Mutagenic activities of dictamnine and gamma-fagarine from dictamni radicis cortex (Rutaceae).

A methanol extract of Dictamni Radicis Cortex exhibited a mutagenic effect on Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and TA98 with S9 mix. Two mutagenic compounds in Dictamni Radicis Cortex were isolated on a Sephadex LH 20 column and silica gel column chromatography and by preparative TLC. These were identified as dictamnine and gamma-fagarine by UV, EI-Mass, 1H-NMR.

Time-course of mutagenicity due to flavonols in a pickled vegetable.

The mutagenicity of the leafy vegetable, Takana (Brassica juncia var. integrifolia), pickled with salt for various durations was examined. The mutagenicity increased with increasing duration of pickling time, and analysis by HPLC showed that is was caused by mutagenic flavonols.

Clinicopathological studies of the Dubin-Johnson syndrome complicated with chronic hepatitis.

Eleven patients with Dubin-Johnson syndrome (DJS) were studied clinicopathologically. In three patients with DJS, concomitant chronic hepatitis was observed. They showed long-standing jaundice with the symptoms of general fatigue and anorexia.

Studies of alpha-napthylisothiocyanate-induced hepatic disturbance.

In order to clarify the mechanism of alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) induced cholestasis in rats, a few hepatic changes seen after administration of ANIT 80 mg/kg body weight were examined in relation to time. To clarify changes in the bile production system and bile flow, the concentrations of bile acid and bicarbonate, as well as of sodium in the bile, were measured after infusion of secretin and taurocholic acid. The canalicular bile flow was estimated by measuring the biliary clearance of erythritol-C14.

Clinical implications of alpha-fetoprotein in liver cirrhosis: five-year follow-up study.

The level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was estimated by radioimmunoassay or passive hemagglutination method in a series of 159 patients with liver cirrhosis, and the incidence of serum hepatitis B antigen, histopathologic features of the liver, incidence of development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and mortality in AFP-positive cases were studied. Approximately 40 per cent of the patients had an AFP level higher than 20 ng/per ml, and all the elevations of AFP over 100 ng per ml were transient. In contrast, patients who developed HCC during the course of the disease always exhibited an increasing value of AFP.