OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of diltiazem and cyclosporine A (CsA) combination therapy on protecting the kidney, promoting graft functioning and improving post-transplanted kidney recovery. METHODS The blood concentrations of CsA, the condition of the post-transplant kidney, the rate of acute rejection (AR), as well as hepatic and renal toxicity in 636 cases of renal transplant recipi...

An in vitro model is proposed to account for the clinically observed inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A that results from administration of clarithromycin, fluoxetine, or diltiazem. Rates for loss of CYP3A4 enzymatic activity resulting from metabolic intermediate complex formation and the concentration dependencies thereof were determined in vitro for clarithromycin, fluoxetine, and N-desme...

BACKGROUND Topical therapies are the mainstay of treatment for psoriasis vulgaris. The fixed combination of calcipotriol (Cal) 50 μg/g plus betamethasone 0.5 mg/g (as dipropionate; BD) is a first-line topical treatment and available as a gel or ointment. The use of these fixed combination products was compared in PRO-long, a long-term noninterventional study, for which interim results (4 and 12...

OBJECTIVE Long-term, safe and effective therapeutic options for managing the chronic relapsing nature of atopic dermatitis are essential for improving patient quality of life. To minimize the risks of continued topical corticosteroid usage and potentially reduce the incidence of flares, we tested the efficacy and safety of a rotational paradigm of initial brief application of topical corticoste...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of periocular allergic skin reactions to topical neomycin, polymyxin B, and dexamethasone (NPD) ophthalmic ointment. METHODS A consecutive patient prospective study was performed. A total of 522 patients who had a procedure involving incision of the periocular skin with subsequent postoperative application of NPD ophthalmic ointment we...

PURPOSE Published clinical trials support the use of 0.2 to 0.4 percent nitroglycerin ointment for the treatment of an anal fissure, although no product is yet available in the United States. In 2004, 84,000 prescriptions were written for compounded nitroglycerin ointment. This study was designed to evaluate the quality of extemporaneously compounded nitroglycerin ointment. METHODS Prescripti...

A 2-year-and-4-month-old girl suffered a burn to the neck due to boiling water. She was examined at another hospital, and recommended to undergo dermatoplasty. Thirteen days after injury, she consulted our hospital. A wide skin defect was observed around the neck, and a third-degree burn was diagnosed. Conservative treatment using electrolyticreduction ion water (ERI) lotion, antibiotics/steroi...

Two main hypotheses concerning the mechanisms responsible for coronary collateral growth suggest the involvement of chemical or mechanical factors. Since we recently demonstrated that the development of the coronary collateral circulation is not closely related to the extent or duration of myocardial ischemia, we hypothesized that chronic repeated vasodilation and increased myocardial blood flo...

Iloprost is a prostacyclin analogue mainly used in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. It is also effective for renal dysfunction during renal transplant and coronary artery bypass grafting surgery, but there have been few comparative experimental studies with iloprost. We aimed to compare vasorelaxant properties of iloprost, with those of diltiazem, nitroglycerin and papaverine on rat tho...

Diltiazem, a new 1,5-benzothiazepine derivative, antagonized calcium ion and thus caused a reduction in the contractile force of isolated papillary muscle. The antagonistic ratio of diltiazem to calcium ion was estimated to be approx. 1: 100. A lower concentration of diltiazem (2.2 x 10(-6) M) decreased the contractile force without affecting significantly the intracellularly recorded resting a...