Administration of antihistamines 2-4 weeks before the pollen season showed a greater inhibitory effect on nasal allergy symptoms in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. However, the mechanism of slow-onset effects of preseasonal treatment with antihistamines remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effect of preseasonal prophylactic treatment with antihistamines on nasal symptoms and the expression of histamine H₁ receptor (H1R) mRNA of the nasal mucosa in patients with cedar pollen pollinosis. During the peak pollen period, the expression of H1R mRNA in the nasal mucosa and the scores of sneezing and watery rhinorrhea in patients receiving preseasonal prophylactic treatment with antihistamines were significantly suppressed in comparison with those in the patients without treatment. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between the nasal symptoms and the expression of H1R mRNA in both patients with or without preseasonal prophylactic treatment. These findings suggest that preseasonal prophylactic treatment with antihistamines is more effective than on-seasonal administration to patients with pollinosis in reducing nasal symptoms during the peak pollen period by suppressing H1R gene expression in the nasal mucosa.

An outbreak of hepatitis B virus infection occurred in a nursing facility; it involved 31 patients with sequelae of cerebral vascular accidents (15 men and 16 women; mean age, 77.4 +/- 9.3 yr). HBsAg disappeared within 6 mo in 9 patients and persisted during an observation period of more than 6 mo in 13; the remaining 9 patients were lost to follow-up while they carried HBsAg. Thus 13 of 22 patients followed (59%) became HBsAg carriers. We amplified a part of the S gene (436 nucleotides) with polymerase chain reaction on hepatitis B virus DNA from 12 randomly selected patients. The sequences of nine patients were the same as that of a nursing assistant who was an HBsAg carrier and suspected as the source of infection; it differed by only 1 or 2 (< 0.5%) nucleotides from those of the remaining three patients. Between the group of nine patients with transient HBV infection and the 13 patients with persistent HBV infection, we found no differences in age or sex or in parameters of nutrition or immunocompetence. These results indicate a high incidence of HBV carrier state in the elderly.

Abbreviations & Acronyms DLST = drug-lymphocyte stimulation test DTX = docetaxel EMP = estramustine phosphate GA = goserelin acetate GnRHa = gonadotropinreleasing hormone analog LA = leuprorelin acetate PLA = polylactic acid PLGA = polylactic and glycolic acids PSA = prostate-specific antigen SI = stimulation index SpO2 = pulse oximetry Abstract: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog depots have been widely used for a variety of diseases including prostate cancer, breast cancer, endometriosis, uterine leiomyomas, and central precocious puberty. Most of the side/adverse effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog depots, such as leuprorelin acetate depot, are related to hypotestosteronism in males. Anaphylaxis to gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog depot is extremely rare. We present the first case report of a Japanese man who developed anaphylaxis to leuprorelin acetate depot during the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer and recovered successfully by conservative treatment. A drug-lymphocyte stimulation test showed that not only leuprorelin acetate itself, but also its vehicle polylactic and glycolic acids, might be responsible for the anaphylaxis to leuprorelin acetate depot. Because anaphylaxis can be lethal, the present case suggests that one should bear in mind the possibility of anaphylaxis in all patients who receive gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog depot and monitor such patients carefully.

A copper‐mediated radioiodination using aryl boronic precursors is attracting attention as a solution to oxidative iododestannylation and nickel‐mediated radioiodination drawbacks. The copper‐mediated radiolabeling method allows radioiodination at room temperature with stable aryl boronic precursors without preparing complex starting materials or reagents and can be performed in a reaction vessel exposed to air. This method has good potential in radiochemistry; however, studies on the scope of copper‐mediated radioiodination through boronic precursors are insufficient. In particular, few reports have demonstrated the effect of protecting groups on radiolabeling efficiency. Therefore, the effect of the protecting group of aryl boronic acids on the copper‐mediated radioiodination was investigated. In addition, this method, which does not require heating, is expected to be useful for direct radiolabeling of peptides. Thus, we attempted direct radioiodination of c(RGDyk) as an example. The resulting radioiodination method was well tolerated in various substrates and was unaffected by the pinacol ester‐type protecting group. Also, c(RGDyk) was labeled with 125I via copper‐mediated radioiodination using an aryl boronic acid precursor. The reaction time and yield were improved, compared with the indirect method. Furthermore, the large difference in polarity between the boronic acid precursor and the radiolabeled compound facilitated purification.

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SUMMARYBackground: The effect of Helicobacter pylori infection on systemic disorders is not well understood. Aim: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the systemic effects of H. pylori infection by comparing differential counts of leukocytes and platelets in peripheral blood before and after eradication of H. pylori. Methods: A total of 164 H. pylori-positive patients underwent eradication therapy, and populations of peripheral blood leukocytes and platelets before and 0 (just after therapy), 1, 3 and 12 months after eradication were retrospectively analysed. Results: In the eradicated group (n ¼ 138), blood leukocytes, neutrophils and monocytes decreased significantly after eradication, but there was no significant

The coating of surfaces with bio-functional proteins is a promising strategy for the creation of highly biocompatible medical implants. Bio-functional proteins from the extracellular matrix (ECM) provide effective surface functions for controlling cellular behavior. We have previously screened bio-functional tripeptides for feasibility of mass production with the aim of identifying those that are medically useful, such as cell-selective peptides. In this work, we focused on the screening of tripeptides that selectively accumulate collagen type IV (Col IV), an ECM protein that accelerates the re-endothelialization of medical implants. A SPOT peptide microarray was selected for screening owing to its unique cellulose membrane platform, which can mimic fibrous scaffolds used in regenerative medicine. However, since the library size on the SPOT microarray was limited, physicochemical clustering was used to provide broader variation than that of random peptide selection. Using the custom focused microarray of 500 selected peptides, we assayed the relative binding rates of tripeptides to Col IV, collagen type I (Col I), and albumin. We discovered a cluster of Col IV-selective adhesion peptides that exhibit bio-safety with endothelial cells. The results from this study can be used to improve the screening of regeneration-enhancing peptides.