Identification of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) as an Active Component Citrus Jabara That Suppresses FcεRI-Mediated Mast Cell Activation.

Jabara (Citrus jabara Hort. ex Y. Tanaka) is a type of citrus fruit known for its beneficial effect against seasonal allergies. Jabara is rich in the antioxidant narirutin whose anti-allergy effect has been demonstrated. One of the disadvantages in consuming Jabara is its bitter flavor. Therefore, we fermented the fruit to reduce the bitterness and make Jabara easy to consume. Here, we examined whether fermentation alters the anti-allergic property of Jabara. Suppression of degranulation and cytokine production was observed in mast cells treated with fermented Jabara and the effect was dependent on the length of fermentation. We also showed that 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) increases as fermentation progresses and was identified as an active component of fermented Jabara, which inhibited mast cell degranulation. Mast cells treated with 5-HMF also exhibited reduced degranulation and cytokine production. In addition, we showed that the expression levels of phospho-PLCγ1 and phospho-ERK1/2 were markedly reduced upon FcεRI stimulation. These results indicate that 5-HMF is one of the active components of fermented Jabara that is involved in the inhibition of mast cell activation.

A case of suicide by helium gas.

Helium is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless gas that is used as a lifting gas for air balloons and small airships due to its high level of safety. In recent years, it has become easy to search the Internet for methods to commit suicide, and the use of helium gas for this purpose has recently been garnering attention. We report a case of a male in his 30's in which helium gas was used to commit suicide. He was found unconscious on a bed with a plastic bag covering his head. When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, he was in cardiac arrest and remained in cardiac arrest at the time of his arrival at the hospital. Continued cardiopulmonary resuscitation resulted in a return of spontaneous circulation. Head computed tomography showed the corticomedullary border was indistinct. Fifteen hours at the hospital, the patient died. Recently, there has been an increasing trend for suicide being performed according to methods obtained through the Internet or mass media. Although there are only a few cases of suicide by helium gas in Japan, attention must be paid to this issue as the number of such cases may increase in the future.

Bilateral ureteropelvic disruption following blunt abdominal trauma: case report.

BACKGROUND: Ureteral injury occurs in less than 1% of blunt abdominal trauma cases, partly because the ureters are relatively well protected in the retroperitoneum. Bilateral ureteral injury is extremely rare, with only 10 previously reported cases. Diagnosis may be delayed if ureteric injury is not suspected, and delay of 36 hours or longer has been observed in more than 50% of patients with ureteric injury following abdominal trauma, leading to increased morbidity. CASE PRESENTATION: A 29-year-old man was involved in a highway motor vehicle collision and was ejected from the front passenger seat even though wearing a seatbelt. He was in a preshock state at the scene of the accident. An intravenous line and left thoracic drain were inserted, and he was transported to our hospital by helicopter. Whole-body, contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan showed left diaphragmatic disruption, splenic injury, and a grade I injury to the left kidney with a retroperitoneal haematoma. He underwent emergency laparotomy. The left diaphragmatic and splenic injuries were repaired. Although a retroperitoneal haematoma was observed, his renal injury was treated conservatively because the haematoma was not expanding. In the intensive care unit, the patient's haemodynamic state was stable, but there was no urinary output for 9 hours after surgery. Anuresis prompted a review of the abdominal x-ray which had been performed after the contrast-enhanced CT. Leakage of contrast material from the ureteropelvic junctions was detected, and review of the repeat CT scan revealed contrast retention in the perirenal retroperitoneum bilaterally. He underwent cystoscopy and bilateral retrograde pyelography, which showed bilateral complete ureteral disruption, preventing placement of ureteral stents. Diagnostic laparotomy revealed complete disruption of the ureteropelvic junctions bilaterally. Double-J ureteral stents were placed bilaterally and ureteropelvic anastomoses were performed. The patient's postoperative progress was satisfactory and he was discharged on the 23rd day. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of ureteral injury was delayed, although delayed phase contrast-enhanced CT and abdominal x-rays performed after CT revealed the diagnosis early. Prompt detection and early repair prevented permanent renal damage and the necessity for nephrectomy.

Effect of Duabanga grandiflora for human skin cells.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of Duabanga grandiflora (Sonneratiaceae), which has been used as a traditional Thai medicine on human skin cells. The leaf extract of D. grandiflora actively affected several human skin cells such as skin whitening, anti-aging and anti-inflammation. It became evident that the extract stimulated the production of type III collagen. The crude extract was fractionated and analyzed for stimulation of type III collagen production, and finally by HPLC to isolate an active compound which was determined to be eugeniin by EI-mass, (13)C NMR, (1)H NMR and acidic hydrolysis. Eugeniin has strong dose dependent activity for type III collagen production, with this being the first example of stimulation activity for type III collagen production.

Beta2-adrenoceptor-mediated tracheal relaxation induced by higenamine from Nandina domestica Thunberg.

The fruit of Nandina domestica Thunberg (ND, Berberidaceae) has been used to improve cough and breathing difficulties in Japan for many years, but very little is known about the constituent of ND responsible for this effect. We have recently reported that the crude extract from ND (NDE) inhibits histamine- and serotonin-induced contraction of isolated guinea pig trachea, and the inhibitory activity was not explained by nantenine, a well-known alkaloid isolated from ND. To explore other constituent(s) of NDE with tracheal smooth muscle relaxant activity, we fractionated NDE and assessed the pharmacological effects of the fractions using isolated guinea pig tracheal ring preparations. NDE was introduced into a polyaromatic absorbent resin column and stepwise eluted to yield five fractions, among which only the 40 % methanol fraction was active in relaxing tracheal smooth muscle precontracted with histamine. Further separation of the 40 % methanol fraction with high-performance liquid chromatography yielded multiple subfractions, one of which was remarkably active in relaxing histamine-precontracted trachea. Chemical analysis with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer identified the constituent of the most active subfraction as higenamine, a benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid. The potency and efficacy of the active constituent from NDE in relaxing trachea were almost equivalent to synthetic higenamine. In addition, the effect of the active constituent from NDE was competitively inhibited by the selective beta (2)-adrenoceptor antagonist ICI 118,551. These results indicate that the major constituent responsible for the effect of NDE is higenamine, which probably causes the tracheal relaxation through stimulation of beta (2) adrenoceptors.

Plasma chloride concentration as a new diagnostic indicator of insulin insufficiency.

The medical criteria for initiating insulin therapy, based on clinical profiles of type 2 diabetic patients, have not yet been clearly established. We explored various parameters with 48 type 2 diabetic patients who were taking oral hypoglycemic medication. Among parameters, body mass index (BMI), the fasting plasma glucose level (FPG), and plasma chloride concentration were identified by forward-stepwise discriminant analysis as parameters that can discriminate between patients who were and those who were not undergoing insulin therapy. In combination, these parameters correctly diagnosed 86.4% of the patients who were undergoing insulin therapy, and 84.6% of those who were not undergoing insulin therapy. Further, we observed significant correlations between plasma chloride concentrations and either plasma sodium or organic acid concentrations, suggesting that impaired insulin action may reduce plasma chloride concentrations through changes in plasma sodium and organic acid metabolism. Our results suggest that plasma chloride concentration is a possible new indicator of insulin insufficiency.