Relationship between tracheal intubation and the drugs used by patients with drug overdose due to self-harm.

Background: Tracheal intubation may be performed in patients with drug overdose due to self-harm; however, the details of the causative drug are unknown. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between drugs or its blood levels of patients with drug overdose and the need for tracheal intubation based on the actual measurement results.

Methods: From October 2018 to March 2020, 132 patients with drug overdose due to self-harm who were transported to the emergency department (ED) were studied.

An artificial neural network-pharmacokinetic model and its interpretation using Shapley additive explanations.

We developed a method to apply artificial neural networks (ANNs) for predicting time-series pharmacokinetics (PKs), and an interpretable the ANN-PK model, which can explain the evidence of prediction by applying Shapley additive explanations (SHAP). A previous population PK (PopPK) model of cyclosporin A was used as the comparison model. The patients' data were used for the ANN-PK model input, and the output by ANN was the clearance (CL).

New low-dose liquid pilocarpine formulation for treating dry mouth in Sjögren's syndrome: clinical efficacy, symptom relief, and improvement in quality of life.

Background: Patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS) typically present clinically with xerostomia (dry mouth) because of progressive damage to the exocrine glands. We developed a new, low-dose pilocarpine/sodium alginate (LPA) solution with pilocarpine hydrochloride to inhibit systemic adverse effects by administering via the oral mucosa. The purpose of this study was to assess its stability, safety, and efficacy.

The influence of dietary peptide inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme on the hypotensive effects of enalapril.

Background: Enalapril is an antihypertensive medicine that inhibits angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE). The present study investigated interactions between enalapril and a fermented milk product (FMP) containing the ACE-inhibitory peptides, Val-Pro-Pro (VPP) and Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP).

Methods: Single-dose and long-term (6-week) in vivo studies were used to investigate the effects of enalapril and FMP on blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

[Efficacy of local steroid injection on rat skin lesions induced by extravasation of vesicant anticancer drugs].

The efficacy of local steroid injection on the extravasation of vesicant anticancer drugs is controversial. In this study, the efficacy of local steroid injection was evaluated macroscopically and histologically in the extravasation models of doxorubicin (DXR), vinorelbine (VNR), and paclitaxel (PTX)in rats. Macroscopically, gross skin lesions were reduced by local steroid injections in rats treated with DXR and VNR.

Enhancement or Suppression of ACE Inhibitory Activity by a Mixture of Tea and Foods for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) That Are Marketed as "Support for Normal Blood Pressure".

The ACE inhibitory activities of mixtures of FOSHUs (Healthya, Goma-Mugicha, Lapis Support and Ameal) were examined in order to identify any antihypertensive interactions. Among combinations of Healthya with other samples that contain active peptides, only that with Ameal was found to have no inhibitory activity. Enhanced activity was observed in 2 other mixtures.

Expression of phosphatidylserine-specific phospholipase A(1) mRNA in human THP-1-derived macrophages.

The expression of phosphatidylserine-specific phospholipase A(1) (PS-PLA(1)) is most upregulated in the genes of peripheral blood cells from chronic rejection model rats bearing long-term surviving cardiac allografts. The expression profile of PS-PLA(1) in peripheral blood cells responsible for the immune response may indicate a possible biological marker for rejection episodes. In this study, PS-PLA(1) mRNA expression was examined in human THP-1-derived macrophages.

Morphological transformation and phosphatidylserine exposure in erythrocytes treated with ribavirin.

The effects of intracellular ribavirin on morphology and redistribution of phosphatidylserine (PS) in human erythrocytes were examined. Erythrocytes were incubated with 1 mM ribavirin in the presence/absence of dipyridamole, an inhibitor of es-type nucleoside transporter. Intracellular ribavirin was accumulated in erythrocytes with the concentration of 1361 muM, which corresponds to the blood level in patients receiving ribavirin.

Quantification of the levels of CYP2D6 mRNA in peripheral blood leukocytes by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction HPLC.

We developed a sensitive high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for determining CYP2D6 mRNA in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) by using competitive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The method is specific, reproducible, and sensitive enough to quantify the absolute amount of low and high abundant CYP2D6 mRNA. The native CYP2D6 transcript and the internal standard, a CYP2D6 deletion RNA, were amplified with similar efficiency in RT-PCR.

In-vitro and clinical evaluation of an oral mucosal adhesive film containing indomethacin.

To develop a new mucoadhesive film containing an analgesic combining clinical efficacy and patient comfort, we prepared and evaluated a two-layered film consisting of an adhesive layer containing indomethacin (IM) as the active ingredient and carboxyvinyl polymer (CP) as a bonding agent and a nonadhesive layer containing polyethylene glycol (PEG) to improve film texture. In in vitro and in vivo adhesive tests, the optimal concentration of CP that could be applied to the mucous membrane was 0.2% or 0.

Structure and function of phosphatidylserine-specific phospholipase A1.

Phospholipase A1 (PLA1) is an enzyme that hydrolyzes the sn-1 fatty acids from phospholipids and produces 2-acyl-lysophospholipids. Although PLA1 activities are detected in many tissues and cell lines, a limited number of PLA1s have been purified and cloned so far. These include phosphatidylserine (PS)-specific PLA1 (PS-PLA1) from rat platelets, PLA1 from vespid venom, and phosphatidic acid (PA)-preferential PLA1 (PA-PLA1).

Nerve growth factor activates mast cells through the collaborative interaction with lysophosphatidylserine expressed on the membrane surface of activated platelets.

Effect of nerve growth factor (NGF) on platelet-associated mast cell activation was investigated. Although neither NGF alone nor platelets alone induced significant 5-hydroxytriptamine (5-HT) release from rat peritoneal mast cells, marked 5-HT release was detected when costimulated with NGF and calcium ionophore-activated platelets. This response reached maximal levels as early as 5 min after the initiation of the coincubation and was completely blocked by anti-NGF Ab or by an inhibitor for a tyrosine kinase of the trkA NGF receptor.