A multi-institutional retrospective study of hyperthermic plus intravesical chemotherapy versus intravesical chemotherapy treatment alone in intermediate and high risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety of hyperthermic intravesical chemotherapy (HIVEC) and intravesical chemotherapy (IVEC) in patients with intermediate and high risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) after transurethral resection. Methods: We included 560 patients diagnosed with primary or recurrent NMIBC between April 2009 and December 2015 at 1 of 6 tertiary centers. We matched 364 intermediate or high risk cases and divided them into 2 groups: the HIVEC+IVEC group [chemohyperthermia (CHT) composed of 3 consecutive sessions followed by intravesical instillation without hyperthermia] and the IVEC group (intravesical instillation without hyperthermia). The data were recorded in the database. The primary endpoint was 2-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) in all NMIBC patients (n = 364), whereas the secondary endpoints were the assessment of radical cystectomy (RC) and 5-year overall survival (OS). Results: There was a significant difference in the 2-year RFS between the two groups in all patients (n = 364; HIVEC+IVEC: 82.42% vs. IVEC: 74.18%, P = 0.038). Compared with the IVEC group, the HIVEC+IVEC group had a lower incidence of RC (P = 0.0274). However, the 5-year OS was the same between the 2 groups (P = 0.1434). Adverse events (AEs) occurred in 32.7% of all patients, but none of the events was serious (grades 3-4). No difference in the incidence or severity of AEs between each treatment modality was observed. Conclusions: This retrospective study showed that HIVEC+IVEC had a higher 2-year RFS and a lower incidence of RC than IVEC therapy in intermediate and high risk NMIBC patients. Both treatments were well-tolerated in a similar manner.

Dihydro-ß-agarofuran sesquiterpenoid derivatives with neuroprotective activity from the leaves of Tripterygium wilfordii.

A phytochemical investigation on the leaves of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. F. was conducted, leading to the isolation of five undescribed dihydro-ß-agarofuran sesquiterpenoids (1-5) and one known analogue (6). Their structures were determined by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses. The absolute configurations of the compounds were determined by comparison of the experimental ECD with the calculated data. In addition, all the compounds were evaluated for their neuroprotective activities against H2O2-induced cell injury in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, and 3 showed the better protective effect with 76.63% cell viability comparing with the positive control Trolox (69.84%) at 12.5 µM.

Tripterfordins A-O, Dihydro-ß-agarofuran Sesquiterpenoids from the Leaves of Tripterygium wilfordii.

Fifteen new dihydro-ß-agarofuran-type sesquiterpenoids, tripterfordins A-O, were obtained from the aqueous EtOH extracts of the leaves of Tripterygium wilfordii. These constituted a class of highly oxygenated tricyclic sesquiterpenoid polyesters with a cinnamoyloxy group at C-1. The assignments of their structures were conducted via extensive analyses of the spectroscopic data and comparison of experimental and calculated ECD data. The absolute configurations of compounds 1, 4, 9, and 10 were established via single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Additionally, compounds 1, 4, 9, 10, and 13 exhibited pronounced inhibitory effects on nitric oxide production in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide with IC50 values ranging from 11.9 to 31.0 µM.

Secondary metabolites from the flower buds of Lonicera japonica and their in vitro anti-diabetic activities.

Four new compounds (1, 2, 7 and 8) and twenty known compounds were isolated from the flower buds of Lonicera japonica. Their structures were determined by extensive NMR and HR-ESIMS spectroscopic data analyses. Among them, compounds 1 and 2 are a pair of diastereoisomers possessing a rare chemical structure, and their absolute configurations were determined by comparing their experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Furthermore, all the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), especially 1 and 2, which displayed both significant inhibitions. In addition, the possible action mechanism of the active compounds was also explored by using molecular docking studies.