Ibuprofen gargle for chemo- or Chemoradiotherapy-induced Oral Mucositis: a feasibility study.

Background: Oral mucositis frequently occurs in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy (CRT). This study examined the safety and efficacy of ibuprofen gargle in healthy volunteers and patients with chemotherapy- and concomitant CRT-induced oral mucositis.

Methods: We enrolled healthy volunteers and patients with chemotherapy- and CRT-induced oral mucositis.

Poly(L-glutamic acid)-co-poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymers for protein conjugation.

Poly(L-glutamic acid)-co-poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymers (PLE-PEG) are here investigated as polymers for conjugation to therapeutic proteins such as granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and human growth hormone (hGH). PLE-PEG block copolymers are able to stabilize and protect proteins from degradation and to prolong their residence time in the blood stream, features that are made possible thanks to PEG's intrinsic properties and the simultaneous presence of the biodegradable anionic PLE moiety. When PLE-PEG copolymers are selectively tethered to the N-terminus of G-CSF and hGH, they yield homogeneous monoconjugates that preserve the protein's secondary structure.

[Contributions to the Establishment and Promotion of Pharmacy Education Reform].

In 2006, four-year pharmacist training courses in Japanese pharmacy schools were extended to a six-year course. Around that time, I participated in a committee related to pharmacy education reform within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. I also joined the pharmacist division of the medical council of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, to reform the national pharmacist examination system.

Bitterness-Masking Effects of Different Beverages on Zopiclone and Eszopiclone Tablets.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the ability of different beverages to mask the bitterness of zopiclone and eszopiclone in tablet formulations using the artificial taste sensor and human gustatory sensation testing. The beverages tested for bitterness-masking effects were: Mugicha, Sports beverage, Lactic acid drink, Orange juice and a diluted simple syrup (an 8.5% sucrose solution).

Association of polymorphisms and extrapyramidal symptoms in schizophrenia patients receiving risperidone: a retrospective study.

Background: Risperidone is mainly metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 in the liver. The gene encoding is highly polymorphic. The average steady-state plasma concentration of risperidone active moiety is higher in the intermediate metabolizers (IMs) compared with that in the extensive metabolizers (EMs).

3D Culture Represents Apoptosis Induced by Trastuzumab Better than 2D Monolayer Culture.

Background: Our hypothesis was that three-dimensional (3D) culture better represents differential in vivo responses to trastuzumab between PIK3CA-wild-type (wt) and mutant (mt) cell lines than does two-dimensional (2D) culture.

Materials And Methods: Apoptosis and cell signaling proteins were evaluated in response to trastuzumab with and without BKM120, a pan-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, using western blot analysis of four breast cancer cell lines with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) amplification.

Results: Increased expression of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was observed only in 3D-cultured PIK3CA-wt lines in response to trastuzumab, but not in 2D-cultured PIK3CA-wt or PIK3CA-mt lines.

Association of Expression Levels or Activation Status of STAT3 with Treatment Outcomes of Sunitinib in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Background: The expression level of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in tumor cells is reported to associate with response to therapy and with survival time in various types of cancer.

Objective: This retrospective study aimed to elucidate the association of STAT3 expression in tumor cells with the therapeutic outcomes of sunitinib in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Patients And Methods: Patients with metastatic RCC who received sunitinib therapy were enrolled in this study.

Compatibility and Stability of Nab-Paclitaxel in Combination with Other Drugs.

Albumin-bound paclitaxel (Abraxane®, nab-paclitaxel) is not recommended to be administered concurrently or sequentially with other drugs due to concern for instability. The need to administer drugs separately increases infusion time. We evaluated the compatibility and stability of solutions containing nab-paclitaxel and other drugs, including gemcitabine hydrochloride, carboplatin, dexamethasone sodium phosphate, granisetron hydrochloride, and palonosetron hydrochloride.

Phase II study of palonosetron, aprepitant and dexamethasone to prevent nausea and vomiting induced by multiple-day emetogenic chemotherapy.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the antiemetic efficacy and safety of palonosetron, aprepitant and dexamethasone in patients with testicular germ cell tumours (TGCTs) receiving 5-day cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy.

Methods: In this open-label, single-arm, single-centre study, the antiemetic therapy consisted of palonosetron 0.75 mg on day 1, aprepitant 125 mg on day 1 and 80 mg on days 2-7 and dexamethasone 6.

Effects of Ascorbyl-2-phosphate Magnesium on Human Keratinocyte Toxicity and Pathological Changes by Sorafenib.

Hand-foot skin reaction is recognized as one of the most common adverse events related to multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors, but an effective prevention method has not been identified. The chief aim of this study was to find a mechanism-based preventive method for the skin toxicity induced by sorafenib using vitamin C derivatives. The effects of ascorbyl-2-phosphate magnesium (P-VC-Mg) on the molecular and pathological changes induced by sorafenib were investigated in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells.

Application of Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling for the Prediction of Tofacitinib Exposure in Japanese.

Tofacitinib (3-[(3R,4R)-4-methyl-3-[methyl(7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-yl)amino]piperidin-1-yl]-3 -oxopropanenitrile) is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor that is approved in countries including Japan and the United States for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and is being developed across the globe for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. In the present study, a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model was applied to compare the pharmacokinetics of tofacitinib in Japanese and Caucasians to assess the potential impact of ethnicity on the dosing regimen in the two populations. Simulated plasma concentration profiles and pharmacokinetic parameters, i.

Prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions after the great east Japan earthquake, 2011.

Few studies have investigated the appropriateness of antibiotic use in postdisaster settings. We retrospectively evaluated clinical databases on health care delivered at clinics near shelters set up after the Great East Japan Earthquake, 2011. We defined appropriate, acceptable, and inappropriate antibiotic use for each diagnostic category, by applying and adopting precedent studies and clinical guidelines.

Association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in STAT3, ABCB1, and ABCG2 with Stomatitis in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Treated with Sunitinib: A Retrospective Analysis in Japanese Patients.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 is a key factor in homeostasis of the oral mucosa by regulating the production of inflammatory cytokines. Sunitinib is a substrate of P-glycoprotein (multidrug resistance (MDR)-1/ABCB1) and breast-cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2). In this retrospective study, we evaluated the association between sunitinib-induced stomatitis and STAT3, ABCB1, and ABCG2 polymorphisms in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

Factors associated with residual gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms in patients receiving proton pump inhibitor maintenance therapy.

Aim: To elucidate the factors associated with residual gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms in patients receiving proton pump inhibitor (PPI) maintenance therapy in clinical practice.

Methods: The study included 39 GERD patients receiving maintenance PPI therapy. Residual symptoms were assessed using the Frequency Scale for Symptoms of GERD (FSSG) questionnaire and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS).

Effects of Topical Application of Betamethasone on Imiquimod-induced Psoriasis-like Skin Inflammation in Mice.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease mediated by dysregulated auto-reactive immune system. In this study, in order to confirm and further extend the pharmacological basis of topical steroids in psoriasis therapy, we investigated the effect of betamethasone ointment on imiquimod (IMQ)-induced skin inflammation in mice. In BALB/c mice, topical IMQ at the dose of 250 µg each on both sides of the ear induced marked psoriasis-like skin inflammation within 5 days.

Prostaglandin E reduces the keratinocyte toxicity of sorafenib by maintaining signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activity and enhancing the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) activity.

Hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR) is a common side effect of multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors (mTKIs). HFSR can necessitate dose reductions or interruption of therapy owing to its negative effect on the quality of life. Therefore, effective use of mTKIs requires measures to prevent HFSR.

Changes in blood concentrations of trace metals in cancer patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

The administration of cisplatin (CDDP) may influence trace metal concentrations in body fluids. In order to test this hypothesis, the blood concentrations of trace metals were determined during the present study in eight Japanese esophageal and lung cancer patients receiving CDDP-based chemotherapy. The levels of manganese, iron (Fe), cobalt, copper, zinc (Zn), platinum and lead in the plasma were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.

Effects of VLA-1 Blockade on Experimental Inflammation in Mice.

VLA-1 (very late antigen-1) is implicated in recruitment, retention and activation of leukocytes and its blockade has been referred as a potential target of new drug discovery to address unmet medical needs in inflammatory disease area. In the present study, we investigate the effects of an anti-murine CD49a (integrin α subunit of VLA-1) monoclonal antibody (Ha31/8) on various experimental models of inflammatory diseases in mice. Pretreatment with Ha31/8 at an intraperitoneal dose of 250 µg significantly (P<0.

Induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition via activation of epidermal growth factor receptor contributes to sunitinib resistance in human renal cell carcinoma cell lines.

Sunitinib is widely used for treating renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, some patients do not respond to treatment with this drug. We aimed to study the association between sunitinib sensitivity and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulation via epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling, which is a mechanism of resistance to anticancer drugs.

Association of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in STAT3 with Hand-Foot Skin Reactions in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Treated with Multiple Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors: A Retrospective Analysis in Japanese Patients.

Background: Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3 is a reported mediator of molecular-targeted drug-induced keratinocyte toxicity.

Aim: Our purpose was to assess the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in STAT3 with hand-foot skin reactions (HFSR) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitors (mTKIs).

Patients And Methods: Sixty-five Japanese patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma who were treated with any mTKI at Kobe University Hospital were retrospectively genotyped to elucidate a potential association between STAT3 polymorphisms and HFSR development.

Apoptotic Effects of the Extracts of Cordyceps militaris via Erk Phosphorylation in a Renal Cell Carcinoma Cell Line.

Cordyceps militaris (CM) is gaining attention as a traditional medicinal food, but its molecular biological mechanisms for anti-cancer activity are not identified or clarified. We aimed to elucidate the synthesizing apoptotic effects of CM extracts and to determine the biological effects of CM extract against cordycepin alone in a renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell line. CM extract showed higher effects of growth inhibition, apoptotic effect, and cell cycle arrest than cordycepin alone.