ABSTRACT Persea americana Mill., Lauraceae, commonly known as the avocado, is native to tropical and subtropical regions, including Brazil. From the leaves of P. americana, one previously undescribed flavonol glycoside (1) together with ten known flavonoids (2-11), four megastigmane glycosides (12-15) and two lignans (16-17) were isolated. Their structures were determined by extensive spectroscopic methods including 1D- and 2D-nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry data. This is the first investigation that reports megastigmane glycoside and lignan classes within the genus Persea. All the isolated compounds have been assessed through the cell survival of larval zebrafish following neomycin-induced damage and the cell viability of a House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1 mouse auditory cell line. Among the tested compounds, juglanin (2) and (+)-lyoniresinol (16) showed significant cell regeneration in neomycin-damaged hair cell without cellular toxicity.

The incidence of detection of accessory hepatic vein (AHV) using MRI or CT has been reported. However, previous studies had a small sample size or only reported on the incidence of hepatic vein variants. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no previous report evaluating the factors predictive of the presence of an AHV. To evaluate the incidence and morphology of the accessory hepatic vein (AHV) using multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) and to investigate the factors which may be helpful in predicting the presence of an AHV. We enrolled 360 patients who underwent abdominal MDCT. We investigated whether the AHV was present and evaluated the frequency of AHVs greater than 5 mm in diameter. We classified the morphology of the AHV entering the inferior vena cava (IVC). We also examined the factors that predicted the presence of an AHV by comparing the diameter of the middle hepatic vein (MHV) and the right hepatic vein (RHV). We identified an AHV in 164 of the 360 patients (45.6 %). Among the 164 AHVs, 56.7 % were larger than 5 mm in diameter. The most common morphologies of the inferior RHV were a single main trunk (58.5 %), followed by two main trunks with a V-shape (19.5 %) and two trunks entering the IVC separately (17.0 %). The possibility that an AHV will be present was significantly higher when the diameter of the RHV was smaller than that of the MHV. MDCT can provide important information regarding AHV incidence and morphology. The possibility of an AHV being present was significantly higher when the diameter of the RHV was smaller than that of the MHV.

Se ha informado de la incidencia de la detección de la vena hepática accesoria (VHA) mediante RM o TC. Sin embargo, estudios previos tenían un tamaño muestral pequeño o solo informaban sobre la incidencia de variantes de las venas hepáticas. Hasta donde sabemos, no ha habido ningún informe previo que evalúe los factores predictivos de la presencia de una VHA. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar la incidencia y morfología de la vena hepática accesoria (VHA) mediante tomografía computarizada multidetector (TCMD) e investigar los factores que pueden ser útiles para predecir la presencia de un VHA. Se evaluaron 360 pacientes que se sometieron a TCMD abdominal. Se investigó si la VHA estaba presente y se evaluó la frecuencia de VHA mayores de 5 mm de diámetro. Se clasificó la morfología del VHA que drenaba en la vena cava inferior (VCI). Además, se examinaron los factores que predijeron la presencia de una VHA mediante la comparación del diámetro de la vena hepática media (VHM) y la vena hepática derecha (VHD). Se identificó un VHA en 164 de los 360 pacientes (45,6%). Entre las 164 VHA, el 56,7% tenía más de 5 mm de diámetro. Las morfologías más frecuentes del VHD inferior fueron un tronco principal único (58,5%), seguido por dos troncos principales con forma de V (19,5%) y dos troncos que drenaban en la VCI por separado (17,0%). La posibilidad de que una VHA esté presente fue significativamente mayor cuando el diámetro de la VHD era menor que la de la VHM. La MDCT puede proporcionar información importante sobre la incidencia de la VHA y su morfología. La posibilidad de que un VHA estuviera presente era significativamente mayor cuando el diámetro del VHD era menor que la VHM.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to update the long-term outcome in the treatment of locally advanced upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) regarding the role of adjuvant chemotherapy. Materials and methods: Clinical data from 138 patients who underwent RNU for locally advanced UTUC (pT3/4 or pN+) were analyzed. Results: The adjuvant chemotherapy group comprised 66 patients, and other 72 patients did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy was the most common regimen, depending on the patient's eligibility and renal function. The median follow-up period was 48.7 months (interquartile range: 29.2-96.9 months). The 3-and 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rates were 76.0% and 69.9% for the non-adjuvant chemotherapy group versus 74.6% and 54.5% for the adjuvant chemotherapy group (p=0.301, log-rank test). Overall survival (OS) rates for the same time period were 70.1% and 62.9% for the non-adjuvant chemotherapy group versus 73.8% and 53.2% for the adjuvant chemotherapy group (p=0.931, log-rank test). On multivariate analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy could not predict DSS and OS after surgery. When patients who received cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy (n=59) were compared to those who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy, similar results were found. Conclusions: There does not appear to be a significant DSS or OS benefit associated with adjuvant chemotherapy. Prospective randomized clinical trials are necessary to verify the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on locally advanced UTUC.