Yakugaku zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
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Sarcopenia is the decrease in skeletal muscle mass and muscular function that occurs with aging. The underlying mechanisms of sarcopenia include anabolic resistance, which is defined as a poor muscle protein synthetic response to previously effective stimuli such as nutrients and exercise. ⋯ Leucine-enriched essential amino acids help overcome anabolic resistance in elderly individuals to effectively stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Long-term intake of leucine-enriched essential amino acids has a synergistic effect with exercise to increase skeletal muscle mass, strength, and walking speed in elderly individuals, and can be an effective countermeasure to sarcopenia.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
[Effects of Serum Sodium Concentrations on Nausea and Vomiting after Moderately Emetogenic Chemotherapy].
Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is the most unbearable adverse effect of chemotherapy. The antiemesis guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network indicate that hyponatremia is a risk factor for CINV, although the relationship between the incidence of CINV and hyponatremia has not been sufficiently studied. This two-center prospective observational study evaluated whether low serum sodium concentrations were a risk factor for CINV. ⋯ The incidences of delayed nausea were 27.8% in the high Na+ group and 62.5% in the low Na+ group (p=0.042), with complete control rates (no vomiting, rescue medication, or grade 2 nausea) of 77.8% and 43.8%, respectively (p=0.042). The time to complete control failure in each group was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, which revealed a significantly shorter time in the low Na+ group (p=0.03). Therefore, these results indicate that low serum sodium concentrations may increase the risk of CINV.
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Observational Study
[Outcomes of Pharmacists' Involvement with Residents of Special Nursing Homes for the Elderly].
The current study aimed to examine the outcomes of pharmacists' involvement with elderly people in special nursing homes. We analyzed 58 cases involving regular visits by community pharmacists to 41 residents. The residents' mean age was 87.8±6.9 years, and 68.3% were prescribed 6 or more types of medication. ⋯ The most common information sources were care workers (72.4%), followed by nurses (37.9%), physicians (6.9%), and functional training instructors (6.9%). Information was also acquired from patients (3.4%) and their family members (5.2%). The findings indicated that regular visits by pharmacists to facilities for elderly people and conversations between residents, their family members, and physicians, nurses and various other professionals improved various pharmacotherapy outcomes.
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Only minimal information exists regarding the treatment outcomes of patients suffering from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia treated with teicoplanin (TEIC) when the TEIC minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is close to the upper limit of the "susceptibility range" according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). We investigated the outcome of TEIC-treated patients in MRSA bacteremia, focusing on TEIC MIC against MRSA. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients with MRSA bacteremia. ⋯ The rate of treatment failure and all-cause 60-day mortality in patients with MIC >2 μg/mL were significantly higher than those in patients with MIC ≤2 μg/mL [4 patients (100%) versus 4 patients (26.7%) (p=0.018) and 4 patients (100%) versus 2 patients (13.3%) (p=0.004), respectively]. Three of four patients (75%) with MIC >2 μg/mL had persistent bacteremia, which was quantitatively higher than in patients with MIC ≤2 μg/mL (1 of 7 patients, 14.3%). Our finding suggests that TEIC MIC >2 μg/mL may be related to poor treatment outcome in MRSA bacteremia, and that TEIC should not be used in this case.
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Comparative Study
[Comparison of Chemical Behavior of Original and Generic Docetaxel Formulations as Non-alcoholic Preparations: Discussion about Diluent Solvents for Docetaxel].
Although generic anti-tumor agents are in wide clinical use, they have not in all cases been shown to be equivalent to the original agents after preparation. In the present study, original and generic docetaxel formulations were compared with respect to stability when prepared as a non-alcoholic solution for use. ⋯ With both the original and generic formulations, no decrease in docetaxel concentration with time was found after dilution with 5% glucose solution. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that the behaviors of original and generic docetaxel formulations are not equivalent when prepared, but that the original and generic formulations can be taken to be equivalent if they are diluted with 5% glucose solution at preparation.