Although “coldness” exaggerates chronic pain in the lower back and extremities in patients who experience it, there is no western-style medicine focusing on “coldness” Therefore, we investigated the efficacy and safety of a Kampo medicine that improves “coldness”. In the present study, we retrospectively reviewed medical chart records on the prescription of tokishigyakukagoshuyushokyoto 7.5 g/day (dry weight) to patients who had subjective coldness in their lower extremities. We performed pre- to 1 month post tokishigyakukagoshuyushokyoto treatment comparisons with regard to Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), axillary temperature, dorsal foot temperatures, Ankle-Brachial pressure Index (ABI), Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) and patient satisfaction. The records of 21 patients with lower back pain and “coldness” were evaluated. VAS, and both axillary and dorsal foot temperatures were significantly improved, and satisfaction score was increased. Subjective coldness was alleviated in 7 patients ; however, objective temperatures were increased in all patients. In summary, we noted that tokishigyakukagoshuyushokyoto increased axillary and the dorsal foot temperatures, and objectively contributed to pain relief as well as patient satisfaction.

The case of a 20-year-old female with Cockayne syndrome, presenting with reduced intake of food, is described. At admission, her intake of food and her body weight were low. The patient's food swallowing function was recorded by video fluorography and evaluated. Reduced transfer of food boluses to the posterior site of the oral cavity, incomplete formation of boluses in the oral phase, and residual food after swallowing in the pharynx phase were observed. No aspiration was observed, however, during video fluorography. The patient's nutrition was managed by changing her meals to fluid-type food to shorten the eating time.

The case of a 20-year-old female with Cockayne syndrome, presenting with reduced intake of food, is described. At admission, her intake of food and her body weight were low. The patient's food swallowing function was recorded by video fluorography and evaluated. Reduced transfer of food boluses to the posterior site of the oral cavity, incomplete formation of boluses in the oral phase, and residual food after swallowing in the pharynx phase were observed. No aspiration was observed, however, during video fluorography. The patient's nutrition was managed by changing her meals to fluid-type food to shorten the eating time.

Consultations with patients who bring drugs, especially on the high risk drug list, to a hospital is an important role of pharmacists. However, many incident reports occur though pharmacists generally make an effort to check such medications. In Japan, incidents are mostly reported just in terms of numbers but not in terms of the prevalence of a target group. We aim to reveal the prevalence of incidents related to medicine brought-in by patients undergoing surgery in National Hospital Organization (NHO) hospitals. For our study, we extracted patients undergoing surgery who were prescribed antidiabetic agents from the Medical data bank (MIA) in NHO. Chart reviews were performed on patients to evaluate the number of incidents in relation to brought-in medicine. The prevalence of incidents of interest was 4.4% (41/931, 95%CL : 3.2-5.9%). Pre-avoidable incidents represented 56.1% (23/41, p<0.0001). We found that pharmacists play a role in making incidents less severe.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the survival outcomes of patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma/adenosquamous carcinoma (AC/ASC) among patients with locally advanced cervical cancer that were treated with definitive radiotherapy. METHODS: The baseline characteristics and outcome data of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer who were treated with definitive radiotherapy between November 1993 and February 2014 were collected and retrospectively reviewed. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to investigate the prognostic significance of AC/ASC histology. RESULTS: The patients with AC/ASC of the cervix exhibited significantly shorter overall survival (OS) (p=0.004) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.002) than the patients with SCC of the cervix. Multivariate analysis showed that AC/ASC histology was an independent negative prognostic factor for PFS. Among the patients who displayed AC/ASC histology, larger tumor size, older age, and incomplete response to radiotherapy were found to be independent prognostic factors. PFS was inversely associated with the number of poor prognostic factors the patients exhibited (the estimated 1-year PFS rates; 100.0%, 77.8%, 42.8%, 0.0% for 0, 1, 2, 3 factors, respectively). CONCLUSION: Locally advanced cervical cancer patients with AC/ASC histology experience significantly worse survival outcomes than those with SCC. Further clinical studies are warranted to develop a concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) protocol that is specifically tailored to locally advanced cervical AC/ASC.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Epithelial Cells* ; Female ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Radiotherapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*