Stop posterior wall puncture of the arteriovenous graft (AVG). New findings of cannulation techniques from a prospective observational study with an AVG model and plastic cannula for dialysis.

Background: Posterior wall puncture of the AVG causes serious vascular access complications, but there is no concrete technical recommendation for AVG cannulation with plastic cannula. The purpose of this study is to identify cannulation techniques to reduce posterior wall puncture of the AVG using plastic cannula.

Methods: Sixty-three hemodialysis nurses' cannulations on experimental models were recorded and included in this study.

Evaluation of the Direct Costs of Managing Adverse Drug Events in all Ages and of Avoidable Adverse Drug Events in Older Adults in Japan.

In Japan, medical costs are increasing annually, and the increase in national medical costs, particularly in the direct cost of managing adverse drug events, is high. An in-depth understanding of these costs is important for their reduction. This study aimed to calculate the direct cost of managing adverse drug events in all ages, including older adults, and that of avoidable adverse drug events in older adults.

Effects of the number of drugs used on the prevalence of adverse drug reactions in children.

In pediatric individuals, polypharmacy would increase the prevalence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). However, there is no report on the ADR increase adjusted for the influence of concomitant disease types. We conducted a retrospective study in pediatric patients to determine whether polypharmacy is a risk factor for ADR development, after the adjustment.

Preparation of thermoresponsive nanoparticles exhibiting biomolecule recognition ability via atom transfer radical dispersion polymerization.

Thermoresponsive core-corona type nanoparticles were prepared exhibiting biomolecule recognition ability on their surfaces. These thermoresponsive nanoparticles were prepared from a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) macro-initiator and styrene (St) in a polar solvent via atom transfer radical dispersion polymerization. The PNIPAAm macro-initiator contains an alkyl halide and/or phthalimide group on the terminated group of the polymer chain, and thus, the grafting of PNIPAAm on the PSt core resulted in terminating phthalimide end groups.

Transcriptional profile of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether-induced testicular toxicity in rats.

To clarify the molecular mechanism of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME)-induced testicular toxicity, the potential for EGME-related changes in transcript levels of genes including spermatocyte-specific genes was evaluated in the testis of rats given single dosing of EGME at 200, 600, or 2000 mg/kg. Furthermore, the contribution of decreased testicular testosterone on EGME-induced spermatocyte toxicity was investigated by comparing to transcriptional profile due to a testosterone synthesis inhibitor, ketoconazole (KET), at 30 or 300 mg/kg. EGME at 600 mg/kg or more dose-dependently caused testicular toxicity characterized by degeneration and necrosis of spermatocytes at stage VII-XIV seminiferous tubules.

Surface-Functionalized Biodegradable Nanoparticles Consisting of Amphiphilic Graft Polymers Prepared by Radical Copolymerization of 2-Methylene-1,3-Dioxepane and Macromonomers.

Biodegradable polyester-based nanoparticles were prepared by the precipitation of amphiphilic graft copolymers, which were prepared by the ring-opening radical copolymerization of 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane (MDO) and amphiphilic macromonomers. The diameter of the nanoparticles was controlled by the degree of grafting and the molecular weight of the grafting oligomer. PMDO-g-poly(ethylene glycol) nanoparticles were degraded by the alkaline hydrolysis of the polyester backbone.

Novel Nrf2 activators from microbial transformation products inhibit blood-retinal barrier permeability in rabbits.

Background And Purpose: Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a redox-sensitive transcription factor that binds to antioxidant response elements located in the promoter region of genes encoding many antioxidant enzymes and phase II detoxifying enzymes. Activation of the Nrf2 pathway seems protective for many organs, and although a well-known Nrf2 activator, bardoxolone methyl, was evaluated clinically for treating chronic kidney disease, it was found to induce adverse events. Many bardoxolone methyl derivatives, mostly derived by chemical modifications, have already been studied.

Transformable core-corona nanoparticles: Simultaneous change of core morphology and corona wettability in response to temperature.

We prepared transformable thermoresponsive nanoparticles with variable core softness, controlled by the nanoparticle core's glass transition temperature (Tg). The nanoparticles were prepared by the dispersion copolymerization of butyl methacrylate (BMA) and/or methyl methacrylate (MMA) with a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) macromonomer in a polar solvent. The shape of the nanoparticle core changed with temperature.

Thermoresponsive nanospheres with a regulated diameter and well-defined corona layer.

In the present work, we prepared core-corona-type nanospheres bearing a thermoresponsive polymer with a controlled chain length on their surface. The corona layers were composed of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) chains (Mn = 3000-18,000) with a narrow polydispersity index prepared by atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Nanospheres were prepared by dispersion copolymerization of styrene with the PNIPAAm macromonomer in a polar solvent.

Thioacetamide-induced Hepatocellular Necrosis Is Attenuated in Diet-induced Obese Mice.

To assess modification of thioacetamide-induced hepatotoxicity in mice fed a high-fat diet, male C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal rodent diet or a high-fat diet for 8 weeks and then treated once intraperitoneally with thioacetamide at 50 mg/kg body weight. At 24 and 48 hours after administration, massive centrilobular hepatocellular necrosis was observed in mice fed the normal rodent diet, while the necrosis was less severe in mice fed the high-fat diet. In contrast, severe swelling of hepatocytes was observed in mice fed the high-fat diet.

Toxicogenomic investigation on rat testicular toxicity elicited by 1,3-dinitrobenzene.

Rats were treated with a single oral dose of 10, 25 and 50mg/kg of 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB), and the testis was subjected to a GeneChip microarray analysis. A total of 186 and 304 gene probe sets were up- and down-regulated, respectively, by the DNB treatment, where spermatocyte death and Sertoli cell vacuolation in testis and increased debris of spermatogenic cell in epididymis were noted. The expression profile for four sets of genes were investigated, whose expressions are reported to localize in specific cell types in the seminiferous epithelium, namely Sertoli cells, spermatogonia plus early spermtocytes, pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids.

Bactericidal/Permeability-increasing protein is associated with the acrosome region of rodent epididymal spermatozoa.

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in sperm maturation during epididymal transit, we intended to isolate secretory molecules that are region-specifically expressed along the epididymis and secreted into the lumen of epididymal ducts. By using differential display screening and DNA sequence analyses, we isolated a rat bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) possessing a signal sequence at its N-terminal, which was expressed in the caput region of epididymis, but not in the caudal region. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis and in situ hybridization showed that rat BPI messenger RNA (mRNA) was highly expressed in caput epididymal epithelium and that its expression level was developmentally up-regulated.

Collaborative work on evaluation of ovarian toxicity. 8) Two- or four-week repeated-dose studies and fertility study of Anastrozole in female rats.

The main focus of this study was to determine the optimal administration period in terms of toxic effects on ovarian morphological changes. To assess the morphological and functional changes induced by anastrozole in ovaries, the compound was administered to female rats at dose levels or 0, 0.01, 0.

Tektin 4 is located on outer dense fibers, not associated with axonemal tubulins of flagella in rodent spermatozoa.

Tektins, which are thought to be the constitutive proteins of microtubules in cilia, flagella, basal bodies, and centrioles, have been reported to be involved in the stability and structural complexity of axonemal microtubules. Four types of mammalian Tektins have been reported, and at least two types of Tektins, Tektin 2 and Tektin 4, have been verified to be present in sperm flagella. To elucidate the molecular localization of Tektin 4 in flagella of rodent spermatozoa, we performed immunocytochemistry, fractionation study followed by immunoblot analysis, and immunogold electron microscopy.

Spetex-1: a new component in the middle piece of flagellum in rodent spermatozoa.

Spetex-1 has recently been isolated by differential display and screening of cDNA library. It encodes a protein of 556 amino acid residues possessing coiled-coil motifs. In the rat seminiferous tubules (ST), Spetex-1 was expressed in the cytoplasm of elongating spermatids.

Molecular cloning of a new member of TEKTIN family, Tektin4, located to the flagella of rat spermatozoa.

Tektins are composed of a family of filament-forming proteins associated with ciliary and flagellar microtubules. A new member of the TEKTIN gene family, which was designated as rat Tektin4, was obtained by PCR technique combined with yeast two-hybrid screening. Rat Tektin4 cDNA consists of 1,341 bp encoding a 52 kDa protein of 447 amino acids.