Community pharmacists' measurement of health-related quality of life in outpatients taking high-risk drugs.

Patients experiencing severe side effects when taking high-risk drugs may have a significantly reduced health-related quality of life (QOL); therefore, it is important to identify changes in the health-related QOL in these patients. This study aimed to determine the health-related QOL in community pharmacy outpatients taking high-risk drugs. This prospective observational study was conducted in 29 community pharmacies with 71 pharmacists in 12 regions and cities in Japan from October to December 2020 and 760 patients were enrolled. Using descriptive questionnaires of EuroQOL-5-dimensions-5-levels (EQ-5D-5L), community pharmacists obtained health-related QOL data from outpatients taking high-risk drugs. The mean health-related QOL of all outpatients was 0.869. The health-related QOL decreased with increasing age. The outpatient health-related QOL was 0.700, 0.763, 0.785, and 0.817 when taking antiepileptic, antidepressant, digitalis, and antiarrhythmic drugs, respectively, which was lower than the average health-related QOL of all outpatients. Mobility and pain/ discomfort accounted for a large proportion of the decline in the health-related QOL with increasing age. There were no significant differences in personal care with increasing age; however, the number of outpatients with mobility, normal activity, and pain challenges decreased with age. In contrast, outpatients aged <65 years with anxiety/depression showed a lower than overall average health-related QOL. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Japan to report an investigation by community pharmacists regarding health-related QOL assessment in outpatients taking high-risk drugs.

An Escherichia coli trap in human serum albumin microtubes.

We describe the template synthesis of human serum albumin microtubes (MTs) and highlight their Escherichia coli (E. coli) trapping capability with extremely high efficiency. The E. coli was loaded into the one-dimensional pore space interior of the tubule. Similar MTs including an Fe3O4 layer also captured E. coli and were manipulated by exposure to a magnetic field.

Molecular identification and immunohistochemical localization of atrial natriuretic peptide in the heart of the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius).

Atrial and B-type natriuretic peptide (ANP and BNP) are cardiac hormones synthesized and secreted by the myoendocrine cells of the heart. They exert potent actions on body fluid balance. Since various body organs including the heart are under high physiological stress during water and food deprivation in the desert nomads, we intended to perform molecular biological and histological studies of ANP in the heart of the dromedary camel Camelus dromedarius. Initially, we isolated cDNAs encoding ANP from the atrium and BNP from the atrium and ventricle of the dromedary camel. Putative mature ANP, deduced from the cDNA sequence, was identical to that of human and pig ANP, but the putative mature BNP was more diverse and was most similar to pig BNP (94% identity). Thus, we used antisera raised against human ANP that did not cross-react with pig BNP in the subsequent immunohistochemical studies. The ANP-expressing myoendocrine cells are most concentrated in the right atrium, to a lesser extent in the left atrium, and almost absent in the left ventricle. The immuno-positive cells are scattered uniformly in each region and are characterized by the presence of immunoreactive granular deposits around the nucleus. The left atrium comprises some ramifications of conductive cells (Purkinje fibers), some of which also contained ANP-immunoreactive granules. At the electron microscopic level, myoendocrine cells possessed secretory granules primarily in the perinuclear zone and a well-developed Golgi apparatus. The present study is the first comprehensive report dealing with the molecular cloning and immunohistochemical localization of ANP in the heart of a desert dwelling mammal.

[Serum levels of beta-seminoprotein (beta-Sm) in patients with breast cancer].

Serum levels of beta-Sm (a component of human seminal plasma) were measured in patients with breast cancer or mastopathy by RIA method. 9.4 +/- 9.5 ng/ml in control healthy adult women and 11.7 +/- 15.7 ng/ml in 8 patients with mastopathy were observed. Whereas, in 30 patients with breast cancer including 28 pre-operation and 2 recurrence 64.5 +/- 52.3 ng/ml were observed. Especially, high levels of beta-Sm (135.8 and 182.3 ng/ml) in the recurrence were detected. Each case of 8 post-operation was below 50 ng/ml. Fifty-seven percent of patients with breast cancer including pre-operation and recurrence were showed over 50 ng/ml. In histological typing, the beta-Sm levels of papillotubular carcinoma were higher than that of scirrhous carcinoma. In tubular carcinoma, 45% of stage I, 67% of stage II and 100% of stage III, IV and recurrence cases were over 50 ng/ml. The evidence suggests that serum levels of beta-Sm is useful for the diagnosis of breast cancer.