Helicobacter pylori (HP) is associated with gastroduodenal disease. Although it has been reported that HP is highly sensitive to beta-lactams and macrolides, the efficacy of these monotherapies for eradicating HP is rather poor. Recent pharmacological studies have shown the effectiveness of combined therapy using PPI, antibiotics, and bismuth agents or metronidazole, but it has been known to lead to side effects and poor patient compliance. In Japan, mucosal protective agents are principally used for the treament of gastritis and gastric ulcers, and as previously reported, some mucosal protective agents, such as sofalcon and plaunotol, have anti-HP properties. Although they are not sufficiently effective to be used as monotherapy in the eradication of HP, in combination with antibiotics and PPI, eradication rates were elevated and side effects were uncommon.
Chinese medicinal formulas have been used for stomach disease in traditional Oriental medicine. The authors studied the effects of combined therapy with Omeprazole (OPZ), AMPC and Chinese medicine (Hangeshashin-to and Sanoshashin-to) instead of mucosal protective agents in the eradication of HP. The study was conducted on a total of 137 HP positive patients with endoscopic evidence of ulcers or gastritis. Dual therapy with OPZ and AMPC had a weak eradicating effect on HP (75%), but combined therapy using OPZ, AMPC and a Chinese medical formula was successful in eradicating HP in 20 out of 24 patients (85%).
The antibacterial effects of pharmaceutical preparations and crude drug extracts of Chinese medicine against HP were examined in an in vitro study. No antibacterial action against HP was demonstrated by these agents at concentrations of less than 2000μg/ml concentration. Chinese medicinal preparations should be used in combined therapy with antibiotics and PPI for optimum efficacy in eradicating HP.
This new eradication regimen including OPZ, AMPC and Hangeshashin-to is well tolerated; side effects are minimal and uncommon. This triple therapy may be useful in the treatment of HP infection, and is referred to as a “new Japanese regimen.”

　　The aim of this study was to examine topophilia in the elderly living in mountainous areas. Topophilia, which is the geographical concept invented by Yi-Fu Tuan in 1999, is defined as the affective bond between people and place or environmental setting. A total of 120 elderly subjects living in a mountainous area responded to a standardized, validated 9-item Life Satisfaction Index K (subjective well-being) developed by Wataru Koyano and a new structured 6-item questionnaire on topophilia. Factor analyses revealed two domains of topophilia (public emotion and private emotion toward the living place). Public emotion was the emotion of being hard to leave the living place. Private emotion was the emotion of not loving the living place. There were areas where the elderly had a lesser degree of attachment toward the present state of the elderly could hardly have a sense of well-being and attachments to the current domicile. It is considered that not only physical but also mental approach is necessary to support the daily life of the elderly living in the mountainous area. Also, we examined the influences of aging and the living place on a subjective well-being and topophilia. There was no significant correlation between age and subjective well-being, but there was significant positive correlation between age and the degree of topophilia (r＝0.234, p‹0.01). On the other hand, the degree of subjective well-being by the place of residence was significantly different (p‹0.001; ANOVA), and the degree of topophilia by the place of residence was not significantly different. These findings suggest that subjective well-being is not influenced by age but influenced by the place of residence, and topophillia is not influenced by the place of residence but influenced by age.

We conducted a clinical trial in 26 healthy adult women to evaluate the effect of foods containing placental extract ingested for 12 consecutive weeks on 9 constitutional types in Traditional Chinese Medicine.The body constitution analysis set consisted of 23 subjects (excluding 3 dropouts). Twelve-week ingestion of placental extract-containing foods improved individual scores for “Gentleness” type, a healthy constitution, and “Qi-deficiency,” “Yang-deficiency,” “Yin-deficiency,” “Wet-heat” and “Qi-depression” types, which are all mibyou constitution.The safety analysis set consisted of 25 subjects (excluding 1 dropout). Only one subject experienced an adverse event (exacerbation of urticaria, an underlying disease). No other safety concerns arose.

Purpose: This study aimed at identifying difficulties among post thoracic esophagectomy cancer patients during outpatient follow-up. Methods: Patients who had radical esophagectomy at a cancer center hospital in Japan were prospectively observed and were interviewed by a certified nurse assigned at esophageal surgical outpatient division. Their responses were documented in medical records and were analyzed by content analysis method. This study was approved by the study hospital's research ethics committee. Results: The data from 66 patients were obtained. Content analysis yielded 221 extracts, 25 categories, and 65 codes of difficulties, including: concerns or signs/symptoms associated with dietary intake, physical activity, and anxiety. Implications: The majority of post-thoracoabdominal esophagectomy patients experienced multiple dysfunctions and symptoms after discharge. The results underscore the significance of nurses' role in assessing and instructing patients to address these issues.

Background: Patients having thoracic esophagectomy, a standardized treatment for esophageal cancer patients in Japan, are known to have various postsurgical signs and symptoms for a period of time. The current status of nursing interventions at outpatients need to be clarified. Purpose: This study aimed at identifying the nurses' interventions for cancer patients at the outpatient setting who previously had thoracic radical esophagectomy. Methods: Patients who had esophagectomy at a cancer center hospital in Japan were prospectively observed and interviewed by outpatient nurses between January 2009 and December 2010. Their documented responses in medical record were prospectively investigated and were qualitatively analyzed via content analysis method. This study was approved by the study hospital's research ethics committee. Results and discussion: The data analysis of nursing interventions for 66 patients yielded 372 extracts, 12 categories, and 74 codes. Nurses were assessing patients' signs and symptoms affected by postsurgical changes, and were utilizing patients' active self-monitoring skills. The results also showed the significance of facilitating postsurgical recovery in relation to nutritional intake and physical activity in patients' daily life. Implications: Based upon the study results, the development of a systematic program is underway, which facilitates esophageal cancer patients' postsurgical recovery.

OBJECTIVES: Glucocorticoid (GC) treatment inhibits activation of runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), which is essential for osteoblast differentiation from stem cells. As a result, GC treatment results in bone loss, GC-induced osteoporosis (GIO), elevated fracture risk, and delayed bone healing. Bisphosphonates such as alendronate (ALN) are recommended for treating or preventing GIO, and lowintensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) facilitates fracture healing and maturation of regenerated bone. Combined therapy with ALN and LIPUS may stimulate cancellous bone healing in GIO rats. Here, we examined the effect of ALN and LIPUS on cancellous bone osteotomy repair in the proximal tibia of GIO rats. METHODS: Prednisolone (10 mg/kg body weight/day) was administered for 4 weeks to induce GIO in 6-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats. Tibial osteotomy was then performed and daily subcutaneous injection of ALN (1-µg/kg body weight) was subsequently administered alone or in combination with LIPUS (20 min/day) for 2 or 4 weeks. RESULTS: ALN significantly increased bone mineral density (BMD) at 2 and 4 weeks, and ALN + LIPUS significantly increased BMD at 4 weeks. Bone union rates were significantly increased after 2 and 4 weeks ALN and ALN + LIPUS treatment. Lastly, ALN and ALN + LIPUS significantly increased the proportion of Runx2 positive cells at 4 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: ALN monotherapy and combined ALN and LUPUS treatment augmented BMD and stimulated cancellous bone repair with increased Runx2 expression at the osteotomy site in GIO rats. However, the combined treatment had no additional effect on cancellous bone healing compared to ALN monotherapy.
Alendronate* ; Animals ; Bone Density ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic* ; Diphosphonates ; Female ; Fracture Healing ; Humans ; Infant ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoporosis ; Osteotomy* ; Prednisolone ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stem Cells ; Tibia* ; Transcription Factors ; Ultrasonic Waves*