No abstract

Background Rubus coreanus fruit (RF) has been used as a traditional medicine formulation to treat various diseases including diarrhea, asthma, and cancer in East Asia (Korea, China, and Japan). RF, which is native to Korea, has a larger fruit size than that of exotic species. In this study, we aimed to compare the anti-inflammatory activities of immature and mature RF extracted with different solvents. Methods Mature and immature RF (MRF and IRF) were extracted with 30% ethanol, 70% ethanol and water at room temperature. The antioxidant activity was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) assays. Anti-inflammatory activity was determined by measuring nitric oxide (NO) production, expression of inflammatory proteins (inducible NO synthase [iNOS], cyclooxygenase [COX]-2, nuclear factor [NF]-κB, and inhibitor of NF-κB [IκB]), and inflammatory cytokines using polymerase chain reaction in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Results The IRF 30% ethanol extract showed higher radical scavenging activity in DPPH and ABTS assays (half-maximal inhibitory concentration [IC 50 ] 16.0 ± 0.5 and 15.9 ± 0.4) than MRF did. In addition, the IRF 30% ethanol extract (200 μg/mL) significantly reduced the production of the inflammatory mediator NO by approximately 80% and inhibited iNOS, COX-2, phosphorylated (p)-IκB, and p-NF-κB activation compared with MRF. Moreover, IRF extract decreased the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 compared with the MRF extract. Conclusions This study revealed that IRF showed more beneficial effects than MRF did in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages, suggesting that IRF may be a useful anti-inflammatory agent. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12906-019-2496-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cutaneous leiomyomas can be classified into three types according to the site of origin: piloleiomyoma, angioleiomyoma, and dartoic (genital) leiomyoma. It might be expected that leiomyomas are commonly found on the scalp because there are many arrector pili muscles and vessels. However, leiomyomas are actually rarely reported in the scalp. Recently, we observed a case of cutaneous leiomyoma in the scalp and present our experience along with a literature review.

Blow-out fracture is one of the most common facial bone fractures and mainly caused by blunt trauma, whereas barotraumatic causes are relatively rare. In this report, we present the case of a patient with an orbital medial wall blow out fracture caused by nose blowing. This case is unique in that the barotraumatic blow out fracture occurred in a patient without previous known risk factors, except that she had previously been operated on for orbital floor blow-out fracture. It is possible that barotraumatic orbital medial wall fracture occurred due to postoperative changes in the aerodynamics or shock-absorbing capacity of the paranasal sinuses. To prevent barotraumatic trauma in the orbital wall, patients undergoing surgery for orbital fractures should consider avoiding excessive nose blowing not only in the weeks after surgery, but for a sufficient period of time.