The efficacy and safety of sildenafil was evaluated in a randomiSed, double-blind, placebocontrolled, flexible-dose study in Korean men aged 28-78 y with erectile dysfunction (ED) of broadspectrum aetiology and more than 6 months duration. A total of 133 patients were randomised at six centres in Korea to receive either sildenafil (50 mg initially, increased if necessary to l00 mg or decreased to 25 mg depending on efficacy and tolerance) (n ¼ 66) or matching placebo (n ¼ 67) taken on an 'as needed' basis l h prior to anticipated sexual activity for a period of 8 weeks. At the end of this time, the primary efficacy variables relating to the achievement and maintenance of erections sufficient for sexual intercourse, and the secondary efficacy variables, which included: (1) the five separate domains of sexual functioning of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scale, (2) the percentage of successful intercourse attempts, and (3) a global assessment of erections, were all statistically significantly improved by sildenafil in comparison with placebo (Po0.0001). Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 56.1% of patients receiving sildenafil and 20.9% receiving placebo. The most common adverse events with sildenafil were vasodilatation (flushing), headache and abnormalities in colour vision (31.8, 22.7 and 6.1% of patients, respectively), and most were mild in nature. The efficacy and safety of sildenafil in this population of Korean men appears similar to that reported in other studies in western populations.

By means of a simple mixing procedure, we have constructed cationic Sendai virosomes consisting of fusogenic viral F/HN proteins and cationic lipids. Sendai virus F/HN proteins were purified by Triton X-100 treatment and sequential centrifugation, and then quantitatively added to cationic liposomes. The presence of HN proteins is essential for hemolytic activity of Sendai virus as well as efficient gene transfection. The amount of detergent added for purification of F/HN proteins was also crucial for hemolytic activity. The relevance of F/HN proteins in the gene-transfer capability of the cationic Sendai F/HN virosomes (CSVs) was verified by heat inactivation of the F/HN proteins, and cell-binding competition. DNA condensation by protamine sulfate was able to further enhance the transfection efficiency and serum resistance of CSV. The enhanced transfection efficiency of protamine-condensed DNA-encapsulating cationic Sendai F/HN virosomes (PCSVs) may result from specific and efficient cell binding mediated by F/HN proteins and efficient DNA encapsulation by protamine. The DNA condensation by protamine was crucial for systemic in vivo gene transfer by CSVs. The PCSVs exhibited a higher gene expression in various organs, especially the liver, compared to DOTAP/Chol lipoplexes. These results demonstrate the potential for the use of PCSV as gene delivery vehicles for systemic gene transfer.

Remifentanil is a commonly used opioid in anesthesia with cardioprotective effect in ischemia-reperfused (I/R) heart. We evaluated the influence of remifentanil on myocardial infarct size and expressions of proteins involved in apoptosis in I/R rat heart following various time protocols of remifentanil administration. Artificially ventilated anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a 30 min of left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion followed by 2 h of reperfusion. Rats were randomly assigned to one of five groups; Sham, I/R only, remifentanil preconditioning, postconditioning and continuous infusion group. Myocardial infarct size, the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Bcl2, Bax and cytochrome c and the expression of genes influencing Ca2+ homeostasis were assessed. In remifentanil-administered rat hearts, regardless of the timing and duration of administration, infarct size was consistently reduced compared to I/R only rats. Remifentanil improved expression of ERK 1/2 and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl2, and expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum genes which were significantly reduced in the I/R rats only. Remifentanil reduced expression of pro-apoptotic protein, Bax and cytochrome c. These suggested that remifentanil produced cardioprotective effect by preserving the expression of proteins involved in anti-apoptotic pathways, and the expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum genes in I/R rat heart, regardless of the timing of administration.

Background We aimed to compare trough infliximab levels and the development of anti-drug antibody (ADA) for 1 year between Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients who were biologic-naïve and to evaluate their impact on clinical outcomes. Methods This was a prospective, multi-center, observational study. Biologic-naïve patients with moderate to severe CD and UC who started CT-P13 therapy were eligible for the study. The trough drug and ADA levels were measured serially for 1-year after CT-P13 initiation. Clinical outcomes were assessed with intention-to-treat purpose. Results 267 patients who received CT-P13 treatment were enrolled in the study (CD 168, UC 99). The rates of clinical remission (72% vs. 32.3%, p<0.001) and clinical response (75.6% vs. 47.5%, p<0.001) at 54-week were significantly higher in CD than in UC. The median trough drug level (μg/mL) was significantly higher in CD than in UC up to 14-week (2-week, 19 vs. 15, p<0.001; 6-week, 13 vs. 9, p<0.001; 14-week, 3 vs. 2, p=0.001, Fig 1). The median ADA level (AU/mL) was significantly lower in CD than in UC at 2-week (6 vs. 7, p=0.046), 30-week (8 vs. 12, p=0.007) and 54-week (9 vs. 12, p=0.032, Fig 1). The difference in drug and ADA levels between CD and UC remained significant after adjustment for confounders in repeated measures analysis. Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that CD over UC (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62–0.95, p=0.016, Fig 2) and no immunomodulator (aHR 1.55, 95% CI 1.07–2.25, p=0.02) were independent risk factors for the development of ADA. The development of ADA at 2-week (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.12, 95% CI 0.03–0.6, p=0.009) and CD over UC (aOR 1.85, 95% CI 1.33–2.56, p=0.0002) were independent predictors of clinical remission at 54-week. Conclusion CD shows favorable pharmacokinetics of infliximab including high trough drug and low ADA level compared with UC which might be related with better clinical outcomes for 1-year of infliximab.

Background The association between ulcerative colitis (UC) and increased risk of cervical cancer in women remains controversial. We investigated cervical cancer risk in South Korean UC patients using the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) claims data. Methods UC definitions included both ICD-10 codes and UC-specific prescriptions. We analyzed incident cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2015. Age-matched women without UC (control group) were randomly selected from the general population (1:3 ratio). Hazard ratios (HRs), adjusted for different covariates, were calculated using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression. In total, 12,632 and 36,797 women with and without UC, respectively, were enrolled. Results Cervical cancer developed in 0.21% (68 person-years) and 0.14% (172 person-years) of UC patients and controls, respectively. The HR (95% CI) of cervical cancer in the UC group, with reference to the control group, was 1.56 (0.97-2.50). HR, stratified by age, was significantly high in elderly UC patients (≥60 years) at 3.65 (1.54–8.66). In UC patients, old age (≥40 years) and low socioeconomic status were associated with increased cervical cancer risk. Conclusion Elderly UC patients had a higher incidence of cervical cancer than age-matched controls in Korea, suggesting that elderly patients with newly diagnosed UC should be screened for cervical cancer.