Ischemic Stroke Caused by Carotid Stump at the Common Carotid Artery

An 84-year-old man developed motor aphasia and right hemiparesis on postoperative day 1 after orchiectomy for suspected malignant lymphoma. He had a history of thoracic endovascular aortic repair for aortic aneurysm using a bypass graft from the right subclavian artery to the left common carotid artery (CCA); however, the graft had become occluded six months later. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed acute cerebral infarctions in the left frontal lobe. Carotid ultrasonography revealed a stump at the left CCA, just below the bifurcation, formed by the occluded graft with an oscillating thrombus. This case was rare in that a CCA stump was identified as the embolic source of ischemic stroke.

Endocrine therapy-resistant breast cancer model cells are inhibited by soybean glyceollin I through Eleanor non-coding RNA

Long-term estrogen deprivation (LTED) of an estrogen receptor (ER) α-positive breast cancer cell line recapitulates cancer cells that have acquired estrogen-independent cell proliferation and endocrine therapy resistance. Previously, we have shown that a cluster of non-coding RNAs, Eleanors (ESR1 locus enhancing and activating non-coding RNAs) formed RNA cloud and upregulated the ESR1 gene in the nuclei of LTED cells. Eleanors were inhibited by resveratrol through ER. Here we prepared another polyphenol, glyceollin I from stressed soybeans, and identified it as a major inhibitor of the Eleanor RNA cloud and ESR1 mRNA transcription. The inhibition was independent of ER, unlike one by resveratrol. This was consistent with a distinct tertiary structure of glyceollin I for ER binding. Glyceollin I preferentially inhibited the growth of LTED cells and induced apoptosis. Our results suggest that glyceollin I has a novel role in LTED cell inhibition through Eleanors. In other words, LTED cells or endocrine therapy-resistant breast cancer cells may be ready for apoptosis, which can be triggered with polyphenols both in ER-dependent and ER-independent manners.

Cycloartane-type glycosides from thalictri herba

Two new cycloartane-type glycosides, designated as thalictosides V and IX, were isolated from the methanolic extract of Thalictri Herba (Takatogusa), the dried aerial parts of Thalictrum sp. plants. Their chemical structures have been characterized as 3-O-monodesmoside and the 3,21-di-O-bisdesmoside of 3 beta,22 zeta,30-trihydroxycycloart-24-en-21-oic acid, by chemical and spectroscopic evidence.

Triterpene glycosides from thalictri herba. II

Five new triterpene glycosides were isolated from the methanolic extract of Thalictri Herba (Takatogusa), the dried aerial parts of Thalictrum sp. plants (Ranunculaceae). They were designated as thalictosides III (1) and IV (2), being cycloartane-type glycosides, and thalictosides VI (3), VII (4) and VIII (5), being oleanene-type glycosides. By chemical and spectroscopic evidence, their structures were elucidated as 22R-21S,23R-epoxy- and 22R-21R,23R-epoxy-21-methoxycycloart-24-en-3 beta,22,30-triol 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->6)]- beta-D-glucopyranosides (1 and 2, respectively), 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-alpha-L- rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl hederagenin 28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (3) and 3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->3)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-alpha- L- rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D-xylopyranosyl oleanolic acid and hederagenin 28-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl esters (4 and 5, respectively).