Comparison of the conventional and immersing powdered crude drugs (IPCD) methods for color and extraction of quantitative indicator ingredients in the Kampo formula decoction of daiokanzoto.

Aim: The immersing powdered crude drugs (IPCD) method is a quick and simple method for preparing decoctions. Here, the conventional and IPCD methods were compared for the color and extraction of quantitative indicator ingredients in the daiokanzoto decoction solution, and the suitability of the IPCD method was assessed.

Methods: The color of decoction solutions was visually observed, and the Commission Internationale de L'éclairage (CIE) L*a*b*color parameters were measured using conventional and IPCD methods.

An attempt at administering a transdermal formulation of bisoprolol in patients with acute cardiac symptoms.

Background: Bisono® is the world's first transdermal formulation of a bisoprolol, which is approved for the treatment of hypertension in Japan. We aimed to investigate the usefulness of this formulation in patients who were admitted to our hospital with cardiac symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome or an acute exacerbation of heart failure.

Methods: This study involved a retrospective survey of medical records from September 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018 obtained from the Cardiovascular Center of Kyoto Katsura Hospital.

A retrospective analysis of patient-specific factors on voriconazole clearance.

Background: Voriconazole concentrations display a large variability, which cannot completely be explained by known factors. We investigated the relationships of voriconazole concentration with patient-specific variables and concomitant medication to identify clinical factors affecting voriconazole clearance.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of voriconazole trough concentration, laboratory data, and concomitant medication in patients was performed.

Preparation and pharmaceutical evaluation of acetaminophen nano-fiber tablets: Application of a solvent-based electrospinning method for tableting.

In this study, we developed nano-fiber-based tablets with acetaminophen (AAP; LogPow=0.51) for controlled-release delivery systems and evaluated in vitro drug dissolution and in vivo pharmacokinetics in rats. Nano-fibers made from methacrylic acid copolymer S (MAC; EUDRAGIT S100) and containing AAP were prepared using a solvent-based electrospinning (ES) method.

Preparation of methacrylic acid copolymer S nano-fibers using a solvent-based electrospinning method and their application in pharmaceutical formulations.

In this study, we applied an electrospinning (ES) method, which is mainly employed in the textile industry, to the field of pharmaceuticals. We developed and modified an ES instrument and then utilized it to produce methacrylic acid copolymer S (MAC) nano-fibers to prepare tablets. By attaching a conductor rod made from stainless steel to the central part of the nano-fiber-collection plate of the ES apparatus, a MAC nano-fiber sheet could be produced effectively.

Comparison of the expression and function of ATP binding cassette transporters in Caco-2 and T84 cells on stimulation by selected endogenous compounds and xenobiotics.

Caco-2 and T84 cells are intestinal epithelial model cells. Caco-2 cells are more commonly used in drug transport studies, whereas only a few studies have used T84 cells, and the two cell lines have not been compared. We cultured Caco-2 and T84 cells on plastic dishes or polycarbonate Transwell filters and compared the expression and function of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters, including multidrug resistance protein (MDR) 1 and multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) 2 and MRP3, in response to various compounds.

Preparation and pharmaceutical evaluation of new sustained-release capsule including starch-sponge matrix (SSM).

The focus of current study was to demonstrate a new sustained-release capsule including starch-sponge matrix (SSM) and to investigate how the pharmaceutical properties of SSM affect the drug release or its pharmacokinetic properties. Three representative drugs (uranine [UN], indomethacin [IMC] and nifedipine [NFP]) with different physicochemical properties (LogP(ow): 0.10, 1.

Effect of cyclosporine on drug transport and pharmacokinetics of nifedipine.

Nifedipine (NFP) is an anti-hypersensitive drug and a well-known substrate of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), while cyclosporine (CSP) is a potent p-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor. P-gp is a drug transporter, which determines the absorption and bioavailability of many drugs that are substrates for P-gp. Drugs that induce or inhibit P-gp may have a profound effect on the absorption and pharmacokinetics (PK) of drugs transported by P-gp within the body, possibly compromising their bioavailability.

Gender-related differences in expression and function of hepatic P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance-associated protein (Mrp2) in rats.

To clarify whether gender-related differences exist in the expression and function of hepatic P-glycoprotein- and/or multidrug resistance-associated protein (Mrp2), we measured the hepatobiliary excretion of doxorubicin and their protein levels in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. When rats received a single intravenous injection of doxorubicin (5 mg/kg), a delay in the disappearance of doxorubicin from plasma was observed in male rats. When rats received a constant-rate infusion of doxorubicin, no significant gender-related differences in the apparent biliary clearance of doxorubicin based on the steady state plasma concentrations were observed between male and female rats.

[Objective evaluation of clinical pharmacy lectures and experience in a master program using visual analog scale method].

We conducted an investigation to determine whether the visual analogue scale (VAS) method could be utilized in evaluating the lectures and pharmacy experience of the Division of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University. Graduate students who had finished the 1-year pharmacy experience at the Kanazawa University Hospital were asked to make a self-evaluation of the understanding/attainment of lectures and experience in the course. Since the experience was carried out as a one-student-to-one-pharmacist system, the preceptors (pharmacists) were also asked to evaluate their corresponding students.

Experimental demonstration of the unstirred water layer effect on drug transport in Caco-2 cells.

We previously demonstrated that P-glycoprotein and MRP2 contribute to the secretory transport of grepafloxacin in the small intestine. Although inhibitors of these secretory transporters increased absorptive transport of grepafloxacin, secretory transport was not altered in Caco-2 cells, as determined by a conventional Transwell method. Because the value of the permeability coefficient of grepafloxacin is high, permeation through the unstirred water layer (UL) might be the rate-limiting step.

PepT1 mRNA expression is induced by starvation and its level correlates with absorptive transport of cefadroxil longitudinally in the rat intestine.

Purpose: To establish how closely intestinal transport activity for beta-lactam antibiotics is correlated with PepT1 expression, absolute expression level of PepT1 mRNA and transport activity were determined longitudinally in the small intestine of fed and starved rats.

Methods: For evaluation of absolute expression levels of PepTl mRNA, quantitative RT-PCR by LightCycler was used. The transport function was determined by quantifying the absorptive transport of cefadroxil across intestinal tissue sheets in a Ussing chamber.

Involvement of multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 in intestinal secretion of grepafloxacin in rats.

We investigated the contribution of multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) to the secretory transport of grepafloxacin and compared its functional role with that of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) by using Sprague-Dawley rats (SDRs) and Eisai hyperbilirubinemic rats (EHBRs), in which MRP2 is hereditarily defective. In intestinal tissue from SDRs mounted in Ussing chambers, the level of transport in the direction from the serosal layer to the mucosal layer was twofold greater than that in the direction from the mucosal layer to the serosal layer. This secretory transport of grepafloxacin was diminished by both probenecid, an MRP2 inhibitor, and cyclosporine, a P-gp inhibitor.