Can immune-enhancing nutrients reduce postoperative complications in patients undergoing esophageal surgery?

Postoperative infection of esophageal neoplasm surgery is the major cause of prolonged postoperative hospitalization, as well as morbidity. The clinical benefits of administering immune-enhancing nutrients (IEN) to critically ill patients and those undergoing elective surgery were clarified. However, the benefits of preoperative administration of IEN for patients with esophageal cancer remain unclear. The present study was designed to clarify the clinical efficacy of administration of IEN prior to esophageal surgery. A total of 123 patients undergoing esophagectomy in single institute were retrospectively investigated. All patients received postoperative enteral nutrition by use of ordinal nutrients. Preoperative IEN were also given to 84 patients (IEN group), while the other 39 received an ordinary diet (control). Postoperative courses and laboratory data were compared between the two groups. The incidences of infectious complications in the IEN and control groups were 18% and 38%, respectively (P < 0.05). Pneumonia developed in 5 (6%) IEN and 7 (18%) control patients (P < 0.05). Postoperative hospitalization was shorter in the IEN group (P < 0.01). Prealbumin levels, retinal binding protein levels and the lymphocyte count were significantly higher in the IEN group on postoperative day 3. These results suggest that preoperative administration of IEN in patients undergoing esophagectomy reduces infectious complications, mainly pneumonia, and shortens postoperative hospitalization.

Análise da dose do laser de baixa potência em equipamentos nacionais / Analysis of low-level laser therapy doses in Brazilian equipment

CONTEXTUALIZAÇÃO: A laserterapia de baixa potência vem sendo cada vez mais utilizada, e o crescente interesse por seus efeitos relaciona-se com a grande quantidade de publicações científicas. Muitos terapeutas e pesquisadores têm-se baseado na definição da dose do laser pela densidade energética (deltaE); porém, a grande variedade de equipamentos de laser pode levar a diferença nos resultados terapêuticos encontrados, por fornecerem parâmetros que variam de acordo com o fabricante. OBJETIVO: Analisar a energia final transmitida ao tecido ao aplicar-se a mesma deltaE em equipamentos de diferentes marcas nacionais. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foram avaliados sete equipamentos nacionais, com potência média (Pm) diferentes, e foram realizadas simulações aplicando deltaE de 1J/cm² em cada aparelho, para avaliar possíveis diferenças na energia final. RESULTADOS: A mesmadeltaE aplicada em diferentes aparelhos nacionais forneceu energia final que variou entre 10 e 90mJ. Esta variação na energia deveu-se principalmente a diferenças na Pm, sendo encontrados valores entre 5,4 e 75mW. CONCLUSÃO: Esta variabilidade na energia final, que é transmitida ao tecido, indica que a deltaE parece não ser o parâmetro que melhor descreve a dose a ser utilizada. É preciso mencionar não só a deltaE, mas também a energia final, para que se possa estabelecer a dose para obtenção do melhor resultado terapêutico.

INTRODUCTION: Low-level laser therapy is becoming more popular and there is a growing interest in its effects, as reflected in the increased number of articles published about the subject. Many therapists and researchers have used a laser dose definition based on energy density (deltaE). However, the variety of laser equipments may lead to differences in the therapeutic results found, since the parameters supplied by these equipments vary according to the manufacturer. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the final energy transmitted to the tissue when applying the same deltaE using equipment of different Brazilian brands. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seven brands of Brazilian equipment with different mean power (Pm) were evaluated by means of simulations. deltaE of 1J/cm² was applied using each brand of equipment, in order to evaluate possible differences in the final energy. RESULTS: The same deltaE applied using different brands of Brazilian equipment supplied final energy that ranged from 10 to 90mJ. This variation in the energy was mainly due to differences in Pm. These values ranged between 5.4 and 75mW. CONCLUSIONS: This variability in the final energy that is transmitted to the tissue indicates that deltaE may not be the best parameter for describing the dose to be used. In addition to deltaE, the final energy needs also to be stated, in order to establish the dose for obtaining the best therapeutic results.

Autonomous catheter insertion system using magnetic motion capture sensor for endovascular surgery.

BACKGROUND: In order to reduce fluoroscope usage in endovascular surgery, there is a need to develop autonomous catheter insertion systems. METHODS: We propose a system for tracking the position and speed of a catheter using a magnetic motion capture sensor to provide feedback to a catheter-driving mechanism, to perform autonomous catheter insertion in major vasculature. Catheter insertion speed control and path reconstruction experiments were performed with the system inside a silicone model of major vasculature to simulate surgery. RESULTS: The system controlled the catheter for speeds of 6.14 mm/s and reproduced a two-dimensional path inside the silicone blood vessel phantom with less than 7 mm of error. CONCLUSIONS: We found that error in speed control rises as a result of friction between the catheter and the model wall. Path reconstruction error depends on the model's cross-sectional diameter, the properties of the catheter insertion mechanism, the magnetic sensor and the system guidance technique.

Elution and adsorptive concentration of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen allergen in environmental water.

Elution of Japanese cedar pollen allergens (Cry j I and others) from pollen grains and its adsorptive concentration onto hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces were investigated using the surface plasmon resonance technique. Results showed that the allergen elution was obviously enhanced when the ion concentration was higher than that within the human body, indicating that the pollen tend to release its allergen in environmental water having a high ion concentration. However, higher adsorption capacity was observed on hydrophobic surface than hydrophilic surface. These results indicate that water puddles on roadsides beside heavy traffic including large amounts of ion compounds and hydrophobic diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) are a pollen allergen-DEP complex generator. DEPs are easily absorbed into the living body; therefore these mechanisms may be responsible for causing the highest incidence of pollinosis among residents living alongside roads with heavy automobile traffic.

Percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy for primary or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma: long-term results.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To clarify the indication of percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODOLOGY: Thirty-three hepatocellular carcinoma patients who underwent percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy were enrolled in this study, including 18 primary and 15 recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma patients. We examined the local recurrence rates and the long-term results after the treatment. RESULTS: The overall survival rates of the primary group at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years were 94.4%, 77.8%, 77.8%, 77.8% and 48.6%, respectively, whereas those of the recurrent group were 100%, 85.7%, 66.7% and 50.0% at 1, 2, 3 and 4 years, respectively. Local recurrence after percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy was found in about 50% of patients in both groups. Seventeen of the 27 patients (63.0%) with a moderately or poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma tumor had local recurrence, while none of the 6 patients with a well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma tumor did (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Irrespective of primary or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma, the indication of percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy as an alternative to hepatic resection should be limited to cases of a well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma tumor smaller than 2 cm in diameter.

[Influential factors in the elevation of serum creatine phosphokinase for the patients with Kanemi Yusho--freeze fracture study of rat muscle plasma membrane].

We studied the factors of the elevation of serum creatine phosphokinase (CK) using the data from the routine medical checkup of Kanemi Yusho patients during 1995 and 1999. We also studied rat muscle plasma membrane by the freeze fracture method, which were given the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and controls. The patients with elevation of serum CK showed significant elevation of PCB in their blood but not in polychlorinated quanterphenyls (PCQ). The rat muscle plasma membrane showed a slight increase of orthognal array density but it was not statistically significant. The densities of caveolae and particles were not changed. Accordingly, PCB were thought to be a factor in the elevation of CK in the serum.

Human biotin-containing subunit of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase gene (MCCA): cDNA sequence, genomic organization, localization to chromosomal band 3q27, and expression.

3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase (MCCase; EC 6.4.1.4) is a mitochondrial biotin enzyme and plays an essential role in the catabolism of leucine and isovalerate in animals, bacterial species, and plants. MCCase consists of two subunits, those that are biotin-containing and non-biotin-containing. The genes responsible for these subunits have been isolated in soybean, Arabidopsis thaliana, and tomatoes, but not in mammals. In humans, MCCase deficiency has been thought to be a rare metabolic disease, but the number of patients with MCCase deficiency appears to be increasing with a wide range of clinical presentations, some that result in a lethal condition and others that are asymptomatic. In this report, we have isolated and carried out chromosomal mapping of the gene for the biotin-containing subunit (A subunit) of the human MCCase gene, MCCA. The cDNA predicts an open reading frame coding for a 725-amino-acid protein with mitochondrial signal peptide, biotin carboxylase, and biotin-carrier domains. The gene is composed of at least 19 exons and covers more than 70 kb of sequence on band q27 of chromosome 3. MCCA was abundantly expressed in mitochondria-rich organs, such as the heart, skeletal muscles, kidney, and liver. In exon 13, we observed a His/Pro polymorphism at codon 464 (an A to C transition at nucleotide position 1391 in the cDNA sequence). Then, we determined the DNA sequences of the 5' untranslated region and entire coding regions in two patients with MCCase deficiency, but no sequence substitution was detected, suggesting that the gene mutations might be in the non-biotin-containing subunit (B subunit) gene, MCCB, in these patients.

A novel anti-rheumatic drug suppresses tumor necrosis factor-alpha and augments interleukin-10 in adjuvant arthritic rats.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) plays an important role in the pathology of rheumatoid arthritis. When N-[1-(4-¿[4-(pyrimidin-2-yl)piperazin-1-yl]methyl¿phenyl)cycloprop yl] acetamide (Y-39041) (3-30 mg/kg) was orally administered to rats with established arthritis from day 15 to day 20, hindpaw volume was significantly reduced. This inhibitory activity of Y-39041 was kept up after administration was stopped. On day 17 Y-39041 suppressed lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-alpha and interleukin-6 production in serum at doses of 3-30 mg/kg, and augmented interleukin-10 production at doses of 10 and 30 mg/kg. The finding that Y-39041 suppresses TNF-alpha and interleukin-6 production and augments interleukin-10 production could be beneficial in the therapy of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Ascorbic acid supplementation to primary culture of chicken hepatocytes with non-serum medium.

Chicken liver is lack of ascorbic acid biosynthesis system, different from mammals and highly evoluted birds. Chicken hepatocytes cultured without ascorbate was expected to have lower ascorbate amounts than physiological levels. Intracellular was decreased as compared with intact liver by cell preparation performed with in situ collagenase perfusion. We added ascorbate to a primary culture of chicken hepatocytes in order to restore the amount of ascorbate. Serum-free Leivobitz's L-15 medium which do not contain ascorbate was used for control medium. Cells were cultured with several concentrations of ascorbate for 24 or 48 h. After ascorbate supplementation for 24 to 48 h, cellular ascorbate concentration increased depending on the dose of medium ascorbate. Medium lactate dehydrogenase activity derived from hepatocytes, an index of cell injury, decreased upon 5-100 mg/l of ascorbate supplementation for 48 h. Tyrosine aminotransferase activity, an index of liver function, increased following culture with 50 and 100 mg/l ascorbate for 48 h. The activities, however, decreased by supplementation with 1000 mg/l of ascorbate. In conclusion hepatocytes lost intracellular ascorbate during preparation by in situ collagenase perfusion. Supplementation of ascorbate restored cellular ascorbate concentration, lowered cell injury and raised tyrosine aminotransferase activitv in primary cultured chicken hepatocytes. Ascorbate treatment for 48 h at 50 mg/l was the best combination in this study for primary culture of chicken hepatpcyte with non-serum L-15 medium

Effect of shitei-to, a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, on pentylenetetrazol-induced kindling in mice.

This study measured the effects of Shitei-To (STT), a traditional Chinese Medicine, which is a mixture of extracts from three medicinal herbs, Shitei (SI, Kaki Calyx; calyx of Diospyros kaki L. f.), Shokyo (SK, Zingiberis Rhizoma; rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and Choji (CJ, Caryophylli flos; flowerbud of Syzygium aromaticum [L.] Merrill et. Perry), has long been used for the treatment of hiccups in Japan and China, against fully pentylenetetrazol-kindled seizures and on the development of pentylenetetrazol kindling in mice. Repeated administration of STT (3.0 g/kg p.o.) mildly retards the development of pentylenetetrazol-induced kindling in mice. STT also decreased the number of tonic-clonic convulsions resulting from progression kindling. On the other hand, STT had no effect on convulsions in fully pentylenetetrazol-kindled mice. These findings suggest that STT protects against the development of convulsions, and that STT may have therapeutic effects in the prevention of secondarily generalized seizures.

Liu-Jun-Zi-Tang, a kampo medicine, promotes adaptive relaxation in isolated guinea pig stomachs.

Some patients with dysmotility-like functional dyspepsia present impaired reservoir functions such as gastric adaptive relaxation. A traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Liu-Jun-Zi-Tang, has been identified as an effective drug against dyspeptic symptoms and is widely used for therapy in such patients. In this study, we examined the effects of this drug on the gastric adaptive relaxation in isolated guinea pig stomachs. The changes in intragastric volume and pressure were recorded in the presence of atropine and guanethidine. Gastric adaptive relaxation was induced by luminal distention. Liu-Jun-Zi-Tang (100 mg/ml) induced gastric adaptive relaxation at a lower intragastric pressure and increased the % volume of the gastric adaptive relaxation and the absolute intragastric volume. Metoclopramide (2 mg/ml), trimebutine (6 mg/ml) and cisapride (2 mg/ml) did not affect gastric adaptive relaxation. It was inhibited by means of the incubation of the stomach with NG-nitro-L-arginine (100 microM). Liu-Jun-Zi-Tang (100 mg/ml), but not gastroprokinetics overcame the effect of NG-nitro-L-arginine. These results suggested that Liu-Jun-Zi-Tang promoted gastric adaptive relaxation. This effect might, at least in part, contribute to the symptom relief in patients with functional dyspepsia.

Activity-guided isolation of triterpenoid acyl CoA cholesteryl acyl transferase (ACAT) inhibitors from Ilex kudincha.

Activity-guided fractionation of a methanol extract of the leaves of Ilex kudincha led to the isolation of seven acyl CoA cholesteryl acyl transferase (ACAT) inhibitory triterpenes. Four of them were identified by spectroscopic methods as ulmoidol (4), 23-hydroxyursolic acid (5), 27-trans-p-coumaroyloxyursolic acid (6), and 27-cis-p-coumaroyloxyursolic acid (7), and three were new compounds named ilekudinols A-C (1-3). The structures of these new triterpenoids were elucidated as 2alpha, 3beta-dihydroxy-24-nor-urs-4(23),11-dien-28,13beta- olide (1), 2alpha, 3beta-dihydroxy-24-nor-urs-4(23),12-dien-28-oic acid (2), and 3beta, 24,28-trihydroxylupane (3). Compounds 1-7 showed potent inhibitory activity in the ACAT assay.

Efficacy of shitei-to, a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, against convulsions in mice.

The anticonvulsant effects of Shitei-To and its components on maximal electroshock seizures and chemical convulsions were examined. Shitei-To significantly prolonged the latency to bicuculline (2.0 mg/kg, s.c.)-induced clonic convulsions. Repeated treatment with Shitei-To also significantly prolonged the latency to strychnine (1.5 mg/kg, i.p.)- and pentylenetetrazol (90 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced clonic convulsions. On the other hand, Shitei-To had no effect on maximal electroshock seizures. Of the components of Shitei-To, Shitei had almost the same effect as Shitei-To against the clonic convulsions induced by the three chemical agents tested. These findings suggest that Shitei-To has anticonvulsant effects.

Pax-6 is required for thalamocortical pathway formation in fetal rats.

Pax-6, a transcription regulatory factor, has been demonstrated to play important roles in eye, nose, and brain development by analyzing mice, rats, and humans with a Pax-6 gene mutation. We examined the role of Pax-6 with special attention to the formation of efferent and afferent pathways of the cerebral cortex by using the rat Small eye (rSey2), which has a mutation in the Pax-6 gene. In rSey2/rSey2 fetuses, cortical efferent axons develop with normal trajectory, at least within the cortical anlage, when examined with immunohistochemistry of the neuronal cell adhesion molecule TAG-1 and 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI) labeling from the cortical surface. A remarkable disorder was found in the trajectory of dorsal thalamic axons by immunostaining of the neurofilament and the neural cell adhesion molecule L1 and DiI labeling from the dorsal thalamus. In normal rat fetuses, dorsal thalamic axons curved laterally in the ventral thalamus without invading a Pax-6-immunoreactive cell cluster in the ventral part of the ventral thalamus. These axons then coursed up to the cortical anlage, passing just dorsal to another Pax-6-immunoreactive cell cluster in the amygdaloid region. In contrast, in rSey2/rSey2 fetuses, dorsal thalamic axons extended downward to converge in the ventrolateral corner of the ventral thalamus and fanned out in the amygdaloid region without reaching the cortical anlage. These results suggest that Pax-6-expressing cell clusters along the thalamocortical pathway (ventral part of the ventral thalamus and amygdala) are responsible for the determination of the axonal pathfinding of the thalamocortical pathway.

BAZF, a novel Bcl6 homolog, functions as a transcriptional repressor.

The BCL6 gene, which has been identified from the chromosomal translocation breakpoint in B-cell lymphomas, functions as a sequence-specific transcriptional repressor. We cloned a novel Bcl6-homologous gene, BAZF (encoding Bcl6-associated zinc finger protein). The predicted amino acid sequence of BAZF indicated that the BTB/POZ domain and the five repeats of the Krüppel-like zinc finger motif are located in the NH2-terminal region and the COOH-terminal region, respectively. BAZF associated with Bcl6 at the BTB/POZ domain and localized in the nucleus. Since zinc finger motifs of BAZF were 94% identical to those of Bcl6 at the amino acid level, BAZF bound specifically to the DNA-binding sequence of Bcl6 and functioned as a transcriptional repressor. The repressor activity was associated with both the BTB/POZ domain and the middle portion of BAZF. The 17-amino-acid sequence in the middle portion was completely conserved between BAZF and Bcl6, and the conserved region was critical for the repressor activity. Expression of BAZF mRNA, like that of Bcl6 mRNA, was induced in activated lymphocytes as an immediate-early gene. Therefore, the biochemical character of BAZF is similar to that of Bcl6 although the tissue expression pattern of BAZF differs from that of Bcl6. This is apparently the first report of a gene family whose members encode zinc finger proteins with the BTB/POZ domain.

Complications associated with transcatheter arterial embolization for hepatic tumors.

Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is widely used in the treatment of hepatic tumors. A total of 2,300 TAE procedures were performed with a 2-15-mL injection of a mixture or suspension of anticancer drugs and iodized oil, followed by administration of gelatin sponge particles. One or two chemotherapeutic drugs, including doxorubicin hydrochloride (10-30 mg), epirubicin hydrochloride (10-30 mg), mitomycin C (10-20 mg), and cisplatin (25-100 mg), were used for each procedure. Complications were encountered in 4.4% of cases (n = 102) and were related to the use of chemoembolic agents or the manipulation of a catheter or guide wire. These complications included acute hepatic failure (n = 6), liver infarction (n = 4) or abscess (n = 5), intrahepatic biloma (n = 20), multiple intrahepatic aneurysms (n = 6), cholecystitis (n = 7), splenic infarction (n = 2), gastrointestinal mucosal lesions (n = 5), pulmonary embolism or infarction (n = 4), tumor rupture (n = 1), variceal bleeding (n = 3), and iatrogenic dissection (n = 35) or perforation (n = 4) of the celiac artery and its branches. Knowledge of these complications is important for correct diagnosis and appropriate management.

[Subsegmental transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization under balloon occlusion of the corresponding hepatic vein with SMANCS].

Recently, subsegmental transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization under balloon occlusion of the corresponding hepatic vein has been performed to treat hepatic infarction in subregion hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we report subsegmental transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization under balloon occlusion of the corresponding hepatic vein with styrene maleic acid neocarzinostatin lipiodol (SMANCS) (SMANCS-TAE under balloon occlusion of the corresponding hepatic vein). This study included 9 patients with HCC who underwent SMANCS-TAE under balloon occlusion of the corresponding hepatic vein. In all patients, the therapeutic effects (TE) were evaluated according to the criteria of direct response to liver cancer treatment on abdominal computed tomography (CT) 3 weeks after surgery. In 7 patients who could be followed for more than one year, there was no postoperative relapse at the site of treatment. Furthermore, this procedure facilitated the detection of accumulation of SMANCS not only in the tumor but also in the subregion of the tumor in patients with HCC involving immature arterial tumor neoplastic vessels. In patients with large HCC complicated by severe heart failure showing a poor general condition, this procedure allowed treatment to be completed without complication. SMANCS-TAE under balloon occlusion of the corresponding hepatic vein, which can also embolize the portal vein by applying targeting chemotherapy with SMANCS, may cause necrosis not only in the tumor but also in noncancerous liver tissues. This procedure may be an indication for a larger number of cases than standard TAE, facilitating more complete local treatment.

Immunohistochemical localization of neurocan and L1 in the formation of thalamocortical pathway of developing rats.

We used immunohistochemistry to examine possible molecular interactions between the subplate and growing thalamocortical axons in rat fetuses. In the cortical anlage of embryonic day 16 (E16), the subplate first appeared below the cortical plate. Among chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, phosphacan was uniformly distributed throughout the cortical wall, whereas neurocan was localized only in the subplate at E16. Neural cell adhesion molecules, NCAM-H, TAG-1, and L1, were detected in the cortical anlage. Both cortical neurons and growing axons were diffusely immunopositive for NCAM-H, and TAG-1 immunoreactivity was found on immature neurons and cortical efferent axons but not on thalamocortical axons. L1 immunoreactivity was specifically localized on the growing thalamocortical axons. When the locations of neurocan and L1 were compared in the developing cortex, L1-bearing axons were found to extend to neurocan-immunopositive regions; neurocan immunoreactivity was intense in the subplate at E16, when small numbers of L1-immunoreactive thalamocortical axons began to invade the cortex. At E17, many L1-positive axons were observed in the subplate that expressed neurocan specifically. Double immunostaining showed that L1-positive axons and neurocan immunoreactivity overlapped in the subplate at E17. After E18, neurocan expression gradually extended to the lower part of the cortical plate; it extended to the entire cortex by E21, 1 day before birth. By E21, L1-bearing axons had invaded the lower part of the cortical plate. The present study demonstrated that the neurocan expression precedes growth of L1-bearing thalamocortical afferent fibers. Because neurocan can bind to L1 molecule in vitro, these results suggest that neurocan and L1 play some important roles in pathfinding of the thalamocortical afferent fibers during rat corticogenesis.

Two new monoterpene glycosides from ku-ding-cha. Inhibitors of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT).

Two new monoterpene glycosides, kudingosides A and B, were isolated from Ku-Ding-Cha (Ligustrum pedunculare REHD.), together with a known monoterpene glycoside, (S)-lipedoside B-III, and three known phenylethanoid glycosides. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical means. Kudingosides A and B, and (S)-lipedoside B-III inhibited acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) with IC50 values of 2.70 x 10(-3)M, 2.88 x 10(-3)M, and 2.69 x 10(-4)M, respectively.

[Quality evaluation on Paeoniae radix. I. Quantitative analysis of monoterpene glycosides constituents of Paeoniae radix by means of high performance liquid chromatography. Comparative characterization of the external figures, processing method and the cultivated areas].

The constituents of monoterpene in Paeoniae Radix were analyzed by means of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using hitherto elucidated eight monoterpene glycosides, paeoniflorin 1, oxypaeoniflorin 2, benzoylpaeoniflorin, 3, benzoyloxypaeoniflorin 4, galloylpaeniflorin 5, galloyloxypaeoniflorin 6, albiflorin 7 and lactiflorin 8 and a monoterpene paeoniflorigenone 9. In sixty seven kinds of Paeoniae Radix collected in Japan, China, and South and North Korea those monoterpene constituents 1-9 were found to exist in the amounts of ranging 0.12-9.61% 1, 0.06-10.8% 2, 0.02-0.79% 3, 0.24-0.47% 4, 0.25-2.53% 5, 0.05-2.86% 6, 0.09-2.76% 7, 0.35-0.64% 8 and 0.01-0.49% 9 respectively. In addition, these results obtained by the quantitative analysis were discussed from the viewpoint of the external figures and processing methods.