[Liver Injury Risk Factors in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients Treated with Riluzole].

Riluzole, a drug used in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is associated with a high incidence of liver failure. It is imperative to determine risk factors and severity of liver injury in patients taking riluzole to devise an appropriate treatment regimen. We, therefore, studied risk factors for liver injury in ALS patients who were prescribed riluzole at Kitasato University East Hospital from 1999 to 2015.

Anti-angiogenic effects of valproic acid in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy.

Pathological retinal angiogenesis contributes to the pathogenesis of several ocular diseases. Valproic acid, a widely used antiepileptic drug, exerts anti-angiogenic effects by inhibiting histone deacetylase (HDAC). Herein, we investigated the effects of valproic acid and vorinostat, a HDAC inhibitor, on pathological retinal angiogenesis in mice with oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR).

Effects of zolpidem/triazolam on cognitive performance 12 hours after acute administration.

Objective: Most previous studies have concluded that decreased cognitive function and performance due to ultra-short acting hypnotics do not persist after 6-9 h post-administration. This study examined the effects of ultra-short acting hypnotics on cognitive function and performance 12 h after administration, ie, a time considered sufficient for the effects of hypnotics to disappear.

Methods: Thirteen healthy young male volunteers (mean age, 23.

Population pharmacokinetics of tazobactam/piperacillin in Japanese patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

The population pharmacokinetics on tazobactam/piperacillin (TAZ/PIPC; 1:8, 4.5 g x 3) was analyzed in Japanese patients with community-acquired pneumonia using the Nonlinear Mixed Effect Model version VI. Analysis by the one-compartment model yielded the following results for PIPC: total clearance (CL) = 8.

[The pharmacist's role in smoking cessation].

Since they have very good opportunities to aid smokers in quitting smoking at clinics or pharmacies, pharmacists play an important role in encouraging smoking cessation. They should be aware of the significance of tobacco abstinence. Therapeutic assistance for cessation includes drug treatment of nicotine dependence and counseling based on behavioral science for psychological dependence.

Bibliographical investigation (domestic and overseas) on the treatment of endogenous Candida endophthalmitis over an 11-year period.

A bibliographic search was conducted of cases of Candida endophthalmitis reported in Japan and overseas between 2000 and 2011, in the Japana Centra Revuo Medicina Website of Japan Medical Abstracts Society (domestic reports) and MEDLINE (overseas reports). The investigation yielded 42 reports in domestic journals (49 cases ; hereinafter referred to as domestic cases) and 39 reports in journals published overseas (46 cases ; hereinafter referred to as overseas cases). The isolation rate of Candida albicans in the domestic cases was 65.

Compatibility of carbapenem antibiotics with nafamostat mesilate in arterial infusion therapy for severe acute pancreatitis: stabilities of carbapenem antibiotics.

The effectiveness of continuous regional arterial infusion therapy using protease inhibitors and antibiotics for severe acute pancreatitis has been previously reported. Carbapenem antibiotics, which have a broad antibacterial spectrum, and nafamostat mesilate are often used for this therapeutic approach. We investigated the compatibility of various carbapenem antibiotics with nafamostat mesilate.

Evaluation of arbekacin anti-MRSA agents for adult in Japan.

There are a limited number of reports that compare the clinical efficacy of anti-MRSA agents such as arbekacin (ABK), vancomycin (VCM), teicoplanin (TEIC) and linezolid (LZD). There is a tendency for these four agents to show variation in the inflammatory response parameters, in C-reactive protein (CRP) and in white blood cell count (WBC), depending on the administration period. There was no significant difference among the agents in analysis of variance (ANOVA) in the group of days 1-3 (p = 0.

Investigation and threshold of optimum blood concentration of voriconazole: a descriptive statistical meta-analysis.

Voriconazole (VRCZ) reportedly possesses a broad spectrum of antifungal activity against Aspergillus spp. and Candida spp., and the blood concentration of VRCZ is correlated with both the efficacy and the adverse effects of this drug.

Clinical efficacy of arbekacin for Gram-negative bacteria.

In an analysis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infected patients treated with arbekacin (ABK) only, Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) that were inhibited by low minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of amikacin (AMK) or gentamycin (GM) were eradicated by the end of the ABK treatment. On the other hand, GNB that were only inhibited by high MICs of AMK or GM persisted until the end of treatment with ABK only. Thus, ABK can be expected to be effective even in cases of mixed infection with GNB and MRSA.

Dose conversion in opioid rotation from continuous intravenous infusion of morphine hydrochloride injection to fentanyl patch in the management of cancer pain.

Opioid rotation has been proposed for management of cancer pain. No studies directly investigating dose equivalence between morphine injection (continuous IV administration) and the transdermal fentanyl patch have been reported. Therefore, we examined dose conversion ratios in patients undergoing opioid rotation from morphine injection to fentanyl patches.