Usefulness of Measuring Serum Amyloid A Concentration in Japanese Black Cattle in Clinical Practice.

This study investigated the concentration of serum amyloid A (SAA), an acute phase protein, in Japanese Black cattle. Four practical trials were performed to evaluate the transition of SAA and sialic acid before and after dehorning, the relationship between the SAA concentration and other blood test parameters, the SAA dynamics in the diseased cattle, and the blood test results, including the SAA concentrations, of the two cases with a follow-up. The SAA concentration increased with dehorning but decreased 7 days after dehorning.

Analysis of patients' request to switch from a generic drug to the original drug in external prescriptions.

Background: Generic drugs are heavily promoted in Japan. The aim of this retrospective single-center study was to clarify whether the frequency and reason that patients request a switch from a generic drug to the original drug differ according to therapeutic category and dosage form.

Methods: This study was performed at Chiba University Hospital.

Pharmaceutical studies of levothyroxine sodium hydrate suppository provided as a hospital preparation.

The levothyroxine sodium hydrate suppository (L-T4-suppository) is provided as a hospital preparation for the treatment of hypothyroid patients with dysphagia in Japan because only oral preparations of levothyroxine sodium (L-T4) are approved for the treatment of hypothyroidism. However, it has been found that serum thyroxine and triiodothyronine levels do not increase as expected with the hospital preparation, requiring a higher dosage of L-T4 in the L-T4-suppository than in the oral preparations. In this study, to determine an effective thyroid gland hormone-replacement therapy for patients with dysphagia, the pharmaceutical properties of the L-T4-suppository were investigated.