The first structure-activity relationship study of oxytocin as a positive allosteric modulator for the µ opioid receptor.

Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have drawn attention as novel drug candidates. PAMs can enhance the activities of endogenous agonists which are not only secreted at appropriate times and in parts of the body, but also are immediately metabolized. Therefore, they are expected to show fewer side effects than exogeneous orthosteric ligands.

Safety of vancomycin in patients with moderate and severe renal dysfunction.

Aim: The new guidelines in Japan do not recommend a vancomycin (VCM) loading dose for patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 30 < and ≤ 80 mL×min×1.73m (moderate renal dysfunction) or administration to those with the eGFR < 30 mL×min×1.73m (severe renal dysfunction).

A Case of Anoxic Brain Injury Presenting with Agraphia of kanji in the Foreground.

A 63-year-old woman was hospitalized for rehabilitation from the aftereffects of an anoxic brain injury. In addition to a general cognitive decline, agraphia of and was noted at the time of admission, which had advanced to agraphia which is dominant in at the time of hospital discharge. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed no stroke lesions, and brain perfusion scintigraphy found a decreased blood flow in the bilateral parietal lobes.

Antistress effects of Kampo medicine "Yokukansan" via regulation of orexin secretion.

Objective: Various stressors induce stress responses through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary axes, which are regulated, in part, by orexin. For example, secretion of orexin in the hypothalamus is increased in rats exposed to the stress of social isolation for 1 week. In this study, the antistress effects of Kampo medicine Yokukansan (YKS) via the regulation of orexin secretion were investigated using a rat model.