Poly(oxyethylene)/Poly(oxypropylene) butyl ether prolongs the repellent effect of N,N-diethyl-3-toluamide on the skin.

N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) is a widely used insect repellent, with minimal skin permeation and sustained repellent activity in the superficial layers of the skin. In this study, we prepared a 10% DEET formulation consisting of 40% ethanol with or without 2% poly(oxyethylene)/poly(oxypropylene) butyl ether (POE-POP), an amphiphilic random copolymer. Further, we demonstrated the effects of POE-POP on tensile stress (stickiness), hydrophobicity, skin retention, permeation, and repellent activity of DEET.

,-Diethyl-3-toluamide Formulation Based on Ethanol Containing 0.1% 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin Attenuates the Drug's Skin Penetration and Prolongs the Repellent Effect without Stickiness.

,-diethyl-3-toluamide (DEET) is one of the most widely used insect repellents in the world. It was reported that a solution containing 6-30% cyclodextrin (CD) as a solvent instead of ethanol (EtOH) provided an enhancement of the repellent action time duration of the DEET formulation, although the high-dose CD caused stickiness. In order to overcome this shortcoming, we attempted to prepare a 10% DEET formulation using EtOH containing low-dose CDs (β-CD, 2-hydroxypropyl-β-CD (HPβCD), methyl-β-CD, and sulfobutylether-β-CD) as solvents (DEET/EtOH/CD formulations).

Aortoesophageal fistula due to esophageal ulcer.

Aortoesophageal fistula is a rare but fatal disease. Many such fistulas are caused by an aortic aneurysm, a previous operation, or esophageal disease. We report a case of aortoesophageal fistula due to an esophageal ulcer.

Cerebellar posterior superior vermis and cognitive cluster scores in drug-naive patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

Previously, we performed an MRI study that revealed smaller volumes of the subregions of the cerebellar vermis in men and women with chronic schizophrenia. An issue that arose from that study was whether similar structural changes in the cerebellum are found in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. In the present study, MRI scans were acquired from 14 drug-naive patients with first-episode schizophrenia and 16 healthy subjects, and used to measure the volumes of their cerebellar subregions.

Corpus callosum in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: diffusion-tensor imaging study.

Purpose: To prospectively examine microstructural white matter abnormalities in the corpus callosum (CC) of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as compared with control subjects, and to investigate the relationship between diffusion-tensor (DT) imaging measures of the CC region and clinical symptoms of OCD.

Materials And Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained, and each participant--or the participant's parent(s)--provided written informed consent. Sixteen patients with OCD (seven male, nine female; mean age, 28.

Effectiveness of treatment with donepezil hydrochloride and changes in regional cerebral blood flow in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: The objective of this study was to elucidate the relationship between the effects of donepezil hydrochloride (donepezil) and cerebral blood flow, and to evaluate the usefulness of cerebral blood flow imaging in assessing and predicting treatment effectiveness.

Methods: The subjects were 29 outpatients (12 men and 17 women; age 50-82 years; mean age 69.2 years), who had received a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Olanzapine increases grey and white matter volumes in the caudate nucleus of patients with schizophrenia.

There are inconsistent reports regarding the caudate nucleus volume in patients with schizophrenia compared with healthy subjects. The reason for this is that neuroleptic medication may affect the volume of the caudate nucleus in schizophrenic patients. To clarify which antipsychotic medication changes the volume of the caudate nucleus in patients with schizophrenia, we measured the volumes of grey and white matter in the caudate nucleus of schizophrenic patients.

Increased omega complexity and decreased microstate duration in nonmedicated schizophrenic patients.

To explore brain functions in schizophrenic patients, the global analytic strategy of multichannel EEG was performed that combines measures of global complexity (Omega), total power (Sigma) and generalized frequency (Phi), and EEG microstate analysis was applied to multichannel EEG data for 24 nonmedicated patients and 24 healthy subjects. The patients had higher Omega and Sigma values, and lower Phi values compared with healthy subjects. Three topographical classes were obtained from all EEG data by EEG microstate analysis.

Effects of the serotonin type 2A, 3A and 3B receptor and the serotonin transporter genes on paroxetine and fluvoxamine efficacy and adverse drug reactions in depressed Japanese patients.

In this study, we tested the influence of the serotonin type 2A, 3A and 3B receptor genes (HTR2A, HTR3A, HTR3B) in addition to a polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter (SERTPR), and investigated the different characteristics of clinical responses to paroxetine and fluvoxamine. A total of 100 Japanese patients affected by major recurrent depression were enrolled in a randomized 6-week study. The clinical response was evaluated using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), and adverse drug reactions were assessed at each visit.

Neural disorganization in the superior cerebellar peduncle and cognitive abnormality in patients with schizophrenia: A diffusion tensor imaging study.

Disconnection in the frontal-thalamic-cerebellar circuit is thought to be associated with cognitive abnormality in patients with schizophrenia. The superior cerebellar peduncle is involved in neural connectivity in the circuit. Because diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can detect neural disconnection, we investigated whether there was neural disruption in the superior cerebellar peduncle in patients with schizophrenia.

Diffusion tensor imaging study of the middle cerebellar peduncles in patients with schizophrenia.

Recent evidence from neuroimaging studies suggests that neural dysfunction is involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a technique that has the potential to detect subtle disruptions of neural connectivity. Fractional anisotropy (FA), which is measured by DTI, is a measure of the directionality of diffusion anisotropy.

Controlled clinical comparison of paroxetine and fluvoxamine considering the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism.

The present study aimed to compare the effects of two currently used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in Japan taking the individual background in 5-HTT gene-linked polymorphic region (5HTTLPR) genotype into account. Clinical responses to paroxetine and fluvoxamine were evaluated by total and cluster depressive symptoms for 81 Japanese patients who were diagnosed with major depression. Patients with the l allele had a greater percentage reduction on the total score (P=0.

Successful electroconvulsive treatment of depression associated with a marked reduction in the symptoms of tardive dyskinesia.

This report describes improvement of tardive dyskinesia (TD) in a patient who received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depression. The patient, an elderly Asian male, was treated for major depression with ECT and showed a rapid improvement of TD that may have been caused by any number of drugs or combination of drugs. We discuss the possibility of improving TD by treating the depression with ECT.

Reduced white matter volume of the caudate nucleus in patients with schizophrenia.

To examine volumetric abnormality, the caudate nucleus was measured in patients with schizophrenia and healthy subjects using magnetic resonance imaging. The absolute and relative volumes of white matter in the caudate nucleus were found to be significantly smaller in patients with schizophrenia compared to those in healthy subjects. There were significant correlations between dosages of neuroleptics during the previous year and absolute gray matter volumes of the caudate nucleus as well as relative white matter volumes in patients with schizophrenia.

Subtle disruption of the middle cerebellar peduncles in patients with schizophrenia.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to investigate subtle disruption in the middle cerebellar peduncles in patients with schizophrenia. Fractional anisotropy (FA) was measured in 25 patients with schizophrenia and 21 healthy subjects using DTI. The FA of the right and left middle cerebellar peduncles was significantly lower in the schizophrenic patients compared to healthy subjects.

Global approach to multichannel electroencephalogram analysis for diagnosis and clinical evaluation in mild Alzheimer's disease.

To establish an early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), we evaluated brain spatial dynamics and cognitive function in mild AD. Seventeen patients with the diagnosis of mild AD and 17 age-matched controls were examined for Omega (global complexity), Sigma (total power) and Phi (generalized frequency) by 19-channel electroencephalography (EEG). As a result, the mild AD group showed significantly higher Omega values than the control group.

Inter- and intraoperator reliability of brain tissue measures using magnetic resonance imaging.

Grey matter, white matter and cerebrospinal volume in the human brain were measured using magnetic resonance image analysis software BRAINS. Ten volunteers were scanned in the MR sequence (3D-SPGR; 1.5-mm slice thickness and T2 images; 3mm slice thickness).

Radioiodinated SB 207710 as a radioligand in vivo: imaging of brain 5-HT4 receptors with SPET.

Single-photon emission tomography (SPET) and positron emission tomography (PET), when coupled to suitable radioligands, are uniquely powerful for investigating the status of neurotransmitter receptors in vivo. The serotonin subtype-4 (5-HT(4)) receptor has discrete and very similar distributions in rodent and primate brain. This receptor population may play a role in normal cognition and memory and is perhaps perturbed in some neuropsychiatric disorders.