Identification and evaluation of antioxidants in Japanese parsley

Two cultivars of Japanese parsley were harvested in different seasons; their antioxidant capacities were evaluated by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methods, and the contents of hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants were compared. Japanese parsley possessed potent antioxidant capacities both in hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts when evaluated by ORAC methods. LC/MS/MS analyses revealed that chlorogenic acid and four kinds of quercetin glycosides were major antioxidants in the hydrophilic extract. Lutein was the main contributor to the antioxidant capacity of the lipophilic extract. Antioxidant capacities of the hydrophilic extracts of both cultivars tended to be higher in winter because of the increase in the contents of chlorogenic acid and quercetin glycosides. An obvious trend in the lipophilic antioxidant capacities or lutein contents was not observed irrespective of the cultivar.     

Spontaneous Uterine Venous Rupture During Labour: A Case Report With Postoperative Ultrasonographic Findings

EDITORIAL COMMENT: We accepted this case for publication to remind readers that although uterine rupture during labour in a primigravida is extremely uncommon it does occur, or at any rate nulliparas can develop abdominal pain and shock in labour with a haemoperitoneum resulting from a tear in a vein in the lower posterior uterine wall. When one sees the hugely dilated uterine and ovarian venous plexuses at Caesarean section it is easy to believe that bleeding from such a vessel during labour could be prodigious. This case suggests that a dilated vein with blood flow derangements may be the cause. Nonetheless, as the authors warn us, the necessary response is not a precise diagnosis, but rapid laparotomy. See also Editorial Comment to Chin MMS, Harvey JA, Duffy BL. Uterine rupture during labour in a primigravida. Aust NZ J Obstet Gynaecol 1996; 36: 210.     

Groove pancreatitis associated with true pancreatic cyst

We report a case of groove pancreatitis (GP) associated with a true pancreatic cyst. An 81-year-old man who had suffered epigastric pain for 4 months was referred to Saisekai Kure Hospital. Computed tomography and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography showed a cystic lesion in the groove area of the pancreas. Serum amylase elevation and imaging findings suggested GP due to the cyst. Six weeks of medical treatment did not improve the clinical symptoms. Therefore, pancreatoduodenectomy was performed. Histologic examination revealed a true cyst with intraluminal necrosis, which produced a protein plug that obstructed the Santorini duct. The parenchyma surrounding the groove area showed marked fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration. GP due to true pancreatic cyst was diagnosed. Although GP is usually caused by overconsumption of alcohol, which leads to changes in the pancreatic juice and the ultimate blockage of pancreatic outflow, the histologic features in our patient suggest that true pancreatic cyst stands as a secondary cause of GP.     

A case of multiple cranial neuropathy after Campylobacter jejuni infection]

We report a patient who developed overlapping symptoms of ophthalmoplegia and oropharyngeal palsy after Campylobacter jejuni infection. A 15-year-old man had diarrhea and fever, and developed dysarthria, diplopia and ptosis two weeks later. He did not show ataxia, weakness or abnormal tendon reflexes in the extremities during the clinical course. In the acute phase of the disease, we found significant elevation of anti-GQlb and anti-GTla IgG antibodies in the serum, and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin therapy remarkably ameliorated the symptoms. Our patient was atypical of Fisher syndrome or pharyngeal-cervical-brachial (PCB) weakness, and this is the first case of multiple cranial neuropathy associated with C. jejuni infection.     

Case of minocycline-induced pneumonitis with bilateral pleural effusion]

A 51-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with fever, dry cough and dyspnea. He had taken minocycline for 11 days because of urinary tract infection. Chest X-ray on admission showed diffuse reticular shadows in bilateral lung fields with bilateral pleural effusion. Cessation of minocycline led to spontaneous improvement of symptoms and radiographic findings. The lymphocyte stimulation test for minocycline with peripheral blood and pleural effusion were negative. After provocation test with minocycline, he developed fever and dry cough and bilateral ground glass opacity appeared on his chest X-ray. He was diagnosed as minocycline-induced pneumonitis and recovered rapidly following corticosteroid therapy.     

Mutations in the gene encoding KIAA1199 protein,an inner-ear protein expressed in Deiters’ cells and the fibrocytes,as the cause of nonsyndromic hearing loss

We report three possibly disease-causing point mutations in one of the inner-ear-specific genes, KIAA1199. We identified an R187C mutation in one family, an R187H mutation in two unrelated families, and an H783Y mutation in one sporadic case of nonsyndromic hearing loss. In situ hybridization indicated that the murine homolog of KIAA1199 mRNA is expressed specifically in Deiters cells in the organ of Corti at postnatal day zero (Pn) P0 before the onset of hearing, but expression in those cells disappears by day P7. The signal of KIAA1199 was also observed in fibrocytes of the spiral ligament and the spiral limbus through to P21, when the murine cochlea matures. Thus, the gene product may be involved in uptake of potassium ions or trophic factors with a particular role in auditory development. Although the R187C and R187H mutations did not appear to affect subcellular localization of the gene product in vitro, the H783Y mutation did present an unusual cytoplasmic distribution pattern that could underlie the molecular mechanism of hearing impairment. Our data bring attention to a novel candidate for hearing loss and indicate that screening of mutations in inner-ear-specific genes is likely to be an efficient approach to finding genetic elements responsible for deafness.Nucleotide sequence data reported herein are available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases; for details, see the electronic eatabase section of this article.     

Appearance of extrachromosomal circular DNAs during in vivo and in vitro ageing of mammalian cells

Appearance of extrachromosomal circular DNAs with in vivo and in vitro cellular ageing was examined by using a new technique of mica-press-adsorption for electron microscopy. The size distribution and the copy number of circular DNA complexes varied, depending on the cellular age. Extrachromosomal circular DNA complexes of variable length of more than 0.5 microns or 1.5 kilobase (kb) appeared during in vivo ageing of rat lymphocytes and in vitro ageing of cultured human lung fibroblasts. A restricted size class of circular forms of less than 0.5 microns in contour length was amplified in human skin fibroblasts from aged normal or Werner's syndrome subjects. These circular DNA molecules are suggested to be products of DNA rearrangements or gene amplification occurring in the chromosome.     

Mouse erythroblast formation is inhibited by anemia-inducing substance from the plasma of a patient with a malignant neoplasm

An anemia-inducing substance (AIS) was found as a protein, with a molecular weight of 50,000 on SDS electrophoresis gel, that decreased the osmotic resistance of erythrocytes. In this study, the plasma fraction containing AIS is shown to inhibit mouse erythroblast formation in vitro. The addition of the plasma fraction from a patient with an advanced malignant neoplasm to a liquid culture of mouse bone marrow cells with erythropoietin results in low numbers of erythroblast formation and low cellular yields of alpha- and beta-globin mRNAs. These inhibitions were not observed after immunoadsorption of the plasma fraction with an antiserum against AIS.     

Expression of apoptosis regulatory proteins in the skeletal muscle of tumor-bearing rabbits compared with diet-restricted rabbits

The mechanism of body weight loss in the tumor-bearing state is still unclear. In this study, we investigated expressions of apoptosis regulatory proteins in the skeletal muscle of tumor-bearing and diet-restricted rabbits, and tried to evaluate the differences between the two groups. The apoptotic index (AI) in the tumor-bearing group was 28.1+/-2.84 on day 10. By day 20, many more apoptotic cells were found (AI: 40.5+/-3.20), but then after day 20 their numbers gradually decreased (AI: 9.67+/-2.22 on day 30 and 0.93+/-0.96 on day 40). By contrast, no apoptotic cells were detected in the diet-restricted group at any of the times examined. Bcl-2 immunoreactivity was either not detected at all or only weakly observed in both groups. By contrast, Bax expression increased gradually after implantation in the tumor-bearing group. Bax expression in skeletal muscle cell was graded (moderate) 10 days after tumor implantation, and (high) by day 20, in 2 of the 5 tumor-bearing rabbits. After day 20, however, Bax immunoreactivity decreased continuously in the tumor-bearing group. By contrast, hardly any Bax-immuno-positive cells were detected in the diet-restricted group. These results suggest that loss of body weight in the tumor-bearing group is different from that in the diet-restricted group, and is related to apoptosis of skeletal muscles.