A RANK ligand-specific inhibitor, denosumab, was predicted to reduce osteolysis and control disease progression in patients with giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB). We report, for the first time, the results of the response of GCTB to denosumab obtained from a prospective independent imaging assessment. The findings demonstrate that denosumab has robust clinical efficacy in the treatment of GCTB.

The hypolipidemic and antiatherosclerotic effects of taurine were investigated in genetically hypertensive rats: stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). SHRSP were fed a hypercholesterolemic (HC) diet supplemented with 3% taurine for 50 days, and serum cholesterol was monitored. Cholesterol content and enzymatic activity responsible for cholesterol synthesis and metabolism were also determined in the liver, aorta, and intestine. Taurine prevented increases in the cholesterol level of the serum, liver, and aorta induced by a HC diet. Severe fat deposits of the mesenteric arteries induced by a HC diet were improved by the taurine treatment, showing the hypolipidemic and antiatherosclerotic effects of taurine. Taurine enhanced the activity of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase, a rate-limiting enzyme of bile acid synthesis, and stimulated bile acid production. These results suggest that taurine stimulates bile acid synthesis, which is closely related to the enhancement of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase activity, and thereby reduces serum cholesterol. In addition, a decrease in the intestinal acyl CoAxholesterol acyltransferase activity by taurine suggests that the inhibition of cholesterol absorption may also be related to the hypolipidemic effect of taurine, in part.

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A new antibiotic, designated sagamilactam, was isolated from the cultured broth of Actinomadura sp. K13-0306 by Diaion HP-20, silica gel and octadecylsilane column chromatography followed by purification by HPLC. The chemical structure of the new compound was elucidated by spectroscopic analyses, including NMR and MS. The structure of sagamilactam proved to be a new compound consisting of a polyunsaturated and polyoxygenated 34-membered macrocyclic lactam containing diene, triene and tetraene conjugated olefins and a decalin moiety. Sagamilactam showed antitrypanosomal activity with an IC value of 0.25±0.11 μM.