The detection of influenza virus at the community pharmacy to improve the management of local residents with influenza or influenza-like disease.

Background: As of 2014, community pharmacies in Japan are approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to measure lipid panel, HbA1c, glucose, ALT, AST and γ-GTP, but not to screen for influenza virus. We provided influenza virus screening tests at a community pharmacy to triage people with symptoms suggestive of influenza. Participants were given appropriate advice on how to prevent the spread of and safeguard against influenza.

Instructing students to measure their own bone density and prepare a simulated health class during pharmacy school improves their awareness and understanding of osteoporosis prevention.

Background: Osteoporosis is estimated to afflict over 200 million people worldwide and healthcare professionals are needed to successfully intervene. The aim of this study was to assess cognitive changes in students pertaining to the primary prevention of osteoporosis after measuring their bone density and having them participate in a simulated health class during pharmacy school.

Methods: Third year pharmacy students participated in the training program, which consisted of measuring their bone density using quantitative ultrasound and preparing educational materials and conducting a simulated health class.

Green tea catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, attenuates the cell viability of human non-small-cell lung cancer A549 cells via reducing Bcl-xL expression.

Clinical and epidemiological studies have indicated that the consumption of green tea has a number of beneficial effects on health. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCg), the major polyphenolic compound present in green tea, has received much attention as an active ingredient. Among the numerous promising profiles of EGCg, the present study focused on the anticancer effects.

Simultaneous detection of green tea catechins and gallic acid in human serum after ingestion of green tea tablets using ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

We developed an analytical method for the simultaneous determination of tea catechins and gallic acid (GA) in human serum using ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection. GA was measured to estimate the amount of gallate moiety produced by degradation of gallated catechins ((-)-epicatechin-3-gallate, ECG; (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, EGCG). Ethyl gallate was adopted as an internal standard to correct for the extraction efficiency.

Effect of pre-treatment with St John's Wort on nephrotoxicity of cisplatin in rats.

An herbal health care supplement, St John's Wort (SJW, Hypericum perforatum) has become widely used in the treatment of depression, and is known to interact with therapeutic drugs. Here we report a preventive effect of SJW on cisplatin nephrotoxicity in rats. Rats were given SJW (400 mg/kg/day, p.

Up-regulation of methionine-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin treatment in the forebrain of the Long-Evans rat.

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is considered to be one of the most toxic environmental contaminants, named dioxin. Exposure to TCDD induces a plethora of intoxication symptoms, including anorexia and hypothermia, in several mammals and human. Enkephalin, an endogenous pentapeptide, is an important neuroregulator of autonomic functions, such as food intake and body temperature.

Role of the vestibular nuclei in endothelin-1-induced barrel rotation in rats.

The fourth or lateral ventricular injection of endothelin-1 resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the barrel rotation and produced marked induction of c-Fos-positive cells in the vestibular nuclei. The doses of the former injection were lower and had shorter mean latent periods compared with the later injection. c-Fos expression after endothelin-1 injection was prevented by the pretreatment with the endothelin ET(A) receptor antagonist, cyclo(D-alpha-aspartyl-L-propyl-D-valyl-L-leucyl-D-tryptophyl) (BQ-123), the glutamate NMDA receptor antagonist, dizocilpine maleate (MK-801), or the L-type Ca(2+) channel antagonist, verapamil, in addition to the incidence of the rotational behavior.