We evaluated the efficacy of pilocarpine hydrochloride and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with it. A marketing approval has recently been granted to pilocarpine hydrochloride as a treatment for xerostomia associated with Sjögren's syndrome (“SS”). Among the patients treated with pilocarpine hydrochloride from October 2007 to May 2008, our study included 30 patients who had not previously been treated with cevimeline hydrochloride or anethole trithione and were able to be followed for 4 weeks post-treatment. The results of 10-minute gum test were significantly improved from baseline to 4 weeks after treatment initiation and thereafter, while the subjective symptom scores were not significantly improved. ADRs occurred in 80.0% of patients. The most common ADR was heavy sweating followed by queasy and pollakiuria. All ADRs occurred within 4 weeks of treatment initiation. Queasy disappeared in 90.9% of patients by 12 weeks of treatment initiation. The overall incidence of ADR by dose was significantly higher in patients who received pilocarpine hydrochloride 15 mg/day compared to those who received pilocarpine hydrochloride 10 mg/day. In the incidence by events, the incidence of pollakiuria was significantly higher in patients who received pilocarpine hydrochloride 15 mg/day compared to those who received pilocarpine hydrochloride 10 mg/day.

View full abstract

studied the anti-tumor activities of a monoclonal anti-MUC1 antibody with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and effects of membrane-bound complement regulatory proteins to anti-tumor activities. The OSCC cell line HSC4 was highly expressed of MUC1. Treatment of HSC4 cells with anti-MUC1 mAb C595 and fresh human serum resulted in deposition of C3 on HSC4 cells. C595 also enhanced complement-mediated lysis of HSC4 in the presence of fresh human serum. Because the level of C3 deposition and complement-mediated lysis of HSC4 cells caused by C595 was low, the effect of membrane-bound complement regulatory proteins (CRPs), such as CD46, CD55 and CD59 on inhibiting complement activation was investigated on HSC4 cells. All of CRPs were highly expressed on HSC4 cells. Then, when the complement-dependent cytotoxicity was compared treatment with C595 inhibiting of CD55 or CD59 by each functionally blocking mAb to C595 alone, a 2- to 3-fold increase in C-dependent cell lysis was observed, respectively. These results indicate that complement activation by immunotherapy to OSCC was inhibited by CRPs. The inhibition of CRPs may be an effective treatment of immunotherapy for OSCC.

View full abstract

We report a case of a 6-year-old boy with marked swelling of the upper lip but no facial palsy or fissured tongue. Crohn's disease and sarcoidosis were ruled out by blood analysis and physical examination. After extraction of four deciduous teeth containing periapical lesions, the lip swelling improved temporarily. A biopsy of the upper lip was performed when swelling recurred. The histopathological diagnosis was cheilitis granulomatosa. The swelling of the upper lip completely disappeared after an intraregional injection of dexamethasone and medication of tranilast.

View full abstract