Chemical investigation of the fermentation broth of a Soft Coral-Derived fungus Pestalotiopsis sp., led to the isolation of a new phthalide derivative, pestalotiolide A (1), three known analogues (2, 3 and 4), along with 5'-O-acetyl uridine (5) first isolated as a natural product. The structure of the new compound (1) was established by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods. Compounds 1 - 4 possessed varying degrees of antiviral activities, which was reported for the first time. Compared to the positive control ribavirin (IC50 = 418.0 microM), pestalotiolide A (1) exhibited significant anti-EV71 activity in vitro, with an IC50 value of 27.7 microM. Furthermore, the preliminary structure-activity relationship of antiviral activities was also discussed.
Fermentation ; Fungi* ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Ribavirin ; Structure-Activity Relationship ; Uridine

AIMTo compare the results of bladder tumor associated antigen (BTA TRAK), nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP 22) and voided urine cytology (VUC) in detecting bladder cancer.

METHODSA total of 135 elderly male and 50 healthy volunteers enrolled in this study were classified into three groups: (i) 93 patients with bladder cancer; (ii) 42 patients with urinary benign conditions; and (iii) 50 healthy volunteers. BTA TRAK and NMP 22 kits were used to detect bladder cancer. Voided urine cytology was used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the screening tests.

RESULTSThe sensitivity and specificity of cytology, BTA TRAK and NMP 22 were 24% and 97%, 51% and 73%, 78% and 73%, respectively. The level of NMP 22 increased with tumor grading. The BTA TRAK kit has the lowest sensitivity among the screening tests. The NMP 22 with the best sensitivity can be an adjunct to cytology for evaluating bladder cancer.

CONCLUSIONThe NMP 22 test has a better correlation with the grading of the bladder cancer than BTA TRAK. As cytology units are typically not available in hospitals or in outpatient clinics, NMP 22 might be a promising tool for screening bladder cancer.

Aged ; Humans ; Male ; Nuclear Proteins ; urine ; Taiwan ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; urine ; Urine ; cytology

AIMTo determine the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the prostate for patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy for bladder cancer in Taiwan.

METHODSA total of 248 patients in Taiwan who were histologically confirmed for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder underwent cystoprostatectomy. Histopathologic evaluation of the prostate specimens sectioned at 5 mm intervals was performed.

RESULTSOf the 248 patients, 10 (4.03%) were found to have prostate cancer. Of the 10 cases of unsuspected prostate cancer, eight proved to be at stage T1 or T2, and two at T3 and T4, respectively. This rate of incidentally found prostate cancer amongst our bladder cancer patients appeared to be lower than that found in bladder cancer patients in similar studies in USA.

CONCLUSIONAlthough the incidence of incidental prostate cancer in patients in Taiwan with bladder cancer is not high compared with that in Western countries, we suggest that digital rectal examination and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) are important screening tools for men with bladder cancer, especially for those aged 60 years and older in Taiwan.

Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; complications ; surgery ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; complications ; pathology ; surgery