LC–MS/MS-Based Comparative Investigation on Chemical Constituents of Six Aster Species Occurring in Korea

Aster species (Asteraceae) are widely distributed edible and medicinal plants, known to contain various specialized metabolites including polyphenols and saponins. However, systemic analysis on the chemical profiles of these plants have rarely been made. Here we analyzed the phytochemical constituents in leaves of 6 Aster species occurring in Korea, A. ageratoides, A. altaicus var. uchiyamae, A. glehnii, A. hispidus, A. incisus, and A. yomena, by applying a LC–MS/MS-based untargeted metabolomics approach. The analysis revealed that A. ageratoides, A. hispidus, and A. yomena are relatively rich in saponins most of which are expected to be previously unknown.

Classficiation of Bupleuri Radix according to Geographical Origins using Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Combined with Supervised Pattern Recognition

Rapid geographical classification of Bupleuri Radix is important in quality control. In this study, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with supervised pattern recognition was attempted to classify Bupleuri Radix according to geographical origins. Three supervised pattern recognitions methods, partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA) and radial basis function support vector machine (RBF-SVM), were performed to establish the classification models. The QDA and RBF-SVM models were performed based on principal component analysis (PCA). The number of principal components (PCs) was optimized by cross-validation in the model. The results showed that the performance of the QDA model is the optimum among the three models. The optimized QDA model was obtained when 7 PCs were used; the classification rates of the QDA model in the training and test sets are 97.8% and 95.2% respectively. The overall results showed that NIRS combined with supervised pattern recognition could be applied to classify Bupleuri Radix according to geographical origin.

Phenolic Compounds Isolated from Opuntia ficus-indica Fruits

On the phytochemical investigation of a 70% ethanol extract of the fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica, (Cacataceae), we could result in the isolation of thirteen phenolic compounds including seven flavonoids (1 - 9) and four simple phenolic glycosides (10 - 13) by column chromatographic methods. Among the isolated compounds, picein (11), androsin (12), and 1-O-feruloyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (13) were isolated for the first time from O. ficus-indica; additionally, this is the first report benzyl-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10) from the genus Opuntia. The structures of the compounds were determined by spectral data analysis which included 1D, 2D NMR spectrum and ESIMS.

Dihydrobenzofuran Neolignans Isolated from Euonymus alatus Leaves and Twigs Attenuated Inflammatory Responses in the Activated RAW264.7 Macrophage Cells

Anti-inflammatory effects of dihydrobenzofuran neolignans isolated from Euonymus alatus leaves and twigs were evaluated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Six neolignans, (+)- simulanol (1), (+)-dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (2), (-)-simulanol (3), (-)-dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (4), (+)-dihydrodehyrodiconiferyl alcohol (5), threo-buddlenol B (6) effectively inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) induced by LPS, and the activity of iNOS. (-)-dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (4), which showed the most potent inhibitory activity, attenuated the activity of iNOS enzyme and also the expression of iNOS and COX-2 proteins. The subsequent production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and prostaglandin E2 were also inhibited by the pretreatment of RAW264.7 cells with (-)-dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (4). These neolignans are thought to contribute to anti-inflammatory effects of E. alatus, and expected to be potential candidates to prevent/treat inflammation-related diseases.

Anti-Influenza Activity of Betulinic Acid from Zizyphus jujuba on Influenza A/PR/8 Virus

Betulinic acid, a pentacyclic triterpene isolated from Jujube tree (Zizyphus jujuba Mill), has been known for a wide range of biological and medicinal properties such as antibacterial, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, antihelmintic, antinociceptive, and anticancer activities. In the study, we investigated the antiviral activity on influenza A/PR/8 virus infected A549 human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line and C57BL/6 mice. Betulinic acid showed the anti-influenza viral activity at a concentration of 50 muM without a significant cytotoxicity in influenza A/PR/8 virus infected A549 cells. Also, betulinic acid significantly attenuated pulmonary pathology including increased necrosis, numbers of inflammatory cells and pulmonary edema induced by influenza A/PR/8 virus infection compared with vehicle- or oseltamivir-treated mice in vivo model. The down-regulation of IFN-gamma level, which is critical for innate and adaptive immunity in viral infection, after treating of betulinic acid in mouse lung. Based on the obtained results, it is suggested that betulinic acid can be the potential therapeutic agent for virus infection via anti-inflammatory activity.

The Extract of Limonium tetragonum Protected Liver against Acute Alcohol Toxicity by Enhancing Ethanol Metabolism and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities

The protective effect of EtOAc fraction of Limonium tetragonum extract (EALT) against alcoholinduced hepatotoxicity was assessed following acute ethanol intoxication in Spraque-Dawley rats. EALT (200 mg/kg p.o.) was administrated once before alcohol intake (8 g/kg, p.o.). Blood ethanol concentration, and the activities of alcohol metabolic enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in the liver were measured. Also, the formation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the activities of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px), catalase were determined after acute alcohol exposure. Pretreatment of rats received ethanol with EALT significantly decreased blood ethanol concentration and elevated the activities of ADH and ALDH in liver. The increased MDA level was decreased, and the reduced activities of SOD, GSH-px and catalase were markedly preserved by the treatment with EALT. This study suggests that EALT prevent hepatic injury induced by acute alcohol which is likely related to its modulation on the alcohol metabolism and antioxidant enzymes activities.

Isolated Central Nervous System Relapse of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common form of childhood cancer and may exhibit central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Advances in chemotherapy and effective CNS prophylaxis have significantly decreased the incidence of CNS relapse of ALL to 5-10%. Here, we report the case of a patient with isolated CNS relapse of standard risk group pre-B-cell type ALL in an 11-year-old girl, relapsed 3 years after successful completion of chemotherapy. An 11-year-old girl visited our hospital complaining of headache, dizziness, vomiting, and visual field defects. Neurological examination revealed left-side homonymous hemianopsia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed a large irregular dural-based sulcal hematoma in the right parietal and occipital lobes. Surgery to remove the hematoma revealed the existence of hematopoietic malignancy after pathologic evaluation. Bone marrow biopsy was subsequently performed but showed no evidence of malignancy.

Clinical Significance of Radiological Stability in Reconstructed Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Following Vertebral Body Resection

OBJECTIVE: Vertebral body replacement following corpectomy in thoracic or lumbar spine is performed with titanium mesh cage (TMC) containing any grafts. Radiological changes often occur on follow-up. This study investigated the relationship between the radiological stability and clinical symptoms. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 28 patients who underwent corpectomy on the thoracic or lumbar spine. Their medical records and radiological data were retrospectively analyzed. There were 23 cases of tumor, 2 cases of trauma, and 3 cases of infection. During operation, spinal reconstruction was done with TMC and additional screw fixation. We measured TMC settlement in sagittal plane and spinal angular change in coronal and sagittal plane at postoperative one month and last follow-up. Pain score was also checked. We investigated the correlation between radiologic change and pain status. Whether factors, such as the kind of graft material, surgical approach, and fusion can affect the radiological stability or not was analyzed as well. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 23.6 months. During follow-up, 2.08+/-1.65degrees and 6.96+/-2.08degrees of angular change was observed in coronal and sagittal plane, respectively. A mean of cage settlement was 4.02+/-2.83 mm. Pain aggravation was observed in 4 cases. However, no significant relationship was found between spinal angular change and pain status (p=0.518, 0.458). Cage settlement was seen not to be related with pain status, either (p=0.644). No factors were found to affect the radiological stability. CONCLUSION: TMC settlement and spinal angular change were often observed in reconstructed spine. However, these changes did not always cause postoperative axial pain.

Evaluation of Risk Factors for Vertebral Compression Fracture after Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Spinal Tumor Patients

OBJECTIVE: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an emerging treatment modality for malignant spinal tumors. After SRS, some patients suffered from pain aggravation due to development of vertebral compression fracture (VCF). In these cases, surgery should be considered. METHODS: This study consisted of 72 patients who underwent SRS due to spinal tumors. In them, whether post-SRS VCF developed or not was investigated. We retrospectively analyzed their medical records and radiological imaging data. VCF was diagnosed with X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The incidence, time to development and risk factors for VCF were investigated. Age, sex, whole vertebral body involvement rate, vertebral body osteolysis rate, pre-SRS spinal deformity, spinal instability neoplastic score (SINS), spinal canal encroachment, lesion level, and radiation dose were analyzed as potential risk factors. A multi-variate logistic regression model was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In our study population, VCF was observed in 26 patients (36%). The mean time to VCF development was 1.5 months. Using uni-variate analyses, the significant risk factors were pre-SRS spinal deformity, SINS, vertebral body osteolysis rate, and whole vertebral body involvement rate. However, using multi-variate analyses, the only significant risk factor was vertebral body osteolysis rate. The patients whose vertebral body was destroyed by more than 60% showed an 8.4 times higher risk of VCF than those who had vertebral body destruction of less than 60%(p=0.016). CONCLUSION: The most significant prognostic factor for post-SRS VCF was vertebral body osteolysis rate, rather than whole vertebral body involvement rate. When more than 60% of the vertebral body was destroyed, the risk of VCF or spinal deformity was high.

Histological Analysis of Autologous Pericardial Tissue Used as a Small-Diameter Arterial Graft / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Current vascular prostheses are still inadequate for reconstruction of small-diameter vessels. Autologous pericardium can be a good alternative for this purpose as it already possesses good blood compatibility and shows a mechanical behavior similar to that of natural arteries. However, the clinical use of autologous pericardial tissue as a small-diameter vascular graft has limitations due to mixed outcomes from uncertain biological behavior and difficulty to gain reliable patency results in animal experiments. To study this issue, we implanted fresh and glutaraldehyde-treated autologous pericardium as small-diameter arterial grafts in dogs, and compared their time-related changes histologically. MATERIAL AND METHOD: As a form of 5mm-diameter arterial graft, one pair of autologous pericardial tissue was used for comparison between the glutaraldehyde-treated and the glutaraldehyde-untreated grafts in the bilateral carotid arteries in the same dog. The patency of the grafts were evaluated at regular intervals with Doppler ultrasonography. After the predetermined periods of 3 days, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months, the grafts in each animal were explanted. The retrieved grafts were processed for light and electron microscopic analyses following gross observation. RESULT: Of 7 animals, 2 were excluded from the study because one died postoperatively due to bleeding and the other was documented as one side of the grafts being obstructed. All 10 grafts in the remaining 5 dogs were patent. Grossly, a variable degree of thromboses were observed in the luminal surfaces of the grafts at 3 days and 2 weeks, despite good patency. Pseudointimal smooth blood-contacting surfaces were developed in the grafts at 1 month and later. By light microscopy, mesothelial cell layers of the pericardial tissue were absent in all explanted grafts. Newly formed endothelial cell layers on the blood-contacting surface were observed in both the glutaraldehyde-treated and fresh grafts at 3 months and later. The collagen fibers became degraded by fragmentation in the fresh graft at 1 month and in the glutaraldehyde-treated graft at 3 months. At 6 months, the collagen layers were no longer visible in either the glutaraldehyde-treated or fresh grafts. By electron microscopy, a greater amount of coarse fibrin fibers were observed in the fresh grafts than in the glutaraldehyde-treated grafts and, more compact and well-arrayed layers were observed in the glutaraldehyde-treated grafts than in the fresh grafts. CONCLUSION: The glutaraldehyde-treated small-diameter pericardial arterial grafts showed a better endothelialization of the blood-contacting surface and a slower fragmentation of the collagen layers than the fresh grafts, although it has yet to be proven whether these differences are so significant as to affect the patency results between the groups.

Biocompatibility of Tissue-Engineered Heart Valve Leaflets Based on Acellular Xenografts / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Current artificial heart valves have several disadvantages, such as thromboembolism, limited durability, infection, and inability to grow. The solution to these problems would be to develop a tissue-engineered heart valves containing autologous cells. The aim of this study was to optimize the protocol to obtain a porcine acellular matrix and seed goat autologous endothelial cells on it, and to evaluate the biological responses of xenograft and xeno-autograft heart valves in goats. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Fresh porcine pulmonic valves were treated with one method among 3 representative decellularization protocols (Triton-X, freeze-thawing, and NaCl-SDS). Goat venous endothelial cells were isolated and seeded onto the acellularized xenograft leaflets. Microscopic examinations were done to select the most effective method of decellularizing xenogeneic cells and seeding autologous endothelial cells. Two pulmonic valve leaflets of 6 goats were replaced by acellularized porcine leaflets with or without seeding autologous endothelial cells while on cardiopulmonary bypass. Goats were sacrificed electively at 6 hours, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after operation. Morphologic examinations were done to see the biological responses of replaced valve leaflets. RESULT: The microscopic examinations showed that porcine cells were almost completely removed in the leaflets treated with NaCl-SDS. The seeded endothelial cells were more evenly preserved in NaCl-SDS treatment. All 6 goats survived the operation without complications. The xeno- autografts and xenografts showed the appearance, the remodeling process, and the cellular functions of myofibroblasts, 1 day, 1 month, and 3 months after operation, respectively. They were compatible with the native pulmonary leaflet (control group) except for the increased cellularity at 6 months. The xenografts revealed the new endothelial cell lining at that time. CONCLUSION: Treatment with NaCl-SDS was most effective in obtaining decellularized xenografts and facilitate seeding autologous endothelial cells. The xenografts and xeno-autografts were repopulated with myofibroblasts and endothelial cells in situ serially. Both of grafts served as a matrix for a tissue engineered heart valve and developed into autologous tissue for 6 months.

Surgical treatment of primary lung cancer / 대한흉부외과학회지

No abstract available.

The Effects of Hemodynamic Findings on Development of Pulmonary Vascular Changes in Patients with Ventricular Septal Defect

Evlauation of pulmonary vascular changes and pre-and postoperative hemodynamic findings were performed in 25 patients who had ventricular septal defect associated with sevese pulmonary hypertension. Lung biopsy were done preoperatively in two patients and during operation in twenty three patients. Also the postoperative systemic and polmonary arterial pressure were obtained about 10-20 minutes after the cardiopulmonary bypass. The results were as follow: 1) There was no relationship between the severity of pulmonary vascular changes(Health-Edwards classification) and the patients age(X2=4.4427, P=0.2175). 2) There was a good correlation between preoperative ratio of pulmonary to systemic vascular resistance(Rp/Rs) and ratio of pre-and postoperative pulmonary to systemic arterial pressure(r=0.4846, P<0.05). 3) There was a significant correlation between the degree of medial wall thickness and preoperative Rp/Rs(r=0.6535, P<0.005). 4) There was no correlation between perioperative hemodynamic findings and medial wall thickness in the patients aged below 2 years.