巫山淫羊藿的化学研究

从小檗科Berberidaceae淫羊藿属Epimedium植物巫山淫羊藿Epimedium wushanense T.S.Ying的地上部分中分得两种黄酮甙单体,经理化性质鉴定及紫外、红外、质谱、氢谱、碳谱等光谱分析,确定甙Ⅰ是新化合物,命名为巫山淫羊藿甙(wushanicariin)。甙Ⅱ是已知化合物淫羊藿甙(icariin),系首次从该种植物中分离。     

Leucine metabolism in patients with Cushing's syndrome before and after successful treatment

OBJECTIVE Results from studies on the effect of glucocor-ticosteroids on protein turnover in both rat and man have been conflicting. The aim of this study was to investigate the primary cause of muscle wasting in patients with Cushing's syndrome. DESIGN Studies of whole body 1-¹⁴C-leucine turnover in patients with Cushing's syndrome before and after successful treatment, and in control subjects. PATIENTS Eleven patients with Cushing's syndrome before and after (n= 5) treatment and 11 control subjects. MEASUREMENTS Whole body 1-¹⁴C-leucine turnover to determine leucine metabolic clearance rate, leucine production rate, leucine oxidation rate and leucine incorporation into protein. RESULTS Plasma leucine concentration (mean ± SEM 100 ± 6 μ mol/l), leucine metabolic clearance rate (9.97 ± 0.11 μ mol/min/kg), leucine turnover (0.98 ± 0.11 μ mol/min/kg) and leucine incorporation into protein (0.71 ± 0.09 μ mol/min/kg) were all significantly reduced in patients with Cushing's syndrome compared with control subjects (122 ± 6 μ mol/l, P < 0.05; 13.61 ± 1.27 μ mol/min/kg, P < 0.05; 1.65 ± 0.12 μ mol/min/kg, P < 0.05; 1.46 ± 0.10 μ mol/min/kg, P < 0.001, respectively). Leucine oxidation rate was similar in the patients with Cushing's syndrome and control subjects. When leucine metabolism was expressed in terms of lean body mass (LBM) in five patients with Cushing's syndrome and 11 control subjects, leucine MCR, leucine turnover and leucine oxidation were not significantly different in the two groups. However, leucine incorporation into protein was significantly reduced (P< 0.001) in the patients with Cushing's syndrome (1.07 ± 0.20 μ mol/min kg LBM) compared with control subjects (1.95 ± 0.11 μ mol/min/kg LBM). CONCLUSION We conclude from these studies that the muscle wasting associated with Cushing's syndrome is primarily due to a reduction in protein synthesis.     

Erysipelothrix endocarditis.

This communication describes the second reported Australian case of erysipelothrix endocarditis; after treatment with penicillin, the patient survived. It also gives up-to-date summary and brief discussion of the literature.     

Early growth response gene 1 (EGR1) is deleted in estrogen receptor-negative human breast carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and ER-negative breast carcinomas differ in terms of disease progression, treatment regimens, and prognosis. The mechanism underlying the biologic differences of the two groups is understood poorly. Array comparative genome hybridization (CGH) on breast carcinoma subtypes demonstrated a consistent association between loss in regions of chromosome 5q and ER-negative tumors. It was shown previously that early growth response gene 1 (EGR1) on 5q acts like a tumor-suppressor gene, with its expression repressed in breast carcinomas. METHODS: To test the hypothesis that EGR1 is deleted differentially in ER-negative versus ER-positive breast carcinomas, fluorescence in situ hybridization was employed in this study to determine the EGR1 deletion status in 50 breast carcinoma specimens. Deletion status was measured by the signal ratio of EGR1/chromosome 5. Linear regression was used to assess the results. RESULTS: The mean EGR1/chromosome 5 ratio for the ER-negative group was significantly lower compared with the same ratio for the ER-positive group (P < 0.001). Although grade alone was not significant for predicting the ratio, the interaction between ER status and grade was significant (P < 0.01): For ER-negative specimens, the higher the grade, the lower the EGR1/chromosome 5 ratio. CONCLUSIONS: The EGR1 gene appeared to be deleted in ER-negative human breast carcinomas. Egr-1 may contribute to the pathogenesis of ER-negative breast carcinomas versus ER-positive breast carcinomas.