Five‐year efficacy of finasteride in 801 Japanese men with androgenetic alopecia

Finasteride is standard medical treatment for androgenetic alopecia; however, no large studies with 5 years or more of follow up have been performed in Japan. The authors followed Japanese men with androgenetic alopecia treated with finasteride for 5 years to evaluate long‐term treatment efficacy. Of 903 men treated with finasteride (1 mg/day), 801 patients were evaluated over 5 years by modified global photographic assessment. Although the proportion of improvement was high (99.4%), modified global photographic assessment scores after 5 years of treatment were lower in patients with more advanced disease as measured by the modified Norwood–Hamilton scale. After separating patients into “sufficient” and “insufficient” efficacy groups according to the modified global photographic assessment score after 5 years (scores ≥6 and <6, respectively), multivariate analysis showed that independent risk factors of insufficient efficacy were age at start of treatment of 40 years or more (P = 0.021) and classification on the modified Norwood–Hamilton scale (P < 0.001), whereas presence of stress at start of treatment was a negative predictor (P = 0.025). In conclusion, continuous finasteride treatment for 5 years improved androgenetic alopecia with sustained effect among Japanese. Younger age and less advanced disease at start of treatment were the key predictors of higher finasteride efficacy.     

Sentinel lymph node biopsy for 102 patients with primary cutaneous melanoma at a single Japanese institute

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a widely accepted standard procedure for patients with clinically localized melanoma. Melanoma prevalence and Clark's subtype differ between Asians and Caucasians. Here, we evaluated our experience on SLNB for cutaneous melanoma in a Japanese population. SLNB was performed for patients with melanoma between July 2000 and June 2014. We retrospectively analyzed 102 patients regarding association of clinicopathological features with sentinel lymph node (SLN) status, melanoma‐specific survival (MSS) and disease‐free survival (DFS). A positive SLN was significantly associated with primary Breslow thickness. Compared with 43 patients with negative SLN, 59 patients with positive SLN had significantly shorter MSS (5‐year survival rate, 94.3% vs 63.2%; P = 0.0002) and DFS (5‐year survival rate, 92.7% vs 63.4%; P = 0.0004). According to our subgroup analyses, nine patients with positive non‐SLN had significantly shorter MSS compared with 32 patients with negative non‐SLN (5‐year survival rate, 32.4% vs 68.5%; P = 0.0273). The survival of 51 Japanese patients with acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) was not inferior to the survival of patients with other Clark's subtype. Breslow thickness is an important factor for both MSS and DFS, and the status of SLN is the most predictive prognostic factor in Japanese patients with clinically localized melanomas, as in case of Caucasians. Features of ALM may be different between Asians and Caucasians.     

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide predicts hospitalization for ischemic stroke in Japanese hemodialysis patients

Clinical and Experimental Nephrology - The association between N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and stroke in Japanese hemodialysis (HD) outpatients is unclear. Therefore, in...     

Validation of the Karolinska sleepiness scale against performance and EEG variables.

OBJECTIVE: The Karolinska sleepiness scale (KSS) is frequently used for evaluating subjective sleepiness. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the KSS with electroencephalographic, behavioral and other subjective indicators of sleepiness. METHODS: Participants were 16 healthy females aged 33-43 (38.1+/-2.68) years. The experiment involved 8 measurement sessions per day for 3 consecutive days. Each session contained the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), the Karolinska drowsiness test (KDT-EEG alpha & theta power), the alpha attenuation test (AAT-alpha power ratio open/closed eyes) and the KSS. RESULTS: Median reaction time, number of lapses, alpha and theta power density and the alpha attenuation coefficients (AAC) showed highly significant increase with increasing KSS. The same variables were also significantly correlated with KSS, with a mean value for lapses (r=0.56). CONCLUSIONS: The KSS was closely related to EEG and behavioral variables, indicating a high validity in measuring sleepiness. SIGNIFICANCE: KSS ratings may be a useful proxy for EEG or behavioral indicators of sleepiness.     

Strain difference in tolerance to low-temperature treatment of fertilized mouse oocytes

Background and Aims:  The aim of this study was to determine which mouse strains exhibit tolerance to cooling when fertilized oocytes have been stored at 4°C.
Methods:  In-vitro -fertilization-derived oocytes of eight mouse strains were incubated at 4°C in 20 mmol/L Hepes-potassium modified simplex optimized medium (KSOM) medium for 0, 24, 48, 60 or 72 h, and then returned to normal culture conditions at 37°C in KSOM medium. The rates of development of cultured oocytes into blastocysts and cell numbers of blastocysts were examined. In some cases, a Comet assay was carried out to evaluate DNA damage. In addition, the effects of β-mercaptoethanol on the development of the 4°C-treated oocytes were assessed.
Results:  Of the eight strains tested, BDF1, B6C3F1 and FVB/N strains exhibited relatively higher degrees of tolerance to 4°C treatment and approximately 90%, 83% and 78% of oocytes treated at 4°C for 48 h developed to morphologically normal blastocysts, respectively. Comet assay revealed no clear DNA damage in oocytes treated at 4°C. Treatment with β-mercaptoethanol failed to improve the in vitro survival rate of low-temperature-treated oocytes.
Conclusion:  Strain differences were observed in tolerance to cooling treatment when fertilized oocytes were temporarily treated with 4°C, although the reasons for this remain unclear. (Reprod Med Biol 2006; 5 : 43–50)