Kaemgalangol A: Unusual seco-isopimarane diterpenoid from aromatic ginger Kaempferia galanga.

A new unusual seco-isopimarane, kaemgalangol A (1) and 12 usual analogs (2-13) were isolated from the rhizomes of Kaempferia galanga (Family: Zingiberaceae). KaemgalangolA (1) represented a rarely isolated 9,10-seco-isopimarane skeleton. The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were mainlyinvestigated by spectroscopic techniques such as 1D, 2D NMR, and HRMS.

Pretreatment monocyte counts and neutrophil counts predict the risk for febrile neutropenia in patients undergoing TPF chemotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is the most serious hematologic toxicity of systemic chemotherapy. However, accurate prediction of FN development has been difficult because the risk varies largely depending on the chemotherapy regimen and various individual factors.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed diverse clinical factors including pretreatment hematological parameters to clarify the reliable predictors of FN development during chemotherapy with a docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (TPF) regimen in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Anti-Rhizopus activity of tanzawaic acids produced by the hot spring-derived fungus Penicillium sp. BF-0005.

A silkworm infection assay with the pathogenic fungus Rhizopus oryzae was established. Microbial culture broths were screened for anti-Rhizopus antibiotics using this assay. A new compound, tanzawaic acid R was isolated along with known and structurally related tanzawaic acids and arohynapene A from the culture broth of the hot spring-derived fungus Penicillium sp.

Giant Cell Tumor of the Skull: Review of the Literature.

Background: Giant cell tumors (GCTs) are rare in the skull. The present report describes a case with a primary GCT located in the temporal bone and reviews the relevant literature. We also propose a treatment strategy for GCT of the skull.

Metabolic alterations in organic acids and gamma-aminobutyric acid in developing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruits.

Salt stress improves the quality of tomato fruits. To clarify the mechanism(s) underlying this phenomenon, we investigated metabolic alterations in tomato fruits exposed to 160 mM salt, focusing on metabolism of organic acids related to the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Quantitative analyses revealed that most amino acids increased in response to salt stress throughout fruit development, and the effect of the stress was greater in the pericarp than in the columella, whereas organic acids did not show a remarkable tendency to salt stress.

Biochemical mechanism on GABA accumulation during fruit development in tomato.

A large amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was found to accumulate in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruits before the breaker stage. Shortly thereafter, GABA was rapidly catabolized after the breaker stage. We screened the GABA-rich tomato cultivar 'DG03-9' which did not show rapid GABA catabolism after the breaker stage.