Ascorbate-assisted nitric oxide release from photocontrollable nitrosonium ion releasers for potent photovasodilation.

We found that -nitrosoaminoanisole derivatives tethered to dyes work as photocontrollable nitrosonium cation releasers and are converted to potent nitric oxide releasers in the presence of sodium ascorbate. The -nitrosoaminoanisole derivative 2 worked as a more potent photovasodilating reagent than previously reported nitric oxide releasers.

[Use of Transdermal Fentanyl in a Hospital].

Recently, the use of transdermal fentanyl (TDF) has been increasing at our hospital owing to its convenience. Furthermore, TDF tends to be increasingly used for patients who have never used opioids. However, the appropriate criteria for indicating TDF have not been established yet.

Impact of platelet reactivity on long-term clinical outcomes and bleeding events in Japanese patients receiving antiplatelet therapy with aspirin.

Aim: Aspirin is an antiplatelet drug widely used for the prevention of cardiovascular disease; however, it is known to increase bleeding events. A low response to aspirin was reported to correlate with poor prognosis in patients undergoing antiplatelet therapy with aspirin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the antiplatelet activity of aspirin on cardiovascular and bleeding events in Japanese patients.

Characterization of the antiplatelet effect of aspirin at enrollment and after 2-year follow-up in a real clinical setting in Japan.

Background: Aspirin is an antiplatelet drug widely used for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. It has been reported that some patients who exhibit a reduced antiplatelet effect of aspirin have higher cardiovascular risk. It is still controversial whether the antiplatelet effect of aspirin diminishes after a few years of treatment.

Clopidogrel resistance in Japanese patients scheduled for percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Dual antiplatelet therapy with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and a P2Y(12) ADP-receptor blocker is standard for prevention of coronary stent thrombosis. Clopidogrel, a 2(nd)-generation P2Y(12) blocker, has recently become available in Japan and this study aimed to evaluate its antiplatelet effects in Japanese patients.

Methods And Results: Thirty Japanese patients scheduled for elective coronary stent implantation were enrolled.

Evaluation of the antiplatelet effects of cilostazol, a phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor, by VASP phosphorylation and platelet aggregation.

Background: Cilostazol, a phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor, is an antiplatelet drug that is widely used for preventing cardiovascular events, although, to date, there are few methods for evaluating its effects.

Methods And Results: Blood samples were taken at baseline and at 3 and 12 h in 10 healthy male subjects after 100 mg cilostazol intake. Each sample was examined by Western blot for phosphorylation levels of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), an abundant cAMP-dependent kinase substrate in platelets, and by the optical aggregometer for ADP- and collagen-induced aggregation, before and after 8 nmol/L prostaglandin E(1) (PGE(1)) treatment.

Structural basis of the initial binding of tRNA(Ile) lysidine synthetase TilS with ATP and L-lysine.

In the bacterial genetic-code system, the codon AUA is decoded as isoleucine by tRNA(Ile)(2) with the lysidine residue at the wobble position. Lysidine is derived from cytidine, with ATP and L-lysine, by tRNA(Ile) lysidine synthetase (TilS), which is an N-type ATP pyrophosphatase. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of Aquifex aeolicus TilS, complexed with ATP, Mg2+, and L-lysine, at 2.

Effect of arbekacin on a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-induced biofilm in a rat model.

Biofilms are a major concern for clinicians in the treatment of infectious disease because of their resistance to a wide range of antibiotics. Arbekacin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, is the drug of choice for the treatment of infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, it has not yet been defined whether arbekacin tends to penetrate into the biofilm structure induced by MRSA infection.

Synergistic effect of fosfomycin and arbekacin on a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-induced biofilm in a rat model.

Biofilms are a major concern for clinicians in the treatment of infectious disease because of the resistance to a wide range of antibiotics. Using a rat air pouch model, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) growing as a biofilm was treated with a combination of fosfomycin (FOM) and arbekacin (ABK) or by the agents alone. This model has the advantage of permitting frequent sampling of exudates for bacterial counts and anti-bacterial activity, and morphological examination of the biofilm structure and inflammatory process in the pouch tissues.