Objective: To examine the signal of gastrointestinal tract injury induced by aspirin and other drugs, we analyzed the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Methods: After deleting duplicate submissions, we analyzed the reports involving gastrointestinal tract injury associated with aspirin, H2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs), proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), and antiplatelet and antithrombotic drugs.  The reporting odds ratio (ROR), a recognized pharmacovigilance tool, was used for the quantitative detection of signals.
Results: Based on 29,017,485 co-occurrences, i.e., drug-adverse event pairs, found in 1,645,605 reports from 2004 to 2009, the ROR-associated gastrointestinal tract injury for aspirin alone, aspirin with H2RAs, aspirin with PPIs, aspirin with ACE inhibitors, aspirin with ARBs, and aspirin with antiplatelet and antithrombotic drugs were 2.88, 1.42, 1.46, 1.00, 1.05, and 2.98-8.26, respectively.  The following summarizes the types of listed reports: 86 reports described the daily aspirin doses, and 36/86 were between 75 and 100 mg; 343 reports described the periods between the start-date for aspirin and the date when gastrointestinal tract injury occurred, of which 128/343 were within one month while 215/343 were over one month; additionally, 78 reports described the total cumulative doses of aspirin, and 17/78 were between 1 and 5 g.
Conclusion: The data suggest that H2RAs, PPIs, ACE inhibitors, and ARBs may reduce gastrointestinal tract injury associated with aspirin in possibility.

Objective: To examine the association between statin use and the risk of sleep disturbances, data mining was performed on a claims database.
Methods: Symmetry analysis was carried out to identify the risk of sleep disturbances after statin use during the period from January 2005 to December 2011.  Statin use in combination with hypnotic drugs was examined by prescription sequence symmetry analysis.  In this study, hypnotic drugs that are commonly prescribed for the treatment of insomnia were used as markers of sleep disturbances produced by statins. Likewise, event sequence symmetry analysis was undertaken to evaluate the association between statin use and the diagnosis of sleep disturbances.
Results: Significant associations of statin use with short-acting hypnotic drugs were found, with an adjusted SR (sequence ratio) of 1.23 (95%CI: 1.04-1.45) at an interval of 12 months.  Otherwise, significant associations between individual statin use and hypnotic drug use were not found.  Significant associations between use of statins and the diagnosis of sleep disturbances were not also found in this study.
Conclusions: Analysis of the claim database demonstrated that statin therapy might be associated with an emergence of sleep disturbances.  Therefore, individuals prescribed statins should be considered as having an increased risk of sleep disturbances.

Objective: Signal detection by analyzing adverse event spontaneous report databases is used to monitor drug safety.  One of the major spontaneous report databases is the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).  Recently, the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database (JADER) was released.  To compare FAERS and JADER, we calculated the signals of adverse events by new quinolones (NQs).
Methods: We extracted reports of adverse events by NQs from FAERS and JADER, and analyzed them using the ROR data mining algorithm.  Thirteen kinds of NQs were extracted, and the terms of adverse events extracted were defined by MedDRA.
Results: There were 35,990,645 reports in FAERS and 1,643,404 reports in JADER.  Significant RORs were found for hypersensitivity (FAERS: 1.78, JADER: 1.47), arrhythmia (1.07, 0.68), hypoglycemia (1.80, 2.03), hyperglycemia (0.72, 0.78), rhabdomyolysis (1.01, 0.78), tendon disorders (15.18, 6.59), psychiatric symptoms (1.12, 0.45) and convulsion (0.99, 1.31).  We identified 4 types of adverse events by comparing FAERS and JADER: 1) Signal detection in both, 2) No signal detection in either, 3) Signal detection only in FAERS, 4) Signal detection only in JADER.
Conclusion: Analyzing spontaneous report databases has several limitations, but is still a valuable tool for identifying potential associations between drugs and adverse events.  Spontaneous report databases may also be useful for detecting differences in adverse events between different races, countries and regions.

Objective: To examine the association between atypical and typical antipsychotics and extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), we analyzed the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database (JADER) from the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA).
Methods: A reporting odds ratio was calculated and used to detect spontaneous report signals, with detection defined as a lower limit >1 in a 95% confidence interval.  In addition, time to onset and age at onset of EPS were investigated.
Results: Drug-reaction pairs were identified in both FAERS (n=29,017,485) and JADER (n=2,079,653).  In analyses of both databases, significant associations were found between atypical and typical antipsychotics and EPS.  Atypical antipsychotics cause EPS with a longer duration of therapy compared to typical ones.  EPS in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics was observed at a broad range of ages compared to the patients treated with typical ones.
Conclusion: Atypical antipsychotics, like typical ones, may increase the risk of EPS.  Because of the longer latency of onset, it may be difficult to find EPS associated with atypical antipsychotics.  Therefore, the severe symptom may be developed in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics.  The attention should be paid to the EPS in patients of all ages treated with atypical antipsychotics.

Objective: To assess potential mechanisms responsible for the antitumor activities of the streptococcal preparation OK 432.Methods: C57BL/6 mice were transplanted subcutaneously with 5?10 5 B16 melanoma cells and treated with OK 432 (1KE/week?3) or saline (control) intraperitoneally 3 days after the inoculation and tumor size was measured biweekly. The effects of OK 432 on splenocyte cytokines (IL 2, IL 4, IL 6, IL 10, IL 12, IFN ?) production of tumor bearing mice were investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Results: OK 432 significantly inhibited B16 melanoma growth and lengthened the survival time of the mice as compared with control ( P