Characteristics of CYP3A4-related potential drug-drug interactions in outpatients receiving prescriptions from multiple clinical departments.

Background: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) increase the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In a previous report, we revealed that the incidence of potential DDIs due to the same CYP molecular species in one prescription exceeds 90% among patients taking six or more drugs and that CYP3A4 markedly influences the increase in the number of potential DDIs in clinical practice. However, the factors contributing to an increased number of potential DDIs in prescriptions from multiple clinical departments remain poorly clarified.

[Potential Drug-Drug Interactions among Three or More Drugs: A Retrospective Multi-center Study in Pharmacies in the Kojima Region, Okayama].

Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are responsible for an increase in the incidence of adverse drug reactions. Although CYP is known to be involved in metabolic processes, the DDIs among three or more drugs that involve the same CYP molecular species have not been fully investigated. In this study, we retrospectively examined the relationship between the number of drugs and potential DDIs in metabolic processes involving CYPs in patients who picked up their prescribed drugs at 11 pharmacies in the Kojima Branch of the Okayama Pharmaceutical Association.

The two-row malting barley cultivar 'New Sachiho Golden' with null lipoxygenase-1 improves flavor stability in beer and was developed by marker-assisted selection.

Lipoxygenase-1 (LOX-1) null 'New Sachiho Golden' is a two-row malting barley ( L.) cultivar released in 2015 that was developed at the Tochigi Prefectural Agricultural Experimental Station by backcross breeding using the high-yield leading cultivar 'Sachiho Golden' as a recurrent parent and the LOX-1 null mutant 'Daikei LM1' as a non-recurrent parent. To develop 'New Sachiho Golden' we used a simple LOX activity assay and marker-assisted selection.

Changes in cardiovascular risk factors over a 24-year follow-up period: a Japanese pediatric cohort study.

This study examined changes in body mass index (BMI), fasting blood sugar (FBS), total cholesterol (TC) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels over a 24-year follow-up period in a pediatric cohort. An appropriate starting age for intervention to prevent cardiovascular diseases is still unclear. The subjects were 655 children, aged 10-12.

Inhibitory effect of the flowers of artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) on TPA-induced inflammation and tumor promotion in two-stage carcinogenesis in mouse skin.

The methanol extract of the flowers of artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) exhibited remarkable antitumor activity in an in vivo two-stage carcinogenesis test in mice, using 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene as an initiator and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) as a promoter. From the active fraction of the methanol extract, four triterpene alcohols and their corresponding acetates were isolated and identified. These compounds were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on TPA-induced inflammation (1 microg/ear) in mice and showed marked anti-inflammatory effects, with a 50% inhibitory dose of 0.

New cytotoxic diarylheptanoids from the rhizomes of Alpinia officinarum.

Bioassay-guided fractionation of the cytotoxic MeOH extract from the rhizomes of Alpinia officinarum Hance led to the isolation of two new diarylheptanoids named alpinoid D (1) and E (2), together with fifteen known diarylheptanoids (3 - 17). The structures of compounds 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data and chemical evidence. The cytotoxic activity of the isolated diarylheptanoids was evaluated against the IMR-32 human neuroblastoma cell line.

GaN photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser at blue-violet wavelengths.

Shorter-wavelength surface-emitting laser sources are important for a variety of fields, including photonics, information processing, and biology. We report on the creation of a current-driven blue-violet photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser. We have developed a fabrication method, named "air holes retained over growth," in order to construct a two-dimensional gallium nitride (GaN)/air photonic-crystal structure.

Rapid and sensitive determination of the conversion of UV-cured acrylic ester resins by pyrolysis-gas chromatography in the presence of an organic alkali.

The double-bond conversion of UV-cured resins prepared from pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) was determined by pyrolysis-gas chromatography in the presence of an organic alkali, tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH). The pyrogram of the uncured prepolymer compound, consisting of PETA and a photoinitiator, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, contained specific products reflecting the original acrylate structure, such as methyl acrylate (MA) and methyl ethers of pentaerithritol. Meanwhile, in pyrograms of the UV-cured PETA, the yields of MA considerably decreased.

Characterization of cross-linking structures in UV-cured acrylic ester resin by MALDI-MS combined with supercritical methanolysis.

The cross-linking structure of the ultra violet (UV)-cured resin prepared from dipentaerithritol hexacrylate (DPHA) was characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) combined with supercritical methanolysis. The MALDI-mass spectrum of the decomposition products obtained by supercritical methanolysis contained a series of peaks of sodium-cationized methyl acrylate (MA) oligomers up to around m/z = 4000 formed through selective cleavage and methylation occurred at ester linkages in UV-cured DPHA. Furthermore, in order to observe widely distributed sequence lengths in the cross-linking junctions, the decomposed products of the cured resin were then fractionated using size exclusion chromatography followed by the MALDI-MS measurements of the individual fractions.

Quantitative analysis of an oligomeric hindered amine light stabilizer in polypropylene by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry using a solid sampling technique.

A small amount of an oligomeric hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS) (Adekastab LA-68LD) in polypropylene (PP) materials was directly determined by solid sampling matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) using an internal standard method. First the matrix reagent (dithranol), 20 mg, and the empirically selected internal standard, angiotensin I (MW = 1296.5), 5 microg, were premixed in the solid state.

In vitro corrosion of dental Ag-based alloys in polyvinylpyrrolidone iodine solution.

The corrosion and tarnish behaviors of three Ag-based alloys (Ag-Pd-Cu-Au alloy, Ag-In alloy, and Ag-Sn-Zn alloy) in polyvinylpyrrolidone iodine (povidone-iodine) solution were examined. The degree of tarnish was evaluated by visible-ray spectrocolorimetry. Corrosion potential measurements and analyses of corrosion products by X-ray diffractometry were carried out to elucidate the corrosion mechanism.

Direct analysis of an oligomeric hindered amine light stabilizer in polypropylene materials by MALDI-MS using a solid sampling technique to study its photostabilizing action.

A novel method for the direct analysis of small amounts of an oligomeric hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS) occluded in polypropylene (PP) material was developed to study its photostabilizing action on the basis of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) using a solid sampling technique while avoiding troublesome solvent extraction. In this sampling protocol, the powdered mixture of PP composite sample containing trace amounts of an oligomeric HALS, Adekastab LA-68LD (MW = 1900), and the matrix reagent (dithranol) was spotted on the sample plate, then ion exchanged water was deposited onto the mixture to make a suspension, and finally, the dried mixture adhered on the plate was subjected to MALDI-MS measurement. On the mass spectrum thus obtained by the solid sampling MALDI, the molecular ions of the HALS desorbed from the PP composite were clearly observed as three major series of the HALS components in the range up to about m/z 7000 with little interference by the PP substrate and the other additives.