Isolation and Hypoglycemic Activity of Ephedrans A, B, C, D and E, Glycans of Ephedra distachya Herbs1.

Administration of an aqueous methanol/water extract of the Oriental crude drug "maō" (Ephedra), EPHEDRA DISTACHYA herbs, caused transient hyperglycemia followed by long lasting hypoglycemia in mice. Activity-guided fractionation of the extract led to isolation of five glycans, ephedrans A, B, C, D and E, which exhibited significant hypoglycemic effects in normal and alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice.     

Isolation and Hypoglycemic Activity of Lithospermans A, B and C, Glycans of Lithospermum erythrorhizon Roots1.

A water extract of the Oriental crude drug "shikon", LITHOSPERMUM ERYTHRORHIZON roots, remarkably diminished the plasma sugar level in mice. Fractionation of the extract by monitoring the activity yielded three glycans, lithospermans A, B and C. These glycans exerted marked hypoglycemic effects in normal and alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice.     

Isolation and Hypoglycemic Activity of Dioscorans A, B, C, D, E, and F; Glycans of Dioscorea japonica Rhizophors1.

Aqueous methanol/water extracts of the Oriental crude drug "sanyaku", DIOSCOREA JAPONICA and D. BATATAS rhizophors, notably lowered blood glucose concentration in mice. Activity-guided fractionation of the extract from D. JAPONICA afforded six glycans, dioscorans A, B, C, D, E, and F, which exhibited remarkable hypoglycemic effects in normal and alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice.     

All-in-One Silk Fibroin Sponge as the Vitrification Cryodevice of Rat Pancreatic Islets and the VEGF-Embedded Scaffold for Subrenal Transplantation

Islet transplantation is a promising option for the clinical treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes, but a reliable islet cryopreservation/transplantation protocol should be established to overcome the donor shortage. The current study reports that a silk fibroin (SF) sponge disk can be used as a cryodevice for vitrification of large quantity pancreatic islets and the scaffold for subsequent subrenal transplantation in a rat model. The marginal islet mass (550 islet equivalents [IEQs]) on an SF sponge disk was vitrified-warmed and transplanted beneath the kidney capsule of a streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat with or without vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Subrenal transplantation (no scaffold) of 550 IEQ fresh islets and post-warm islets vitrified on a nylon mesh device resulted in achieving euglycemia of recipient rats at 60% and 0%, respectively. Transplantation of 550 IEQ islets vitrified-warmed on an SF sponge disk failed to achieve euglycemia of recipient rats (0%), but the VEGF inclusion in the SF sponge disk contributed to acquiring the euglycemic recipients (33%). All cured recipient rats regained hyperglycemia after nephrectomy, and the histopathologic analysis exhibited a well-developing blood vessel network into the islet engrafts. Thus, an SF sponge disc was successively available as the cryodevice for islet vitrification, the transporter of the angiogenic VEGF, and the scaffold for subrenal transplantation in the rat model.     

Analysis of acute-phase toxicities of intensity-modulated proton therapy using a model-based approach in pharyngeal cancer patients

Pharyngeal cancer patients treated with intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) using a model-based approach were retrospectively reviewed, and acute toxicities were analyzed. From June 2016 to March 2019, 15 pharyngeal (7 naso-, 5 oro- and 3 hypo-pharyngeal) cancer patients received IMPT with robust optimization. Simulation plans for IMPT and intensity-modulated X-ray therapy (IMXT) were generated before treatment. We also reviewed 127 pharyngeal cancer patients with IMXT in the same treatment period. In the simulation planning comparison, all of the normal-tissue complication probability values for dysphagia, dysgeusia, tube-feeding dependence and xerostomia were lower for IMPT than for IMXT in the 15 patients. After completing IMPT, 13 patients completed the evaluation, and 12 of these patients had a complete response. The proportions of patients who experienced grade 2 or worse acute toxicities in the IMPT and IMXT cohorts were 21.4 and 56.5% for dysphagia (P < 0.05), 46.7 and 76.3% for dysgeusia (P < 0.05), 73.3 and 62.8% for xerostomia (P = 0.43), 73.3 and 90.6% for mucositis (P = 0.08) and 66.7 and 76.4% for dermatitis (P = 0.42), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that IMPT was independently associated with a lower rate of grade 2 or worse dysphagia and dysgeusia. After propensity score matching, 12 pairs of IMPT and IMXT patients were selected. Dysphagia was also statistically lower in IMPT than in IMXT (P < 0.05). IMPT using a model-based approach may have clinical benefits for acute dysphagia.     

Effect of neutral endopeptidase inhibition on substance-P-induced increase in short-circuit current of canine cultured tracheal epithelium.

We studied the effect of substance P (SP) on the electric properties of cultured canine tracheal epithelium and its possible modulation by neutral endopeptidase (NEP) by Ussing's short-circuited technique in vitro. Addition of SP (5 x 10(-6) M) to the mucosal side increased short-circuit current (SCC) from 5.1 +/- 0.9 to 10.3 +/- 2.2 microA/cm2 (mean +/- SE; p less than 0.01), which was accompanied by increases in transepithelial potential difference and conductance. The effect of the mucosal SP on SCC was dose-dependent, with the maximal increase from the baseline value being 5.8 +/- 1.0 microA/cm2 observed at 5 x 10(-5) M. The NEP inhibitor phosphoramidon (10(-5) M) did not affect these responses. On the other hand, SCC was not altered by the addition of SP to the submucosal side. However, it was increased dose-dependently in the presence of phosphoramidon (10(-5) M) but not in the presence of captopril, bestatin or leupeptin. This stimulatory effect of submucosal SP was abolished by furosemide, diphenylamine-2-carboxylate and Cl-free medium, but not by amiloride. These results suggest that SP may selectively stimulate Cl secretion across the airway epithelium and that this effect may be modulated by submucosal NEP.