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From the aerial parts of Euphorbia gossypina var. coccinea Pax., eight new pregnane glycosides (euphogossypins A-H, 1 - 8 ) of the cynanforidine and deacetylmetaplexigenin aglycons, two new lignans (gossypilignans A and B, 9 and 10 ), and four known compounds, namely, the pregnane 12- O -benzoyldeaxcylmetaplexigenin ( 11 ), the lignan 9α-hydroxypinoresinol ( 12 ), and the flavonoids naringenin ( 13 ) and quercitrin ( 14 ) were isolated. The structure elucidation of the new compounds was carried out by a spectroscopic analysis, including HRMS, 1D ( 1 H, 13 C JMOD), and 2D NMR (HSQC, 1 H- 1 H COSY, HMBC, and NOESY) experiments. The obtained pregnane glycosides were substituted with acetyl and benzoyl ester moieties, and sugar chains containing thevetose, cymarose, digitoxose, and glucose monosaccharides. All of the compounds are described for the first time from E. gossypina var. coccinea . The isolated pregnanes and lignans were tested for their antiproliferative activity on HeLa cells using the MTT assay; the compounds exerted no significant effect against the tumor cells.

Ingenol mebutate, isolated from Euphorbia peplus , is an ingenane-type diterpenoid, primarily used for the topical treatment of actinic keratosis, a premalignant skin condition. The aim of our work was to investigate other Euphorbia species to find structurally similar diterpenes that can be used as alternatives to ingenol mebutate. Pharmacological investigation of Euphorbia candelabrum , Euphorbia cotinifolia , Euphorbia ramipressa , and Euphorbia trigona revealed the potent keratinocyte (HPV-Ker cell line) inhibitory activity of these spurge species. From the methanolic extract of the aerial parts of Euphorbia trigona Miller, the most active species, five ingol ( 1 - 5 ) and four ingenane-type diterpenoids ( 6 - 9 ) were isolated by various chromatographic separation techniques, including open column chromatography, vacuum liquid chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography. The structures of the compounds were determined by NMR spectroscopic analysis and by comparison of the assignations with the literature data. The cytotoxic activity of the compounds against keratinocytes was tested in vitro by using ingenol mebutate as a positive control. Among the isolated compounds, two ingenane derivatives ( 6 and 7 ) exhibited remarkably stronger cytotoxic activity (IC 50 values 0.39 μM and 0.32 μM, respectively) on keratinocytes than ingenol mebutate (IC 50 value 0.84 μM). These compounds could serve as starting materials for further investigations to find alternatives to Picato ® (with active substance ingenol mebutate), which was withdrawn from marketing authorization in the European Union.

Chromosome 14 is one of five acrocentric chromosomes in the human genome. These chromosomes are characterized by a heterochromatic short arm that contains essentially ribosomal RNA genes, and a euchromatic long arm in which most, if not all, of the protein-coding genes are located. The finished sequence of human chromosome 14 comprises 87,410,661 base pairs, representing 100% of its euchromatic portion, in a single continuous segment covering the entire long arm with no gaps. Two loci of crucial importance for the immune system, as well as more than 60 disease genes, have been localized so far on chromosome 14. We identified 1,050 genes and gene fragments, and 393 pseudogenes. On the basis of comparisons with other vertebrate genomes, we estimate that more than 96% of the chromosome 14 genes have been annotated. From an analysis of the CpG island occurrences, we estimate that 70% of these annotated genes are complete at their 5' end.

The results of screening for the common aneuploidies involving chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y by florescent in-situ hybridisation (FISH) in direct preparations from 100 chorionic villus samples from pregnancies between 10 and 20 weeks' gestation are reported. Samples prepared using routine methods and analysed with commercially available probes, accurately detected 12 cases of fetal aneuploidy, all referred because of developmental abnormality. Three of the four cases where chromosome abnormality was detected in cultured villi but not by the direct fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) assay, were due to confined placental mosaicism. No chromosomal anomalies were found in the 20 low risk cases where the referral reason was a familial single gene disorder. We conclude that the FISH assay with commercial probes may act as an accurate and less labour intensive alternative to direct chromosome analysis of chorionic villus samples. In cytogenetically low risk cases its use can obtain a result within the time needed for DNA analysis and avoid the need to set up cultures.