Identification and evaluation of antioxidants in Japanese parsley

Two cultivars of Japanese parsley were harvested in different seasons; their antioxidant capacities were evaluated by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methods, and the contents of hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidants were compared. Japanese parsley possessed potent antioxidant capacities both in hydrophilic and lipophilic extracts when evaluated by ORAC methods. LC/MS/MS analyses revealed that chlorogenic acid and four kinds of quercetin glycosides were major antioxidants in the hydrophilic extract. Lutein was the main contributor to the antioxidant capacity of the lipophilic extract. Antioxidant capacities of the hydrophilic extracts of both cultivars tended to be higher in winter because of the increase in the contents of chlorogenic acid and quercetin glycosides. An obvious trend in the lipophilic antioxidant capacities or lutein contents was not observed irrespective of the cultivar.     

CROSSOVER COMPARISON BETWEEN THE DEPRESSOR EFFECTS OF LOW AND HIGH WORK-RATE EXERCISE IN MILD HYPERTENSION

1. The relationship between work-rate and the antihypertensive effect of exercise in hypertensives, and the mechanism of that effect, were investigated by a crossover clinical trial. 2. Ten mild hypertensives were randomly divided into two groups. One group performed low work-rate exercise (LWE) on a cycle ergometer for 10 weeks (blood lactate threshold; ～50% of maximum oxygen consumption [V?_O2max]). After a 10 week interval without exercise training, these subjects were then switched to a high work-rate exercise (HWE) regimen (4 mmol/ L of blood lactate; ～75% of V?_O2max) for another 10 weeks. In the other group, the order of exercise training was reversed. Since two patients withdrew from the protocol during HWE periods, statistical analysis was performed on the data from the remaining eight patients. There were no order effects observed in any of the data from the two groups. 3. During both LWE and HWE, resting blood pressure (BP) fell significantly after the initiation of exercise therapy (P<0.05). Furthermore, the overall effects of 10 weeks of LWE and HWE on BP were not significantly different. 4. The work-rate at the lactate threshold, which reflects physical fitness, had increased significantly by 16 W (P<0.01) after the LWE period and by 11 W (P<0.01) after the HWE. 5. During the LWE period, changes in haemodynamic and humoral variables were not significant, except for a reduction in plasma norepinephrine at week 10 (P<0.05). In the HWE period, changes in haemodynamic and humoral variables were not significant. 6. Based on these findings, LWE is recommended for mild hypertensives because of its safety.     

Regeneration of the hamstring tendons after harvesting for arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a histological study in 11 patients

The purpose of our study is to evaluate whether the hamstring tendons can regrow after harvesting for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and whether the regenerate tissue can be histologically characterized as tendinous. Eleven of the patients (eight female and three male; mean age, 23 years; range 17–37 years) consented to participate in this study. One year after the ACL reconstruction, surgical biopsy was done. Regeneration of the tendon was detected macroscopically in 9 of the 11 patients. Histologically and immunohistochemically, the regenerated tendons closely resembled normal ones. The results of this study show the hamstring tendons can regenerate after harvesting for the ACL reconstruction.     

Histological comparison of patellar cartilage degeneration between chondromalacia in youth and osteoarthritis in aging

The histological findings of the patellar cartilage were compared between cases of chondromalacia, which occurs predominantly in young persons (22 patients, average age 19.8 years) and cases of osteoarthritis, which is common among the elderly (21 patients, average age 65.4 years). The histological findings of cartilage in the chondromalacia were characterized by increased density and vigorous fibrous metaplasia of chondrocytes. These findings may be considered to represent a reactive change in the chondrocyte. Cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis, by contrast, is regressive and presents a clearly different histological picture from that of chondromalacia patellae. We conclude that chondromalacia does not easily lead to osteoarthritis. On the other hand, the cartilage was characteristically softened, as observed by gross inspection, and showed rarefaction of the cartilage matrix. It should be noted that the change was not observed in aging, but showed a pattern of cartilage degeneration peculiar to young patients with chondromalacia patellae.     

Clinical study on cefixime granules in the field of pediatrics

The absorption and excretion and clinical effectiveness of cefixime (CFIX) granules, a new oral cephalosporin, were studied with pediatric patients with tonsillitis and urinary tract infection (UTI). Peak serum concentrations in 3 children given orally a single dose of 3 mg/kg on fasting were 0.545 micrograms/ml at 2 hours in 1 patient, and 1.56 and 1.26 micrograms/ml at 4 hours in the other 2. The half-lives in the 3 patients were 3.21-3.42 hours, with an average of 3.29 hours. The urinary concentration during the first 6 hours was 36.5 micrograms/ml in 1 patient showing the low serum level, and the first 6-hour urinary recovery rate was 7.3%. In the other 2 patients, urinary concentrations and recovery rates up to 6 hours were 87 and 62 micrograms/ml, and 17.0 and 15.1%, respectively. The second 6-hour urinary concentrations and recovery rates were 35.5 and 20.8 micrograms/ml, and 12.7 and 8.8%, respectively. The urinary recovery rates up to 12 hours were 29.7 and 23.9%, respectively. CFIX was given orally to 19 children with 20 diseases in daily doses of 6.4-12.9 mg/kg in 2 or 3 divided portions for 3 to 12 days. Clinical evaluations were made on 18 diseases. Clinical effects of CFIX were excellent in 4, good in 7 and poor in 1 of the 12 patients with tonsillitis, and excellent in 5 and good in 1 of the 6 patients with UTI. The overall clinical effectiveness rate was 94.4%. No side effects were observed in any of the 19 patients. Hematological tests, showed slight elevation of blood platelet counts in 2 patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Action of Isoflurane on the Substantia Gelatinosa Neurons of the Adult Rat Spinal Cord

Background: Although isoflurane, a volatile anesthetic, can block the motor response to noxious stimulation (immobility and analgesia) and suppress autonomic responsiveness, how it exerts these effects at the neuronal level in the spinal cord is not fully understood.

Methods: The effects of a clinically relevant concentration (1 rat minimum alveolar concentration [MAC]) of isoflurane on electrically evoked and spontaneous excitatory/inhibitory transmission and on the response to exogenous administration of the [gamma]-aminobutyric acid type A receptor agonist muscimol were examined in lamina II neurons of adult rat spinal cord slices using the whole cell patch clamp technique. The effect of isoflurane on the action potential-generating membrane property was also examined.

Results: Bath-applied isoflurane (1.5%, 1 rat MAC) diminished dorsal root-evoked polysynaptic but not monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents. Glutamatergic miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents were also unaffected by isoflurane. In contrast, isoflurane prolonged the decay phase of evoked and miniature [gamma]-aminobutyric acid type A receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents and increased the amplitude of the muscimol-induced current. Isoflurane had little effect on action potential discharge activity.