[A newborn patient with bilateral ankyloblepharon filiforme adnatum: a case report].

A male neonate who was unable to open both eyes with the adhesion of upper and lower palpebral margins since birth was clinically diagnosed as bilateral ankyloblepharon filiforme adnatum. The fused eyelids were divided surgically under general anesthesia. The neonate can open and close eyes normally with right positions of eyelids and flexible movements of eyeballs to follow light after the surgery.

[A case of fungal conjunctivitis manifested by a conjunctival mass].

A 71-year-old man presented with a history of persistent redness and swelling in the left eye accompanied by an enlarging mass in the conjunctiva. He denied any history of trauma. Local anti-inflammatory treatment was ineffective. Slit lamp examination demonstrated a tough and immobile grayish broad basal mass at the corneal limbus and bulbar conjunctiva and a local bulge of 3 mm × 2 mm at the medial and lateral side of the upper palpebral conjunctiva near the eyelid margin. The excisional biopsy showed granulomatous inflammation with irregular and atypical squamous epithelial hyperplasia. Histopathology and immunohistochemical staining revealed a fungal infection. The secretion smear examination was performed to clarify the pathogen as Candida albicans, and chronic fungal maxillary sinusitis was found through imaging tests. Thus a diagnosis of conjunctival candidiasis was made. The conjunctival mass subsided after systemic and local antifungal therapy.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities in China.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents has become a worldwide epidemic. There are several studies that have concentrated on the prevalence rate of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID), whereas data on such a population on the mainland of China remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence rate of overweight and obesity among school-aged children and adolescents with ID on China's mainland. METHODS: This study employed a cross-sectional design to examine the body weight status of 1873 children and adolescents (ages 6-18 years old) with ID in 35 special education schools. Body mass index was calculated, and the concepts of overweight and obesity were defined according to the standard of the Working Group for Obesity in China. RESULTS: Data indicated that 18.2% (95% CI: 16.5%-20.0%) of children and adolescents with ID were overweight and 14.4% (95% CI: 12.8%-16.0%) were obese. Boys with ID were more likely to be overweight than girls with ID (OR = 1.48[95% CI: 1.13-1.94], P < 0.05). Children and adolescents with Down syndrome or autism spectrum disorder had a trend to be classified as overweight (OR = 1.76[95% CI: 1.22-2.54], P < 0.05; OR = 1.57[95% CI: 1.17-2.09], P < 0.05, respectively) or obesity (OR = 1.82[95% CI: 1.23-2.69], P < 0.05; OR = 1.40 [95% CI: 1.02-1.93], P < 0.05, respectively) compared with those with ID without these conditions. Moreover, children and teenagers with ID living in urban areas had a predisposition to be overweight (OR = 2.16[95% CI: 1.14-4.09], P < 0.05) or obese (OR = 3.25[95% CI: 1.41-7.50], P < 0.05) relative to those who lived in rural areas. CONCLUSION: Results indicated that in China, the prevalence rate of overweight and obesity among school-aged children and adolescents with ID was remarkably high. Therefore, future research should make every effort to focus on reducing and preventing overweight and obesity of this population in China.

MicroRNA-296-5p increases proliferation in gastric cancer through repression of Caudal-related homeobox 1.

Caudal-related homeobox 1 (CDX1), an intestinal-specific transcription factor, has been reported to have vital roles in gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM). Although IM is a high-risk factor for gastric cancer (GC), the specific role of CDX1 in GC is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression of CDX1 and its functional roles in GC, and its upstream regulatory mechanisms at the microRNA (miRNA) level were further explored. We found that CDX1 is lost in GC when compared with adjacent IM tissues. Gain-of-function studies showed that CDX1 significantly inhibited GC cell growth by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Interestingly, we identified and verified an onco-mir, miR-296-5p, as a direct upstream regulator of CDX1. miR-296-5p overexpression significantly promoted GC cell growth and attenuated the CDX1-induced anti-growth effects by recurring cell cycle distribution and apoptotic status, whereas knockdown of miR-296-5p decreased GC cell growth. Furthermore, we found that the extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activation and the subsequent downstream changes in protein levels related to cell cycle and apoptosis partly account for the miR-296-5p-CDX1-induced GC growth promotion. In addition, the detection of miR-296-5p and expression of CDX1 in primary GC tissues and adjacent IM tissues revealed that miR-296-5p is inversely correlated with CDX1, further supporting our in vitro results. Our results showed an anti-growth effect of CDX1 and identified its miRNA regulatory mechanism in GC. The identification of this novel miR-296-5p-CDX1-ERK1/2 axis sheds new light on the understanding of the process from IM to GC and may provide therapeutic targets for the treatment of GC.

Identification of acute self-limited hepatitis B among patients presenting with hepatitis B virus-related acute hepatitis: a hospital-based epidemiological and clinical study.

This study aimed to identify acute self-limited hepatitis B (ASL-HB) among patients presenting with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related acute hepatitis. Data were available for 220 patients diagnosed with HBV-related acute hepatitis, of whom 164 had acute hepatitis B (AHB). Of these, 160 were confirmed as ASL-HB: three (1.9%) evolved to chronic hepatitis B and one (0.6%) developed fulminant hepatitis and died. Comparisons were also made between AHB and acute infections with hepatitis A (HA) and hepatitis E (HE) viruses. During the study period, the number of patients with AHB exceeded the sum of those with acute HA and acute HE infections. There was no distinct seasonal peak for AHB infection, whereas both acute HA and acute HE infections occurred more frequently in the spring. Clinical symptoms and physical signs were similar for all three types of hepatitis, but significant differences were seen in some biochemical parameters. In conclusion, this study suggests that symptomatic AHB is not rare in China but it seldom evolves to chronic hepatitis B.

Apoptosis-Inducing costunolide and a novel acyclic monoterpene from the stem bark of Magnolia sieboldii.

In a course of obtaining more amount of bioactive costunolide and successive phytochemical isolation from Magnolia sieboldii (Magnoliaceae), a novel acyclic monoterpene 1 named deoxygeraniol [2,6(E)-dimethyl-2,6-octadiene] was isolated along with beta-sitosterol 3-O-linoleate (2), trilinolein (3) and high amount of costunolide (4) in the pure state. The structure of compound 1 was determined on the basis of spectroscopic data. Costunolide was found to induce apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner by nucleosomal DNA ladder and flow cytometric analysis. Immunoblot analysis showed that the level of the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, was decreased, whereas the cleavage of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase was activated. Furthermore, the N-acetyl-L-cysteine antioxidant effectively prevented costunolide-induced cytotoxicity. These results suggest that costunolide-induced cell death is mediated by reactive oxygen species

Inhibition of calmodulin-dependent calcium-ATPase and phosphodiesterase by various cyclopeptides and peptide alkaloids from the Zizyphus species.

The effects of various sedative cyclopeptides and peptide alkaloids from the Zizyphus species on calmodulin-dependent Ca2+-ATPase and phosphodiesterase were investigated. Calmodulin-induced activation of Ca2+-ATPase was strongly inhibited by sanjoinine-A dialdehyde (IC0O, 2.3 microM), -Ah1 (IC50, 4.0 microM), -A (IC50, 4.6 microM), and -G2 (IC50, 7.2 microM), while calmodulin-induced activation of phosphodiesterase was strongly inhibited by both deachuine-S10 (IC30, 4.9 microM) and sanjoinine-D (IC50, 9.0 microM). The inhibitory activity of the various cyclopeptides and peptide alkaloids on Ca2+-ATPase was found to correlate well with their sedative activity.

Monoamine oxidase B inhibitors from the fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten.

Three varieties of methyl citrate and 1-methyl malate were isolated from the fruits of Opuntia ficus-indica var. saboten Makino through in vitro bioassay-guided isolation for the inhibition on monoamine oxidase(MAO). The IC50 values for MAO-B of 1-monomethyl citrate, 1,3-dimethyl citrate, trimethyl citrate and 1-methyl malate were 0.19, 0.23, 0.61 and 0.25 mM, respectively. However, on MAO-A, their inhibitions showed only marginal activity.

Anti-lipid peroxidative principles from the stem bark of Kalopanax pictus Nakai.

Hepatic lipid peroxide contents were examined in bromobenzene-treated rats firstly after the oral administration of MeOH extract of Kalopanax pictus stem barks, its n-BuOH fraction, EtOAc fraction and an alkaline hydrolysate of the n-BuOH fraction, and secondly after the intraperitoneal administration of hederagenin monodesmosides and bisdesmosides. Two hederagenin monodesmosides, kalopanaxsaponin A (KPS-A) and sapindoside C, exhibited significant anti-lipid peroxidation effects after intraperitoneal administration at doses of 10-30 micromole/kg, whereas their bisdesmosides did not exhibit any significant activity. These results suggest that it is the hederagenin monodesmosides that are responsible for anti-lipid peroxidation in vivo. The activity of KPS-A was established by the observation of decreased aminopyrine N-demethylase activity and increased epoxide hydrolase activity.

Differentiation-inducing effect of magnolialide, a 1 beta-hydroxyeudesmanolide isolated from Cichorium intybus, on human leukemia cells.

Cichorium intybus contains two 1beta-hydroxyeudesmanolides, magnolialide and artesin, together with several constituents. Magnolialide inhibits the growth of several tumor cell lines and appears to induce differentiation of human leukemia HL-60 and U-937 cells to monocyte/macrophage-like cells. Another 1beta-hydroxyeudesmanolide, artesin, and other constituents were inactive. The content of magnolialide was shown to be highest in the leaves of Inje cultivar among the cultivars investigated in this study.

Studies on constituents with cytotoxic activity from the stem bark of Syringa velutina.

Cytotoxic compounds, oleuropein (1) and a phenylethanoid glycoside (2) were isolated from the stem bark of Syringa velutina KOM. along with coniferylaldehyde 4-O-glucoside, syringin, ligstroside, (+)-syringaresinol 4-O-glucoside, (+)-medioresinol 4"-O-glucoside and (-)-olivil 4"-O-glucoside. Phenylethanoid glycoside (2) was identified to be 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyl alcohol 8-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside. This compound showed the most potent cytotoxic effect on several tumor cell lines (P-388, L-1210, SNU-5 and HL-60) among eight compounds isolated in the present study. We suggest that the 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethoxy moiety of this compound contributes to cytotoxicity.

Yomogin, an inhibitor of nitric oxide production in LPS-activated macrophages.

In activated macrophages the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS) generates high amounts of toxic mediator, nitric oxide (NO) which contributes to the circulatory failure associated with septic shock. A sesquiterpene lactone compound (yomogin) isolated from medicinal plant Artemisia princeps Pampan inhibited the production of NO in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 cells by suppressing i-NOS enzyme expression. Thus, yomogin may be a useful candidate for the development of new drugs to treat endotoxemia and inflammation accompanied by the overproduction of NO.

Changes of tissue factor activity on inflammatory stimulus and aging in rat.

Tissue factor (TF), a principal initiator of the vertebrate coagulation cascade, is expressed in organ tissues, cells and blood. TF is known to be induced in endothelial cells, monocytes and macrophages by inflammatory stimuli and in many pathologic conditions. By using the modified method for in vivo TF activity assay, we found that turpentine oil injection as an inflammatory stimulus also induced the TF activity in lung and brain tissues of rats. And the age-related increase in TF activity was observed in healthy rat brain tissue.

A potent anti-diabetic agent from Kalopanax pictus.

To search for the anti-diabetic principle from the stem bark of Kalopanax pictus, seven kinds of chemical constituents including hedearagenin glycosides and phenolic glycosides were isolated. The anti-diabetic evaluation of these isolates in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats exhibited that kalopanaxsaponin A has a potent anti-diabetic activity in contrast to a mild activity of hedearagenin. In addition, significant hypocholesterolemic and hypolipidemic activities of kalopanaxsaponin A and hedearagenin were observed. The structure-activity relationship of kalopanaxsaponin A was also investigated in the present work.

Metabolic cleavage of frangufoline in rodents: in vitro and in vivo study.

Frangufoline, a sedative 14-membered frangulanine-type cyclopeptide alkaloid, was found to be rapidly converted, via enzymatic process, in vitro and in vivo in rodents to M1 ((S)-(N,N-dimethylphenylalanyl)-(2S,3S)-3-[(p-formylphenoxy) leucyl]-(S)-leucine); which is a substituted linear tripeptide. The reaction did not require low molecular weight cofactors, and mammalian serum failed to catalyze the reaction. Structure-reactivity study of cyclopeptide alkaloid analogs suggested that the enamide bond is the site being cleaved, and the reaction was inhibited by organophosphorus esters such as BPNP and by eserine at higher concentrations but not by eserine at lower concentrations or by EDTA and PCMB. On the basis of these results, a possible mechanism for metabolic conversion of frangufoline to M1 was proposed, in which oxidation of the vinyl group and enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of the adjacent amide bond, possibly by B-esterase-like enzyme, proceed in a concerted manner.

Absolute configuration of beta-agarofuran nucleus of euojaponine C by CD exciton chirality method.

A new celastraceae alkaloid, euojaponine C has been isolated from the methanol extract of the root bark ofEuonymus japonica. With the relative stereochemistry of euojaponine C established by NOESY data, the absolute stereochemistry has been determined by circular dichroism (CD) exciton chirality method. The CD of the 2, 5-bis-phenyl benzoate of triacetonide derived from the LiAlH(4) hydrolysate, euonyminol shows that the configuration of C-2 and C-5 are both R.

[Tendon sheath of the superior oblique muscle and its measurements].

The tendon sheath of the superior oblique muscle was identified in 30 adult orbits. This sheath is composed of the fasciae of the superior levator palpebrae muscle and the superior rectus muscle and their intermuscular septum. In addition, fascia of the superior oblique and fibers of Tenon's capsule also take part. This fibrous tendon sheath is lined by a synovial layer. The width of the superior oblique muscle tendon sheath measures 2.91 +/- 0.07 mm and that of the tendon of superior oblique muscle in the sheath measures 1.35 +/- 0.23 mm, less than 1/2 of the tendon sheath, indicating the presence of a space between the two structures to facilitate movement of the tendon. The length, breadth, and the angle of reflection of the superior oblique were also measured.

Degradation of ginseng saponins under mild acidic conditions.

Ginseng saponins, ginsenosides Rg (1), Re and Rb (1), decomposed under mild acidic conditions to yield prosapogenins. The structures of the prosapogenins were investigated by (13)C-NMR spectroscopy and Rg (1)-prosapogenin II was shown to be a mixture of ginsenoside Rh (1), and its C-20 epimer, produced by hydrolysis followed by epimerization at C-20. Rg (1)-prosapogenin III, the other prosapogenin derived from ginsenoside Rg (1); was a C-25,26 hydrated derivative of Rg (1)-prosapogenin II. Re-prosapogenin II was identified as a mixture of ginsenoside Rg (2) and its C-20 epimer, and Re-prosapogenine III as a C-25,26 hydrated derivative of Re-prosapogenin II.