Metabolomic Analysis Identifies Alterations of Amino Acid Metabolome Signatures in the Postmortem Brain of Alzheimer's Disease

Despite significant advances in neuroscience research over the past several decades, the exact cause of AD has not yet fully understood. The metabolic hypothesis as well as the amyloid and tau hypotheses have been proposed to be associated with AD pathogenesis. In order to identify metabolome signatures from the postmortem brains of sporadic AD patients and control subjects, we performed ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (UPLC-LTQ–Orbitrap-MS). Not only our study identified new metabolome signatures but also verified previously known metabolome profiles in the brain. Statistical modeling of the analytical data and validation of the structural assignments discovered metabolic biomarkers associated with the AD pathogenesis. Interestingly, hypotaurin, myo-inositol and oxo-proline levels were markedly elevated in AD while lutamate and N-acetyl-aspartate were decreased in the postmortem brain tissue of AD patients. In addition, neurosteroid level such as cortisol was significantly increased in AD. Together, our data indicate that impaired amino acid metabolism is associated with AD pathogenesis and the altered amino acid signatures can be useful diagnostic biomarkers of AD. Thus, modulation of amino acid metabolism may be a possible therapeutic approach to treat AD.

The Protective Effect of Black Ginseng Against Transient Focal Ischemia-induced Neuronal Damage in Rats

Black ginseng (BG) has been widely used as herbal treatment for improving physiological function. In order to investigate the neuroprotective action of this herbal medicine, we examined the influence of BG on the learning and memory of rats using the Morris water maze, and we studied the effects of BG on the central cholinergic system and neural nitric oxide synthesis in the hippocampus of rats with neuronal and cognitive impairment. After middle cerebral artery occlusion was applied for 2h, the rats were administered BG (100 or 400 mgkg(-1), p.o.) daily for 2 weeks, followed by training and performance of the Morris water maze test. The rats with ischemic insults showed impaired learning and memory on the tasks. Treatment with BG produced improvement in the escape latency to find the platform. Further, the BG groups showed a reduced loss of cholinergic immunoreactivity and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d)-positive neurons in the hippocampus compared to that of the ISC group. These results demonstrated that BG has a protective effect against ischemia-induced neuronal and cognitive impairment. Our results suggest that BG might be useful for the treatment of vascular dementia.

Erratum: Neuroprotective Effect of Lucium chinense Fruit on Trimethyltin-Induced Learning and Memory Deficits in the Rats

No abstract available.

Neuroprotective Effect of Lucium chinense Fruit on Trimethyltin-Induced Learning and Memory Deficits in the Rats

In order to the neuroprotective effect of Lycium chinense fruit (LCF), the present study examined the effects of Lycium chinense fruit on learning and memory in Morris water maze task and the choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) of rats with trimethyltin (TMT)-induced neuronal and cognitive impairments. The rats were randomly divided into the following groups: naive rat (Normal), TMT injection+saline administered rat (control) and TMT injection+LCF administered rat (LCF). Rats were administered with saline or LCF (100 mg/kg, p.o.) daily for 2 weeks, followed by their training to the tasks. In the water maze test, the animals were trained to find a platform in a fixed position during 6d and then received 60s probe trial on the 7th day following removal of platform from the pool. Rats with TMT injection showed impaired learning and memory of the tasks and treatment with LCF (p<0.01) produced a significant improvement in escape latency to find the platform in the Morris water maze at the 2nd day. Consistent with behavioral data, treatment with LCF also slightly reduced the loss of ChAT and cAMP in the hippocampus compared to the control group. These results demonstrated that LCF has a protective effect against TMT-induced neuronal and cognitive impairments. The present study suggests that LCF might be useful in the treatment of TMT-induced learning and memory deficit.

Perianal Granuloma due to Enterobius vermicularis / 대한피부과학회지

Enterobiasis is a common disease among school-aged children, with worldwide distribution and high prevalence in countries with a temperate climate. Enterobius vermicularis usually inhabits the intestinal lumen, and the majority of clinical presentations are perianal pruritus. Extraintestinal infection is uncommon, mostly involving the female genital tract. It has been reported to occur in the peritoneal cavity, ovary, fallopian tube, endometrium, lung, liver, urinary tract and perianal tissue. In Korea, there has been only 1 case of enterobiasis presenting as perianal abscess in the Korean pathologic literature. So we present here an unusual case of perianal granuloma by Enterobius vermicularis in a 62-year-old woman.

Effects of Glycyrrhizae Radix on Repeated Restraint Stress-induced Neurochemical and Behavioral Responses

Glycyrrhizae radix (GR) is an herbal medicine that is commonly used in the East Asia for treating a variety of diseases, including stomach disorders. The objective of the present study was to examine the anti-stress effects of GR on repeated stress-induced alterations of anxiety, learning and memory in rats. Restraint stress was administered for 14 days (2 h/day) to the rats in the Control and GR groups (400 mg/kg/day, PO). Starting on the eighth day, the rats were tested for spatial memory on the Morris water maze test (MW) and for anxiety on the elevated plus maze (EPM). We studied the changes of the expressions of cholineacetyl transferase (ChAT) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the locus coerleus (LC) using immunohistochemistry. The results showed that the rats treated with GR had significantly reduced stress-induced deficits on their learning and memory on the spatial memory tasks. In addition, the ChAT immunoreactivities were increased. Gor the EPM, treatment with GR increased the time spent in the open arms (p<0.001) as compared to that of the control group. Moreover, GR treatment also normalized the increases of the TH expression in the LC (p<0.001). In conclusion, administration of GR improved spatial learning and memory and reduced stress-induced anxiety. Thus, the present results suggest that GR has the potential to attenuate the behavioral and neurochemical impairments caused by stress.

A Case of Melanotrichoblastoma / 대한피부과학회지

Melanotrichoblastoma is a variant of pigmented trichoblastoma that shows highly pigmented epithelial lobules and differentiation toward the hair bulb. Histologically, the tumor presents features of trichoblastoma, and the histological findings are remarkable by virtue of the heavy melanin deposits found within and around the tumor cell nests. For the immunohistochemistry, abundant dendritic melanocytes (with the expressions of S100 protein, tyrosinase and most importantly, gp100/HMB45) are found within the tumor masses. We report here on a rare case of melanotrichoblastoma in a 57 year-old female patient.

A Case of Digital Mucous Cyst Treated by Minocycline Sclerotherapy / 대한피부과학회지

Digital mucous cysts are observed frequently on the lateral or dorsal aspect of the digital fingers. Digital mucous cysts are prone to recur after simple excision, electrocoagulation, intralesional injection of corticosteroid and a variety of other therapeutic maneuvers. In this report, we describe one patient with digital mucous cyst who was successfully treated with intralesional injection of 1 mg/ml of minocycline hydrochloride without any sequelae.

A Case of Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum-Like Late-onset Focal Dermal Elastosis / 대한피부과학회지

Late-onset focal dermal elastosis is a recently described disorder afflicting elderly patients with yellow papules on the neck and flexural areas. Although there are similar clinical findings to pseudoxanthoma elasticum, no stigmata of pseudoxanthoma elastimum are not evident. Histologically the papules are characterized by increased elastic fibers of normal appearance in the mid and deep dermis and no evidence of solar elastosis. Late-onset focal dermal elastosis may be caused by focal accumulation of normal appearing elastic tissue due to loss of age related homeostatic growth regulating gene control mechanism. We report a case of pseudoxanthoma elasticum-like late-onset focal dermal elastosis and suggest that this condition may be more common than has been reported.