Identification and characterization of organic and glycosidic acids in the crude resin glycoside fraction of Ipomoea lacunosa seeds.

Resin glycosides are commonly found in plants belonging to the Convolvulaceae family. Ipomoea lacunosa L. (Convolvulaceae) is an herbaceous vine native to the United States. The resin glycosides of this plant have not been studied in detail. In this study, the components of the crude resin glycoside fraction extracted from the seeds of I. lacunosa are characterized. Alkaline hydrolysis of the crude resin glycoside fraction obtained from methanolic extract of the seeds yielded three organic acids, namely, 2S-methylbutyric, (E)-2-methylbut-2-enoic, and 2R-methyl-3R-hydroxybutyric acids, and a glycosidic acid fraction. Acidic hydrolysis of the glycosidic acid fraction yielded hydroxyl fatty acid components, including 7S-hydroxydecanoic, 11S-hydroxytetradecanoic, 11S-hydroxyhexadecanoic, 3S,11S-dihydroxytetradecanoic, 3S,11S-dihydroxyhexadecanoic, and 3S,12S-dihydroxyhexadecanoic acids, as well as monosaccharide components, including d-glucose, d-quinovose, d-fucose, and l-rhamnose. Trimethylsilyldiazomethane-hexane treatment of the glycosidic acid fraction further yielded eleven previously undescribed glycosidic acid methyl esters and two known glycosidic acid methyl esters. The structures of the obtained compounds were characterized using various spectral techniques. Four of the undescribed compounds were hexaglycosides, five were heptaglycosides, and two were octaglycosides. The aglycone of these compounds was either methyl 11S-hydroxytetradecanoate, methyl 3S,11S-dihydroxytetradecanoate, or methyl 3S,11S-dihydroxyhexadecanoate. Among the undescribed compounds identified, eight contained novel glycans, and three were rare bisdesmosides with sugar linkages at the C-3 and C-11 positions of methyl 3S,11S-dihydroxytetradecanoate.

Identification and characterization of organic and glycosidic acids in the crude resin glycoside fraction from the leaves and stems of Calystegia japonica.

The alkaline hydrolysis of the crude resin glycoside fraction from the leaves and stems of the plant Calystegia japonica Choisy (Convolvulaceae) yielded organic acid and glycosidic acid fractions. The organic acid fraction was esterified with p-bromophenacyl bromide to obtain p-bromophenacyl 2R-methyl-3R-hydroxybutyrate (1) and p-bromophenacyl (E)-2-methylbut-2-enoate (2). By treating the glycosidic acid fraction with trimethylsilyldiazomethane-hexane, seven new methyl esters of glycosidic acids, namely calyjaponic acid A methyl ester (3) calyjaponic acid B methyl ester (5), calyjaponic acid C methyl ester (6), calyjaponic acid D methyl ester (7), calyjaponic acid E methyl ester (8), calyjaponic acid F methyl ester (9), and calyjaponic acid G methyl ester (10), were isolated along with one known ester (4). Their structures were characterized based on spectroscopic and chemical analyses. Compounds 3-8 had the same sugar moiety, α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-[O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)]-O-ß-D-glucopyranose, and the aglycones of 3-8 were methyl 3S,11S-dihydroxyhexadecanoate, methyl 3S,12S-dihydroxyhexadecanoate, methyl 11S-hydroxyhexadecanoate, methyl 11S-hydroxypentadecanoate, methyl 3S,11S-dihydroxypentadecanoate, and methyl 3S,12S-dihydroxypentadecanoate, respectively. Compounds 9 and 10 were derivatives of 3 and 4, respectively, in which the C-6 of the second glucosyl residue was methylated. Compounds 6-8 contained methyl esters of unusual odd-carbon fatty acids as aglycones. The cytotoxicity of the crude resin glycoside fraction and 3 against HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells was evaluated further; both were either weakly active or inactive compared to the positive control, cisplatin.

Long-term clinical and imaging outcomes after primary repair of small- to medium-sized rotator cuff tears.

BACKGROUND: Rotator cuff tear is a common disease for middle-aged and elderly patients, and relatively good postoperative outcomes have been reported in the literature. The aim of the study was to examine cases that underwent miniopen rotator cuff repair and to clarify their long-term clinical and imaging outcomes. METHODS: A total of 68 patients who underwent a miniopen repair for small- to medium-sized rotator cuff tears with good cuff integrity and without retear on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1 year postoperatively were followed up for a minimum of 10 years (mean ± standard deviation: 11.4 ± 1.2 years) and analyzed retrospectively. One-year and 10-year postoperative University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder scores and radiographs were compared. MRI was used to evaluate cuff integrity and fatty infiltration, and staging at 1 and 10 years was compared. RESULTS: The 1-year and 10-year postoperative UCLA scores were 33.1 points and 32.9 points, respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups. Plain radiography showed that osteoarthritis (OA) staging was significantly worse at 10 years postoperatively compared to 1 year postoperatively. Cuff integrity was maintained at an excellent level at 10 years postoperatively. Fatty infiltration significantly progressed up to 10 years postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: At 10 years postoperatively, OA progression and fatty infiltration were observed; however, UCLA scores and cuff integrity remained well preserved.

Flexor carpi radialis brevis muscle: A case report and its prevalence in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome.

BACKGROUND: During the surgery for a distal radius fracture, we encountered a large anomalous muscle lying across the distal radius. The muscle was identified as a flexor carpi radialis brevis muscle (FCRB), based on its location, function, and innervation. This experience led us to clarify its prevalence in living subjects and alert surgeons of its presence. METHODS: We reviewed wrist MRI scans of 515 hands of 379 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The prevalence of the FCRB was calculated. The cross sectional area (CSA) of the FCRB was compared with that of the hypothenar muscles. Signal intensity and fat infiltration of the FCRB were assessed using semiquantitative methods. The anterior compartment ratio (CSA of the anterior compartment of the forearm was divided by CSA of the forearm. CSA of the FCRB was excluded for measurement) was compared between patients with and without FCRB. RESULTS: We found seven hands of six patients (1.6%) with a FCRB. All of these tendons were inserted into the second metacarpal base. CSA of FCRB was smaller than that of the hypothenar muscles. Semiquantitative assessment revealed normal signal intensities of the FCRB compared with those of other muscles. The anterior compartment ratio was smaller in patients with FCRB than without FCRB. None of the FCRB in our series demonstrated any sign of tendinitis on MRI. Furthermore, the postoperative clinical course for those patients was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of FCRB in patients with CTS was 1.6%. FCRB should function as a wrist flexor. Its strength varied according to the individuals but was not greater than that of the hypothenar muscles. It is still unclear if the FCRB could cause the development of CTS. However, it was found that the FCRB could be a mass which occupies and narrows the anterior compartment.

Myostatin promotes tenogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblast cells through Smad3.

Myostatin, a member of the transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) superfamily, is expressed in developing and adult skeletal muscle and negatively regulates skeletal muscle growth. Recently, myostatin has been found to be expressed in tendons and increases tendon fibroblast proliferation and the expression of tenocyte markers. C2C12 is a mouse myoblast cell line, which has the ability to transdifferentiate into osteoblast and adipocyte lineages. We hypothesized that myostatin is capable of inducing tenogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells. We found that the expression of scleraxis, a tendon progenitor cell marker, is much higher in C2C12 than in the multipotent mouse mesenchymal fibroblast cell line C3H10T1/2. In comparison with other growth factors, myostatin significantly up-regulated the expression of the tenogenic marker in C2C12 cells under serum-free culture conditions. Immunohistochemistry showed that myostatin inhibited myotube formation and promoted the formation of spindle-shaped cells expressing tenomodulin. We examined signaling pathways essential for tenogenic differentiation to clarify the mechanism of myostatin-induced differentiation of C2C12 into tenocytes. The expression of tenomodulin was significantly suppressed by treatment with the ALK inhibitor SB341542, in contrast to p38MAPK (SB203580) and MEK1 (PD98059) inhibitors. RNAi silencing of Smad3 significantly suppressed myostatin-induced tenomodulin expression. These results indicate that myostatin has a potential role in the induction of tenogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells, which have tendon progenitor cell characteristics, through activation of Smad3-mediated signaling.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Staging to Evaluate the Stability of Capitellar Osteochondritis Dissecans Lesions.

BACKGROUND: Treatment for capitellar osteochondritis dissecans (COCD) lesions is usually based on their stability from the bony floor after arthroscopic or open direct observation. Thus, a noninvasive means of lesion stability assessment by use of imaging is desirable to preoperatively determine treatment strategy. PURPOSE: To evaluate our modified MRI staging system for COCD, we compared the results of MRI staging with the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) classification for lesion stability. Intra- and interrater reliability for MRI staging was examined as well. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: Fifty-two COCD lesions were preoperatively evaluated by T2-weighted MRI and classified into 5 stages: stage 1 = normally shaped capitellum with several spotted areas of high signal intensity that is lower than that of cartilage; stage 2 = as with stage 1 but with several spotted areas of higher intensity than that of cartilage; stage 3 = as with stage 2 but with both discontinuity and noncircularity of the chondral surface signal of the capitellum and no high signal interface apparent between the lesion and the floor; stage 4 = lesion separated by a high intensity line in comparison with cartilage; and stage 5 = capitellar lesion displaced from the floor or defect of the capitellar lesion noted. The MRI staging results were compared with the intraoperative ICRS classification for lesion stability of each patient. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were all determined for fragment instability. Intra- and interrater correlations for our MRI staging were calculated among 3 examiners. RESULTS: Preoperative MRI grading correctly matched ICRS classification in 49 of 52 patients (94%), with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 80%. The PPV and NPV were 93% and 100%, respectively, for diagnosing lesion instability. Intrarater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]) for MRI staging was high at ICC(1, 1) = 0.86 and ICC(1, 2) = 0.90, as was interrater reliability at ICC(2, 1) = 0.82 and ICC(2, 3) = 0.88. CONCLUSION: The MRI staging system provides accurate and reliable evidence for estimating ICRS classification and instability of COCD and is useful to decide appropriate treatment.

Septic arthritis of the elbow in a child due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a case report.

We present a rare case of septic arthritis of the elbow in a child caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. In our patient, the 15-day delay before drainage may have led to the osteomyelitis of the capitulum and resulted in some persistent radiographic abnormalities. Although our patient has no subjective symptoms 5 years postoperatively, he has a slightly abnormal range of motion and gross lateral instability. Children with elbow pain and/or swelling with fever should be carefully examined for septic arthritis. Pseudomonas aeruginosa should always be kept in mind in such cases to avoid any delay in effective treatment.