Predicting drug release and degradation kinetics of long-acting microsphere formulations of tacrolimus for subcutaneous injection.

Today, tacrolimus represents a cornerstone of immunosuppressive therapy for liver and kidney transplants and remains subject of preclinical and clinical investigations, aiming at the development of long-acting depot formulations for subcutaneous injection. One major challenge arises from establishing in vitro-in vivo correlations due to the absence of meaningful in vitro methods predictive for the in vivo situation, together with a strong impact of multiple kinetic processes on the plasma concentration-time profile. In the present approach, two microsphere formulations were compared with regards to their in vitro release and degradation characteristics.

Predictive variables for hemodialysis and death in Japanese spotted fever, and the association between distance from rivers and incidence.

The number of patients with Japanese spotted fever (JSF) and its case fatality rate have been increasing in Japan and other East Asian countries. Better clinical and laboratory biomarkers are needed to avoid misdiagnosing JSF and to predict severe cases. In addition to determining these predictors, we aimed to examine the association between the incidence of JSF and the distance from rivers, in Hiroshima Prefecture, one of the most JSF prevalent areas in Japan.

Novel Dissolution Approach for Tacrolimus-Loaded Microspheres Using a Dialysis Membrane for in Vitro-in Vivo Correlation.

The aim of this study was to establish a novel approach to in vitro dissolution evaluation using a combination of the paddle method and a dialysis membrane, both to predict the overall in vivo performance of tacrolimus microspheres and also to identify a suitable dissolution test method to describe the in vivo initial burst phenomenon. This new dissolution method for evaluating the release of tacrolimus from microspheres consisted of rotating a customized paddle inside a dialysis membrane using a conventional paddle apparatus. Findings were compared with a method in which the paddle was rotated outside the dialysis membrane, the conventional paddle method, and the flow-through cell method.

Laparoscopic completion gastrectomy in elderly patients with remnant gastric cancer: a case series.

Background: Open completion gastrectomy (OCG) has been selected to treat remnant gastric cancer (RGC) due to severe adhesions and difficulty recognizing anatomical orientation after primary gastrectomy. In general, elderly individuals' physiological reserves gradually decrease. Moreover, elderly patients (EPs) often have multiple complicating factors (i.

Laparoscopic total gastrectomy for remnant gastric cancer: A single-institution experience.

Introduction: The incidence of remnant gastric cancer is increasing because of past use of subtotal gastrectomy to treat peptic ulcer and increased survival rates after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The feasibility and advantages of laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) for remnant gastric cancer remain unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the safety, feasibility, and clinical short-term outcomes of LTG for remnant gastric cancer.

A Rare Surgical Case of Giant Jejunal Artery Aneurysm in a Young Patient.

Aneurysms of the abdominal visceral arteries are infrequently encountered. Jejunal artery aneurysm (JAA) is one of the rarest visceral aneurysms, especially in young patients. Endovascular surgery tends to be an effective treatment for visceral artery aneurysms.

Prediction of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation by Liver Function Tests in Patients with Japanese Spotted Fever.

Objective Cases of Japanese spotted fever (JSF) are sometimes complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) with an abnormal liver function, resulting in unfavorable outcomes. The aim of the present study was to clarify the correlation between liver function test results and DIC scores. Methods Twenty patients diagnosed with JSF between April 2010 and April 2014 were enrolled.

[Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy with CyberKnife®for Liver Metastases from Colorectal Cancer].

For treatment of colorectal liver metastases, liver resection is recommended for resectable cases in the clinical guidelines for colorectal cancer. On the other hand, there are currently no data supporting the efficacy of radiation therapy as a topical treatment, and this treatment can therefore not presently be recommended. With CyberKnife®, it is possible to perform stereotactic radiation therapy using a linear accelerator with high accuracy, even for lesions in the trunk area such as liver metastases.

Effect of sub- and supercritical water treatments on the physicochemical properties of crab shell chitin and its enzymatic degradation.

This study examined the effects of sub- and supercritical water pretreatments on the physicochemical properties of crab shell α-chitin and its enzymatic degradation to obtain N,N'-diacetylchitobiose (GlcNAc)2. Following sub- and supercritical water pretreatments, the protein in the crab shell was removed and the residue of crab shell contained α-chitin and CaCO3. Prolonged pretreatment led to α-chitin decomposition.

Effects of supercritical water and mechanochemical grinding treatments on physicochemical properties of chitin.

This study examined the effects of a combined pretreatment with supercritical water and mechanochemical grinding with a ball mill on the physicochemical properties of chitin and its enzymatic degradation. Following pretreatment with a combination of supercritical water and grinding, chitin had a lower mean molecular weight, a lower crystallinity index, a lower crystallite size, greater d-spacing, weaker hydrogen bonds, and the amide group was more exposed compared with untreated chitin. These properties increased the hydrophilicity of the chitin and enhanced its enzymatic degradation.

A study of appropriate flow rate settings for cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy and change of cytokine concentrations in ascites.

We examined appropriate flow rates for high collection rates of Total Protein (TP) and Albumin (Alb) and a change of IL-6 concentrations in the cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (CART) process. No significant changes were observed in IL-6 concentration in the ascites storage test and the circulatory stimulation test. However, it was confirmed that the quantity of IL-6 in the ascites decreased by means of filtration and concentration.

Insufficient control of morning home blood pressure in Japanese patients with hypertension associated with diabetes mellitus.

Unlabelled: Aims/Introduction:  The combination of hypertension with diabetes mellitus (DM) has been recognized as a critical risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We investigated the blood pressure levels in hypertensive patients with DM (HDM patients) compared with those without DM (HnDM patients). Furthermore, we examined the effect of risk factors, including chronic kidney disease (CKD) and stroke, on the management of both office blood pressure (OBP) and morning home blood pressure (MHBP).

Discriminant Analysis of Undaria pinnatifida Production Areas Using Trace Elemental Analysis.

Increasingly, attention is being paid to declaring the origin of agricultural and marine products after the advent of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE; commonly known as mad-cow disease). The display of the production centers on U. pinnatifida has been required in Japan since 2006.

Prediction of carcinogenicity for diverse chemicals based on substructure grouping and SVM modeling.

The Carcinogenicity Reliability Database (CRDB) was constructed by collecting experimental carcinogenicity data on about 1,500 chemicals from six sources, including IARC, and NTP databases, and then by ranking their reliabilities into six unified categories. A wide variety of 911 organic chemicals were selected from the database for QSAR modeling, and 1,504 kinds of different molecular descriptors were calculated, based on their 3D molecular structures as modeled by the Dragon software. Positive (carcinogenic) and negative (non-carcinogenic) chemicals containing various substructures were counted using atom and functional group count descriptors, and the statistical significance of ratios of positives to negatives was tested for those substructures.

Olmesartan and temocapril prevented the development of hyperglycemia and the deterioration of pancreatic islet morphology in Otsuka-Long-Evans-Tokushima Fatty rats.

We investigated the impact of olmesartan and temocapril on pancreatic islet beta-cells during the development of diabetes mellitus using Otsuka-Long-Evans-Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats. Four-week-old male OLETF rats were fed standard chow (untreated:n5), or chow containing either 0.005% olmesartan(n5) or 0.

Scattering dilution method in Fourier transform infrared spectrometry.

For the measurement methods of powder samples or muddy samples using infrared spectrometry, we proposed the scattering dilution method and scattering filter method. In our methods, the fabricating pellets are made by pressing mixed alkali halide powders (KBr/CsI). That is why the dilution powder's (KBr/CsI powders') packing ratio becomes almost 100%, thus giving the pellets a sufficient scattering effect.

The MUSCAT study: a Multicenter PROBE Study Comparing the Effects of Angiotensin II Type-1 Receptor Blockers on Self-Monitored Home Blood Pressure in Patients with Morning Hypertension: study design and background characteristics.

Elevated morning home blood pressure (MHBP) has been reported to have a close relationship to cerebro-cardiovascular events and hypertensive target organ damages, and hence is regarded as a predictor of cardiovascular events. However, there is no evidence that lowering of MHBP can improve morbidity, mortality or target organ damage. In recent guidelines, angiotensin II type-1 receptor blockers (ARBs) are recommended as the first-choice drugs for antihypertensive therapy.

Systematization method for distinguishing plastic groups by using NIR spectroscopy.

A systematic classification method for polymers is not yet available in case of using near infrared spectra (NIR). That is why we have been searching for a systematic method. Because raw NIR spectra usually have few obvious peaks, NIR spectra have been pretreated by 2nd derivation for taking well modulated spectra.

Steroid pulse therapy impaired endothelial function while increasing plasma high molecule adiponectin concentration in patients with IgA nephropathy.

Background: Decreased plasma adiponectin is associated with impaired endothelial function and, thereby, increased risk for cardiovascular events. Glucocorticoid (GC) affects vascular endothelial cells either favourably or harmfully depending upon the dosages and duration. We examined the effect of GC pulse therapy on vascular endothelial function.

Practical efficacy of telmisartan for decreasing morning home blood pressure and pulse wave velocity in patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension.

The current guideline-recommended blood pressure values are difficult to maintain in general practice, partly due to the lack of ideal anti-hypertensive agents. Since morning hypertension has a high correlation with cardiovascular events, expectations that telmisartan, a long-acting angiotensin-II type-1 receptor blocker (ARB), can improve cardiovascular mortality are high. In this study, the efficiency of telmisartan in reducing morning hypertension and pulse wave velocity (PWV) as a practical surrogate endpoint was investigated.

[Effect of angiotensin II receptor blocker on insulin signaling in skeletal muscle cells].

Impairment of insulin-dependent glucose uptake in skeletal muscles plays a major role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. Angiotensin converting-enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) has been demonstrated to improve insulin-sensitivity in diabetic patients, partly through the increase in peripheral blood flow mediated by either suppressed angiotensin II or elevated bradykinin. Recently, angiotensin II type-1 receptor blocker (ARB) has been shown to produce similar effects, postulating the importance of intracellular signaling cross-talk between angiotensin II and insulin.

Extraction of diffuse reflection spectrum on reflectance spectroscopy for solid or powder surfaces.

Reflectance spectroscopy usually produces distorted spectra because it is arbitrarily composed of two different types of reflectance, specular reflectance and diffuse reflectance. That is why this has been an annoying problem for reflectance spectroscopists. In this report, we studied the extraction of only the diffuse reflectance spectra from several reflectance spectra using redundant multiple spectral information, non-negative transformation of the recorded spectra and information processing as the multi-curve resolution.

The in vitro synthesized and processed human insulin receptor precursor binds insulin.

The cell-free examination of the human insulin receptor during biogenesis may provide a greater understanding of the elements that contribute to the acquisition of receptor function. The insulin receptor precursor components were produced in a cell-free system and the insulin binding ability of the [35S]methionine-labeled translation products was determined. The processed proreceptor represented by a 190 kDa band was retained on insulin-linked biotin-streptavidin agarose or an insulin column.

Decay-accelerating factor (CD55) deficiency phenotypes in Japanese.

Decay-accelerating factor (DAF, CD55) is a complement regulatory glycoprotein that expresses the Cromer-system blood group antigens. Two, very rare, inherited DAF-deficiency phenotypes, Inab and Dr(a-), were identified in Japanese propositi. Red cells of the Inab phenotype propositus had no Cromer-system antigens and did not bind monoclonal anti-DAF.