Biotransformation of curcumin through reduction and glucuronidation in mice.

Curcumin, the yellow pigment in turmeric and curry, has antioxidative and anticarcinogenic activities. In this study, we investigated the pharmacokinetic properties of curcumin in mice. After i.p. administration of curcumin (0.1 g/kg) to mice, about 2.25 microg/ml of curcumin appeared in the plasma in the first 15 min. One hour after administration, the levels of curcumin in the intestines, spleen, liver, and kidneys were 177.04, 26.06, 26.90, and 7.51 microg/g, respectively. Only traces (0.41 microg/g) were observed in the brain at 1 h. To clarify the nature of the metabolites of curcumin, the plasma was analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC, and two putative conjugates were observed. Treatment of the plasma with beta-glucuronidase resulted in a decrease in the concentrations of these two putative conjugates and the concomitant appearance of tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) and curcumin, respectively. To investigate the nature of these glucuronide conjugates in vivo, the plasma was analyzed by electrospray. The chemical structures of these metabolites, determined by mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry analysis, suggested that curcumin was first biotransformed to dihydrocurcumin and THC and that these compounds subsequently were converted to monoglucuronide conjugates. Because THC is one of the major metabolites of curcumin, we studied its stability at different pH values. THC was very stable in 0.1 M phosphate buffers of various pH values. Moreover, THC was more stable than curcumin in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.2 (37 degrees C). These results, together with previous findings, suggest that curcumin-glucuronoside, dihydrocurcumin-glucuronoside, THC-glucuronoside, and THC are major metabolites of curcumin in vivo.     

K-serotype analyses of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated in northern Taiwan, 1983 through 1993

From 1983 through 1993, 786 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus were collected from food-borne disease outbreaks and sporadic cases of diarrheal illness in northern Taiwan, involving 42 K-serotypes. Five top leading serotypes were K8 (36.8%), K15 (10.8%), K12 (8.7%), K56 (7.9%) and K63 (4.7%). However, a variation of K-serotypes was found during this study period. From 112 food-borne outbreaks associated with this microorganism, only 54 (48.2%) outbreaks were caused by a single serotype, while 58 (51.8%) were caused by multiple K-serotypes. Numbers of outbreaks caused by two, three and more than three K-serotypes were 29 (26%), 16 (14.2%), and 13 (11.6%), respectively. In a special outbreak, eight K-serotypes was found. Outbreaks caused by party caterers were most frequently associated with multiple K-serotypes.     

Control of retinal information coding by GABAB receptors.

The directional selectivity of amacrine and ganglion cells was studied using conventional intracellular recording techniques and drug application in the superfused retina-eyecup preparation of the tiger salamander. Baclofen, a GABAB receptor agonist, enhanced normal directional responses in some directionally selective third-order neurons. In about 30% of the cells that were not normally directional, baclofen induced direction-selective responses. This effect was particularly marked when 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (APB) was used to isolate the OFF pathway. Comparisons of the effects of APB and baclofen on induced directional cells indicate that directional information in the ON and OFF channels is often handled separately and frequently is not aligned. This tends to obscure the observation of directionality as seen from the soma. Application of picrotoxin blocked both normal directional selectivity and baclofen-induced directional selectivity in some cells. Superfusion of picrotoxin and strychnine together blocked directionality in almost all cells. In both normal and induced directionality, the null direction response varied from cell to cell between a small depolarization, no voltage response, or a hyperpolarization. Injection of positive current often revealed "silent" inhibition. Some induced direction-selective cells did not show any evidence of inhibition in the null direction. The similarities in the response to baclofen, the influence of GABA and glycine antagonists, and the characteristics of the null-direction responses suggest that both normal and induced directionality originate from the same sources or mechanisms. Baclofen also induced orientation selectivity, but this was rarely observed.     

HIV-related encephalitis presenting as convulsant disease

Because of the growing incidence of neurological disorders in HIV-infected patients, an early detection of the disease seems to be of paramount importance, especially in asymptomatic subjects. By using electroencephalography coupled with computerized spectral analysis and "mapping" (EEG-CSA), paroxysmal sharp activity was detected in 26 patients belonging to different stages of HIV infection. Seven of them (27%) were also symptomatic, (table; see text) showing signs of convulsant disease. The presence of focal or generalized paroxysmal activity, often associated with seizures, might suggest an early localization of HIV in cortical structures.     

Indications for early aspirin use in acute ischemic stroke : A combined analysis of 40 000 randomized patients from the chinese acute stroke trial and the international stroke trial. On behalf of the CAST and IST collaborative groups

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Long-term daily aspirin is of benefit in the years after ischemic stroke, and 2 large randomized trials (the Chinese Acute Stroke Trial [CAST] and the International Stroke Trial [IST]), with 20 000 patients in each, have shown that starting daily aspirin promptly in patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke also reduces the immediate risk of further stroke or death in hospital and the overall risk of death or dependency. However, some uncertainty remains about the effects of early aspirin in particular categories of patient with acute stroke. METHODS: To assess the balance of benefits and risks of aspirin in particular categories of patient with acute stroke (eg, the elderly, those without a CT scan, or those with atrial fibrillation), a prospectively planned meta-analysis is presented of the data from 40 000 individual patients from both trials on events that occurred in the hospital during the scheduled treatment period (4 weeks in CAST, 2 weeks in IST), with 10 characteristics used to define 28 subgroups. This represents 99% of the worldwide evidence from randomized trials. RESULTS: There was a highly significant reduction of 7 per 1000 (SD 1) in recurrent ischemic stroke (320 [1.6%] aspirin versus 457 [2. 3%] control, 2P<0.000001) and a less clearly significant reduction of 4 (SD 2) per 1000 in death without further stroke (5.0% versus 5. 4%, 2P=0.05). Against these benefits, there was an increase of 2 (SD 1) per 1000 in hemorrhagic stroke or hemorrhagic transformation of the original infarct (1.0% versus 0.8%, 2P=0.07) and no apparent effect on further stroke of unknown cause (0.9% versus 0.9%). In total, therefore, there was a net decrease of 9 (SD 3) per 1000 in the overall risk of further stroke or death in hospital (8.2% versus 9.1%, 2P=0.001). For the reduction of one third in recurrent ischemic stroke, subgroup-specific analyses found no significant heterogeneity of the proportional benefit of aspirin (chi(2)(18)=20. 9, NS), even though the overall treatment effect (chi(2)(1)=24.8, 2P<0.000001) was sufficiently large for such subgroup analyses to be statistically informative. The absolute risk among control patients was similar in all 28 subgroups, so the absolute reduction of approximately 7 per 1000 in recurrent ischemic stroke does not differ substantially with respect to age, sex, level of consciousness, atrial fibrillation, CT findings, blood pressure, stroke subtype, or concomitant heparin use. There was no good evidence that the apparent decrease of approximately 4 per 1000 in death without further stroke was reversed in any subgroup or that in any subgroup the increase in hemorrhagic stroke was much larger than the overall average of approximately 2 per 1000. Finally, there was no significant heterogeneity between the reductions in the composite outcome of any further stroke or death (chi(2)(18)=16.5, NS). Among the 9000 patients (22%) randomized without a prior CT scan, aspirin appeared to be of net benefit with no unusual excess of hemorrhagic stroke; moreover, even among the 800 (2%) who had inadvertently been randomized after a hemorrhagic stroke, there was no evidence of net hazard (further stroke or death, 63 aspirin versus 67 control). CONCLUSIONS: Early aspirin is of benefit for a wide range of patients, and its prompt use should be routinely considered for all patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke, mainly to reduce the risk of early recurrence.     

CBN对脑缺血再灌注小鼠线粒体损伤的影响

目的：观察CBN对脑缺血再灌注小鼠的线粒体损伤的影响。方法：分离提纯脑缺血再灌注小鼠脑的线粒体。用分光光度法检测线粒体的膜肿胀度，用激光拉曼光谱检测脑线粒体的生物大分子的变化。结果：小鼠脑缺血再灌注后。其线粒体出现膜肿胀，CBN50、100mg／kg iv对此有明显的抑制作用。各组脑线粒体的Raman和IR光谱基本一致。CBN组与假手术组比较接近。模型组只是在量上有一些差异。结论：CBN对脑缺血再灌注小鼠的线粒体损伤的有一定的保护作用。     

Development of multifocal duodenal erosions after anti-Helicobacter pylori triple therapy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Anti-Helicobacter pylori triple therapy is effective for healing duodenal ulcer (DU) diseases and reducing disease recurrence. However, multifocal duodenal erosions or shallow ulcers may develop after triple therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and outcome of duodenal erosions that developed after triple therapy. METHODS: A total of 106 Taiwanese with active DU and with H. pylori infection were enrolled in this study. All patients received anti-H. pylori triple therapy (i.e., 2 weeks of antimicrobial agents combined with treatment for 4 to 6 weeks with acid suppression agents). Follow-up endoscopy was performed immediately after stopping treatment. The incidence of multifocal erosions or shallow ulcers over the bulb and/or second portion of the duodenum was studied. Additional acid suppression agent was given for 4 weeks whenever duodenal erosions or shallow ulcers were found. RESULTS: Out of 106 patients, 11 (10.4%) were found to have multifocal duodenal erosions and/or shallow ulcers on the duodenal bulb and/or second portion of the duodenum at the end of treatment. Ten of the 11 patients with newly developed erosions had healed DU in the S1 or S2 stage, and all 11 had successful H. pylori eradication. The duodenal erosions and/or shallow ulcers of these 11 patients were healed after an additional 4 weeks of histamine-2-receptor antagonist therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Multifocal duodenal erosions and/or shallow ulcers were noted in around 10% of Taiwanese DU patients who received anti-H. pylori triple therapy. An additional 4 weeks therapy with acid suppression agents healed these lesions.     

Suppressive effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on the high-affinity antibody response in C57BL/6 mice.

In the humoral immune response to an invasion of foreign antigens, B cells differentiate into low-affinity antibody-forming cells (AFCs) that mainly secrete IgM or, through germinal center (GC) formation, into high-affinity AFCs that secrete IgG-class antibodies with a higher affinity for the antigen. Previous studies have established the suppressive effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on low-affinity antibody responses to antigens. However, whether and how TCDD affects the high-affinity antibody response to antigens has not yet been clarified. In this paper we investigate the effects of TCDD on GC formation, high-affinity AFC generation, and high-affinity antibody production in the primary humoral immune response. C57BL/6 mice were orally administered 0 or 20 microg/kg of TCDD and subsequently immunized with alum-precipitated ovalbumin (OVA) on day 0. Then the GC formation in the spleen and OVA-specific antibodies in the plasma, was evaluated until day 14 postimmunization. TCDD exposure reduced the production of OVA-specific IgG1 on days 10 and 14. GC formation in the spleen was also suppressed by TCDD exposure, and the suppression persisted from day 7 until day 14. In TCDD-administered mice, on day 7, cellular proliferation in the GCs was significantly suppressed, although apoptosis was not markedly affected. In order to measure high-affinity antibody and high-affinity AFCs, the mice were administered TCDD followed by immunization with alum-precipitated (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl) acetyl linked to chicken gamma-globulin (NP-CG). The frequency of high-affinity NP-specific AFCs that bind to low-haptenated antigen was clearly shown to be reduced in the spleen on days 10 and 14. Furthermore, the high-affinity anti-NP IgG1 levels on days 10 and 14 postimmunization were significantly reduced by TCDD exposure. Taken together, the results of this paper demonstrate that TCDD exposure inhibits the generation of high-affinity AFCs and high-affinity antibody production during the primary humoral immune response and suggest that these alterations were caused by the suppression of antigen-responding B-cell proliferation induced by TCDD during GC formation.     

Possible dominant-negative mutation of the SHIP gene in acute myeloid leukemia.

The SH2 domain-containing inositol 5'-phosphatase (SHIP) is crucial in hematopoietic development. To evaluate the possible tumor suppressor role of the SHIP gene in myeloid leukemogenesis, we examined primary leukemia cells from 30 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, together with eight myeloid leukemia cell lines. A somatic mutation at codon 684, replacing Val with Glu, was detected in one patient, lying within the signature motif 2, which is the phosphatase active site. The results of an in vitro inositol 5'-phosphatase assay revealed that the mutation reduced catalytic activity of SHIP. Leukemia cells with the mutation showed enhanced Akt phosphorylation following IL-3 stimulation. K562 cells transfected with the mutated SHIP-V684E cDNA showed a growth advantage even at lower serum concentrations and resistance to apoptosis induced by serum deprivation and exposure to etoposide. These results suggest a possible role of the mutated SHIP gene in the development of acute leukemia and chemotherapy resistance through the deregulation of the phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-triphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3)/Akt signaling pathway. This is the first report of a mutation in the SHIP gene in any given human cancer, and indicates the need for more attention to be paid to this gene with respect to cancer pathogenesis.