Paeonia lactiflora Root Extract and Its Components Reduce Biomarkers of Early Atherosclerosis via Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Effects In Vitro and In Vivo.

Although various physiological activities of compounds obtained from Paeonia lactiflora have been reported, the effects of P. lactiflora extract (PLE) on early atherosclerosis remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo antiatherosclerosis and in vitro antioxidant effects of PLE and its compounds. PLE suppresses the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced capacity of THP-1 cells to adhere to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 expression, and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling in HUVECs. PLE also suppresses TNF-α-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 from cytosol as well as the enhanced TNFA and C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) mRNA expression in HUVECs. We identified and quantified the following PLE compounds using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection: methyl gallate, oxypaeoniflorin, catechin, albiflorin, paeoniflorin, benzoic acid, benzoylpaeoniflorin, and paeonol. Among these, methyl gallate had the strongest inhibitory effect on monocyte adherence to TNF-α-induced HUVECs and the VCAM-1 expression. Reverse transcriptase real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that PLE compounds had a dissimilar inhibition effect on TNF-α-induced mRNA expression levels of CCL2, TNFA, and IL6 in HUVECs. Except for paeonol, the compounds inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced reactive oxygen species production in RAW264.7 cells. In vivo, oral administration of PLE improved TNF-α-induced macrophage infiltration to the vascular endothelium and expression of VCAM-1, as well as IL6 and TNFA gene expression in the main artery of mice. PLE could be useful as a nutraceutical material against early atherosclerosis via the combined effects of its components.

Validation and measurement uncertainty of GC-MS quantification method for nicotine in dried mushrooms using QuEChERS extraction.

Nicotine is an alkaloid and a secondary plant metabolite that has been used as an insecticide. Despite their widespread application, the EU banned the use of nicotine-containing pesticides in December 2008. However, studies in Europe have found nicotine in mushrooms. Nicotine has also been detected in wild mushrooms, so there are other causes of contamination as well as pesticide. This study reports the development of GC-MS method for quantitatively analysing nicotine in mushrooms. This method provides recoveries of 89.5-92.5%, intra-day precisions of 0.32-0.85%, and inter-day precisions of 0.73-2.36%, with limits of detection and quantification of 0.38 and 1.15 µg kg-1, respectively. The relative expanded uncertainty result of 2.8-4.0% complies with CODEX requirements. The method was successfully applied to eleven mushroom samples in which nicotine was detected at levels of 0.033-1.713 mg kg-1. Therefore, this method is suitable for the quantification of nicotine in dried mushrooms to ensure pre-emptive food safety.

Erratum: The Role of Red Meat and Flavonoid Consumption on Cancer Prevention: The Korean Cancer Screening Examination Cohort; Nutrients 2017, 9, 938.

The authors have requested the following corrections to their paper [...].

The Role of Red Meat and Flavonoid Consumption on Cancer Prevention: The Korean Cancer Screening Examination Cohort.

Markedly increased red meat consumption is a cancer risk factor, while dietary flavonoids may help prevent the disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations of red meat and flavonoid consumption with cancer risk, based on data from 8024 subjects, drawn from the 2004-2008 Cancer Screening Examination Cohort of the Korean National Cancer Center. Hazard ratios (HRs) were obtained by using a Cox proportional hazard model. During the mean follow-up period of 10.1 years, 443 cases were newly diagnosed with cancer. After adjusting for age, there was a significant correlation between cancer risk and the daily intake of ≥43 g of red meat per day (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.01, 1.71; p = 0.045), and total flavonoid intake tended to decrease cancer risk (HR 0.70; 95% CI 0.49, 0.99; highest vs. lowest quartile; p-trend = 0.073) in men. Following multivariable adjustment, there were no statistically significant associations between flavonoid intake and overall cancer risk in individuals with high levels of red meat intake. Men with low daily red meat intake exhibited an inverse association between flavonoid consumption and cancer incidence (HR 0.41; 95% CI 0.21, 0.80; highest vs. lowest; p-trend = 0.017). Additional research is necessary to clarify the effects of flavonoid consumption on specific cancer incidence, relative to daily red meat intake.

Red meat consumption is associated with an increased overall cancer risk: a prospective cohort study in Korea.

Cancer is a leading cause of death, and the dietary pattern in Korea is changing rapidly from a traditional Korean diet to a Westernised diet. In the present study, we investigated the effects of dietary factors on cancer risk with a prospective cohort study. Among 26,815 individuals who participated in cancer screening examinations from September 2004 to December 2008, 8024 subjects who completed a self-administered questionnaire concerning demographic and lifestyle factors, and a 3 d food record were selected. As of September 2013, 387 cancer cases were identified from the National Cancer Registry System, and the remaining individuals were included in the control group. The hazard ratio (HR) of cancer for the subjects older than or equal to 50 years of age was higher (HR 1.80, 95% CI 1.41, 2.31; P< 0.0001) than that for the other subjects. Red meat consumption, Na intake and obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m²) were positively associated with overall cancer incidence in men (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.02, 1.94; P= 0.0382), gastric cancer (HR 2.34, 95% CI 1.06, 5.19; P= 0.0365) and thyroid cancer (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.05, 2.31; P= 0.0270), respectively. Participants who had at least three dietary risk factors among the high intakes of red meat and Na, low intakes of vegetables and fruits, and obesity suggested by the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research at baseline tended to have a higher risk of cancer than the others (HR 1.26, 95% CI 0.99, 1.60; P= 0.0653). In summary, high intakes of red meat and Na were significant risk factors of cancer among Koreans.

Dual therapy with cidofovir and mirtazapine for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in a sarcoidosis patient.

BACKGROUND: Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a demyelinating central nervous system disease caused by JC virus (JCV) reactivation in immunocompromised patients. The disease course of PML is often progressive, fatal and at present, there are few reports on successful treatment outcomes. CASE REPORT: A 45-year-old man with systemic sarcoidosis presented with rapidly progressive dementia and right hemiparesis. The patient was diagnosed with PML as confirmed via brain biopsy and JCV PCR. With a combination treatment of cidofovir and mirtazapine, there was significant improvement of neurological symptoms without measurable functional deficit. CONCLUSION: This case suggests that dual therapy with cidofovir and mirtazapine might be an effective treatment option in PML patients with sarcoidosis.

A multicenter phase II study of belotecan, a new camptothecin analogue, as a second-line therapy in patients with small cell lung cancer.

Belotecan (Camtobell, CKD602) is a new camptothecin derivative antitumor agent that belongs to the topoisomerase inhibitors. The aim of this phase II study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of single agent belotecan as a second-line therapy in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Patients who were previously treated for SCLC were entered into the study. Belotecan was given by daily intravenous infusion for five consecutive days, every three weeks. Twenty-five patients were enrolled in this study. On an intention-to-treat basis, belotecan induced an overall response rate of 24%, a median overall survival of 9.9 months, a median time to progression of 2.2 months, and a 1-year survival rate of 38.3%. Grade 3/4 neutropenia developed in 88.0% of patients and grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia in 40.0%. Nonhematologic toxicity of grade 3 or 4 was low. The results suggest that belotecan is relatively active and well tolerated as a second-line agent in patients with SCLC.