A multicenter prospective cohort study on the effect of smoking cessation on periodontal therapies in Japan.

Few prospective studies have reported the effects of periodontal therapy on patients who attempted to quit smoking. This study aimed to assess how smoking cessation affects periodontal therapy. Twenty-five smokers with periodontitis were investigated by dividing them into two groups, a smoking cessation support group and a continued smoking group.

A phenomenological reaction kinetic model for Cu removal from aqueous solutions by zero-valent iron (ZVI).

Zero-valent iron (ZVI) being an inexpensive and eco-friendly catalyst has drawn great attention in removal of heavy metals from wastewaters. However, quantitative understandings of ZVI processes are significantly deficient. To compensate for the lack of quantitative analyses of removal of heavy metals by ZVI, a phenomenological reaction kinetic model was newly developed for removal of Cu chosen as a typical heavy metal from acidic aqueous solutions by ZVI.

A Scale-up Approach for Film Coating Process Based on Surface Roughness as the Critical Quality Attribute.

Scale-up approaches for film coating process have been established for each type of film coating equipment from thermodynamic and mechanical analyses for several decades. The objective of the present study was to establish a versatile scale-up approach for film coating process applicable to commercial production that is based on critical quality attribute (CQA) using the Quality by Design (QbD) approach and is independent of the equipment used. Experiments on a pilot scale using the Design of Experiment (DoE) approach were performed to find a suitable CQA from surface roughness, contact angle, color difference, and coating film properties by terahertz spectroscopy.

Application of terahertz pulse imaging as PAT tool for non-destructive evaluation of film-coated tablets under different manufacturing conditions.

Film-coated tablets (FCTs) are a popular solid dosage form in pharmaceutical industry. Manufacturing conditions during the film-coating process affect the properties of the film layer, which might result in critical quality problems. Here, we analyzed the properties of the film layer using a non-destructive approach with terahertz pulsed imaging (TPI).

Three-layered architecture of the popliteal fascia that acts as a kinetic retinaculum for the hamstring muscles.

When patients report pain in the popliteal fossa upon knee extension, the pain is usually localized in the lower region of the popliteal fossa. However, some patients complain of pain in the upper region of the popliteal fossa as the knee is flexed, which motivated us to examine the role of the popliteal fascia as the retinaculum of the hamstring muscles. Thirty-four thighs from 19 Japanese cadavers were dissected.

Simultaneous removal of nitrate, hydrogen peroxide and phosphate in semiconductor acidic wastewater by zero-valent iron.

The zero-valent iron (ZVI) wastewater treatment has been applied to simultaneous removal of nitrate, hydrogen peroxide and phosphate in semiconductor acidic wastewaters. The simultaneous removal occurs by the reactions performed due to the sequential transformation of ZVI under the acidic condition. Fortunately the solution pH of semiconductor acidic wastewaters is low which is effective for the sequential transformation of ZVI.

Profile of new green fluorescent protein transgenic Jinhua pigs as an imaging source.

Animal imaging sources have become an indispensable material for biological sciences. Specifically, gene-encoded biological probes serve as stable and high-performance tools to visualize cellular fate in living animals. We use a somatic cell cloning technique to create new green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing Jinhua pigs with a miniature body size, and characterized the expression profile in various tissues/organs and ex vivo culture conditions.

Influence of fillers in powder formulations containing N-acetyl-L-cysteine on nasal peptide absorption.

We examined the influence of filler species on the nasal absorbability of peptide drugs via a newly developed powdery formulation system containing N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) as an absorption enhancer. Using salmon calcitonin (SCT) as the principal model drug, we tested the effects of various formulations with different powder materials as fillers on the nasal absorption of SCT in rats. An intranasal administration experiment revealed that the use of less wettable powders provided better nasal absorbability, and the highest absolute bioavailability (30.

Improved nasal absorption of salmon calcitonin by powdery formulation with N-acetyl-L-cysteine as a mucolytic agent.

To establish a new formulation technology for the nasal delivery of peptide and protein drugs, we examined whether a mucolytic agent, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), could enhance the nasal absorption of a powder form of salmon calcitonin, a model peptide drug. We used ethylcellulose as an inert water-insoluble excipient. Various test formulations were prepared, and the effects on nasal absorbability were evaluated in rats and dogs.

Enhancement of intestinal absorption of poorly absorbed hydrophilic compounds by simultaneous use of mucolytic agent and non-ionic surfactant.

The effect of co-administration of a mucolytic agent with a penetration enhancer was assessed on the intestinal absorption of poorly absorbed hydrophilic compounds. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled dextran with average molecular weight of ca. 4.

Factors affecting the characteristics of rapidly disintegrating tablets in the mouth prepared by the crystalline transition of amorphous sucrose.

The aim of this study is to investigate the factors affecting the characteristics of rapidly disintegrating tablets containing an amorphous ingredient prepared by crystalline transition method (CTM) under various storage conditions. Effect of storage conditions and formulating ratio of amorphous sucrose on the characteristic changes (tensile strength, porosity, and disintegration time) of the rapidly disintegrating tablets was studied. The storage conditions of different temperature and humidity affected the rate of crystalline transition and the increase in the tablet tensile strength.