Cancer prevention is one of the most urgent problems in the field of public health worldwide. The methanol extract of watercress ( Nasturtium officinale) inhibits 12-O-tetradecaonoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear edema in mice. The extract also exhibits marked antitumor activity in in vivo two-stage carcinogenesis test in mice using 7,12-dimethylbenz[α]anthracene as an initiator and TPA as a promoter. From the active fraction of the methanol extract, sitosterol 3-O-glucopyranoside (1) was isolated and identified. This compound was evaluated for its inhibitory effects on TPA-induced inflammation (1 µg/ear) in mice, and had a 50% inhibitory dose of 299 nmol/ear. These results indicate that watercress extracts are useful in cancer prevention.

BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: An epidural blood patch (EBP) is a highly effective therapy for spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. However, the factors predicting the response to an EBP have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to elucidate factors predicting the response to an EBP. METHODS: We retrospectively examined the relationship between the response to an EBP and clinical variables of 118 patients with spinal CSF leakage, such as patient age, sex, etiology, interval from the onset to EBP application, CSF opening pressure (OP), radioisotope (RI) cisternography findings, rate of RI remaining in the CSF space, computed tomography (CT) myelography findings, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and subjective symptoms (headache, vertigo/dizziness, visual disturbance, nausea, numbness, nuchal pain, back pain/lumbago, fatigability, photophobia, and memory disturbance). The correlations between these variables and the responses to EBPs were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: A positive response to an EBP was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with the following variables: < 1.5 years from the onset to EBP application, age < 40 years, CSF OP < 7 cm Hâ‚‚O, epidural CSF leakage in RI cisternography, epidural CSF collection in MRI, < 20% RI remaining after 24 hours, orthostatic headache, nausea, nuchal pain, and photophobia. The other variables did not show significant correlations with the responses to EBPs. CONCLUSIONS It might be prudent to take the following variables into account when applying an EBP to treat spinal CSF leakage: the interval from the onset to EBP application, age, CSF OP, epidural CSF leakage in RI, epidural CSF collection in MRI, rate of remaining RI, orthostatic headache, nuchal pain, photophobia, and nausea.

A 65-year-old man who had been taking warfarin for a mitral mechanical valve, was transported to our hospital for acute heart failure 3 months after switching to edoxaban. The fluoroscopy revealed restriction of the mechanical valve opening, and the catheterization showed an increased pressure gradient of the mechanical valve. The patient was diagnosed with valve thrombosis, and emergency redo mitral valve replacement was performed. The patient recovered well without complication. In cases with mechanical heart valves, sufficient explanation and education about warfarin administration is mandatory for patients' home doctors as well as patients and their families.