Rare Superior and Middle Trunk Fusion Accompanied by Altered Division Rearrangement Results in a Unique Brachial Plexus Variant: A Case Report.

During routine dissections of cadavers as part of the medical curriculum, we identified a rare unilateral variation in the brachial plexus on the right side of a female body donor. This variation consisted of four unusual changes to the regular pattering of nerve bundles and the dorsal scapular artery permeating the complex neural network. The variation included contributions of root C4 to the plexus by a root C4/C5 anastomosis, a rare fusion of the superior and middle trunks to a 'superomiddle' trunk, a preliminary, proximal branching of the suprascapular nerve off the C5 root.

Anti-inflammatory active polyacetylenes from Bidens campylotheca.

The n-hexane extract of Bidens campylotheca Schultz Bip. ssp campylotheca (Compositae) showed significant in vitro inhibition of cyclooxygenase (CO) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO). Five polyacetylenes, heptadeca-2E,8E,10E,16-tetraene-4,6-diyne (1), heptadeca-2E,8Z,10E,16-tetraene-4,6-diyne (2), heptadeca-2E,8E,16-triene-4,6-diyne-10-ol (3), safynol (5) and, as a new compound, safynol-2-O-isobutyrate (4) could be isolated and their structures elucidated mainly by UV, MS, NMR, and COSY-NMR.

In vitro inhibition of cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase by alkamides from Echinacea and Achillea species.

Polyunsaturated alkamides isolated from Achillea species, Echinacea angustifolia DC., Anacyclus pyrethrum (L.) Link, and Aaronsohnia pubescens (Desf.

[Anti-inflammatory activity of sabal fruit extracts prepared with supercritical carbon dioxide. In vitro antagonists of cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase metabolism].

The extract SG 291 (Talso, Talso uno) from the fruits of Sabal serrulata (syn.: Serenoa repens) prepared by supercritical fluid extraction with carbon dioxide is used for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and non bacterial prostatitis. In the present work, the Sabal extract SG 291 was analyzed by gas chromatography and investigated for its inhibitory influence on the biosynthesis of inflammatory arachidonic acid metabolites.

Comparative pharmacological investigations of Allium ursinum and Allium sativum.

Extracts of wild garlic (Allium ursinum) and garlic (A. sativum) with defined chemical compositions were investigated for their in vitro inhibitory potential on 5-lipoxygenase (LO), cyclooxygenase (CO), thrombocyte aggregation (TA), and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE). The inhibition rates as IC50 values of both extracts for 5-LO, CO, and TA showed a good correlation with the %-content of the major S-containing compounds (thiosulfinates and ajoenes) of the various extracts.