A mini-review on oxysporone

Oxysporone, possessing a 4H-furo(2,3-b)pyran-2(3H)-one structure, is a fungal metabolite, first isolated from Fusarium oxysporum. Later, this compound was also reported from the fungal genera, Diplodia, Pestalotia and Pestalotiopsis. Oxysporone was patented as an antibiotic for the treatment of dysentery, and its phytotoxic property has been well-established. Interesting biological and chemical properties of oxysporone make this compound attractive for its potential biotechnological applications in agriculture, especially as a new agrochemical with a lower environmental impact. However, it requires further extensive bioactivity screening looking at beyond its established phytotoxicity and preliminary antifungal property. It has a simple chemical structure (C7H8O4), and the hydroxyl group at C-4 provides options for synthesising numerous analogues by simply incorporating various functionalities at C-4, whilst keeping the main skeleton intact. This mini-review provides a critical overview on the occurrence, production, synthesis, structure elucidation and bioactivities of oxysporone

Sonneratinone: A New Antimicrobial Benzofuranone Derivative from the Endophytic Fungus Aspergillus niger Isolated from the Mangrove Plant Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham

A new antimicrobial benzofuranone derivative, named, sonneratinone (1), was isolated from the endophytic fungus Aspergillus niger, obtained from the leaves of Sonneratia apetala, a mangrove plant from the Sundarbans. Whilst the fungal strain was identified by macroscopic, microscopic and molecular techniques, the structure of the new compound was elucidated by spectroscopic means, e.g., 1D and 2D NMR, and HRESIMS. Sonneratinone (1) showed considerable antimicrobial activity against Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans in the resazurin 96-well microtitre plate antimicrobial assay

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe