Attribute-based medicine is essential for patient-centered medicine. To date, the groups of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) requiring urate-lowering therapy are clinically unknown. Herein, ...we evaluated the efficacy of febuxostat using a cross-classification, attribute-based research approach. We performed post hoc analysis of multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial data for 395 patients with stage 3 CKD and asymptomatic hyperuricemia. Participants were divided into febuxostat or placebo groups and subcohorts stratified and cross-classified by proteinuria and serum creatinine concentrations. In patients stratified based on proteinuria, the mean eGFR slopes were significantly higher in the febuxostat group than in the placebo group (P = 0.007) in the subcohort without proteinuria. The interaction between febuxostat treatment and presence of proteinuria in terms of eGFR slope was significant (P for interaction = 0.019). When cross-classified by the presence of proteinuria and serum creatinine level, the mean eGFR slopes significantly differed between the febuxostat and placebo groups (P = 0.040) in cross-classified subcohorts without proteinuria and with serum creatinine level ≥ median, but not in the cross-classified subcohorts with proteinuria and serum creatinine level < median. Febuxostat mitigated the decline in kidney function among stage 3 CKD patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia without proteinuria.
The effects of L-dopa on blood pressure, heart rate, plasma renin activity, norepinephrine, epinephrine and prolactin were studied in a randomized single-blind trial in 36 patients with essential ...hypertension. In response to L-dopa, 250 mg administered orally, the blood pressure decreased significantly as compared with the results of placebo treatment. The heart rate and plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine were unchanged. The plasma renin activity and prolactin decreased as a result of L-dopa administration. The administration of a peripheral DA2 dopamine receptor blocker, domperidone (20 mg, orally) prevented the L-dopa-induced reduction in plasma prolactin but failed to block the fall in blood pressure and plasma renin activity. These results suggest that the blood pressure-lowering effect of L-dopa may be mediated through multiple sites involving D1 dopamine receptors, the central nervous system, and the renin-angiotensin system.
In autumn 2003, data taking with the new silicon vertex detector SVD2.0 in Belle started at the KEK-B energy-asymmetric e/sup +/e/sup -/ collider in Tsukuba, Japan. The detector works as expected, ...however, it was decided to produce replacement ladders for the inner two layers of the vertex detector which are most exposed to the high radiation dose from the beam. The new ladders do not merely reproduce the existing design but include some significant improvements. The readout electronics is implemented on a hybrid board with a new heat transfer scheme in order to dissipate the heat produced in the front-end readout chip. The flex circuits that connect the double-sided silicon sensors (DSSDs) with the hybrid boards were redesigned using a 2-layer technique which improved the production quality and lowered their costs significantly. Production and testing will be finished in summer 2005 and will provide Belle with spare ladders as well as new expertise for possible future projects for example the high luminosity B-factory.
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