Anti-inflammatory effects of isoketocharbroic acid from brown alga, Sargassum micracanthum

During our on-going screening program designed to isolate natural compounds from marine environments, we isolated isoketochabrolic acid (IKCA) from Sargassum micracanthum, an important brown algae distributed in Jeju Island, Korea. Furthermore, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of IKCA on nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-triggered macrophages. IKCA strongly inhibited NO production, with an IC50 value of 58.31 μM. Subsequent studies demonstrated that IKCA potently and concentration-dependently reduced prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 cytokine production. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show that IKCA isolated from S. micracanthum has a potent anti-inflammatory activity. Therefore, IKCA might be useful as an anti-inflammatory health supplement or functional cosmetics

Cyclic ADP Ribose-Dependent Ca2+ Release by Group I Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in Acutely Dissociated Rat Hippocampal Neurons

Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (group I mGluRs; mGluR1 and mGluR5) exert diverse effects on neuronal and synaptic functions, many of which are regulated by intracellular Ca2+. In this study, we characterized the cellular mechanisms underlying Ca2+ mobilization induced by (RS)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG; a specific group I mGluR agonist) in the somata of acutely dissociated rat hippocampal neurons using microfluorometry. We found that DHPG activates mGluR5 to mobilize intracellular Ca2+ from ryanodine-sensitive stores via cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose (cADPR), while the PLC/IP3 signaling pathway was not involved in Ca2+ mobilization. The application of glutamate, which depolarized the membrane potential by 28.5±4.9 mV (n = 4), led to transient Ca2+ mobilization by mGluR5 and Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels. We found no evidence that mGluR5-mediated Ca2+ release and Ca2+ influx through L-type Ca2+ channels interact to generate supralinear Ca2+ transients. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization by mGluR5 in the somata of hippocampal neurons

A Dual (Brachial and Contralateral Femoral) Approach for Subintimal Angioplasty of Long Ilio-Femoral Occlusive Disease Including the Iliac Ostium

As techniques and device technology have improved, the success rates and long patency of ilio-femoral occlusive disease have also improved. In the case of extensive iliac occlusive disease, however, wire passage and handling remain a challenge due to the relatively weak guiding catheter backup support with the contralateral femoral approach. There has been no report on methods to overcome this problem. We performed a successful percutaneous translunimal angioplasty for long ilio-femoral occlusive disease including the iliac ostium by a dual approach including simultaneous brachial and contralateral femoral arteries for subintimal angioplasty

Comprehensive understanding of cathodic and anodic polarization effects on stability of nanoscale oxygen electrode for reversible solid oxide cells

Whereas solid oxide cells (SOCs), which perform dual functions of power generation (fuel-cell mode) and energy storage (electrolysis mode) with high efficiency at high temperatures, are considered a potent candidate for future energy management systems, it is yet far from their practical use due to the fact that the stable long-term operations have not been achieved. Particularly, degradations of oxygen-electrode in the both electrolysis and fuel-cell operations are considered as the most imminent issues that should be overcome. Unfortunately, even the origins and mechanisms of degradation in the oxygen-electrode have not been clearly established due to the difficulties in precise assessments of microstructural/compositional changes of porous electrode, which is a typical form in actual solid oxide cells, and due to the diversities in operating conditions, electrode structure and material, fabrication history, and so on. We simultaneously investigated the degradation phenomena in electrolysis and fuel-cell operations for 540h using identical two half cells composed of a geometrically well-defined, nanoscale La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) dense film with a thickness of ~ 70 nm on Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-δ electrolyte. Owing to the benefit of well-defined geometry of LSCF thin film, the microstructural/compositional changes in LSCF films were successfully analyzed in nanoscale, and the correlation between the components of electrochemical impedance and the major origins resulting in degradations was clarified. Furthermore, we suggest the most probable degradation mechanisms, and importantly, it is newly suggested that kinetic demixing/decomposition of LSCF, which is not readily observable in the typical porous-structured electrode, are highly probable to affect the both fuel-cell and electrolysis long-term degradations

Specific Radius Change of Quantum Dot inside the Lipid Bilayer by Charge Effect of Lipid Head-Group

We studied the quantum dot-liposome complex (QLC), which is the giant unilamellar vesicle with quantum dots (QDs) incorporated in its lipid bilayer. A spin coating method in conjunction with the electroformation technique yielded vesicles with highly homogeneous unilamellar structure. We observed QD size dependence of the QLC formation: QLCs form with blue, green and yellow-emission QD (core radius ~1.05 nm, 1.25 nm and 1.65 nm) but not with red-emission QD (core radius ~2.5 nm). In order to explain this size dependence, we made a simple model explaining the QD size effect on QLC formation in terms of the molecular packing parameter and the lipid conformational change. This model predicts that QDs below a certain critical size (radius ≈ 1.8 nm) can stably reside in a lipid bilayer of 4 - 5 nm in thickness for Egg-PC lipids. This is consistent with our previous experimental results. In the case of red-emission QD, QD-aggregations are only observed on the fluorescent microscopy instead of QLC. We expected that the reduction of packing parameter (P) would lead to the change of specific QD radius. This prediction could be verified by our experimental observation of the shift of the specific QD size by mixing DOPG

Adult-onset kaposiform hemangioendothelioma with neurofibromatosis type 1: A case report and literature review

Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is a very rare, locally aggressive vascular neoplasm. It occurs mostly in children and is rarely observed in adults. It typically originates on the skin, later affecting the deep soft tissue of the extremities, head or neck, and retroperitoneum by infiltrative growth. It is locally aggressive, does not regress spontaneously, and tends to metastasize locally as well as to the regional lymph nodes. In this article, we report a case of adult-onset KHE with neurofibromatosis type 1. The patient presented to our department with a 2-month history of a painful ulceration in her left popliteal area. Since KHE had not previously been reported in patients with neurofibromatosis, the diagnosis was difficult due to the similarity of the skin manifestation to neurofibromatosis-associated lesions. We share our experience of diagnosing and treating this rare case of adult-onset KHE

Prospective Multi-Center Trial for the Efficacy of Ecabet Sodium on the Relief of Dyspepsia in Korean Patients with Chronic Gastritis

Anti-peptic and anti-inflammatory actions of ecabet sodium might be beneficial in either improving gastritis or relieving dyspeptic symptoms. This study was designed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of ecabet sodium on dyspeptic symptoms and to elucidate the molecular mechanism attributable to symptom relief in patients with chronic gastritis. Two hundred and sixty eight chronic gastritis patients with persistent dyspepsia received ecabet sodium 1 g b.i.d. for 2 weeks, after which dyspeptic symptoms were reassessed with a questionnaires as before. The changes of interleukin-8 (IL-8), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in gastric juices were measured by ELISA. The changes of nitrotyrosine in gastric mucosa were measured by immunohistochemical staining. The most common dyspeptic symptom in Korean patients with chronic gastritis was epigastric soreness (76.8%), which was improved significantly after ecabet sodium treatment (81.7%, p<0.001). Ecabet sodium was more effective in patients with epigastric pain than vague abdominal discomfort (p = 0.02), especially in patients with old age. Complete relief of discomfort was more highly achieved in patients with positive Helicobacter pylori than without (p = 0.01). In spite of clear tendency that the decreased levels of IL-8, iNOS, and PGE2 and increased levels of VEGF were measured in gastric juices after ecabet sodium treatment, no statistical significance was noted, which might be due to high inter-individual variations. The nitrotyrosine expressions were significantly decreased after ecabet sodium treatment than before (p<0.01). In conclusion, ecabet sodium treatment was very useful for the relief of dyspeptic symptoms in chronic gastritis, to which both attenuated inflammatory and enhanced regenerative mechanisms were contributive

Requirement for Pak3 in Rac1-induced organization of actin and myosin during Drosophila larval wound healing

AbstractRho-family small GTPases regulate epithelial cell sheet migration by organizing actin and myosin during wound healing. Here, we report that Pak3, but not Pak1, is a downstream target protein for Rac1 in wound closure of the Drosophila larval epidermis. Pak3-deficient larvae failed to close a wound hole and this defect was not rescued by Pak1 expression, indicating differential functions of the two proteins. Pak3 localized to the wound margin, which selectively required Rac1. Pak3-deficient larvae showed severe defects in actin-myosin organization at the wound margin and in submarginal cells, which was reminiscent of the phenotypes of Rac1-deficient larvae. These results suggest that Pak3 specifically mediates Rac1 signaling in organizing actin and myosin during Drosophila epidermal wound healing