Four new flavones and a new isoflavone from Iris bungei

Four new irisflavones A-D (1-4) and irilin D (5) have been isolated from the underground parts of Iris bungei along with known isoflavones, irilins A-B (6-7) and tlatancuayin (8). The structures of the new compounds were determined using NMR and mass spectroscopic methods and were found to be 2',5,7-trihydroxy-3,6-dimethoxyflavone (1), 2',5-dihydroxy-3,6,7-trimethoxyflavone (2), 2',5,6'-trihydroxy-3,6,7-trimethoxyflavone (3), 3,3',5-trihydroxy-2',7-dimethoxyflavone (4), and 3',4',5,7-tetrahydroxy-6-methoxyisoflavone (5). The structures of irisflavones 1, 3, and 4 were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies.     

从贮存骨髓涂片提取RNA检测骨髓增生异常综合征病人的WT1基因表达

从贮存骨髓涂片提取RNA,用巢式RT-PCR检测61例骨髓增生异常综合征（MDS）病人的WT1基因表达,结果显示各类型MDS病人均高表达WT1基因,难治性贫血伴原始细胞增多（RAEB）和转变中的RAEB（RAEB-t)的表达率高于难治性贫血（RA）和环形铁粒幼细胞性难治性的贫血（RAS）,WT1基因的表达与MDS病人的疾病进展呈正相关关系。WT1基因表达的RT-PCR检测可作为判断疾病进展的一个有用指标。     

Role of chest radiography in predicting the extent of airway disease in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism

An independent evaluation of the chest radiographs and ventilation-perfusion (VP) scintigrams of 119 patients (121 studies) was performed to assess the ability of radiographic findings to indicate the extent of ventilation abnormalities in patients suspected of having pulmonary embolism (PE). VP scans were obtained with krypton-81m in 72 cases and with xenon-133 in 49. All scintigrams showing ventilation abnormalities in greater than 50% of the lung were considered indeterminate for PE, owing to an increased likelihood of false-negative interpretations, as reported in previous studies. Indeterminate VP studies were found in all 21 patients who had radiographic findings of widespread obstructive pulmonary disease (OPD), in 35% with radiographic findings of focal OPD (P less than .001), and in only 18% with no OPD seen radiographically (P less than .001). VP scintigraphy is likely to be indeterminate for PE when widespread OPD is seen by chest radiography and ventilation imaging may not be warranted in these patients.     

The effects of up to 240 days of tacrolimus therapy on the gingival tissues of rats – a morphological evaluation

Background:  Tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive drug used in organ transplantation, has been reported not to induce gingival overgrowth. However, prevalence studies are limited, and the methods used for assessing gingival overgrowth varies among studies.
Objective:  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of up to 240 days of tacrolimus therapy on gingival tissues of rats.
Materials and methods:  Rats were treated for 60, 120, 180 and 240 days with daily subcutaneous injections of 1 mg/kg body weight of tacrolimus. After histological processing, the oral and connective tissue, volume densities of fibroblasts ( V _f), collagen fibers ( V _cf) and other structures ( V _o) were assessed in the region of the lower first molar.
Results:  After 60 and 120 days of treatment with tacrolimus, gingival overgrowth was not observed. The gingival epithelium, connective tissue, as well as the values for V _f, V _cf, and V _o were similar to those of the control rats ( P  > 0.05). After 180 and 240 days of the treatment, gingival overgrowth was associated with a significant increase in the gingival epithelium and connective tissue as well as an increase in the V _f and V _cf ( P  < 0.05).
Conclusions:  Within the limits of the experimental study, it may be concluded that the deleterious side effects of tacrolimus on the gingival tissues of rats may be time-related.     

Comparison of hip center estimation using in-vivo and ex-vivo measurements from the same subject

Objective. To evaluate the accuracy of locating the hip center (HIPC) by comparing in-vivo estimations to posthumous HIPC measurement in the same subject.

Background. Numerous techniques have been used to locate the HIPC in living subjects and in cadavers. There are no published reports, however, which have compared measurements of the HIPC obtained in-vivo and ex-vivo for the same subject.

Design and methods. Bilateral hip centers (HIPC) were estimated for an elderly male patient seven times over 32 months in a gait laboratory using a technique which combines kinematic data and static pointing. The patient's pelvis was recovered posthumously and analytical photogrammetry used to estimate the HIPC locations. Published methods which scale anatomical measurements to locate the HIPC were compared to our ex-vivo and in-vivo measurements.

Results. HIPC precision was 0.94 cm for the in-vivo measurements (N = 7 trial days) and 0.15 cm for the ex-vivo measurements (N = 6 photogrammetry trials). The resultant error between ex-vivo and in-vivo estimates of HIPC position was 1.17 cm. Resultant errors in locating the HIPC using published anatomical scaling factors ranged between 1.48 cm and 5.37 cm.

Conclusions. Although we have been unable to compare in-vivo and ex-vivo HIPC measurements for more than one subject, results of our analysis suggest that using anatomical scaling to locate the HIPC may result in unsatisfactory subject-specific estimates of the HIPC.     

A simple method for estimating the intervertebral disc compressive force based on the posture analysis of community-dwelling older adults

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to develop a simpler method to estimate the intervertebral disc compressive force in healthy older adults. We also examined the validity of a simpler estimation formula for patients with spinal diseases. [Participants and Methods] Fifty-two older adults participated in the study. The standing posture was measured using a three-dimensional motion capture system. The intervertebral disc compressive force was calculated using a previously reported method. Correlation analysis was used to detect the relationship between the measured parameters and the intervertebral disc compressive force. Multiple regression analysis was performed to obtain an equation for the intervertebral disc compressive force. Correlation analysis was used to determine the regression equation for the patients with spinal diseases. [Results] Multiple regression analysis showed that trunk flexion/extension angle and body mass were significantly associated with intervertebral disc compressive force. A correlation was found between the measured and predicted values in the healthy older adults, whereas both values were inconsistent in patients with spinal diseases. [Conclusion] The results of our study demonstrated that the trunk flexion/extension angle and body mass are indicators of intervertebral disc compressive force and can be used to assess low back mechanical stress in healthy older adults.Key words: Low back mechanical stress, Motion analysis, Elderly