l-Histidyl-glycyl-glycyl-l-histidine. Amino-acid structuring of the bleomycin-type pentadentate metal-binding environment capable of efficient double-strand cleavage of plasmid DNA.

A tetrapeptide, l-histidyl-glycyl-glycyl-l-histidine (HGGH), was synthesized and the pUC19 plasmid DNA cleaving activity by copper(II) complex of HGGH (Cu(II)-HGGH) was investigated. Cu(II)-HGGH showed bleomycin-like DNA cleaving activity and, at 50nM, converted a supercoiled DNA efficiently to a linear DNA in the presence of 500μM H2O2/sodium ascorbate through an oxidative pathway.

Risk factors for falls in community-dwelling patients with Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies: walking with visuocognitive impairment may cause a fall.

Background/aims: To identify risk factors for falls in community-dwelling patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Patients: 78 consecutive patients (51 AD, 27 DLB) were recruited from the Niigata Rehabilitation Hospital memory clinic.

Methods: We assessed the number of falls each patient had had in the previous 4 months.

[Trazodone for the treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Alzheimer's disease: a retrospective study focused on the aggression and negativism in caregiving situations].

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) includes anxiety, depression, hallucination, delusion, aggression, irritability, agitation and wandering. BPSD often causes a deterioration of activity of daily living (ADL) and worsens caregiver burden. Trazodone, an atypical antidepressant, is used for the treatment of BPSD, but the effectiveness is controversial.