AIM　To study the structures of the epimerides of cycloclausenamide. METHODS　The structures of compound I, extracted from Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels, and synthesized compound III were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The stereo-structures of compound II and IV were also built up through Tripos force field based on crystal structures of compound I and III. RESULTS　The molecular formula and molecular weight were found to be C18H17O2N and 279.34 respectively. Compound I crystallized in monoclinic system, space group P21 with a=0.5928(1), b=1.5014(1), c=1.6190(1) nm, V=1.4410(3) nm3, Z=4, Dx=1.288 g*cm-3, Rf=0.075, Rw=0.073(w=1/σ2｜F｜), S=3.983; compound III crystallized in triclinic system, space group P1 with a=0.5667(1), b=1.2934(1), c=2.1119(1) nm, α=102.17(1), β=90.25(1), γ=102.65(2)°, V=1.4770(5) nm3, Z=4, Dx=1.224 g*cm-3, Rf=0.047, Rw=0.051(w=1/σ2｜F｜), S=0.467. CONCLUSION　These results showed that compound I and III both are cycloclausenamide except that the directions of the phenyl group on C6 are different. Cycloclausenamide can form 4 pairs of epimerides but the directions of the phenyl group does not affect their energy in free state.

Objective To investigate whether the presence of infection in a case series with coma would predict sepsis associated encephalopathy(SAE).Methods From Jan 2013 to Oct 2014,we used the criteria of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)positive sepsis with encephalopathy and retrospective diagnosed a comatose case series with infection and from a tertiary teaching hospital intensive care unit (ICU).Results Among 6 comatose patients with evidence of infection,3 cases were secondary infection after hemorrhagic stroke,1 case was secondary infection after trauma,and the other 2 cases were primary infection.All patients met the diagnosis of SIRS -positive sepsis with encephalopathy.Among them,the presence of SIRS 3 criteria was in 2 cases,four criteria in 4 cases. All patients with severe brain failure (100%),in addition to 5 cases with acute respiratory failure caused by lung injury,one case with acute liver failure.Brain imaging confirmed that the delayed vasogenic edema was in two cases (33.3%),the cerebral ischemic lesions in four cases(66.7%).The ischemic lesion included 1 patient with minor infarcts and 1 case with mild white matter lesions,and with a good prognosis.The other two ischemic cases included multifocal leukoencephalopathy with central pontine myelinolysis in 1 case and extensive white matter lesions in 1 case,eventually with a poor prognosis.Conclusion SAE is a common critically illness,the use of the new classifi-cation criteria of sepsis is helpful in the diagnosis of sepsis associated encephalopathy.