Abstract
Objective : Laninamivir Octanoate (LO) is a novel anti-influenza drug administered by inhalation only once administration, and with a very simple dosage adjustment regimen. Conversely, inhalation might be expected to fail in some groups of patients, particularly the very young and very elderly because of poor inhalation technique. Therefore, we undertook a study to investigate the success and failure rates of the dry powder inhalation formulation of LO.
Methods : We observed 159 patients who were prescribed LO. Pharmacists observed the administration technique after explaining how to inhale the drug. Success was defined as patients who could inhale the drug without a problem. Failure was defined as those patients who were judged to have inhaled less than 75％ of the drug. We also examined the success rate between pharmacies and the success and failure rates according to age.
Results : A 4-years-old patient was the youngest to fail LO therapy whereas a 5-years-old patient was the youngest to succeeded with the therapy. The success rate did not differ significantly between pharmacies. The success rate was 88.9％ in patients under the age of 9 years, but which was significantly lower compared with 97.9％ in the group of patients over 10 years of age.
Conclusion : This survey revealed that many cases of inhalation failure of LO anti-influenza therapy occur below the age of 9 year.

BACKGROUND: Oral health is thought to be associated with diet quality, and socioeconomic status (SES) affects both oral health and diet. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the number of teeth and dietary intake as well as nutritional biomarker, considering the subjects' SES. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from 2049 individuals aged ≥ 50 years from the National Integrated Project for Prospective Observation of Non-communicable Disease and its Trends in the Aged 2010. The number of remaining teeth was categorized into age-specific quartiles (Q1 to Q4). We assessed the adjusted means and 95% confidence intervals for dietary variables by the number of teeth using analysis of covariance. Stratified analyses by SES were also conducted. RESULTS: The intake of grain products was 31 g higher, and those of vegetables and meat were 30 g and 8 g lower, respectively, in Q1 (fewer teeth) than in Q4 (more teeth). Carbohydrate intake was higher whereas protein, minerals (potassium, magnesium, and zinc), vitamins (vitamins A, E, B, B, β-carotene, and folic acid), and dietary fiber intakes were lower among individuals with fewer teeth. Adjusted mean serum albumin levels were low in Q1. The associations between the number of teeth and dietary intake were more evident in individuals with a low SES. CONCLUSIONS Having few remaining teeth was associated with a low nutrient intake and low serum albumin levels in middle-aged and older Japanese adults, and these associations were more evident in individuals with low SES.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carbohydrates ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Energy Intake ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Japan ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nutrients ; Nutrition Surveys ; Nutritional Status ; Serum Albumin ; analysis ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Tooth ; Vegetables