Drug discoveries & therapeutics
-
The A/H7N9 avian influenza virus sparked global concerns about public health. The media published numerous reports about emerging infectious diseases, including their clinical characteristics and genomic information. ⋯ This study analyzes ways to deal with the media during A/H7N9 crises and it proposes a shift in public emergency management from an "Impact-Responsive" approach to a "Prevention-Active" approach. A "Prevention-Active" approach should be used when dealing with the media during subsequent outbreaks.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
A combination of oral uracil-tegafur plus leucovorin (UFT + LV) is a safe regimen for adjuvant chemotherapy after hepatectomy in patients with colorectal cancer: safety report of the UFT/LV study.
The use of adjuvant systemic chemotherapy for resectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer (CRC) is controversial because no trial demonstrated its benefit. We conducted the phase III trial to evaluate UFT/leucovorin (LV) for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). The primary endpoint has not been available until 2014, we first report the feasibility and safety data of UFT/LV arm. ⋯ Most other adverse events were grade 2 or lower and tolerable. In conclusions, UFT/LV is a safe regimen for postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients who have undergone resection of liver metastases from colorectal cancer. Further studies are warranted to improve completion rate, but UFT/LV is found to be a promising treatment in this setting.
-
Scholarly attention to pharmaceutical companies' ability to sustain research and development (R&D) productivity has increased as they increasingly handle business challenges. Furthermore, the deterioration of R&D productivity has long been considered a major cause of mergers and acquisitions (M&As). This study attempts to investigate quantitatively the possible causes of the deterioration and the relationship between the deterioration and M&As by examining the Japanese pharmaceutical industry. ⋯ First, to sustain R&D productivity over the long term, companies should use licensing activities and focus on the dominant therapeutic franchises. Second, if a company fails significantly to catch up with the benchmark, it is likely to pursue an M&A or seek an alternative way to improve R&D productivity. These findings appear similar to the current situation of the global pharmaceutical industry, although Japan pursued more licensing activities than M&A to improve R&D productivity.
-
We report a case of 74-year-old man presenting with a rupture of a thoracic aortic false aneurysm after undergoing conventional total arch replacement for aortic arch aneurysm (62 mm) and endovascular stent placement for descending aortic aneurysm (70 mm). His chief complaints at the present admission were fever and sensation of dyspnea and we put him on a course of antibiotics for stent graft infection. ⋯ We examined ourselves that stent graft infection and aortopulmonary fistula caused by an infected thoracic aortic false aneurysm rupturing into the lung should be promptly treated such as complete removal of the stent and another revascularization in a reasonable period of time except if there are complications such as comorbid1ities or withholding of consent. We experienced and reported one rare case associated with a rupture of thoracic aortic false aneurysm caused by stent graft infection and the fistulization between the lung and the stent graft.
-
Oxytocin is very commonly used in clinical settings and is a nonapeptide hormone that stimulates the contraction of uterine smooth muscles. In this study the stability of extemporaneously compounded oxytocin solutions was investigated in polyolefin bags. The sterile preparations of oxytocin were compounded to the strength of 0.02 U/mL in accordance with United States Pharmacopeia (USP) <797> standards. ⋯ Oxytocin parenteral solutions in the final concentration of 0.02 U/mL and diluted in normal saline are stable for at least 30 days under frozen and refrigerated conditions for 30 days. At the room temperature, the oxytocin solutions were stable for at least 21 days. The stability analysis results show that the shelf-life of 21 days observed in this study was far better than their recommended expiration dates.