The technique for homogeneously dispersing hydrophobic drugs in a water-soluble solid matrix (solid dispersion) is a subject that has been extensively investigated in the pharmaceutical industry. Herein, a novel technique for dispersing a solid, without the need to use a surfactant, is reported. A freeze-dried amorphous sugar sample was dissolved in an organic solvent, which contained a soluble model hydrophobic component. The suspension of the sugar and the model hydrophobic component was vacuum foam dried to give a solid powder. Four types of sugars and methanol were used as representative sugars and the organic medium. Four model drugs (indomethacin, ibuprofen, gliclazide, and nifedipine) were employed. Differential scanning calorimetry analyses indicated that the sugar and model drug (100:1) did not undergo segregation during the drying process. The dissolution of the hydrophobic drugs in water from the solid dispersion was then evaluated, and the results indicated that the C and AUC of the hydrophobic drug in water were increased when the surfactant-free solid dispersion was used. Palatinose and/or α-maltose were superior to the other tested carbohydrates in increasing C and AUC for all tested model drugs, and the model drug with a lower water solubility tended to exhibit a greater extent of over-dissolution.

Aku no Hana (The Flowers of Evil) is a manga written and drawn by Shūzō Oshimi between 2009 and 2014. These 11 volumes, which sold more than 2,000,000 copies, were a commercial success, subsequently partially adapted into an animated Japanese television show of 13 episodes, which aired in 2013. Kasuga, the main character of the series, is an adolescent bored with his mediocre life in a rural village. Under the influence of his father, who is also a literature fanatic, he develops a passionate appreciation for Les Fleurs du Mal, even if his reading of the Japanese translation of this complex text does not permit a comprehension of it’s dark and erotic atmosphere. One day, finding himself alone in the classroom, he steals the mini-skirt of the most popular girl in the class, Sakei. The only witness to this perverse act is Nakamura, another girl in the class, who begins to torment Kasuga with the threat of revealing his sexual crime. Through the analysis of Baudelaire’s role in this manga, I hope to outline the French poet’s current reception in Japan, which, even if diminished, still exists in this country where French literature has become less popular than it was a half century ago.