Withdrawal symptom after discontinuation of transdermal fentanyl at a daily dose of 0.6 mg.

Neurophysiologic disorders developed in three patients after discontinuation of transdermal fentanyl (TDF) at a daily dose of 0.6 mg (2.5 mg per a patch), although direct removal of a 2.5 mg patch is permitted by the manufacturer as the formulation has the lowest fentanyl content among all the commercially available patch formulations. These observations indicate that the discontinuation of TDF carries a risk for developing withdrawal symptoms even when using a 2.5 mg patch. To avoid such adverse events, we considered the necessity of gradual reduction in the daily fentanyl requirements. For this purpose, we covered part of the application surface of the patch with an insulating tape, and then increased the covered area in a stepwise manner. There were no apparent withdrawal signs during the procedure described above.

[Measurement of docetaxel concentration in blood and ascites after drip infusion into each vessel and intraperitoneal cavity of gastric cancer].

We measured docetaxel (TXT) concentrations in the blood and ascites after drip infusion into each vessel and intraperitoneal cavity of a patient with advanced gastric cancer. The peak concentration was reached immediately (first time 244 ng/ml, second time 215 ng/ml) after the infusion of TXT (25 mg/m2) into the vessels. The concentration of TXT for ascites peaked after 30 min of drip infusion (first time 26 ng/ml, second time 30 ng/ml). AUC ascites/AUC blood was 27.2% and 35.8% respectively. This is the first report demonstrating the concentration of TXT in ascites after drip infusion into vessels. When TXT was administered into the peritoneal cavity, the peak concentration of ascites was reached immediately (54,200 ng/ml). After 240 min, the TXT concentration in the peritoneal cavity was still high (14,200 ng/ml). In blood, the level peaked (64 ng/ml) at 120 min. After 240 min, the TXT level in the blood remained 44 ng/ml. AUC blood/AUC ascites was only 0.25%. These results suggested that the transition rate of TXT from blood to intraperitoneal cavity was excellent, and that TXT was suitable for the treatment of peritoneal dissemination of gastric cancer. Furthermore, infusion of TXT (25 mg/m2) into the peritoneal cavity may directly and systemically provide its antitumor effect. If we prefer the antitumor effect directly, a much lower dose infusion of TXT may be recommended.

Direct and simultaneous analysis of sinigrin and allyl isothiocyanate in mustard samples by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A reversed-phase HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of the glucosinolate sinigrin and its major degradation product allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) was developed and used for direct analysis of aqueous extracts from Oriental mustard (Brassica juncea L.) related materials (ground and cracked seeds, powders, and bran) and from soil samples. The lowest detection limit was 0.1 microg/mL for both sinigrin and AITC). The developed method was used to trace the degradation of sinigrin to AITC in aqueous extracts. One of the major advantages of this method is the complete estimation of sinigrin content. The simultaneous analysis of both sinigrin and AITC in a single run avoided the underestimation caused by separate analyses.