Current guidelines do not mention tacrolimus (TAC) as a treatment option and no consensus has been reported on the role of TAC in lupus nephritis (LN). The present study aimed to guide clinical judgement on the use of TAC in patients with LN. A meta-analysis was performed for clinical studies investigating TAC regimens in LN on the basis of treatment target (induction or maintenance), concomita...

BACKGROUND This study investigated the effect of St John's wort (SJW) extract on the pharmacokinetics of the immunosuppressants tacrolimus (TAC) and mycophenolic acid (MPA). METHODS Ten stable renal transplant patients received 600 mg SJW extract for 14 days in addition to their regular regimen of TAC and mycophenolate mofetil. RESULTS Dose-corrected AUC((0-12)) of TAC decreased significant...

OBJECTIVE Treatment of severe ulcerative colitis (UC) is challenging. Although the efficacy of tacrolimus (TAC) and infliximab (IFX) have been evaluated in patients with severe UC, the safety and efficacy levels of sequential therapies (TAC→IFX/IFX→TAC) in these patients remain unclear. The aim of this study was to assess short-term and long-term outcomes in patients with severe UC treated with...

Background. This study investigated the effect of St John’s wort (SJW) extract on the pharmacokinetics of the immunosuppressants tacrolimus (TAC) and mycophenolic acid (MPA). Methods. Ten stable renal transplant patients received 600 mg SJW extract for 14 days in addition to their regular regimen of TAC and mycophenolate mofetil. Results. Dose-corrected AUC(0–12) of TAC decreased significantly ...

The anti-Tac monoclonal antibody is known to bind to the p55 chain of the human interleukin 2 receptor and to inhibit proliferation of T cells by blocking interleukin 2 binding. However, use of anti-Tac as an immunosuppressant drug would be impaired by the human immune response against this murine antibody. We have therefore constructed a "humanized" antibody by combining the complementarity-de...

BACKGROUND Hemodynamic load regulates myocardial function and gene expression. We tested the hypothesis that afterload and preload, despite similar average load, result in different phenotypes. METHODS AND RESULTS Afterload and preload were compared in mice with transverse aortic constriction (TAC) and aortocaval shunt (shunt). Compared with sham mice, 6 hours after surgery, systolic wall str...

Free radicals and an oxidant/antioxidant imbalance have been involved in the schizophrenia pathophysiology. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is a measure of the antioxidant capacity of a system. Day/night changes are a biological characteristic of hormones such as melatonin or cortisol. There is little information about TAC day/night changes in schizophrenia patients. The aim of this resear...

BACKGROUND To investigate whether or not coadministration of tacrolimus (TAC) with prednisolone (PSL) can produce a beneficial effect in the treatment of polymyositis/ dermatomyositis (PM/DM). METHODS We reviewed medical records of 32 PM/DM patients who had been admitted to our hospital, and abstracted those who had received TAC in addition to oral PSL for treatment. The clinical usefulness o...