Asian Americans and infertility: genetic susceptibilities, sociocultural stigma, and access to care.

Infertility affects over 6 million people in the United States and has been shown to disproportionally affect minority patient populations. Asian American infertility is a particularly understudied area of research. This mini review article explores the current state of published research focusing on Asian American infertility trends as well as their barriers to fertility care. A small number of published studies have found that Asian American patients have decreased success with fertility treatments, including lower rates of pregnancy and live birth. These trends may be attributed to a combination of genetic, environmental, and cultural factors, which will be discussed here in further detail. It is crucial to continue building on Asian American fertility research to provide this diverse patient population with comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally sensitive care.

Suspension sutures facilitate single-incision laparoscopic-assisted rectal pull-through for Hirschsprung disease.

BACKGROUND: To present a surgical technique of single-incision laparoscopic-assisted endorectal pull-through (SILEP) with suspension sutures using conventional instruments for Hirschsprung disease (HD) and its long-term follow-up outcomes. METHODS: The procedure began with a 1 cm transumbilical skin incision. Three separate punctures were made in the fascia with a 5 mm scope in the middle and 5 mm and 3 mm ports for working instruments on the left and right, respectively. The first suspension suture was placed to secure the sigmoid colon to the abdominal wall. A window was created through the rectal mesentery, and dissection around the rectum was carried out. The second suspension suture was performed to suspend the rectovesical peritoneal fold or the rectovaginal peritoneal fold to the abdominal wall. Dissection around the rectum was continued downward to approximately 1 cm below the peritoneal fold. Then, the operation was completed by a transanal approach. RESULTS: Forty patients underwent SILEP from March 2013 to April 2015. The median age was 2.7 months (ranging from 1 to 17 months). The mean operative time was 96 ± 23 min. No conversion to an open operation was required. The average hospitalization time was 4.5 ± 2 days. There were no intraoperative or perioperative complications. Long-term follow-up results were obtained from 38 patients. A frequency of defecation from every other day to twice a day was noted for 33 patients (86.8%) and more often for 5 patients (13.2%). Two patients had enterocolitis (5.2%). CONCLUSION: Single-incision laparoscopic rectal pull-through with suspension sutures using conventional instruments is feasible and safe for HD with good long-term outcomes.

Discrimination of Mentha species grown in different geographical areas of Algeria using 1H-NMR-based metabolomics.

1H-NMR-based metabolomics have been applied to identify potential NMR-markers and biomarkers capable of distinguishing, qualifying and classifying three Mentha species:- Mentha pulegium L., Mentha × rotundifolia (L.) Huds., Mentha spicata L., and their ecotypes. Samples of the 3 species were collected in seven different locations in Algeria, with the aim to establish a quality control protocol based on the use of NMR fingerprint profiles of polar extracts. NMR data indicate that the identification of the Mentha genus can be confirmed by the presence of the doublet proton signals with identical coupling constants at δ 7.49 (d, 15.9 Hz) and δ 6.29 (d, 15.9 Hz); these correspond to the protons of the double-bond conjugated to the ester group of rosmarinic acid, a bioactive compound found in all three species. Differences in NMR proton chemical shifts and/or signal intensities were clearly demonstrated on the orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminating analysis (OPLS-DA). Several potential biomarkers discriminating the three Mentha species were originated using S-plots, loading score plots, NMR data analysis and literature search. These discriminating signals point to glycosylated flavonols, oxygenated terpenoids and hydrocarbon terpenoids to distinguish M. pulegium, M. × rotundifolia and M. spicata, respectively. Within the same species, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) scores clearly discriminated the metabolite content according to regions in which the plants were grown. The 6 zones in which Mentha pulegium samples were harvested were clearly separated along either or both PC1 and PC2; by contrast, the harvesting locations were divided into two groups along PC1 for both M. × rotundifolia and M. spicata. The total antioxidant activity of the Mentha species was impacted by the abiotic factors of the different regions.

Inhibition of myeloperoxidase activity by the alkaloids of Peganum harmala L. (Zygophyllaceae).

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Seeds and aerial parts of Peganum harmala L. are widely used in Algeria as anti-inflammatory remedies. Evaluation of Peganum harmala total alkaloids extracts and pure ß-carboline compounds as an anti-inflammatory treatment by the inhibition of an enzyme key of inflammatory, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and HPLC quantification of the alkaloids from the different parts of plant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MPO inhibition was tested using taurine chloramine test. The inhibition of LDL oxidation induced by MPO was carried out. The molecular docking analysis of Peganum harmala alkaloids on MPO was performed using the Glide XP docking protocol and scoring function and the redox potential of alkaloids was determined using an Epsilon potentiostat. The concentration of harmala alkaloids was determined using HPLC analysis. RESULTS: The HPLC profiling of the active total alkaloids indicates that ß-carboline e.g. harmine, harmaline, harmane, harmol and harmalol are major components. As ß-carbolines resemble tryptamine, of which derivatives are efficient inhibitors of MPO, the harmala alkaloids were tested for their activity on this enzyme. Total alkaloids of the seeds and of the aerial parts strongly inhibited MPO at 20µg/mL (97±5% and 43±4%, respectively) whereas, at the same concentration, those of the roots showed very low inhibition (15±6%). Harmine, harmaline and harmane demonstrated a significant inhibition of MPO at IC50 of 0.26, 0.08 and 0.72µM respectively. These alkaloids exerted a similar inhibition effects on MPO-induced LDL oxidation. Molecular docking analysis of Peganum harmala alkaloids on MPO showed that all active Peganum harmala alkaloids have a high affinity on the active site of MPO (predicted free energies of binding up to -3.1kcal/mol). Measurement of redox potentials versus the normal hydrogen electrode clearly differentiated (i) the high MPO inhibitory activity of harmine, harmaline and harmane (+1014, 1014 and 1003mV, respectively); and (ii) the low activity of harmalol and harmol (+629/778 and 532/644mV, respectively). A reverse phase HPLC method has been developed to determine simultaneously five alkaloids of Peganum harmala. Seeds contained all five ß-carboline derivatives with the main active alkaloids, harmaline and harmine, being up to 3.8% and 2.9%, respectively. Up to 3.2% of harmine was determined in the roots. The four ß-carboline derivatives, harmine, harmaline, harmane and harmalol were identified in the aerial parts. The highest inhibitory effect observed in seeds and the moderate effect of aerial parts could be explained by their harmine and harmaline content. In contrast, the very weak inhibition of the root extract, despite the presence of harmine, may tentatively be explained by the high concentration of harmol which can reduce Compound II of MPO to the native form. CONCLUSION: The inhibition of MPO by Peganum harmala ß-carboline alkaloids, herein reported for the first time, may explain the anti-inflammatory effect traditionally attributed to its herbal medicine.

Methods applied to the in vitro primary toxicology testing of natural products: state of the art, strengths, and limits.

The present review attempts to build up a comprehensive picture of the major primary techniques used to screen and assess the cytotoxicity of plant complex mixtures. These can be based on metabolic activity, on membrane integrity, on morphological features, on cell growth; the type of cell death can also be established from more or less specific events (e.g., apoptosis, autophagy, DNA damage detection, reactive oxygen species involvement). This review will discuss the benefits, the difficulties, and the challenges that may occur along cytotoxicity testing of raw extracts and isolated natural compounds.

Homoisoflavanones from Disporopsis aspera.

From cytotoxic extracts of the roots of Disporopsis aspera Engl. (Liliaceae) a homoisoflavanone, disporopsin (3-(2',4'-dihydroxy-benzyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-chroman-4-one) (1) and three rare methyl-homoisoflavanones, 3-(4'-hydroxy-benzyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-6-methyl-chroman-4-one (2), 3-(4'-hydroxy-benzyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-6,8-dimethyl-chroman-4-one (3) and 3-(4'-hydroxy-benzyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-6-methyl-8-methoxy-chroman-4- one (4) along with five other known compounds, N-trans-feruloyl tyramine (5), adenine (6), 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural (7), beta-sitosterol (8) and beta-sitosteryl glucopyranoside (9) were isolated. The structures of compounds 1-2 were elucidated by spectral data (1, 2-D NMR and EIMS). The four homoisoflavanones (1-4) were found to be cytotoxic against a series of human cancer cell lines (HCT15, T24S, MCF7, Bowes, A549 and K562) with IC(50) ranging from 15 to 200 microM. Possible biosynthesis routes for homoisoflavonoids (1-4) are discussed.

A sugar ester and an iridoid glycoside from Scrophularia ningpoensis.

From cytotoxic extracts of the roots of Scrophularia ningpoensis Hemsl. (Scrophulariaceae) a new sugar ester, ningposide D (3-O-acetyl-2-O-p-methoxycinnamoyl-alpha(beta)-L-rhamnopyranose) (1) and a new iridoid glycoside, scrophuloside B4 (6-O-(2''-O-acetyl-3''-O-cinnamoyl-4''-O-p-methoxycinnamoyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl) catalpol) (2) along with known compounds: oleanonic acid (3), ursolonic acid (4), cinnamic acid (5), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzoic acid (6), 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural (7) and beta-sitosterol (8) were isolated. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectral data (1, 2D NMR, EI, HRESI-MS and MS/MS). Oleanonic acid (3) and ursolonic acid (4) were found to be cytotoxic against a series of human cancer cell lines with IC50=4.6, 15.5 microM on MCF7; 4.2, 14.5 microM on K562; 14.8, 44.4 microM on Bowes; 24.9, 43.6 microM on T24S; 61.3, 151.5 microM on A549, respectively. Beta-sitosterol (8) inhibited Bowes cells growth at IC50=36.5 microM. Scrophuloside B4 (2) showed activity on K562 and Bowes cells at IC50=44.6, 90.2 microM, respectively.