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In the course of a search for anti-inflammatory metabolites from marine-derived fungi, methylpenicinoline (1) was isolated from a marine isolate of Penicillin sp. Compound 1 inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated nitric oxide (NO) production by suppressing the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in RAW264.7 macrophages and BV2 microglia. It also attenuated prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production by suppressing cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in a concentration-dependent manner (from 10 µM to 80 µM) without affecting cell viability. In addition, compound 1 reduced the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β). In a further study designed to elucidate the mechanism of its anti-inflammatory effects, compound 1 was shown to block nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages and BV2 microglia by inhibiting the phosphorylation of inhibitor kappa B-α (IκB-α), thereby suppressing the nuclear translocation of NF-κB dimers, namely p50 and p65, that are known to be crucial molecules associated with iNOS and COX-2 expression. In addition, compound 1 inhibited the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Taken together, the results suggest that compound 1 might be a valuable therapeutic agent for the treatment of anti-inflammatory and anti-neuroinflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of endometrial premalignant and malignant polyps in women who underwent hysteroscopic polypectomies, and to investigate whether clinical parameters predict histopathologic outcomes. Methods: A review was carried out on the medical records of patients who had undergone hysteroscopic endometrial polypectomy from January 2010 to December 2011. One thousand one hundred ninety-six women who ranged in age from 16 to 81 years were included in the study. Polyps were classified as benign (endometrial polyps and polyps with non-atypical simple hyperplasia and non-atypical complex hyperplasia), premalignant (polyps with atypical simple hyperplasia or atypical complex hyperplasia), or malignant. A statistical analysis was then performed. Results: Histopathologically, 96.7% benign, 1.1% premalignant, and 2.2% malignant lesions were detected. Abnormal uterine bleeding and postmenopause were the only factors which were determined to be associated with a higher risk of malignancy, with an odds ratios of 5.07 (95% CI, 2.25-11.41) and 3.41 (95% CI, 1.14-10.24), respectively. Conclusion: The risk factors associated with premalignant and malignant endometrial polyps include abnormal uterine bleeding and menopause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the operative outcomes, postoperative pain, and subsequent convalescence after laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS) or conventional laparoscopic surgery for adnexal preservation. Study design: From December 2009 to September 2010, 63 patients underwent LESS (n = 33) or a conventional laparoscopic surgery (n = 30) for cyst enucleation. The overall operative outcomes including postoperative pain measurement using the visual analog scale (VAS) were evaluated (time points 6, 24, and 24 hours). The convalescence data included data obtained from questionnaires on the need for analgesics and on patient-reported time to recovery end points. Results: The preoperative characteristics did not significantly differ between the two groups. The postoperative hemoglobin drop was higher in the LESS group than in the conventional laparoscopic surgery group (P = 0.048). Postoperative pain at each VAS time point, oral analgesic requirement, intramuscular analgesic requirement, and the number of days until return to work were similar in both groups. Conclusion: In adnexa-preserving surgery performed in reproductive-age women, the operative outcomes, including satisfaction of the patients and convalescence after surgery, are comparable for LESS and conventional laparoscopy. LESS may be a feasible and a promising alternative method for scarless abdominal surgery in the treatment of young women with adnexal cysts [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myofibrillar myopathies (MFMs) are an expanding and increasingly recognized group of neuromuscular disorders caused by mutations in DES, CRYAB, MYOT, and ZASP. The latest gene to be associated with MFM was FLNC; a p.W2710X mutation in the 24th immunoglobulin-like repeat of filamin C was shown to be the cause of a distinct type of MFM in several German families. We studied an International cohort of 46 patients from 39 families with clinically and myopathologically confirmed MFM, in which DES, CRYAB, MYOT, and ZASP mutations have been excluded. In patients from an unrelated family a 12-nucleotide deletion (c.2997_3008del) in FLNC resulting in a predicted in-frame four-residue deletion (p.Val930_Thr933del) in the seventh repeat of filamin C was identified. Both affected family members, mother and daughter, but not unrelated control individuals, carried the p.Val930_Thr933del mutation. The mutation is transcribed and, based on myopathological features and immunoblot analysis, it leads to an accumulation of dysfunctional filamin C in the myocytes. The study results suggest that the novel p.Val930_Thr933del mutation in filamin C is the cause of MFM but also indicate that filamin C mutations are a comparatively rare cause of MFM.European Journal of Human Genetics (2009) 17, 656–663; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2008.226; published online 3 December 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the ancestral origins and worldwide distribution of the PRNP 200K mutation causing familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CDJ). Selection of microsatellite markers on the PRNP gene on chromosome 20p12-pter and an intragenic single-nucleotide polymorphism at the PRNP codon 129; Role of founder effect and independent mutational events for the geographic distribution of heridatary CJD associated with the 200K mutation.

New layered inorganicinorganic nanohybrids with highly porous structures were prepared by pillaring SiO2Fe2O3 nanoparticles into montmorillonite via exfoliation and reassembly. Gas removal activity of SiO2Fe2O3-pillared clay is much higher than that of active carbon, suggesting that pillaring strategy could be an effective method for removal of various gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]