Chemical constituents of Brazilian Propolis from the state of Bahia and their growth inhibitory activities against cancer cells.

A novel 2-phenoxychromone (1) and five known flavones (2-6) were isolated from northeastern Brazilian propolis in the state of Bahia. The chemical structures of these six compounds were determined by spectroscopic investigations and single-crystal X-ray analysis. The isolated compounds showed growth-inhibitory activities, in varying degrees, against human tumor cell lines. This is the first report on the discovery of a novel 2-phenoxychromone from propolis.

Online detection of amplitude modulation of motor-related EEG desynchronization using a lock-in amplifier: Comparison with a fast Fourier transform, a continuous wavelet transform, and an autoregressive algorithm.

BACKGROUND: Neurofeedback of event-related desynchronization (ERD) in electroencephalograms (EEG) of the sensorimotor cortex (SM1) using a brain-computer interface (BCI) paradigm is a powerful tool to promote motor recovery from post-stroke hemiplegia. However, the feedback delay attenuates the degree of motor learning and neural plasticity. NEW METHOD: The present study aimed to shorten the delay time to estimate amplitude modulation of the motor-imagery-related alpha and beta SM1-ERD using a lock-in amplifier (LIA) algorithm. The delay time was evaluated by calculating the value of the maximal correlation coefficient (MCC) between the time-series trace of ERDs extracted by the online LIA algorithm and those identified by an offline algorithm with the Hilbert transform (HT). RESULTS: The MCC and delay values used to estimate the ERDs calculated by the LIA were 0.89±0.032 and 200±9.49ms, respectively. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD(S): The delay time and MCC values were significantly improved compared with those calculated by the conventional fast Fourier transformation (FFT), continuous Wavelet transformation (CWT), and autoregressive (AR) algorithms. Moreover, the coefficients of variance of the delay time and MCC values across trials were significantly lower in the LIA compared with the FFT, CWT, and AR algorithms. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the LIA improved the detection delay, accuracy, and stability for estimating amplitude modulation of motor-related SM1-ERD. This would be beneficial for BCI paradigms to facilitate neurorehabilitation in patients with motor deficits.

Quantitative Analysis of Apisin, a Major Protein Unique to Royal Jelly.

Apisin, a protein that is unique to royal jelly (RJ), is known to compose the greater part of the RJ proteins and to exist as a heterooligomer containing major royal jelly protein 1 and apisimin. However, few reports on the methods for quantifying apisin have been published. Thus, we attempted to quantify apisin using HPLC, a widely used analytical technique, as described below. Isoelectric precipitation and size-exclusion chromatography were used to obtain the purified protein, which was identified as apisin by SDS-PAGE and LC-MS analyses. The purified apisin was lyophilized and then used to generate a calibration curve to quantify apisin in RJ. The apisin content was fairly constant (i.e., 3.93 to 4.67 w/w%) in natural RJ. This study is the first to describe a simple, standardized method for quantifying apisin using HPLC and suggests that apisin can be used as a benchmark for future evaluations of RJ quality.

[A Case of gastric endocrine cell carcinoma successfully treated by FU plus irinotecan(CPT-11)adjuvant therapy against recurrent metastases].

A case of gastric endocrine cell carcinoma successfully treated by FU (5-FU/UFT) +irinotecan (CPT-11) adjuvant therapy against recurrent metastases is reported with some discussion. A 69-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with severe anemia. He was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer, T3N1H0P0M0, Stage IIIa. Total gastrectomy with pancreato-splenectomy with D2 lymph node dissection was done for curative resection. The pathological diagnosis was gastric endocrine cell carcinoma because Grimelius and Chromogranin A stained positive histologically. Seven months after operation, recurrent liver metastases with tumor embolism of the portal vein were revealed by enhanced CT examination. FU (5-FU/UFT) +CPT-11 was done as the first-line adjuvant chemotherapy. Metastatic lesion of the liver and portal vein tumor embolism was decreased. Tumor marker CA19-9 level was also decreased and within normal limits. This therapy was evaluated as a partial response (PR) in twelve months and the patient died three years and eight months after operation. Gastric endocrine cell carcinoma is known as a potentially highly malignant tumor. But in our case FU+CPT-11 controlled growth of the recurrent tumor. Based on this finding, we recommend adjuvant chemotherapy by FU+CPT-11 for gastric endocrine cell carcinoma.

Genetic analysis of root elongation induced by phosphorus deficiency in rice (Oryza sativa L.): fine QTL mapping and multivariate analysis of related traits.

Root elongation induced by phosphorus deficiency has been reported as one of the adaptive mechanisms in plants. Genetic differences were found in rice for the root elongation under phosphorus deficiency (REP), for which a distinct quantitative trait locus (QTL) was detected on the long arm of chromosome 6. Subsequently, the effect and position of the QTL, designated as qREP-6, were confirmed using chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSLs), in which the background of a japonica cultivar, 'Nipponbare' with non-REP, was partially substituted by chromosomal segments from an indica cultivar, 'Kasalath' with remarkable REP. Out of 54 CSSLs, two lines (CSSL28 and CSSL29) that retain a common 'Kasalath'-derived segment on the long arm of chromosome 6 showed a significantly high REP. The high REP lines also showed high adaptabilities such as enhanced tillering ability and shoot phosphorus content. Accordingly, conditional dependencies between the related traits were assessed using a graphical Gaussian model (GGM). Direct interactions between REP and root length, and between root length and tiller number were detected under P deficiency in CSSLs. Furthermore, qREP-6 for REP and qTNP-6 for tiller number under P deficiency were fine-mapped with an F(2) population of a cross between Nipponbare and CSSL29. A region containing qREP-6 accounted for more than half of the phenotypic variance, the most plausible interval of which contained 37 candidate genes. The result provides a foundation for cloning of the qREP-6 gene which will be applicable to study P deficiency-dependent response and to improve rice's adaptability to P deficiency stress.

[A resected case of squamous cell carcinoma of the breast successfully treated by FU plus cisplatin (CDDP) adjuvant therapy against recurrent metastases].

A resected case of squamous cell carcinoma associated with ductal carcinoma in the hemilateral breast successfully treated by FU plus cisplatin (CDDP) adjuvant therapy against recurrent metastases is reported with some discussion. A 42-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of right breast tumor. By physical examination, mammography, ultrasound examination and aspirated cytology, we diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the right breast. Before operation SCC antigen was elevated. Standard mastectomy was performed, and SCC antigen was decreased within normal range. Then, a standard regimen of chemotherapy using docetaxel with anti-hormonal therapy by LH-RH analog and tamoxifen was done as first-line adjuvant therapy. Four months after operation the SCC antigen level was elevated again, and recurrence of cancer (skin and liver metastases) was recognized. Next, we tried 5-FU/UFT plus CDDP for squamous cell carcinoma of other organs such as the esophagus. These anti-tumor drugs proved effective, and no metastasis of the skin was detected thereafter, and liver metastatic lesion was decreased in ten months. The SCC antigen level was within the normal range again. Additionally, when metastases redeveloped, TS-1 plus CDDP controlled growth of tumors in seven months. Based on the present findings,we recommend adjuvant chemotherapy by FU plus CDDP for squamous cell carcinoma of the breast.

Ethylene regulation of fruit softening and cell wall disassembly in Charentais melon.

Cell wall disassembly in ripening fruit is highly complex, involving the dismantling of multiple polysaccharide networks by diverse families of wall-modifying proteins. While it has been reported in several species that multiple members of each such family are expressed in the same fruit tissue, it is not clear whether this reflects functional redundancy, with protein isozymes from a single enzyme class performing similar roles and contributing equally to wall degradation, or whether they have discrete functions, with some isoforms playing a predominant role. Experiments reported here sought to distinguish between cell wall-related processes in ripening melon that were softening-associated and softening-independent. Cell wall polysaccharide depolymerization and the expression of wall metabolism-related genes were examined in transgenic melon (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naud.) fruit with suppressed expression of the 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase (ACO) gene and fruits treated with ethylene and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP). Softening was completely inhibited in the transgenic fruit but was restored by treatment with exogenous ethylene. Moreover, post-harvest application of 1-MCP after the onset of ripening completely halted subsequent softening, suggesting that melon fruit softening is ethylene-dependent. Size exclusion chromatography of cell wall polysaccharides, from the transgenic fruits, with or without exogenous ethylene, indicated that the depolymerization of both pectins and xyloglucans was also ethylene dependent. However, northern analyses of a diverse range of cell wall-related genes, including those for polygalacturonases, xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolases, expansin, and beta-galactosidases, identified specific genes within single families that could be categorized as ethylene-dependent, ethylene-independent, or partially ethylene-dependent. These results support the hypothesis that while individual cell wall-modifying proteins from each family contribute to cell wall disassembly that accompanies fruit softening, other closely related family members are regulated in an ethylene-independent manner and apparently do not directly participate in fruit softening.

Evidence of cyanamide production in hairy vetch Vicia villosa.

Cyanamide (NH(2)CN) has recently been isolated as a plant growth inhibitor from Vicia villosa, which is the first discovery of cyanamide from natural sources. To reveal the presence of the biosynthesized cyanamide in plants, 3.4 mM potassium ((15)N)nitrate was administered to 15- to 35-day-old plants of V. villosa, from which the cyanamide was purified and subjected to GC/MS analysis. The isotopic ratio (15)N/((14)N + (15)N) of the cyanamide was calculated to be 0.143, while that of the cyanamide extracted from V. villosa grown in the presence of a natural N source was 0.0065. The (15)N-enrichment proved de novo biosynthesis of cyanamide.