烷２４酸甲酯有较好的抗癌活性     

Role of immune complexes in thyroid diseases

Institute of Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, Tashkent. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR Yu. A. Pankov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 113, No. 2, pp. 168–170, February, 1992.     

Development of brain damage after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia: Excitatory amino acids and cysteine

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of excitatory amino acids (EAAs) and cysteine in the development of brain damage after hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in neonates. In a rat model of neonatal HI, changes in extracellular (ec) amino acids in cerebral cortex were measured with microdialysis and correlated with the extent of brain damage at the site of probe placement. Extracellular concentrations of glutamate, aspartate and cysteine increased during HI and remained elevated during reperfusion. During HI the pattern of EAA changes was the same in the infarcted, undamaged and border zone regions. During reperfusion, however, the ec concentrations of glutamate, aspartate and cysteine were higher in infarcted and border zone areas compared to undamaged tissue. HI also produced a slight increase of tissue concentration of cysteine and decrease of tissue concentration of glutamate in parietal cortex of the HI hemisphere. The effect of cysteine on brain damage induced by HI and glutamate was also investigated. A subtoxic dose of cysteine potentiated glutamate toxicity in the arcuate nucleus and enhanced brain infarction after HI in neonatal rats. The results show that in neonatal HI the extracellular levels of EAAs during HI are not directly related to brain injury but the EAA levels during reflow predict the extent of infarction. Cysteine increases HI-induced brain injury and potentiates glutamate toxicity in neonatal rats. Speculatively, elevated level of cysteine during reperfusion may participate in the excitotoxic cascade leading to brain injury.     

NO-1886对高糖高脂饲料喂养新西兰兔糖代谢的影响

合成药NO-1886是脂蛋白脂肪酶(LPL)的激动剂，能降低血浆甘油三酯(TG)并升高高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-c)水平。我们曾发现NO-1886还具有降低血糖的作用。本研究主要观察NO-1886对糖尿病兔胰岛素抵抗及β-细胞功能方面的影响。用高糖高脂饲料诱导，使新西兰兔血浆葡萄糖升高，发生胰岛素抵抗。在高糖高脂饲料中添加1％NO-1886进行治疗。结果：发现NO-1886可抑制血清葡萄糖升高，经糖耐量和胰岛素敏感性试验检测，NO-1886可保护胰岛素的急性相分泌，增强胰岛素对葡萄糖的清除能力。研究结果提示NO-1886具有改善胰岛素抵抗、降低血糖的作用。     

明党参鲜根与药材饮片中精油成分和氨基酸含量比较

对明党参鲜根和饮片中的精油及氨基酸成分进行了比较分析,鉴定出27种精油成分,并发现炮制前后氨基酸成分含量变化较大。     

The relationship of gingival crevicular fluid short chain carboxylic acid concentration to gingival inflammation

Abstract Short-chain carboxylic acids (SCCA; C≤5: e.g., lactic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid) are metabolic by-products of bacterial metabolism which accumulate in the gingival crevice, and exhibit significant biological activity, including the ability to alter gene expression. It has been hypothesized that among the activities of SCCAs are their ability to contribute to gingival inflammation. This concept complements the notion that specific periodontal pathogens are the causative agents of gingival inflammation. To begin testing these 2 hypotheses, we examined the relationship between SCCA concentrations, specific putative periodontal pathogens, and gingival inflammation in medically healthy periodontally diseased subjects. We reasoned that if SCCAs and/or specific periodontal pathogens were causative gingival inflammatory agents, gingival inflammation should increase with increasing concentration of the inflammatory mediator. We also recognized that other clinical variables needed to be controlled for, and an objective quantitative assessment of gingival inflammation used. To accomplish these tasks, sites within subjects were stratified by location and pocket depth, and the following quantified: bacteria] presence; SCCA concentration: and gingival inflammation. The results indicated that gingival inflammation directly and significantly correlated with SCCA concentrations in the maxillary and mandibular molars, incisors and canines (all r≥0.47; all p≤ 0.015; too few bicuspids were available for complete analysis). The relationship between gingival inflammation and SCCA concentration was best described by a natural log relationship. Gingival inflammation did not, however, correlate positively with either the total number of specific putative periodontal pathogens, or the sum of subsets of these pathogens (?0.31 ≤r≤ 0.39; 0.08 ≤p 0.75) for any of the locations. Finally, the SCCA concentration did not correlate with the level of individual or groups of pathogens. These data, together with historical work and other preliminary data, support the hypothesis that SCCA, rather than specific putative periodontal pathogens, may be a causative agent in gingival inflammation. This work may, in part, begin to explain the apparent lack of a direct relationship between current gingival inflammation and the prediction of bacterially mediated periodontal attachment loss.     

Hereditary Hypertriglyceridemic Rat: A New Animal Model of Metabolic Alterations in Hypertension

Hereditary hypertriglyceridemic rats (hHTg) were developed as a new genetic model for the study of relationships between blood pressure (BP) and metabolic abnormalities. This strain has been produced by selective inbreeding from Wistar rats according to the rise of plasma triglycerides induced by a high-sucrose diet. Though hHTg rats display hypertriglyceridemia, impaired glucose tolerrance, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance and increased BP even without nutritional stimuli, high sucrose feeding further aggravates these symptoms. High plasma triglycerides levels in hHTg rats seem to be a consequence of their hyperproduction. Impaired insulin action is responsible for the defective glucoregulation in this strain. The loss of insulin responsiveness might be due to a reduction in the number of glucose transporters. Highly significant relationships among plasma triglycerides, ouabain-resistant Na⁺ transport and BP were demonstrated in the hHTg rats. Segregating populations (F2 hybrids) should be used for genetic analysis of the primary role of lipid and/or ion transport abnormalities in the pathogenesis of this form of genetic hypertension.