Quality evaluation of health foods containing licorice in the Japanese Market.

Focusing on licorice, a highly used raw material in health foods, quantitative analysis of functional/medicinal components and a safety and functional evaluation was carried out for herbal medicines, health food ingredients, and so-called health foods. A functional component, glabridin, was detected in herbal medicines from Glycyrrhiza glabra and G. inflata, health food ingredients, and in commercially available health foods that contain licorice. Likewise, glycyrrhizin, a medicinal component, was detected in these sources, except in licorice oil extract. Estrogen activity in vitro was detected in some of the herbal medicines, health food ingredients, and in health foods containing licorice. In the in vivo study, liver weight in ovariectomized (OVX) mice treated with licorice oil extract was significantly higher than that in OVX and sham mice in a dose dependent manner. These results suggest that excessive intake of licorice oil extract from health foods should be avoided, even though these ingredients might be beneficial for medical use in order to maintain bone health in postmenopausal women. Measurement of hepatic cytochrome P-450 (CYP) activity, reproductive organ weight, and fat and bone mass in OVX mice was considered useful for evaluating the safety and efficacy of estrogenic health food ingredients derived from herbal medicines.

[Correlation between pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase (PyNPase)/platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor and histological prognostic factor, and influences of 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5'-DFUR) administration on PyNPase levels. 5'-DFUR Joint Research Group in the Osaka Area for Gastric Cancer].

PURPOSE: Pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase (PyNPase), among which thymidine phosphorylase (dThdPase) exists mainly in human tumor tissues, is an enzyme to convert 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5'-DFUR) to 5-fluorouracil. Recently, it was reported that dThdPase was identical to platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor, angiogenetic factor. Therefore, we expect that there is possibility of dThdPase being a prognostic factor. METHODS: We investigated for a possible correlation between PyNPase activities in tumor tissues and prognostic factors of histological findings, examined the influences of preoperative oral 5'-DFUR administration to PyNPase levels and investigated for a correlation between HPLC methods and ELISA methods in patients with gastric cancer. RESULTS: Higher levels of PyNPase were observed in patients with advanced t,n,v, and ly factors. PyNPase levels decreased by 5'-DFUR in patients with differentiated cases. A high correlation was found between HPLC and ELISA methods. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that we must investigate possibility of PyNPase being a prognostic factor in more detail.

Determination of butyltin and phenyltin compounds in biological and sediment samples by electron-capture gas chromatography.

A method is described for the gas chromatographic determination of nanogram amounts of mono-, di- and tributyltin compounds and mono-, di- and triphenyltin compounds in biological and sediment samples. These compounds are converted into the corresponding chlorides with hydrochloric acid, extracted with ethyl acetate and hydrogenated with sodium tetrahydroborate. The corresponding hydrides, mono-n-butyltin hydride, di-n-butyltin hydride, tri-n-butyltin hydride, monophenyltin hydride, diphenyltin hydride triphenyltin hydride, are detected by electron-capture gas chromatography after clean-up by silica gel column chromatography. The detection limits are 10-20 ng/g for mono-n-butyltin chloride, 0.5-1 ng/g for di-n-butyltin chloride, 1-2 ng/g for tri-n-butyltin chloride and diphenyltin chloride and 2.5-5 ng/g for monophenyltin chloride and triphenyltin chloride, in biological and sediment samples.

Simultaneous gas chromatographic determination of dibutyltin and tributyltin compounds in biological and sediment samples.

A method is described for the simultaneous determination of nanogram amounts of dibutyltin and tributyltin compounds in biological and sediment samples. These compounds are converted to the corresponding chlorides with HCl, extracted with ethyl acetate-hexane (3 + 2) for biological samples and with hexane for sediment samples, and hydrogenated with sodium borohydride. The corresponding hydrides, Bu2SnH2 and Bu3SnH, are detected by electron-capture gas chromatography after cleanup by silica gel column chromatography. Detection limits are 1.0-2.0 and 0.5-1.0 ng/g, respectively, for biological and sediment samples.

Simultaneous gas chromatographic determination of carboxylic acids in soft drinks and jams.

A method was developed for simultaneous gas chromatographic determination of sorbic acid, dehydroacetic acid, and benzoic acid used as preservatives, and succinic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, and tartaric acid used as acidulants in soft drinks and jams. A sample was dissolved in NH4OH-NH4Cl pH 9 buffer solution, and an aliquot of the solution was passed through a QAE-Sephadex A 25 column. The column was washed with water, and the carboxylic acids were eluted with 0.1N HCl. Sorbic acid, dehydroacetic acid, and benzoic acid were extracted with ethyl ether-petroleum ether (1 + 1), and determined on a 5% DEGS + 1% H3PO4 column. Succinic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, and tartaric acid in the lower layer were derivatized with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide and trimethylchlorosilane, and determined on a 3% SE-30 column. Recoveries from soft drink and jam samples fortified with 0.1% each of 7 carboxylic acids ranged from 92.4 to 102.6% for preservatives, and from 88.1 to 103.2% for acidulants.

Yellow nail syndrome associated with mental retardation in two siblings.

Two siblings with yellow nail syndrome and mental retardation are described. In addition to nail changes, the younger brother was found to have congenital lymphoedema and idiopathic pleural effusion, and the elder brother, lymphoedema praecox. They had in common a history of respiratory tract infections. Their intelligence quotient as measured by the Suzuki-Binet tests was 30% and 70%, respectively.

Congenital atresia of the duodenum with gastric perforation. Case report and review of the literature.

Gastric perforation associated with duodenal atresia is a very rare condition. We are able to cure an infant with this complicated disease by using a two-stage operation. Of interest is the occurrence of massive subcutaneous emphysema in our patient.