No abstract

Nandina domestica (Berberidaceae) has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of cough. This plant is distributed in Korea, Japan, China, and India This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory phytochemicals obtained from the N. domestica fruits. We isolated a biflavonoid-type phytochemical, robustaflavone (R), from N. domestica fruits through bioactivity-guided fractionation based on its capacity to inhibit inflammation. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of R isolated from N. domestica has not yet been studied. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activities of R using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. We have shown that R reduces the production of nitric oxide (NO), pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and IL-6. Western blot analysis showed that R suppresses the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and downregulates the expression of LPS-induced nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and the phosphorylation of extracellular-regulated kinases (pERK 1/2). Moreover, R inhibited IL-8 release in LPS-induced human colonic epithelial cells (HT-29). These results suggest that R could be a potential therapeutic candidate for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

RT measurement of the iOS app-based Token Test could be highly useful and convenient to better detect abnormalities in linguistic efficiency. RT measurement in the Token Test could be used as a screening tool for linguistic slowing in the elderly population.

The authors would like to make the following changes to the published paper [...]

According to the model of Korean (Seoul) intonation (Jun 1993, 2007), the underlying tonal pattern of an Accentual Phrase (AP) is either HHLH (if the AP-initial segment is aspirated or tense) or LHLH (elsewhere). The second tone, H (= + H in K-ToBI; Jun 2000), or the third tone, L (= L + in K-ToBI), or both are known to be often undershot when the AP is shorter than 4 syllables, but so far factors determining the distribution of these medial tones have not been investigated. This study aims to find predictors of AP-medial tone realization based on K-ToBI labeled speech of various speech styles. Preliminary results show that in general L + is more frequently undershot than + H regardless of the AP size. This pattern was clearer in L-initial APs than H-initial APs. Furthermore, the type of the AP-medial tone (when IP-final) showed an interaction with the type of immediately following Intonational Phrase boundary tones: L + was more often undershot than + H before L%, but the opposite was true before H(L)%. The results suggest that the tonal context adjacent to the AP-medial tone plays an important role in the distribution of AP-medial tones. More predictors will be discussed at the meeting.