BACKGROUND The CYP4503A5*1 genotype is associated with lower tacrolimus concentrations. Although its effect is important, it incompletely explains the variability in tacrolimus concentrations and has a relatively low minor allele frequency in whites relative to African Americans (AA). METHODS We studied clinical and recipient genetic correlates of dose-normalized tacrolimus troughs (n=12,277)...

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of body composition and adiponectin on insulin resistance and beta-cell function in schoolchildren during puberty. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Plasma adiponectin level and its relationships with insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function were analyzed in 500 randomly recruited nondiabetic Taiwanese schoolchildren (245 boys and 255 girls) aged 6-18 years in a nati...

Imatinib mesylate (IM) has dramatically improved the outcomes of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) patients. However, the clinical responses of IM may considerably vary among single individuals. This study aimed to investigate the influences of genetic polymorphisms of drug-metabolizing enzyme (CYP3A4), transporters (ABCB1, ABCG2), and nuclear receptor (Pregnane X Receptor (PXR, encoded by ...

Hyperalgesia is a common clinical phenomenon among opioid dependent patients on methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) and it may be associated with undertreated pain and/or therapeutic failure. This study aimed to investigate association between serum methadone concentration (SMC) and cold pressor pain responses. Cold pressor pain responses in 147 opioid dependent patients on MMT were assessed us...

OBJECTIVE Ziprasidone is an atypical antipsychotic drug that shows a higher affinity for serotonin 5-HT(2) receptors compared with dopamine D(2) receptors in vitro. The affinity of ziprasidone for these receptors in vivo in patients was examined in a positron emission tomography (PET) study. METHOD The authors conducted a PET study to evaluate D(2) occupancy (using [(11)C]raclopride) and 5-HT...

Treatment with tenofovir sometimes leads to non-reversible kidney and/or bone diseases. Factors associated with these drug-related adverse events are poorly characterized. Our objective was to investigate such factors in patients treated long term with daily tenofovir. One-hundred Caucasian HIV-positive patients with basal creatinine clearance >80 mL/min treated with tenofovir for at least 6 mo...

Single-dose pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone were determined in 19 patients with proven bacterial meningitis. The dosage was 50 mg of ceftriaxone per kg. The plasma concentration time curve declined in a biexponential manner. The mean peak plasma concentration was 207 micrograms/ml, and the elimination half-life was 4 h. In 12 patients, multiple-dose pharmacokinetics were determined after a load...

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is under development for treatment of renal failure. This study was designed to clarify changes in HGF pharmacokinetics in renal failure and to establish a pharmacokinetic model applicable to single and repeated doses. The plasma concentration profile in mice with glycerol-induced acute renal failure was similar to that in normal mice, indicating a minimal contrib...

Use of high ultrafiltrate flow rates with continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVHF) in critically ill patients is an emerging setting, for which there are few data to guide drug dosing. The objectives of this study were, firstly, to investigate the pharmacokinetics of meropenem in critically ill patients with severe sepsis who are receiving high-volume CVVHF with high-volume exchanges (> or ...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the potential impact of the pharmacogenetic variability of CYP2B6 and ABCB1 genes on the pharmacokinetics of mitotane. METHODS A retrospective analysis was carried out on 27 patients with adrenocortical carcinoma on postoperative adjunctive mitotane. CYP2B6 and ABCB1 polymorphisms were genotyped and tested for an association with plasma trough con...