Safety analysis of EpzicomR (lamivudine/abacavir sulfate) in post-marketing surveillance in Japan

Purpose: To obtain safety and effectiveness data on a combined anti-HIV drug, Epzicom (abacavir 600mg/lamivudine 300mg), a post-marketing surveillance on Epzicom that was required by the Japanese regulatory authority was conducted between January 2005 and December 2010. Methods: A joint survey (HIV-related drug [HRD] survey) has been conducted involving manufacturers of drugs for treatment of HIV infection in Japan. Safety and effectiveness data from total 624 cases (1107.3person-years) registered to the HRD surveys and received Epzicom were obtained. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were defined as adverse events (AE) of which association with Epzicom could not be \u27ruled out\u27. Results: It was found that the incidence of ADR was 32.4% (202/624 cases) on the case basis. In addition, the frequently reported ADR included hyperlipidaemia (59 cases), hypertriglyceridaemia (21 cases), blood bilirubin increased (19 cases), gamma-glutamyltransferase increase (14 cases), blood triglyceride increase (14 cases) and rash (14 cases). Serious AEs were seen in 19 patients (30 events), including one death (no evident association with Epzicom). There were four cases (0.6%) of survey-defined \u27hypersensitivity\u27, and the incidence was 0.9% (4/445) among abacavir naive patients; none of which was reported as serious. No case of myocardial infarction was reported. One pregnant case who delivered a normal baby by caesarean section was reported to have experienced aggravation of anaemia and nausea. Conclusions: The post-marketing surveillance indicated that the incidence of both ischaemic heart disease and hypersensitivity associated with Epzicom was considerably low, suggesting that this drug can be safely used in the Japanese population

Safety analysis of ZiagenR (abacavir sulfate) in postmarketing surveillance in Japan

Purpose: Abacavir is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor indicated for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In Japan, ZiagenR (300-mg abacavir sulfate) has been marketed since 1999. To obtain safety data on Ziagen, a mandatory postmarketing surveillance was conducted between September 1999 and September 2009. Methods: A joint survey [HIV-related Drug Surveys (HRD)] has been conducted involving manufacturers of drugs for HIV treatment in Japan. Safety data from total 643 cases (1345.7person-years) registered to the HRD surveys and received Ziagen were obtained. Adverse drug reaction (ADR) was defined as adverse event of which association with abacavir could not be "ruled out." Results: It was found that the overall frequency of ADR was 47.6% (306/643); the common ADRs were "hyperlipidemia," "nausea," "increased γ-glutamyltransferase level," "increased blood triglycerides," "abnormal hepatic function," and so on. Serious adverse events were reported in 65 subjects; however, none of the three fatal cases were clearly associated with Ziagen use. The survey-defined hypersensitivity has been infrequently reported in 15 subjects (2.3%). Although some studies had indicated of the association between abacavir and myocardial infarction, no ischemic heart diseases were reported in the present survey. Two of the three pregnant cases delivered normal neonates (one induced abortion). Conclusions: During the mandatory postmarketing survey of Ziagen, there were no cases of ischemic heart diseases, and the incidence of hypersensitivity was considerably low. These indicated that abacavir can be safely used in Japanese HIV+ population. However, the safety profile of Ziagen should be continued to be monitored through pharmacovigilance

Expression of mitochondrial transcription factor A in endometrial carcinomas: clinicopathologic correlations and prognostic significance

Mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA) is necessary for both transcription and maintenance of mitochondrial DNA. This study was conducted to elucidate the clinicopathologic and prognostic significance of mtTFA in patients with endometrial carcinoma. This study investigated the relationship between the immunohistochemical expression of mtTFA and various clinicopathological variables in 276 endometrial carcinomas, including 245 endometrioid adenocarcinomas and 31 nonendometrioid carcinomas (21 serous carcinomas and 10 clear cell adenocarcinomas). Both uni- and multivariate regression analyses were performed. The mtTFA labeling index of endometrioid adenocarcinomas ranged from 0% to 98%, with a median value of 32%, which was selected as the cut-off point for mtTFA expression. The mtTFA expression in endometrioid adenocarcinomas was significantly associated with the surgical stage, myometrial invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, cervical invasion, and lymph node metastasis. In contrast, no correlation between clinicopathologic variables and mtTFA expression was found in nonendometrioid carcinomas. Correlation analysis between mtTFA and p53 expression by using the Pearson test showed significant correlation in endometrioid adenocarcinomas (P = 0.007), but no significant correlation in nonendometrioid carcinomas (P = 0.947). A univariate survival analysis showed that the 10-year overall survival rate of the patients with mtTFA-positive endometrioid adenocarcinoma was significantly worse than that of patients with mtTFA-negative endometrioid adenocarcinoma (80.8% vs. 93.8%, P = 0.012). However, the multivariate analysis revealed that mtTFA expression in endometrioid adenocarcinomas was no independent prognostic factor. The positive mtTFA expression is a useful maker for progression of the tumors and the poor prognosis of the patients in endometrioid adenocarcinomas

Autism-Associated Gene Expression in Peripheral Leucocytes Commonly Observed between Subjects with Autism and Healthy Women Having Autistic Children

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder which has complex pathobiology with profound influences of genetic factors in its development. Although the numerous autism susceptible genes were identified, the etiology of autism is not fully explained. Using DNA microarray, we examined gene expression profiling in peripheral blood from 21 individuals in each of the four groups; young adults with ASD, age- and gender-matched healthy subjects (ASD control), healthy mothers having children with ASD (asdMO), and asdMO control. There was no blood relationship between ASD and asdMO. Comparing the ASD group with control, 19 genes were found to be significantly changed. These genes were mainly involved in cell morphology, cellular assembly and organization, and nerve system development and function. In addition, the asdMO group possessed a unique gene expression signature shown as significant alterations of protein synthesis despite of their nonautistic diagnostic status. Moreover, an ASD-associated gene expression signature was commonly observed in both individuals with ASD and asdMO. This unique gene expression profiling detected in peripheral leukocytes from affected subjects with ASD and unaffected mothers having ASD children suggest that a genetic predisposition to ASD may be detectable even in peripheral cells. Altered expression of several autism candidate genes such as FMR-1 and MECP2, could be detected in leukocytes. Taken together, these findings suggest that the ASD-associated genes identified in leukocytes are informative to explore the genetic, epigenetic, and environmental background of ASD and might become potential tools to assess the crucial factors related to the clinical onset of the disorder

Gene Organization in Rice Revealed by Full-Length cDNA Mapping and Gene Expression Analysis through Microarray

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a model organism for the functional genomics of monocotyledonous plants since the genome size is considerably smaller than those of other monocotyledonous plants. Although highly accurate genome sequences of indica and japonica rice are available, additional resources such as full-length complementary DNA (FL-cDNA) sequences are also indispensable for comprehensive analyses of gene structure and function. We cross-referenced 28.5K individual loci in the rice genome defined by mapping of 578K FL-cDNA clones with the 56K loci predicted in the TIGR genome assembly. Based on the annotation status and the presence of corresponding cDNA clones, genes were classified into 23K annotated expressed (AE) genes, 33K annotated non-expressed (ANE) genes, and 5.5K non-annotated expressed (NAE) genes. We developed a 60mer oligo-array for analysis of gene expression from each locus. Analysis of gene structures and expression levels revealed that the general features of gene structure and expression of NAE and ANE genes were considerably different from those of AE genes. The results also suggested that the cloning efficiency of rice FL-cDNA is associated with the transcription activity of the corresponding genetic locus, although other factors may also have an effect. Comparison of the coverage of FL-cDNA among gene families suggested that FL-cDNA from genes encoding rice- or eukaryote-specific domains, and those involved in regulatory functions were difficult to produce in bacterial cells. Collectively, these results indicate that rice genes can be divided into distinct groups based on transcription activity and gene structure, and that the coverage bias of FL-cDNA clones exists due to the incompatibility of certain eukaryotic genes in bacteria

Effects of butyric acid on the periodontal tissue

Butyric acid, an extracellular metabolite from periodontopathic bacteria, induces apoptosis in murine thymocytes, splenic T-cells, as well as human Jurkat T-cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Butyric acid-induced apoptosis is mediated by ceramide production, as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis in mitochondria and subsequently JNK activation in MAP kinase cascades. Although the production of ROS and ceramide by themselves do not completely influence butyric acid-induced apoptosis, it can be concluded that ROS and ceramide production are the major contributors to butyric acid-induced apoptosis. Human gingival fibroblasts rescue butyric acid-induced T-cell apoptosis via proinflammatory cytokines, which are produced by fibroblasts stimulated with butyric acid. Moreover, T-cell adherence to fibroblasts is enhanced by butyric acids and butyric acid-induced T-cell apoptosis is down-regulated by T-cell adhesion to gingival fibroblasts. Butyric acid significantly suppresses the viability of inflamed gingival fibroblasts and induces apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, whereas intact gingival fibroblasts isolated from healthy humans are resistant to butyric acid. This review focuses on the effects of butyric acid and its possible contribution to destruction of gingival tissues and modulation of local immunity at gingival sites (175/max. 200)