The purpose of this study was to investigate moderate endurance exercise-induced changes in oxidative stress in different phases of the menstrual cycle. We used saliva samples which can be collected non-invasively. The resting oxidative stress levels determined by oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) were significantly higher in the menstrual phase than the follicular and luteal phases. The ORP significantly increased 30 minutes after exercise started and at the end of the 60 minute exercise session in the follicular phase. The menstrual cycle may affect oxidative stress levels at rest among young women, whereas moderate endurance exercise is likely to increase oxidative stress in the follicular phase.

We report the case of a 51-year-old woman whose body weight was increased after bariatric surgery. She has been obese from a young age. When she was 30 years old, she developed type 2 diabetes mellitus. She was hospitalized for diabetic ketoacidosis at 45 years of age. She was diagnosed bulimic at 48 years of age, and body weight reduction with diet and exercise therapy became difficult because she was bulimic. Then, she underwent bariatric surgery and her body weight had reduced by 11 kg, 6 months after the surgery. However, her body weight began to increase again 7 months post surgery. At this time, her mental status had become unstable and she ate constantly in the afternoons. We administered yokukansan 5 g/day to treat her unstable mental status. Her body weight then decreased in accord with decreasing energy intake after the administration of yokukansan. She also became aware that her mental status was improving. Furthermore, her HbA1c (JDS) decreased from 8.7% to 7.1% after yokukansan treatment. In this case, it is possible that yokukansan suppressed the overeating by stabilizing her mental status, with the parallel decreases in body weight and HbA1c.

We analyzed the relation between subjective fatigue by hard exercise and stress hormone and cytokine data. The subjects are eight healthy men who had exercise experience. In this experiment, hard exercise was carried out in the first place. After two-hour rest, a performance test was carried out. The blood test was conducted 4 times (before exercise, after exercise, rest, and a performance test). Subjective fatigue was indicated using visual analogue scale (VAS). After the hard exercise and performance test, VAS increased and showed the significant difference. Lactic acid, adrenaline, noradrenaline, growth hormone, IL-6, and IL-8 increased after each exercise and showed the significant difference. Subjective fatigue and the value of lactic acid, and IL-6 showed significant positive correlations. These results suggest that lactic acid, and IL-6 may become an index of fatigue in this exertion model.

The primary aim of this study was to describe how patient-held-records was used in the regional palliative care program (OPTIM-study). The number of patient-held-records disseminated was 1,131 per region per year. A total of 15% and 16% of 706 physicians and 2,236 nurses in the region reported that they used patient-held-records disseminated during the study periods, respectively. In-depth interview identified themes [difficulty in dissemination], potential benefits of patient-held-records ([improved sense-of-control of patients], [improved information sharing among health care professionals]), and barriers ([lack of patient-perceived benefits and patient burden], [necessity that all health care professionals involved should be aware the value of patient-held-records and understand how to use it]). Of 11 hospitals who introduced patient-held-records, only 2 hospitals continued to use it during 3-year study periods. In conclusion, region-wide dissemination of patient-held-records seems to be unfeasible in many regions in Japan.

It is important to collect patients' and their families' opinions to provide good palliative care. This study aims to analyze the contents of free description provided by the survey for cancer patients and bereaved families, which was performed before the intervention of The Outreach Palliative Care Trial of Integrated Regional Model (OPTIM) study. Requests for and good points of cancer treatment and palliative care were collected and classified. 1,493 advanced cancer patients and 1,658 bereaved families in four areas received the questionnaire, and 271 patients and 550 families filled in the free description. Cancer patients and bereaved families had demands for improved communication with medical staff, improved quality of pain relief, financial support of treatment, more educational activities on palliative care, and improved cooperation within and outside hospitals. Palliat Care Res 2011; 6(2): 237-245