Effects of alkaloids from Corydalis decumbens on contraction and electrophysiology of cardiac myocytes

The chloroform extract of Corydalis decumbens significantly increased the beating amplitude of cultured myocardial cell sheets. Chemical analysis led to the isolation of isoquinoline and protopine alkaloids. Of these isolated alkaloids, corlumidine and (+)-adlumidine increased the beating amplitude, but (+)-egenine decreased the beating rate and beating amplitude while protopine did not show any activity. We also studied the effects of (+)-egenine and corlumidine on contractile responses and Ca²⁺ currents in single bullfrog atrial cells using the voltage-clamp method. (+)-Egenine inhibited Ca²⁺ current by 68% of the control in single cell of bullfrog atrium, while corlumidine increased Ca²⁺ current to 60% at a concentration of 0.03 mM.     

High seroprevalence of anti–HTLV-I antibody in rheumatoid arthritis

Objective. To investigate the association between human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) infection and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Nagasaki, an area highly endemic for HTLV-I infection. Methods. Sera from 113 female patients with RA and 19,796 female blood donors were screened for anti–HTLV-I antibodies with a gelatin particle agglutination kit and confirmed using an immunoblotting kits. Results. The age-adjusted summary odds ratio of HTLV-I infection among RA patients, as compared with blood donors, was 2.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.8–4.6). The etiologic fraction, i.e., the proportion of RA in the study population that is attributable to HTLV-I infection, was estimated to be 13.2% (95% CI 5.1–21.2). There was no significant difference in the clinical and laboratory findings between HTLV-I–infected and HTLV-I–uninfected RA patients. Conclusion. These epidemiologic findings support the idea that HTLV-I infection is a risk factor for RA, and suggest that ∼13% of the cases of RA in females living in Nagasaki are associated with HTLV-I infection.     

Magnetic resonance imaging detection of aortic and pulmonary artery wall thickening in the acute stage of takayasu arteritis. Improvement of clinical and radiologic findings after steroid therapy

Objective. Early diagnosis of Takayasu arteritis in the acute stage (prepulseless stage) is extremely difficult. Identification of a useful approach to detecting the initial changes of arteritis is therefore desirable. Methods. Careful clinical examination of a young woman with persistent fever and dry cough revealed faintly audible bruits at the cervical, supraclavicular, and abdominal regions. Aortographic features suggested thickening of the wall of the descending thoracic aorta. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of this area was diagnostic. Results. MRI demonstrated involvement of the ascending aorta and right main pulmonary artery. Steroid therapy (prednisolone 60 mg/day) induced dramatic clinical and radiologic improvement in 2 months. Conclusion. This is the first report of MRI-documented reduction in the thickness of the walls of both the aorta and the pulmonary artery following steroid therapy.     

Comparison of vasoconstrictor actions of norepinephrine and potassium chloride before and after damage of endothelium by saponin

Summary Using isolated and perfused mesenteric arterial preparations of dogs, vasoconstrictor responses to intraluminal norepinephrine and potassium chloride were investigated in the presence and absence of the endothelium. Intraluminal administration of saponin readily removed the endothelium. Saponin (1–3 mg) caused an increase in perfusion pressure, and then approximately 20 min later perfusion pressure became stable at a somewhat higher level than that of the control. A larger dose of saponin (10 mg) caused a tremendous but temporary increase of perfusion pressure. KCl-induced vasoconstriction was significantly enhanced by pretreatment with 0.3, 1, and 3 mg saponin, but norepinephrine-induced constriction was not modified significantly. Moreover, it was demonstrated that diltiazem, a potent Ca antagonist, inhibited the KCl-induced vasoconstriction more readily in the absence than in the presence of the endothelium.     

Altered anterior‐posterior connectivity through the arcuate fasciculus in temporal lobe epilepsy

How the interactions between cortices through a specific white matter pathway change during cognitive processing in patients with epilepsy remains unclear. Here, we used surface‐based structural connectivity analysis to examine the change in structural connectivity with Broca's area/the right Broca's homologue in the lateral temporal and inferior parietal cortices through the arcuate fasciculus (AF) in 17 patients with left temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) compared with 17 healthy controls. Then, we investigated its functional relevance to the changes in task‐related responses and task‐modulated functional connectivity with Broca's area/the right Broca's homologue during a semantic classification task of a single word. The structural connectivity through the AF pathway and task‐modulated functional connectivity with Broca's area decreased in the left midtemporal cortex. Furthermore, task‐related response decreased in the left mid temporal cortex that overlapped with the region showing a decrease in the structural connectivity. In contrast, the region showing an increase in the structural connectivity through the AF overlapped with the regions showing an increase in task‐modulated functional connectivity in the left inferior parietal cortex. These structural and functional changes in the overlapping regions were correlated. The results suggest that the change in the structural connectivity through the left frontal–temporal AF pathway underlies the altered functional networks between the frontal and temporal cortices during the language‐related processing in patients with left TLE. The left frontal–parietal AF pathway might be employed to connect anterior and posterior brain regions during language processing and compensate for the compromised left frontal–temporal AF pathway. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4425–4438, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Pancreatic tissue damage by transcatheter arterial embolization for hepatoma

We analyzed the serial changes in serum pancreatic enzyme activities by transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) in 20 hepatoma patients with liver cirrhosis in an attempt to evaluate the incidence of the pancreatic tissue damage by TAE. Serum amylase activities increased in two (10%) cases, elastase 1 levels in six (30%) cases, and trypsin and pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) levels in each of five (25%) cases. Consequently, TAE resulted in the elevation of at least more than one serum pancreatic enzyme in eitht (40%) of 20 cases, although none had clinical symptoms related to pancreatitis When the adverse effect on the pancreatic tissue was compared among 6 cases of the superselective TAE and 14 cases of the nonsuperselective TAE, which were perfomed from the segmental and the nonsegmental hepatic arteries, respectively, the elevation of serum pancreatic enzymes was caused only by nonsuperselective TAE, not by superselective TAE. The volumes of Spongel and lipiodol used or the injected doses of the anticancer agent mitomycin C were not different between the two groups. These results indicate that TAE for the treatment of hepatoma frequently causes pancreatic tissue damage, and the position of the inserted catheter tip is very important to avoid the pancreatic tissue damage by TAE.     

Steroidal glycosides from the rhizomes of Dioscorea spongiosa

A water extract of the rhizomes of Dioscorea spongiosa, which showed antiosteoporotic activity, was examined, and four new pregnane glycosides, named spongipregnolosides A-D (1-4), and two new cholestane glycosides, named spongiosides A (5) and B (6), were isolated together with 15 known glycosides. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods. Among the isolated compounds, spongioside A (5), hypoglaucin G (7), methylprotodioscin (8), and (R)-oct-1-en-3-yl O-alpha-l-arabinopyranosyl-(1-->6)-alpha-d-glucopyranoside (9) showed potent inhibition against bone resorption induced by parathyroid hormone in a bone organ culture system.     

An aminopeptidase inhibitor, bestatin, enhances progesterone and oestradiol secretion by porcine granulosa cells stimulated with follicle stimulating hormone in vitro

We examined the presence of cell surface aminopeptidase on culturedporcine granuiosa cells by employing the aminopeptidase assayusing alanine-p-nitroanilide and histochemical staining usingL-leucyl-β-naphthylamide. Porcine granuiosa cells obtainedfrom follicles 4–5 mm in diameter were cultured for 7days. The aminopeptidase assay showed that the porcine granuiosacell culture had aminopeptidase activity and that this activitywas inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by bestatin which bindsto cell surfaces and inhibits cell surface aminopeptidases.Histochemical staining also indicated that cultured granuiosacells had aminopeptidase activity. Porcine granuiosa cells werecultured in the presence or absence of porcine follicle stimulatinghormone (FSH, 3.125 nmol/1) and/or bestatin (0.4, 4.0 and 40.0µ/ml) for 7 days, and the production of progesterone andoestradiol was measured. In the presence of porcine FSH, theproduction of progesterone and oestradiol by granuiosa cellswas increased significantly by 5- and 2-fold respectively. Theseincreases were enhanced further by bestatin (40.0 (µg/ml).In the absence of porcine FSH, progesterone production was enhancedby bestatin (40.0 µg/ml), whereas no significant effectof bestatin on oestradiol secretion was observed. These findingsindicate that the inhibition of membrane-bound amino-peptidase(s)on the cell surfaces affects the steroidogenesis of granuiosacells, and that these aminopeptidase(s) are important regulatorsof granuiosa cell differentiation.     

Lowered effectiveness of immunotherapy for cypress pollinosis by using Japanese cedar pollen extract]

BACKGROUND: Japanese cedar and cypress pollen share a common antigen. The cedar pollen season is followed by the cypress pollen season. However, both the clinical significance and involvement of cypress pollinosis in the treatment of the cedar pollinosis have not yet been clarified. METHODS: The clinical efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy with cedar pollen extract for cedar pollinosis was evaluated during the cypress pollen dispersal season in Japan. In addition, the change in cypress pollen specific IgE antibodies of the patients with cedar pollinosis was examined before and after the pollen season. RESULTS: Sublingual immunotherapy with cedar pollen extract did not improve the clinical symptoms of the cedar pollinosis patients combined with cypress pollinosis in the cypress pollen season. The cypress pollen specific IgE antibodies were found to demonstrate significant seasonal changes. CONCLUSION: The presence of cypress pollinosis should therefore be taken into consideration when planning the optimal treatment for cedar pollinosis. Sublingual immunotherapy with cedar pollen extract may not be effective for cypress pollinosis.