Frankly, it's hard to imagine that French women get anything in the grabby way the word is used in the title of Mireille Guiliano's book. French Women Don’t Get Fat is a discordant appellation for this self-help / autobiography crossover, its bluntness misrepresentative of Guilianois carefully modulated plea for restrained pleasure. Or is that pleasured restraint? The je ne sais quoi of that most tantalising of prospective existences—French Women—uncomfortably receives the incongruity. Continental accoutrement of apple-pie American nous, the title's claim is bald, brassy and self- satisfied, but the title's subject represents pure aspiration. French Women Don’t Get Fat is the new transatlantic fusion.

Publisher Summary The manzamine alkaloids are unique and viable, lead to the treatment of malaria, as well as other infectious or tropical parasitic diseases, based on their significant activity in animal models. In addition, the relatively wide range of biological activity for the manzamines in vitro raises the question that perhaps these molecules maybe broad-spectrum antiparasitic antibiotics generated by a sponge-associated microbe. The ecological relationship between the microbial communities and the sponge in the case of the manzamines is particularly intriguing because of the structural complexity of these alkaloids. In spite of the necessity of the β -carboline moiety for in vitro antimalarial activity, it has little effect on the antituberculosis activity in vitro , suggesting that different possible mechanisms of action are likely to exist. Few classes of alkaloids are as unique and intriguing as the manzamine class. The biological activity of the manzamines against infectious diseases, cancer, and inflammatory diseases, combined with their unusual structure, strongly suggests that these alkaloids will ultimately yield useful clinical candidates. In addition, the manzamine alkaloids are clearly a key to understanding the sophisticated, but poorly understood, ecological, and phylogenetic relationships between a diverse group of sponges and their associated microbial communities.

Three new kapakahines E-G (1-3) have been isolated from the marine sponge Cribrochalina olemda. Limited quantities of these compounds required not only NMR analysis but also FAB-MS/MS analysis for the structure elucidation. Kapakahine E showed cytotoxicity against P388 murine leukemia cells. [structure: see text]

Homophymia stipitata n. sp., provenant de bancs du plateau continental au large du nord-est de la Nouvelle-Zelande, est decrite et comparee avec l'holotype du genre, H. lamellosa Vacelet & Vasseur, 1971 de Madagascar. Les caracteres morphologiques diagnostiques de Homophymia sont revus, completes et compares a ceux de Callipelta Sollas, 1888, Macandrewia Gray, 1859 et Daedalopelta Sollas, 1888 dans la famille des lithistides dicranocladinides Corallistidae. Un ensemble de caracteres morphologiques liant ces genres les uns aux autres et a Neopelta Schmidt, 1880 actuellement classe dans la famille monogenerique de dicranocladinides Neopeltidae, est identifie. Deux caracteres majeurs identifient ce groupe: la possession de desmes megarhizoclones monocrepides avec un remarquable crepis court visible dans l'epirhabde et des desmes ectosomiques modifies ressemblant a des triaenes. Ces pseudotriaenes ont un pseudorhabde court irregulierement epaissi, incluant generalement le crepis, et les pseudoclades sont discoides ou divises plusieurs fois. Ces desmes ectosomiques sont granulaires et apparaissent pourvus d'une moelle, ainsi que les desmes choanosomiques. Ils sont depourvus des canaux axiaux typiques des triaenes. Les microscleres sont des amphiasters epineux. Homophymia, Callipelta, Macandrewia et Daedalopelta se distinguent nettement des autres genres de Corallistidae (Corallistes Schmidt, 1870; Herengeria Levi & Levi, 1988; louea Laubenfels, 1955 et les genres fossiles du Cretace Gignouxia Moret, 1926; Phrissospongia Moret, 1926; Procorallistes Schrammen, 1901), qui ont des desmes dicranoclones arques, des triaenes a long rhabde, et deux tailles de streptasters en forme de spirasters. L'ensemble des familles Corallistidae et Neopeltidae est reevalue et des arguments sont donnes pour le transfert d'Homophymia, Callipelta, Macandrewia et Daedalopelta dans la famille Neopeltidae.

From the dichloromethane/2-propanol (1:1) extract of the Indonesian marine sponge Strepsichordaia aliena, twelve new 20, 24-bishomoscalarane sesterterpenes, honulactones A-L (1-12) were isolated. Molecular structures were secured by spectroscopic methods, accurate mass measurements, and X-ray analysis. Honulactones A (1), B (2), C (3), and D (4) exhibit cytotoxycity against P-388, A-549, HT-29, and MEL-28 (IC(50) 1 microg/mL).

A new tetramic acid glycoside, aurantoside C (3), was isolated from the sponge Homophymia conferta and the structure was determined by detailed 1D and 2D NMR analysis of the natural product and a hexaacetate derivative.

Two new diterpenes possessing a 9-methyladeninium substituent, agelasines H (5) and I (6), along with five related known ones, 1-4 and 7, were isolated from a sponge, Agelas sp. The structures of the new compounds were determined from spectral data. Compounds 2-4, 6, and 7 exhibited varying degrees of antimicrobial activity.

A novel lysine derivative, 1, has been isolated from the marine sponge Axinyssa terpnis, in addition to 4alpha-isocyanogorgon-11-ene and related compounds (2-4). From the marine sponge Axinella carteri, the new 3-bromopyrrole carboxylic acid derivative, 5, was obtained along with the known compounds aldisin (6) and 2-bromoaldisin (7). Both sponges were collected from Chuuk Atoll, Federated States of Micronesia. The compounds were characterized by spectroscopic and chemical methods.

Four new imidazole alkaloids, 2-5, along with the known isonaamidine B (1) were isolated from a Pacific sponge, Leucetta cf. chagosensis, collected from Yap, Federated States of Micronesia. Among these, 4 and 5 are zinc complexes derived from isonaamidine B and isonaamidine D. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated from spectral data. Isonaamidine D (3) showed weakly antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger with MIC = 100 micrograms/mL.

Twelve new polychlorinated diketopiperazines (7-18), along with six known ones (1-6) and a known sterol (19), were isolated from the sponge Dysidea chlorea, collected from Yap, Federated States of Micronesia. The structures of dysamides I-T (7-18) were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, and one (8) was confirmed by chemical conversion. The stereochemistry of the dysamides is discussed.

Specific diagnostic characters are reviewed and redefined for the genus Polymastia in northern New Zealand waters, to provide a framework for the recognition of new species, and for the revision and redefinition of other Polymastiidae. Eight new species of Polymastia are described, and Polymastia fusca Bergquist, P. hirsuta Berquist, and P. cf. massilis Carter are redescribed in the light of new material. Species of Polymastia which contain exotyles and centrotylote oxea in addition to the usual megasclere complement, provided the opportunity to redefine the polymastid genera Proteleia, and Tylexocladus, which would typically have been reserved respectively, for sponges with these spicules. A new species of Tylexocladus is described from the Chatham Rise in southern New Zealand, providing a first record of the genus from this location. A new genus Acanthopolymastia is established for southern ocean Polymastiidae with acanthose centrotylote oxea, with Atergia acanthoxa Koltun from Antarctica as the type species. Two additional species from New Zealand and the Norfolk Ridge, New Caledonia are described, and all are compared to Atlantic species of the same genera. Suggestions for partitioning of shallow-water Polymastia species are put forward.