Tetramethyl-O-scutellarin isolated from peels of immature Shiranuhi fruit exhibits anti-inflammatory effects on LPSinduced RAW264.7 cells

Purpose: To investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of the ethanol extract of the immature fruit of a citrus, Shiranuhi, and to identify the active ingredient.Methods: The immature Shiranuhi peel was extracted with 80 % ethanol, and the extract was fractionated with solvents (n-hexane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol) to afford the corresponding fractions and water residue. Among them, the EtOAc-soluble portion was subjected to medium pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) over a reversed-phase SiO2 column to give compound 1. The isolated compound was identified based on the proton and carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. The release of nitric oxide, prostaglandin (PG)E2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 secreted by mouse macrophages was measured using RAW264.7 cell culture supernatant.Results: Shiranuhi (Korean name, Hallabong) is an important citrus species cultivated in Jeju Island, Korea. A polymethoxyflavonoid (PMF), tetramethyl-O-scutellarin (1), was isolated from the peels of immature Shiranuhi fruit. Upon the evaluation of anti-inflammatory effects, the flavonoid 1 decreased the nitric oxide production in macrophage cells with high efficiency, viz, 50 % inhibition concentration, IC50 of 57.4 μM. Subsequent studies demonstrated that PMF 1 effectively inhibited the generation of PGE2, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 cytokine in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusion: Tetramethyl-O-scutellarin (1) has been successfully isolated from Shiranuhi species for the first time. Thus, Shiranuhi fruit peel extract containing PMF 1 can potentially be applied as an antiinflammatory ingredient in food or cosmetic industries.Keywords: Shiranuhi fruit, Nitric oxide, Tetramethyl-O-scutellarin, Anti-inflammator

Quantifying gas emissions from the "Millennium Eruption" of Paektu volcano, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea/China

Paektu volcano (Changbaishan) is a rhyolitic caldera that straddles the border between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and China. Its most recent large eruption was the Millennium Eruption (ME; 23 km$^{3}$ dense rock equivalent) circa 946 CE, which resulted in the release of copious magmatic volatiles (H$_{2}$O, CO$_{2}$, sulfur, and halogens). Accurate quantification of volatile yield and composition is critical in assessing volcanogenic climate impacts but is challenging, particularly for events before the satellite era. We use a geochemical technique to quantify volatile composition and upper bounds to yields for the ME by examining trends in incompatible trace and volatile element concentrations in crystal-hosted melt inclusions. We estimate that the ME could have emitted as much as 45 Tg of S to the atmosphere. This is greater than the quantity of S released by the 1815 eruption of Tambora, which contributed to the “year without a summer.” Our maximum gas yield estimates place the ME among the strongest emitters of climate-forcing gases in the Common Era. However, ice cores from Greenland record only a relatively weak sulfate signal attributed to the ME. We suggest that other factors came into play in minimizing the glaciochemical signature. This paradoxical case in which high S emissions do not result in a strong glacial sulfate signal may present a way forward in building more https://symplectic.admin.cam.ac.uk/objectedit.html?cid=1&oid=876954generalized models for interpreting which volcanic eruptions have produced large climate impacts.K.I. was supported by the NSF under award no. 1349486 and by AAAS. Fieldwork was supported by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation

Optical Shaping of Plasma Cavity for Controlled Laser Wakefield Acceleration

Laser wakefield accelerators rely on relativistically moving micron-sized plasma cavities that provide extremely high electric field >100GV/m. Here, we demonstrate transverse shaping of the plasma cavity to produce controlled sub-GeV electron beams, adopting laser pulses with an axially rotatable ellipse-shaped focal spot. We showed the control capability on electron self-injection, charge, and transverse profile of the electron beam by rotating the focal spot. We observed that the effect of the elliptical focal spot was imprinted in the profiles of the electron beams and the electron energy increased, as compared to the case of a circular focal spot. We performed 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations which reproduced the experimental results and revealed dynamics of a new asymmetric self-injection process. This simple scheme offers a novel control method on laser wakefield acceleration to produce tailored electron beams and x-rays for various applications.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Amount of Weight-Bearing During Tilt Table Inclination, With Neutral and Unilateral Knee Flexion Postures

ObjectiveTo analyze the amount of weight-bearing during tilt table increments, with a review of neutral and unilateral knee flexion postures.MethodsThere were 17 healthy participants enrolled in this study. The subjects were tilted from 10° to 90°, and their body weight was measured at each 10° increment. In the first test, both plantar pressures, with the subjects in neutral posture, were recorded. During the second and third tests, the angle of inclination was thus recorded and increased, with the subjects in unilateral knee flexion posture; flexion was maintained at 25° by attaching a cylindrical support to the tilt table at the level of the popliteal fossa.ResultsThe study was divided into two types of postures: neutral and unilateral knee flexion. The percentage of body weight (%BW) between each leg during neutral posture was noted as not being statistically significant. The %BW of one side during tilt table inclination was significantly different between the two postures at 10° to 80° (p<0.05). The weight during unilateral knee flexion posture was lower as analyzed, regardless of tilt table inclination compared with that in neutral posture. We note that fifty percent of the ratio of %BW was noted at 33.12° and 38.76° in neutral and flexion postures, respectively.ConclusionThe unilateral knee flexion could induce the effect of decreased body weight compared with non-flexion side. The results of this study will help in setting a safe and quantitative percentage of weight-bearing on the lower extremity during tilt training

Myocardial Infarction in a Young Man due to a Hypoplastic Coronary Artery

Hypoplastic coronary artery disease (HCAD) is a rare condition that may lead to myocardial infarction (MI) and sudden death. We discovered HCAD in a young man who developed chest pain after heavy drinking and who was found to have suffered an MI. His ECG showed ST-segment elevation with Q waves in the anterior leads, and echocardiography revealed apical dyskinesia with moderate left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Coronary angiography showed hypoplasia of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. 99mTc-tetrofosmin-gated myocardial perfusion scintigraphy showed a large, fixed perfusion defect in the anteroseptal and apical segments. Sixty-four-slice cardiac CT and cardiac MR imaging demonstrated thinning of the apical wall with calcification and delayed enhancement, supporting the diagnosis of long-standing MI. The patient was discharged symptom-free on medication for ischemic heart failure two weeks after admission. Although HCAD is very uncommon, it should be considered in children and young adults who suffer MI or sudden cardiac death

Electron energy increase in a laser wakefield accelerator using up-ramp plasma density profiles

The phase velocity of the wakefield of a laser wakefield accelerator can, theoretically, be manipulated by shaping the longitudinal plasma density profile, thus controlling the parameters of the generated electron beam. We present an experimental method where using a series of shaped longitudinal plasma density profiles we increased the mean electron peak energy more than 50%, from 175 +/- 1 MeV to 262 +/- 10 MeV and the maximum peak energy from 182 MeV to 363 MeV. The divergence follows closely the change of mean energy and decreases from 58.9 +/- 0.45 mrad to 12.6 +/- 1.2 mrad along the horizontal axis and from 35 +/- 0.3 mrad to 8.3 +/- 0.69 mrad along the vertical axis. Particle-in-cell simulations show that a ramp in a plasma density profile can affect the evolution of the wakefield, thus qualitatively confirming the experimental results. The presented method can increase the electron energy for a fixed laser power and at the same time offer an energy tunable source of electrons.© The Author(s) 201

Endothelial Dysfunction and Increased Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in the Patients with Slow Coronary Flow

Flow mediated brachial dilatation (FMD) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) have been a surrogate for early atherosclerosis. Slow coronary flow in a normal coronary angiogram is not a rare condition, but its pathogenesis remains unclear. A total of 85 patients with angina were evaluated of their brachial artery FMD, carotid IMT and conventional coronary angiography. Coronary flow was quantified using the corrected thrombosis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) frame count method. Group I was a control with normal coronary angiography (n = 41, 56.1 ± 8.0 yr) and group II was no significant coronary stenosis with slow flow (n = 44, 56.3 ± 10.0 yr). Diabetes was rare but dyslipidemia and family history were frequent in group II. Heart rate was higher in group II than in group I. White blood cells, especially monocytes and homocysteine were higher in group II. The FMD was significantly lower in group II than in group I. Elevated heart rate, dyslipidemia and low FMD were independently related with slow coronary flow in regression analysis. Therefore, endothelial dysfunction may be an earlier vascular phenomenon than increased carotid IMT in the patients with slow coronary flow