Leeaoside,a new megastigmane diglycoside from the leaves of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leea thorelii</Emphasis> Gagnep

A new megastigmane diglycoside, leeaoside, was isolated along with four known compounds; benzyl O-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside, myricetin 3-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside and citroside A from the leaves of Leea thorelli. The structure determinations were based on physical data and spectroscopic evidence.     

Efficacy and safety of a live attenuated, cold-adapted influenza vaccine, trivalent against culture-confirmed influenza in young children in Asia

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cold-adapted influenza vaccine, trivalent (CAIV-T) against culture-confirmed influenza in children 12 to <36 months of age during 2 consecutive influenza seasons at multiple sites in Asia. METHODS: In year 1, 3174 children 12 to <36 months of age were randomized to receive 2 doses of CAIV-T (n = 1900) or placebo (n = 1274) intranasally > or =28 days apart. In year 2, 2947 subjects were rerandomized to receive 1 dose of CAIV-T or placebo. RESULTS: Mean age at enrollment was 23.5 +/- 7.4 months. In year 1, efficacy of CAIV-T compared with placebo was 72.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 62.8-80.5%] against antigenically similar influenza subtypes, and 70.1% (95% CI: 60.9-77.3%) against any strain. In year 2, revaccination with CAIV-T demonstrated significant efficacy against antigenically similar (84.3%; 95% CI: 70.1-92.4%) and any (64.2%; 95% CI: 44.2-77.3%) influenza strains. In year 1, fever, runny nose/nasal congestion, decreased activity and appetite, and use of fever medication were more frequent with CAIV-T after dose 1. Runny nose/nasal congestion after dose 2 (year 1) and dose 3 (year 2) and use of fever medication after dose 3 (year 2) were the only other events reported significantly more frequently in CAIV-T recipients. CONCLUSIONS: CAIV-T was well tolerated and effective in preventing culture-confirmed influenza illness over multiple and complex influenza seasons in young children in Asia.     

Screening HIV-infected women for cervical cancer in Thailand: findings from a demonstration project

OBJECTIVES: Although cervical cancer is an AIDS-defining illness, few HIV-infected women are routinely screened for cervical cancer in Thailand. We screened HIV-infected women for cervical cancer as a component of HIV care and assessed high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer prevalence. METHODS: From July 2003 through February 2004, HIV-infected women attending either an infectious disease clinic or a sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic in Bangkok were tested for high-risk HPV types by Hybrid Capture 2 and screened for cervical cancer by Pap test; those with abnormal cervical cytology were referred for diagnosis and treatment. RESULTS: Two hundred ten HIV-infected women at an infectious disease clinic (n = 150) and an STI clinic (n = 60) received cervical cancer screening. The high-risk HPV prevalence was 38.6% and the prevalence of abnormal cervical cytology was 20.4%. Abnormal cervical cytology and high-risk HPV detection were associated (P < 0.001). We received pathology reports for 23 (53.5%) of 43 women, including all those with a Pap test showing high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions; the cervical cancer prevalence was 1.9% (4 of 210; 95% confidence interval, 0.5-4.8%). CONCLUSION: The estimated prevalence of high-risk HPV and cervical cancer among HIV-infected women in Thailand was high. This emphasizes the need to integrate cervical cancer screening into HIV care.     

The pharmacodynamic study of a potent new antimalarial (MC1)

2,3-bis(Trifluoromethyl)-4-(3-hydroxyquinuclidinylquinoline) or MC(1) is a new synthetic compound with potent antimalarial activity in vitro and in vivo studies. The IC(50) values of MC(1) and chloroquine in in vitro culture of Plasmodium falciparum are 7.0x10(-8) and 6.06x10(-7)M, respectively. In an in vivo study using Plasmodium berghei infected mice as the test model, the survival time of the infected mice without drug treatment was 6.00+0.58 days. Chloroquine and MC(1) at an equal dose of 7.5mg/kg, orally administered once daily for 4 days, prolonged the survival time of the infected mice from 6 to 14 days, and more than 28 days, respectively. At the doses that exhibit potent antimalarial activity in vivo, there are no observable toxic effects. Preliminary studies of the pharmacodynamic activity of this newly synthesized compound revealed that at the doses which exhibit potent antimalarial activity, there is no alteration in motor activity such as distance traveled, rotational behavior, and stereotypic activity. The blood glucose was not significantly altered. In the spontaneous beating, isolated right atria of mice, MC(1) exhibits direct negative chronotropism at high concentrations (10(-4)M). This effect is augmented in hyper-K(+) bathing solution. A direct negative chronotropic effect was also observed when mefloquine at 5x10(-5)M was used. Preliminary pharmacodynamic study suggested that MC(1) is a potential new antimalarial drug that should be studied further.     

Preliminary results of MRI-guided brachytherapy in cervical carcinoma: the Chiangmai University experience

This study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the treatment planning of image-guided brachytherapy for cervical carcinoma. Seventeen consecutive patients with locally advanced cervical cancer were enrolled in the study. Fifteen patients could be evaluated. When comparing the tumor at diagnosis (GTV-Dx) and the tumor at the first brachytherapy (GTV-BT), 11 of 15 patients showed a tumor regression of more than 80% while only four patients had less than 80% tumor regression. The mean D90 of HR-CTV and the calculated D2cc of the bladder, rectum, and sigmoid were 99.2 ± 11 Gy, 87.7 ± 5.7 Gy, 68.4 ± 5.4 Gy and 70.3 ± 6.8 Gy, respectively. No grade 3-4 acute toxicity was observed. The MRI can be a valuable tool for evaluating tumor response after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and is very helpful for prognosis prediction by residual GTV evaluation. Furthermore, MRI-guided brachytherapy allowed us to optimize the dose for both the target volumes and the OARs.     

Discovery of novel halogenated 8-hydroxyquinoline-based anti-MRSA agents: In vitro and QSAR studies

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection has been considered to be one of global health problems due to limited classes of effective antimicrobial drugs. Herein, 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) and its derivatives ( 1-7 ) were investigated for their anti-MRSA and antioxidant activities. Cloxyquin ( 2 ), a halogenated 8HQ, exerted the highest antimicrobial activity (MIC₅₀ ≤ 5.57 μM) with high safety index, whereas an amino-derivative 7 showed the strongest antioxidant activity. Additionally, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) study demonstrated that mass, polarizability, topological charge, and van der Waals volume are essential properties governing the anti-MRSA activity. Taken together, cloxyquin was highlighted as a promising compound for further development as a novel anti-MRSA agent. QSAR findings would also benefit for further rational design of novel 8HQ-based compounds to combat the MRSA resistance.