Decalintetracids A and B, two pairs of unusual 3-decalinoyltetramic acid derivatives with phytotoxicity from Fusarium equiseti D39.

The filamentous fungi Fusarium sp. are well-known for their ability to produce abundant specialised metabolites with attractive chemical structures and bioactivities. In this study, chemical analyses of the endophyte F. equiseti D39 led to the isolation and identification of two pairs of undescribed 3-decalinoyltetramic acids (3DTAs) E/Z diastereomers, decalintetracids A and B. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and quantum-chemical calculations. Although 3DTAs were commonly reported from fungi, decalintetracid A possessed an unprecedented tricyclo [7.2.1.02,7] dodecane skeleton, which added the diversity of these fungal metabolites. In addition, decalintetracid B was featured by a unique 6/6/5 ring system core. A plausible biosynthetic pathway for decalintetracids A and B was proposed. Both compounds exhibited phytotoxicity toward Amaranthus retroflexus L. and Amaranthus hybrid, indicating their potential as natural herbicides.

Bacterial Succession on Rat Carcasses and Applications for PMI Estimation.

UNLABELLED: Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To investigate the bacterial succession on rat carcasses and to evaluate the use of bacterial succession for postmortem interval (PMI) estimation. METHODS: Adult female SD rat remains were placed in carton boxes. The bacterial colonization of circumocular skin, mouth and vagina was collected to be identified using culture-dependent biochemical methods. The changes in community composition were regularly documented. RESULTS: The bacterial succession in three habitats showed that Staphylococcus and Neisseria were predominated in early PMI, especially Staphylococcus aureus and Neisseria lactamica in 6 hours after death. Lactobacillus casei developed on the 3-4 days regularly, and kept stable at a certain level in late PMI. CONCLUSION: The involvement of normal and putrefactive bacteria in three body habitats of rat remains can be used for PMI estimation.

[Concentrations and deposition fluxes of different mercury species in precipitation in Jinyun Mountain, Chongqing].

Concentrations of mercury (Hg) species in precipitation were measured during the period from April 2013 to March 2014 in Jinyun Mountain, Chongqing, and corresponding deposition fluxes were also estimated. The result showed that the ranges of concentration of total mercury (THg) , dissolved mercury (DHg), particulate mercury (PHg), reactive mercury (RHg), total methyl mercury (MeHg), dissolved methyl mercury (DMeHg), particulate methyl mercury (PMeHg) were 7.47-120.11, 2.51-43.03, 2.28-77.99, 0.14-15.14, 2.58 x 10(-2)-101.62 x 10(-2), 0.30 x 10(-2)-72.29 x 10(-2), and 1.45 x 10(-2)-63.55 x 10(-2) ng x L(-1), respectively. And their estimated annual deposition fluxes were 42.71, 23.51, 19.20, 5.87, 0.61, 0.34 and 0.27 µg x (m2 x a)(-1), respectively. The proportion of MeHg in THg ranged from 0.07% to 3.79% with a mean value of 1.34%, and both PHg and PMeHg in precipitation accounted for approximately 50% of THg (ranged from 10.49% to 89.30%) and TMeHg (ranged from 4.31% to 98.86%). Obvious seasonal variations of Hg concentrations and deposition fluxes were observed, with the highest VWM levels of THg, DHg and PHg occurring in winter and the lowest value occurring in summer. And the RHg concentrations in precipitation in winter and spring were significantly higher than those found in summer and autumn. The variations of deposition fluxes of THg, DHg, MeHg, DMeHg had a similar seasonal trend with the rainfall, decreasing from spring to summer and to autumn and then to winter. The maximum deposition fluxes of RHg also appeared in spring and the minimum value occurred in winter. The wet deposition of Hg in Jinyun Mountain was influenced by rain amount, rainfall frequency and other meteorological conditions. Hg levels in the precipitation were also affected by human activities.

[Concentrations and deposition fluxes of heavy metals in precipitation in core urban areas, Chongqing].

Concentrations and deposition fluxes of heavy metals in the precipitation of core urban areas of Chongqing were investigated for one year from December 2011 to November 2012. Precipitation samples were collected with an automated precipitation sampler from three sampling sites. Concentrations of 13 heavy metals were analyzed using ICP-MS. Results showed that the concentrations and annual deposition fluxes of most elements in precipitation were higher than those in other domestic cities and regions overseas. For instance, the concentrations of Cd, Pb and As at the three sampling sites were up to 0.55 microg x L(-1), 37.94 microg x L(-1) and 5.65 microg x L(-) respectively, and annual deposition fluxes of Cd, Pb and As reached 0.44 mg x (m2 x a)(-1), 30.25 mg x (m2 x a)(-1), and 4.50 mg x (m2 x a)(-1) respectively. In addition, there were no obviously spatial differences for concentrations and deposition fluxes of heavy metals in urban Chongqing, but significantly seasonal variations were found. Maximum concentrations occurred in autumn and winter, while the highest deposition fluxes appeared in spring and summer. Moreover, the enrichment factor (EF) was employed to estimate the pollution level of heavy metals. Results showed that EFs of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Ag, As and Se were over 100, suggesting that these metals in atmosphere were seriously influenced by human activities, especially for Cd and Se, the EFs of which were 1 740 and 4 133 respectively.

Tuberculous abdominal aortic aneurysm with alimentary tract hemorrhage: a case report with medico-legal implications.

An autopsy case of sudden death induced by alimentary tract hemorrhage was presented, which was caused by the unexpected rupture of clinically unrecognized tuberculous abdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA). The initial diagnosis was made of the syndrome of coronary heart disease and hypertensive disease. The detailed autopsy showed that the alimentary tract hemorrhage was caused by a sudden rupture of the mass after posture changing was ascertained as the cause of death. The diagnosis of TAAA was determined by the autopsy findings. Analysis for the medical dispute of TAAA was described, and the difficulty of the diagnosis and medico-legal implications were also discussed.

[Reflection of estimating postmortem interval in forensic entomology and the Daubert standard].

Estimating postmortem interval (PMI) is always the emphasis and difficulty in forensic practice. Forensic entomology plays a significant indispensable role. Recently, the theories and technologies of forensic entomology are increasingly rich. But many problems remain in the research and practice. With proposing the Daubert standard, the reliability and accuracy of estimation PMI by forensic entomology need more demands. This review summarizes the application of the Daubert standard in several aspects of ecology, quantitative genetics, population genetics, molecular biology, and microbiology in the practice of forensic entomology. It builds a bridge for basic research and forensic practice to provide higher accuracy for estimating postmortem interval by forensic entomology.

Multicenter phase II study of capecitabine combined with nedaplatin for recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after failure of cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: There is no standard second-line regimen for recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after failure of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. A multicenter phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of capecitabine combined with nedaplatin for these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the multicenter, open-label, single-arm phase II study, patients with recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma who failed to previous cisplatin-based chemotherapy were enrolled. Patients received oral capecitabine (1,000 mg/m(2) twice daily from day 1 to 14) and intravenous nedaplatin (80 mg/m(2), day 1) every 3 weeks for two cycles at least. RESULTS: A total of forty-eight patients were enrolled and included in the intention-to-treat analysis of efficacy and adverse events. Treatment was well tolerated. Grade 3/4 toxicities included neutropenia (8.4 %), anemia (2.1 %), diarrhea (4.2 %), stomatitis (6.3 %), and hand-foot syndrome (HFS) (4.2 %). There were two complete response (4.2 %), eighteen partial responses (37.5 %), giving an overall response rate of 41.7 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 27.7-55.8]. With a median follow-up period of 12.1 months, the median time to progression was 5.8 months (95 % CI 3.9-7.8 months) and median overall survival was 12.4 months (95 % CI 9.6-16.8 months). CONCLUSION: Capecitabine combined with nedaplatin offers a satisfactory clinical activity and an acceptable safety profile for recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after failure of cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

[Transdermal fentanyl in treating severe painful mucositis caused by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The incidence of mucositis caused by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is relatively high. The severe painful mucositis can reduce the quality of life of patients obviously. Transdermal fentanyl is efficient in treating chronic pain of cancer, and also can relieve the severe pain of mucositis resulted from chemotherapy. This study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of transdermal fentanyl for the severe painful mucositis caused by AHSCT. METHODS: A total of 22 malignant tumor patients suffered from severe mucositis caused by high dose chemotherapy combined AHSCT. The analgesic degree before and after treatment was evaluated by the scores of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) (range 0-10). The median VAS scores of all patients were above 4 (moderate to severe pain) before the administration of transdermal fentanyl. The quality of life before and after treatment was evaluated by the Standard of Quality of Life drew up in China in 1990. The adverse events after treatment were evaluated by Common Toxicity Criteria formulated by National Cancer Institute of the USA. RESULTS: The median VAS score has been decreased from baseline at 6 (4-9) to 3.5 (0-9) on Day 3, 2 (0-6) on Day 5, 0.5 (0-8) on Day 7, 0 (0-6) on Day 10, and 0 (0-5) on Day 15 after treatment (P<0.001). The overall response rate was 100%, while the complete response rate was 45.5%. The quality of life of the patients was improved significantly (P<0.01). The adverse events after treatment of transdermal fentanyl included dizziness, somnolence, dysuria, mild and transient nausea, vomiting, discomfort of stomach, and so on. All the adverse events disappeared within several days after proper managements. Neither severe adverse event nor drug addiction was found. CONCLUSIONS: Transdermal fentanyl has good analgesic effect on painful severe mucositis induced by AHSCT. It is convenient and well tolerated, and could improve quality of life significantly.

[Efficacy of rituximab-containing salvage regimens on relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The prognosis of relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma is poor, with a short-term survival after conventional second-line chemotherapy. Rituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 antigen, in combination with CHOP or CHOP-like chemotherapy may improve both disease-freely survival and overall survival of naive patients, but it's role in the second-line treatment for relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is uncertain. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of rituximab-containing salvage regimens on relapsed or refractory NHL, and observe the toxicities. METHODS: Clinical data of 35 patients with relapsed or refractory NHL, treated in Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University, were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 35 patients, 19 were man, and 16 were women, with a median age of 53.5 years (ranged from 21 to 77); for ECOG performance status, 33 (94.3%) scored 0-1; for international prognostic index (IPI), 20 (57.1%) scored 0-1, 7 (20%) scored 2, 4 (11.4%) scored 3, and 4 (11.4%) scored 4-5; 23 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBL) accounted for 65.7% among all subtypes. Rituximab (375 mg/m2) was administered intravenously at the day before each chemotherapy cycle. The second-or third-line salvage regimens included EPOCH, CHOP, DHAP, DICE, IVAC, IMVP-16, and FND. RESULTS: Of the 35 patients, 30 received rituximab-combined regimens, and 5 received rituximab alone. A total of 102 cycles of rituximab-containing salvage regimens were administered. The objective response rate of the 32 evaluable cases was 68.8%, with a complete remission (CR) rate of 40.6%; 3 patients achieved CR after radiotherapy following rituximab-based regimens, and 3 achieved CR after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The most frequent adverse events were nausea, leukopenia, and alopecia. The addition of rituximab to chemotherapy only elevated the occurrence of mild infusion-related reactions, such as chills, fever, and pruritus. The median follow-up time was 12.5 months (ranged from 3 to 69 months); 2 patients were lost, 10 were died (9 died of lymphoma, and 1 died of severe hepatitis), the other patients remained alive. The median progression-freely survival was 11.8 months (ranged from 3 to 33 months). The overall 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 72.9%, 62.8%, and 62.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Rituximab-containing salvage regimens are effective and well tolerated, even in extensively pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell NHL.

[Prognostic analysis of patients with nasal-type NK/T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma--a report of 93 cases].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Nasal-type NK/T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is a unique subtype with the manifestation of local necrosis, infection and fever. The efficacy of chemotherapy alone is unsatisfactory; while radiochemotherapy plays some roles in the management of NK/T-cell lymphoma (NK/TCL). This study was to summarize the clinical characteristics, treatment outcome and prognosis of NK/TCL patients. METHODS: Records of 93 patients with NK/TCL from Jan. 1997 to Jun. 2004 were analyzed retrospectively. All the patients were classified according to WHO classification system. RESULTS: Of the 93 patients, 75 (80.6%) were in stage I-II, and 18 (19.4%) were in stage III-IV. The most common symptoms were nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, and epistaxis. The disease course was 1-24 months with a median of 6.5 months. Of the 93 patients, 15 (16.1%) presented perforation of hard palate and/or nasal septum, 35 (37.6%) presented B symptoms; 35 (37.6%) were treated with chemotherapy alone, 2 (2.2%) were treated with radiotherapy alone, 54 (58.0%) were treated with radiochemotherapy, and 2 (2.2%) received no treatment. The first-line chemotherapy regimens were mainly CHOP and EPOCH. The overall response rate (RR) was 84.4% (76/90) with complete remission (CR) rate of 64.4% (58/90). The response rate of chemotherapy alone group was 67.6% (23/34) with CR rate of 41.2% (14/34). The response rate of combined modality group was 94.4% (51/54) with CR rate of 83.3% (45/54). The 2 patients who received no treatment died within 6 months. The major toxicity of chemotherapy was myelosuppression. The prevalence of grade III-IV neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia were 37.7%, 13.7%, and 10.7%. The major toxicities of radiotherapy were grade I-II mucosa lesion and myelosuppression. Other toxicities were mild. The mortality was 66.7% (62/93). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 63.4%, 43.1%, and 17.6%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that perforation of hard palate and/or nasal septum, B symptoms and therapeutic modality were independent prognostic factors of NK/TCL (P=0.035, P<0.001, and P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: NK/TCL has low chemotherapy sensitivity. Although combined chemoradiotherapy yield better outcome, the long-term survival was still poor. Investigation of optional treatment is needed.

[Long-term outcomes of 392 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients treated with pirarubicin based regimens].

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the effectiveness and toxicity of combined chemotherapy regimen containing pirarubicin (THP) in the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). METHODS: Three hundred and ninety two patients with NHL were treated by THP containing regimen with or without involved field radiotherapy. The clinical characteristics, response, toxicity and long-term survival rates were analysed. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 47 (5 - 87) years and 26.0% aged more than 60 years. 61.0% of the patients were males and 39.0% females. B-cell and T/NK cell NHL accounted for 68.4% and 23.2% respectively with 56.9% of diffuse large B cell lymphoma and 12.5% of peripheral T cell lymphoma. 92.6% of the patients were ECOG < 1, 63.2% in stage I + II, 84.7% with IPI score 0 - 2 and 25% with B symptoms, 93.9% (368/392) of the patients received CTOP (containing THP) regimen chemotherapy and among them 28.5% (112/392) plus involved field radiotherapy. Altogether 1598 courses were administered on 368 patients. The overall response rate was 88.5% (341/385) with a complete remission (CR) rate of 63.6%, major toxicity was myelosuppression with 12.8%, 1.0% and 1.5% of grade III - IV neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and anemia, respectively. G-CSF support was given for 553 courses (34.6%). Alopecia account for 19.8%. The incidence of mild cardiotoxicity was 5.8%. Treatment-related mortality was 1.6% (6/368). Median follow-up was 24 months. The 1, 3 and 5 year actuarial survival rates were 86.4% , 66.5% and 59.2%, respectively. Median survival time has not been achieved. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of THP based regimen CTOP for the treatment of aggressive NHL is promising. Further clinical trial is warranted.

[Clinical outcomes of 106 patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma treated by standard CHOP regimen].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: T-cell Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) are common in Asia, It's biological behavior is different from B-cell NHL. It often shows lower chemo-sensitivity, high incidence of relapse and poor prognosis. This study was designed to analyse the clinical characteristics and to evaluate the effectiveness and toxicity of standard CHOP regimen in the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphomas-unspecified (PTCL-U) according to the Revised European- American Lymphoma (REAL) classification. METHODS: 106 patients with PTCL-U were treated by standard CHOP regimen with or without involved field radiotherapy from January 1997 to December 2003 in Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, The clinical characteristics, response and long-term survival rates were analysed, retrospectively. RESULTS: Early stages (I-II) were present in 78.3% (83/106) of the patients. Extranodal involvement account for 84.0% (89/106) with 34.9% (37/106) of more than 1 involved extranodal sites. The percentage of IPI score 0-1 was 78.3% (83/106). All the patients were treated by standard CHOP regimen plus IFRT for bulky disease. 55.7% (59/106) patients were treated by chemotherapy alone and 43.3% (46/106) were treated by chemotherapy plus radiotherapy. The overall response rate was 81.0% (85/105) with 58.2%(65/105) complete remission (CR) rates. The response rate of chemotherapy alone were 69.5% (41/59) and CR rates was 44.1% (26/59). The median duration of response was 16 months (1-88 months). The actual 1, 3 and 5 year overall survival rates were 69.9%, 42.9% and 22.0%, respectively. Median survival times were 24 (12-36) months. CONCLUSION: Long-term survival of PTCL-U treated by standard CHOP regimen were poor. Further investigation is wanted.

[Clinical outcomes of patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) treated by EPOCH regimen].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The biological behavior of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) are different from that of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). It shows low chemosensitivity, high incidence of relapse, poor prognosis, and has no standard chemotherapy regimen. The efficacy of CHOP is poor for PTCL. This study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of EPOCH regimen for PTCL. METHODS: EPOCH regimen(doxorubicin/epirubicin, vincristine, etoposide over 96 hours' infusion with bolus cyclophosphamide,and oral prednisone) was administered to 21 patients with PTCL. According to WHO classification criteria, 21 cases of PTCL concluded 7 peripheral T-cell lymphoma unspecified (PTCL-U), 7 NK/T-cell lymphoma (NK/TCL), 5 anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), 1 Mycosis fungoides/Sezary syndrome (MF/SS), and 1 subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL). Among them there were 14 previously untreated patients, 7 pretreated and recurrent patients. Median cycles of EPOCH regimen administered were 3 (ranged from 1 to 7 cycles). RESULTS: Of 21 patients, 20 were eligible to evaluate treatment efficacy. The response rate (RR) for the whole group was 85% (17/20) with complete remission (CR) rate of 50% (10/20). The RRs of patients with NK/TCL, PTCL-U, and ALCL were 71.4% (5/7), 100.0% (6/6), and 80.0%(4/5); the CR rates were 57.1% (4/7), 50.0% (3/6), and 40.0% (2/5). The RR of patients which haven't been pretreated was 84.6% (11/13), the CR rate was 61.5% (8/13); While the RR of pretreated patients was 85.5% (6/7), the CR rate was 28.5% (2/7). Seventy cycles of chemotherapy were administered to 21 patients. Major toxicity was myelosuppression, the incidences of grade III-IV neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia were 34.3%, 14.3%, and 7.1%. Other toxicities were mild, no treatment-related mortality occurred. CONCLUSION: EPOCH was effective and well tolerant for the patients with PTCL.

[Treatment of lymphoma patients with fludarabine-based regimens: a report of 29 cases].

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Fludarabine is one of the most effective agents for indolent lymphoma and chronic lymphocyte leukemia (CLL). Response rate of single agent for chemotherapy-naive patients ranged from 40%to 87% with 14-60% complete remission (CR) rate has been reported abroad while the response rate of 30%-70% and the CR rate of 10%-38% for pre- treated patients. Significantly higher response rate can be yielded by combined regimen such as FN, FMD, and FC, etc. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and toxicity of fludarabine-based regimen for patients with lymphoma in China. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with lymphoma were enrolled into this study from April 2001 to December 2003. There were 18 male and 11 female patients with median age of 53 years old (ranged from 27 to 79). Twenty-two patients were low-grade lymphoma and 7 were intermediate-grade lymphoma. Nineteen patients had been treated by FMD(Fludarabine 25 mg/m(2) d1-3,Mitoxantrone 8 mg/m(2) d1 and Dexamethasone 20 mg d1-4) while 3 by R-FMD (Rituximab+FMD) and 7 by other fludarabine- containing regimens. The median therapeutic cycles were 3 (1-6). RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were available for objective evaluation in 29 enrolled patients. The response rate and the CR rate for indolent group were 86% (18/21) and 38% (8/21). No response was obtained in 4 cases of intermediate grade lymphoma. Myelosuppression and mild GI toxicity were major side effects. The rates of leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia were 61% (III+IV, 8%), 18% (III+IV, 4%), and 26%, respectively. G-CSF was necessary only in 5% of cycles without red cell or platelet transfusion. Mild nausea and vomiting account for 20%. Five cases of febrile neutropenia during chemotherapy were controlled by intravenous antibiotics and supportive care. Transient liver function abnormality and jaundice encountered in 1 patient and diffusive skin rash in another one. CONCLUSION: Fludarabine-based regimen is highly effective for indolent lymphoma with mild toxicity. Further investigation is warranted.