Introduction: It is difficult in the treatment for the patients with refractory pruritus by conventional oral or external medication. Case report: A 72-year-old woman with pancreatic metastasis of primary lung cancer, who was treated by control-release oxycodone for cancer pain and endoscopic biliary drainage for obstructive jaundice. Although external medication and oral anti-allergic agents (mirtazapine and herbal medicine) were administered for pruritus, there was no improvement. The patient was diagnosed with refractory pruritus and pregabalin was administered. After the beginning of low dose, increase of dosage provided improvement at the third day of the administration. Finally, numerical rating scale improved from 8/10 in previous treatment to 0-1/10 in following treatment, and the symptom was relieved. Discussion: A few previous research of effectiveness on pregabalin for pruritus have been reported from abroad. The improvement for refractory pruritus was provided by pregabalin. Conclusion: We conclude that pregabalin is a one of the options for effective treatment for refractory pruritus.

We studied maxillofacial fractures treated by departments of oral and maxillofacial surgery in Tokyo. A retrospective review of records and radiographs for patients admitted during the 5-year period from 2000 to 2004 was conducted at five departments in Tokyo. Date, age, gender, cause of injury, fracture site, concomitant injury, domestic violence against women, and treatment were reviewed. 674 patients with maxillofacial fractures were admitted. Male-to-female ratio was 3.6:1. The most frequent age group was 21-25 years. Fractures of the mandible were most frequent (87%), followed by the maxilla (14%) and the zygomatic bone (12%). Thirty-one percent of fractures were due to traffic accidents, 29% to accidental falls, 23% to violence and 14% to sports. The incidence of maxillofacial fractures caused by traffic accidents was lower, and that caused by falls and violence were higher than in other countries. Seventeen percent of the maxillofacial fracture patients had concomitant injuries. The incidence of domestic violence-related maxillofacial fracture was 1.6% of all cases. These cases were mainly caused by a husband (55%) or a sexual partner (36%). Most patients (67%) were treated by open reduction surgery. However, condylar fracture alone was usually treated by closed reduction surgery.

A statistical study on effects of laser-puncture was carried out. In addition, an attempt was made to compare between the effect of acupuncture and this method. The treatments were under-taken for various chronic and acute cases with pain. In the laser-puncture treatment, two types of laser (i, e. low energy 10mW laser and 70mW sharp laser) were used. Laser-beam was given to 20-30 points which were located in painful areas, innervating nerve areas and remote areas for 40 sec for each.
In the open study, 10mW laser-puncture was effective (including ‘rather effective’) in 64% of the cases, and 70mW laser-puncture 73%. In the blind test, ‘the day’ evaluation showed that the laser-punctures were more effective than placebo treatment: 10mW laser-puncture was effective in 80% of the cases, and placebo in 67%. 70mW laser-puncture was effective in 87% of them, and placebo in 80%. In situ acupuncture was effective in 97%, and no effect was seen in 7%.
Only ‘the day’ evaluation in the open study showed that 70mW laser-puncture was more effective than 10mW one. In the blind best, 10mW and 70mW laser-puncture were more effective than placebo, and in situ acupuncture was more effective than the laser-punctures, but there were no significant differences among the three treatmets.

Objective: To investigate the laxative effect of reducing the number of daily doses of magnesium oxide (MgO), while maintaining the total daily dose of MgO in patients with good bowel movements.Patients and Methods: The retrospective analysis involved 11 patients with regular bowel movements who were prescribed MgO for constipation upon admission to a nursing care facility accompanied by home visits by a pharmacist. This investigation was conducted before and after reducing the number of daily doses from three to two, or from two to one, over a two-week period.Results: The number of bowel movements was 7.6 ± 3.4 and 6.6 ± 4.0 times for two weeks before and after the change in dosage frequency, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant (P=0.09). The Bristol Stool Form Scale was 3.9 ± 0.9 and 4.0 ± 0.9 two weeks before and after the change, respectively, which was not significant (P=0.93). Two weeks after the change, the MgO regimen remained unchanged and no on-demand laxatives were administered.Conclusions: The results suggest that reducing the number of daily doses of MgO does not affect its laxative action.