STRAIN ELASTOGRAPHY USING DOBUTAMINE‐INDUCED CAROTID ARTERY PULSATION IN CANINE THYROID GLAND

Thyroid disease is common in dogs and conventional ultrasonography is a standard diagnostic test for diagnosis and treatment planning. Strain elastography can provide additional information about tissue stiffness noninvasively after applying external or internal compression. However, natural carotid artery pulsations in the canine thyroid gland are too weak to maintain sufficient internal compression force. The objective of the present study was to describe the feasibility of strain elastography for evaluating the canine thyroid gland and the repeatability of dobutamine‐induced carotid artery pulsation as an internal compression method. In seven healthy Beagle dogs, strain on each thyroid lobe was induced by external compression using the ultrasound probe and internal compression using carotid artery pulsation after dobutamine infusion. The thyroid appeared homogeneously green and the subcutaneous fat superficial to the thyroid lobe appeared blue. Strain values and strain ratios did not differ among dogs or between the left and right lobes. Interobserver repeatability was excellent for both compression methods. Intraobserver repeatability of the strain ratio measured using the carotid artery pulsation method (intraclass coefficient correlation = 0.933) was higher than that measured using the external compression method (0.760). Mean strain values of thyroid lobes for the external compression method (142.93 ± 6.67) differed from the internal method (147.31 ± 8.24; P < 0.05). Strain ratios between the two methods did not differ. Strain elastography was feasible for estimating thyroid stiffness in dogs. Carotid artery pulsation induced by dobutamine infusion can be used for canine thyroid strain elastography with excellent repeatability.     

Papyriflavonol A, a new prenylated flavonol from Broussonetia papyrifera

A new prenylated flavonol, papyriflavonol A, was isolated from the root barks of Broussonetia papyrifera. The structure of this compound was elucidated as 5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxy-6,5'-di-(gamma,gamma-dimethylallyl)-flavonol (1) by spectroscopic analysis.     

Prediction of bending properties for structural glulam using optimized distributions of knot characteristics and laminar MOE

This study established a prediction model for bending properties of glued-laminated timber (glulam) using optimized knot and modulus of elasticity (MOE) distributions of lumber laminate as the main input variables. For this purpose, knot and MOE data were investigated for all pieces of lumber that were prepared for glulam manufacturing, and statistical distributions of knot size, knot number in one lumber, and MOE of each laminate were optimized as distribution functions. These knot and MOE data were used as input variables in the prediction model for bending properties, and were also used in generating virtual glulam using the inverse transform method. Prediction of bending properties for glulam was carried out using the transformed section method, which is partially provided in ASTM D 3737 (Annex A4). Predicted values were compared with those from full-scale four-point bending tests for 60 six-layered glulams with 10 different laminar combinations. Finally, the allowable bending properties of glulam for each specific laminate combination were determined by calculating the fifth percentile of the modulus of rupture and the average modulus of elasticity from virtual test results of more than 1000 virtual glulams. From the results of this study, predicted bending properties for glulam and their distributions could be used for structural design in both allowable stress design and limit state design.     

Potential Anti-Aging Substances Derived from Seaweeds

Aging is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The exact mechanisms underlying the aging process are not fully elucidated. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that several pathways, such as sirtuin, AMP-activated protein kinase, insulin-like growth factor, autophagy, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 play critical roles in regulating aging. Furthermore, genetic or dietary interventions of these pathways can extend lifespan by delaying the aging process. Seaweeds are a food source rich in many nutrients, including fibers, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and other bioactive compounds. The health benefits of seaweeds include, but are not limited to, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obese activities. Interestingly, a body of studies shows that some seaweed-derived extracts or isolated compounds, can modulate these aging-regulating pathways or even extend lifespans of various animal models. However, few such studies have been conducted on higher animals or even humans. In this review, we focused on potential anti-aging bioactive substances in seaweeds that have been studied in cells and animals mainly based on their anti-aging cellular and molecular mechanisms.     

QTL mapping and associated marker selection for the efficacy of green plant regeneration in anther culture of rice

Anther culturability of rice is a quantitative trait controlled by nuclear‐encoded genes. The identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and associated marker selection for anther culturability is important for increasing the efficiency of green plant regeneration from microspores. QTL associated with the capacity for green plant regeneration in anther culture of rice were mapped on chromosomes 3 and 10 using 164 recombinant inbred (RI) lines from a cross between ‘Milyang 23’ and ‘Gihobyeo’. The quantitative trait locus located on chromosome 10 was detected repeatedly when three anther culture methods were applied and was tightly linked to the markers, RG323, RG241 and RZ400. Associations between these markers and the efficacy of green plant regeneration in 43 rice cultivars and two F₂ populations, ‘MG RI036’/‘Milyang 23’, and ‘MG RI036’;/‘IR 36’ were analysed. One of these markers, RZ400, was able to identify effectively genotypes with good (> 10.0%) and poor (< 3.0%) regenerability, based on the marker genotypes in the cultivars and two F₂ populations. This marker enables the screening of rice germplasm for anther culturability and introgression into elite lines in breeding programmes.     

Anti-inflammatory inhibition of endothelial cell adhesion molecule expression by flavone derivatives

Endothelial expression of cell adhesion molecules (CAM) including VCAM-1, E-selectin, and PECAM-1 plays a leading role in atherosclerosis. Phenolic flavones have been shown to have an anti-inflammatory property. This study examines whether 3',4'-dimethoxy-7-hydroxyflavone (methoxyflavone) and 2',3',7-trihydroxyflavone (hydroxyflavone) inhibited monocyte adhesion to TNF-alpha-activated endothelium via reduction of CAM expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). In stimulated HUVEC the expression of VCAM-1 and E-selectin was enhanced with increasing mRNA levels. Methoxyflavone markedly interfered with the THP-1 monocyte adhesion to TNF-alpha-stimulated HUVEC. At concentrations of > or =25 microM, methoxyflavone blocked the induction of VCAM-1 but not that of E-selectin on the activated HUVEC. Immunocytochemical staining showed that methoxyflavone modestly inhibited PECAM-1 expression induced by TNF-alpha. In contrast, hydroxyflavone minimally inhibited TNF-alpha-stimulated E-selectin expression without affecting VCAM-1 level. The inhibitory effect of methoxyflavone on THP-1 adhesion to HUVEC appears to be greater than that of hydroxyflavone, most likely due to a greater inhibition of CAM expression. Thus, some flavone derivatives containing methoxy groups may have therapeutic potential attenuating inflammatory response-related atherosclerosis.     

A novel angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory peptide from Alaska pollack (Theragra chalcogramma) frame protein hydrolysate

Alaska pollack frame protein, which is normally discarded as an industrial byproduct in the processing of fish in plants, was hydrolyzed with pepsin. This was fractionated into five major types of Alaska pollack frame protein hydrolysates (APH-I, 10-30 kDa; APH-II, 5-10 kDa; APH-III, 3-5 kDa; APH-IV, 1-3 kDa; and APH-V, below 1 kDa) using an ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor system. Angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of the fractionated hydrolysates were investigated, and the fraction that exhibited the highest ACE inhibitory activity was further purified using consecutive chromatographic methods on SP-Sephadex C-25 column, Sephadex G-25 column, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on an octadecylsilane column. Finally, we purified a novel ACE inhibitory peptide with an IC50 value of 14.7 microM, and the sequence of the peptide was Phe-Gly-Ala-Ser-Thr-Arg-Gly-Ala. In addition, the ACE inhibition pattern of the peptide was found to be noncompetitive.     

Polyozellin isolated from Polyozellus multiplex induces phase 2 enzymes in mouse hepatoma cells and differentiation in human myeloid leukaemic cell lines

Induction of cellular phase 2 detoxifying enzymes is associated with cancer preventive potential. Quinone reductase (QR) has been used as a prototype for anticarcinogenic phase 2 enzymes because of its widespread distribution in mammalian systems, large amplitude of inducer response, and ease of measurement in murine hepatoma cells. Methanol extract of Polyozellus multiplex, which shows a strong QR induction potential, was subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation, and polyozellin (PM1) appeared to be a major active component. In in vitro cultured cells (hepa1c1c7 and BPRc1 cells), polyozellin enhanced QR, glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities, and glutathione (GSH) content in a dose-dependent manner. The compound also significantly promoted differentiation of HL-60 human promyelocytic emia cells. In conclusion, polyozellin deserves further in vivo study to evaluate its potential as a cancer preventive agent.