Phenolic Off Flavor Characterization of Commercially Available Wine Yeasts and Selection of the Yeast for Koshu Winemaking

Abstract The grape Koshu is a traditional, Japan specific Vitis vinifera. As the Koshu wine has a relatively flat taste, the sur lies method and the small barrel fermentation have been employed to add richness to the wine. However, the Koshu grape contains relatively high amount of phenolic compounds. Therefore, the screening of phenolic off flavor (POF) negative strains has been carried out using mainly dried yeast products obtained from Lallemand. Of 47 yeast strains tested, the Uvaferm 228, Lalvin ICV Opale, Lalvin V1116 were found to be POF negative. We further examined the performance of winemaking using the yeasts, and the Uvaferm 228 was found to produce Koshu wine having rich aromas with many esters. The results of screening of POF negative yeasts and the GC-MS profile of the Uvaferm 228 are reported

Role of Survival Post-Progression in Phase III Trials of Systemic Chemotherapy in Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: In advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with the increasing number of active compounds available in salvage settings, survival after progression to first-line chemotherapy seems to have improved. A literature survey was conducted to examine whether survival post-progression (SPP) has improved over the years and to what degree SPP correlates with overall survival (OS). METHODS AND FINDINGS: Median progression-free survival (MPFS) time and median survival time (MST) were extracted in phase III trials of first-line chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC. SPP was pragmatically defined as the time interval of MST minus MPFS. The relationship between MPFS and MST was modeled in a linear function. We used the coefficient of determination (r(2)) to assess the correlation between them. Seventy trials with 145 chemotherapy arms were identified. Overall, median SPP was 4.7 months, and a steady improvement in SPP was observed over the 20 years (9.414-day increase per year; p<0.001) in parallel to the increase in MST (11.253-day increase per year; p<0.001); MPFS improved little (1.863-day increase per year). Overall, a stronger association was observed between MST and SPP (r(2) = 0.8917) than MST and MPFS time (r(2) = 0.2563), suggesting SPP and MPFS could account for 89% and 25% of the variation in MST, respectively. The association between MST and SPP became closer over the years (r(2) = 0.4428, 0.7242, and 0.9081 in 1988-1994, 1995-2001, and 2002-2007, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: SPP has become more closely associated with OS, potentially because of intensive post-study treatments. Even in advanced NSCLC, a PFS advantage is unlikely to be associated with an OS advantage any longer due to this increasing impact of SPP on OS, and that the prolongation of SPP might limit the original role of OS for assessing true efficacy derived from early-line chemotherapy in future clinical trials

Effect of a Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitor in Combination with (−)-Epigallocatechin Gallate or Polyphenon E on Cisplatin-Induced Lung Tumorigenesis in A/J Mice

We investigated the effects of celecoxib combined with (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) or polyphenon E in a cisplatin-induced lung tumorigenesis model. Four-week-old female A/J mice were divided into seven groups: (i) Control, (ii) 150 mg/kg celecoxib (150Cel), (iii) 1,500 mg/kg celecoxib (1500Cel), (iv) EGCG+150 mg/kg celecoxib (EGCG+150Cel), (v) EGCG+1,500 mg/kg celecoxib (EGCG+1500Cel), (vi) polyphenon E+150 mg/kg celecoxib (PolyE+150Cel), and (vii) polyphenon E+1,500 mg/kg celecoxib (PolyE+1500Cel). All mice were administered cisplatin (1.62 mg/kg of body weight, i.p.) 1×/week for 10 weeks and sacrificed at week 30; the numbers of tumors on the lung surface were then determined. The tumor incidence and multiplicity (no. of tumors/mouse, mean±SD) were respectively 95% and 2.15±1.50 in Control, 95% and 2.10±1.29 in 150Cel, 86% and 1.67±1.20 in 1500Cel, 71% and 1.38±1.24 in EGCG+150Cel, 67% and 1.29±1.38 in EGCG+1500Cel, 80% and 1.95±1.36 in PolyE+150Cel, and 65% and 1.05±0.10 in PolyE+1500Cel. The combination of high-dose celecoxib with EGCG or polyphenon E significantly reduced multiplicity in cisplatin-induced lung tumors

Treatment-Related Death in Patients with Small-Cell Lung Cancer in Phase III Trials over the Last Two Decades

<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Treatment-related death (TRD) remains a serious problem in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), despite recent improvements in supportive care. However, few studies have formally assessed time trends in the proportion of TRD over the past two decades. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and pattern of TRD over time.</p> <h3>Methods</h3><p>We examined phase 3 trials conducted between 1990 and 2010 to address the role of systemic treatment for SCLC. The time trend was assessed using linear regression analysis.</p> <h3>Results</h3><p>In total, 97 trials including nearly 25,000 enrolled patients were analyzed. The overall TRD proportion was 2.95%. Regarding the time trend, while it was not statistically significant, it tended to decrease, with a 0.138% decrease per year and 2.76% decrease per two decades. The most common cause of death was febrile neutropenia without any significant time trend in its incidence over the years examined (p = 0.139). However, deaths due to febrile neutropenia as well as all causes in patients treated with non-platinum chemotherapy increased significantly (p = 0.033).</p> <h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The overall TRD rate has been low, but not negligible, in phase III trials for SCLC over the past two decades.</p> </div

PRISMA flow diagram showing the progress of trials through the review.

<p>PRISMA flow diagram showing the progress of trials through the review.</p

Time trends in the demographics of patients randomized in phase III trials.

<p>A good PS was defined as an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) PS of 0 or 1. All analyses were weighted by sample size. A. Median number of randomized patients. B. Proportion of patients with a good PS. C. Proportion of male patients.</p