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US 6,984,493 B1Granted
Method for examining the involvement of opioid peptides in prurtis
AssigneeToray Industries, Inc.
InventorsHiroo Kumagai, Takao Saruta
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Abstract
A method for examining a disease includes measuring plural opioid peptides or opioid receptors in blood cell, body fluid, or tissue and calculating the ratio thereof. The method can be specifically applied to pruritic diseases. The invented method for examination can determine whether opioids are involved in a pruritic disease and can determine whether therapy with an opioid agonistic and/or antagonistic antipruritus agent is appropriate or not.
Claims4
A method for examining a pruritic disease to diagnose opioid-based pruritis, comprising the steps of:
- measuring concentrations of κ-opioid peptides and μ-opioid peptides, in serum,
- calculating the ratio of said concentrations of μ-opioid peptides to the concentration of κ-opioid peptides,
- comparing said calculated ratio to a corresponding ratio in non-pruritic patients;
- and
- diagnosing opioid-based pruritis where said calculated ratio is greater than said corresponding ratio.
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