This paper reports the findings of a follow-up survey on non-smoking carried out in 2005. The previous survey was conducted in 2004 by distributing questionnaires to public facilities, schools, nursery schools and post offices in Mizunami. Method:The questionnaires consisted of the same questions as the previous ones and were sent to the same 64 facilities. Results:The questionnaires were recovered from 59 facilities(92.2%). Compared with the results of the previous survey, the number of public facilities, schools, offices and resting rooms where smoking is totally prohibited increased. In post offices, smoking corners disappeared. Progress was also made remarkably in division of public space and a workplace into smoking and nonsmoking areas. The smoking ratio of employees in these facilities surveyed decreased from 20% to 17%. Conclusion:Our survey confirmed that nonsmoking has steadily won public acceptance in a matter of one year.
Surveys ; Smoking ; public ; Schools, Nursery ; After values

To investigate the attitude of personnel at public facilities toward cigarette smoking, a poll was taken at 27 municipal facilities, 14 schools, 15 nursery schools, and 10 post offices in Mizunami City. Questionnaires were distributed to a total of 936 employees, asking them whether they smoke and whether their workplaces are divided into smoking and nonsmoking areas.All the questionnaires were collected, with the names of facilities entered. Of the pollees, 20.0% was found smokers. At about 80% of the facilities surveyed, smoking was prohibited at offices and resting rooms for employees. As it turned out, nosmoking zones were limited to only 30% of public space utilized by citizens. At most of the nursery schools surveyed, smoking was banned, but in many schools, smoking was not prohibited in the resting rooms for the teaching and clerical staff. Post offices, compared to the other facilities surveyed, were too lax in regulating smoking. The survey also found that less than half of the facilities have a good knowledge of Article 25 of the Health Promotion Law.The findings of the latest survey were such that we deemed it necessary to conduct more positively a campaign against smoking in public facilities open to local residents.
Smoking ; Surveys ; cigarette smoking ; seconds ; Questionnaires

Control of the blood sugar level is the fundamental treatment for diabetes mellitus. However, it is extremely difficult to effectively control the blood sugar level over a long period, during which complications such as neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy may develop. Impaired polyol (sorbitol) metabolism is considered to be a cause of neuropathy among these complications of diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy occurs in a relatively early stage. Its incidence increases with the prolongation of the diabetic condition, and the plight of the patients suffering from extensive tissue damage is profound. In this study, assessment was made regarding the effects of the aldose reductase inhibitor epalrestat, which is expected to reverse the pathogenic mechanism of diabetic neuropathy, on symptoms of neuropathy, erythrocyte sorbitol level, and threshold of vibratory sensibility.
[Subjects] The subjects were 7 male and 4 female outpatients who consistently exhibited spontaneous pain, dysesthesia, and autonomic disorders, or showed abnormalities in the erythrocyte sorbitol level and threshold of vibratory sensibility, and were taking 50 mg of epalrestat (1 tablet) before each meal for at least 6 months. The period of investigation was from October 1992 to March 1993.
[Methods] The subjects were explained about the aim of the study and their informed consents were obtained. They were inquired about symptoms while they were waiting for medicine in the Drug Information Management Office. Data concerning the erythrocyte sorbitol level and threshold of vibratory sensibility were obtained from charts.
[Results and Conclusions] 1) Improvement rates by subjective symptom: 75.0% for spontaneous pain; concerning dysesthesia, 57.1% for numbness of hands and feet, 40.0% for coldness of extremities, 33.3% for hot flushes, 75.0% for hypoesthesia, and 50.0% for itching; concerning autonomic disorders, 75.0% for dizziness on standing up, and 33.3% for abnormal perspiration. 2) Effects by the duration of illness: Improvements were greater as the duration of illness was shorter. 3) Erythrocyte sorbitol level: Improvements were generally unremarkable. 4) Threshold of vibratory sensibility: Fair improvements were observed in general. Neuropathy occurs from a relatively early stage of diabetes, and chronic hyperglycemia is considered to be the most important factor. Regulation of the blood sugar level is essential for the treatment, but if it is impossible, the pain and discomfort of patients may be alleviated by epalrestat, and the administration should be started as early as possible since, in this study, the drug was more effective as the duration of illness was shorter.

Iyaku Bungyo means separation of dispensing from medical practice. Under this system, physicians provide outpatients with prescriptions, if need be, after examinations. The patients visit neighborhood drugstores and produce the prescriptions to pharmacists, who are authorized to accept patients covered by health insurance and to make up prescriptions. The prescribed medicines will be given to the patients in exchange for the payment. The pharmacists will also instruct the customers how to take in the prescribed medicines properly. The system has been so designed as to improve the quality of health care services with the physicians and pharmacists performing their respective roles as the specialists. However, the government office is promoting the Iyaku Bungyo system in favor of the pharmacies outside the hospitals in the name of the containment of medical costs, charging that the medical institutions prescribe and dispense so many kinds and quantities of medicines the patients can hardly take in, simply to make large profits from a comfortable margin between the market price for each pharmaceutical and the price at which it is actually purchased. Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare officials and insurers have trumpeted the system as if it were an ideal scheme to curb health care costs. In reality, however, medical expenses have been boosted up. It can be taken for granted that the expenditure on national health care is increasing year after year with the population of the elderly on the rise and progress in medical technology. Notwithstanding, it is an important task to hold down increases in the cost of health care with the advent of an era of an aging population.
Marital separation ; experience (practice) ; Medical ; Health Care ; Surveys

We experienced a clinical case of a patient with psychotic depression who ingested the residual saponated cresol solution from a 500ml bottle of cresol, a disinfectant, with the intention of committing suicide. Through this experience, we felt it neccessary to investigate the present commercial situation of cresol for domestic use, and to come up with some safty measares.All the 128 drugstores and pharmacies in four cities located in the Tohno area of Gifu Pref. (Mizunami, Toki, Tajimi and Ena) were queried by telephone about the sale and stock of cresol.Almost 80% of the drugstores in these four cities, excluding pharmacies, were found to deal in saponated cresol solutions. They carried a little more than two 500ml bottles of cresol on average. This volume exceeds an estimated adult lethal dose of 250ml.Although it is unlikely that an ordinary household will use the whole of 500ml bottle of the disinfectant at a time, the residual saponated cresol solution could increase the risk of accidental cresol poisoning at home.So, it would be desirable not to sell 500ml bottles in ordinary drugstores. Furthermore, before selling a bottle of cresol, the pharmacists, who have a specialized knowledge about it, should kindly explain to the user about its toxicity and usage.
cresol ; Solutions ; Area ; Disinfectants ; Cancer patients and suicide and depression

Purpose: Many types of antihistamines used for the treatment of allergic rhinitis induce drowsiness as a side effect. Whether or not patients taking the internal drugs know of this untoward effect is a matter of importance. Recently we conducted a questionnaire survey to know how many patients are aware of this.Method: The subjects were 257 patients who visited our hospital for treatment of alergic rhinitis and took the prescription from February through March this year. The patients filled in a questionnaire given at the window of the dispensary. All the participants in this survey gave their informed consent.Results: Effective replies (90.3%) were obtained from 232 patients (mean age: 53.5±17.5; sex: 85 males and 147 females). Of those respondents, 45 individuals (19.9%) said they did not know that the antihistamines produce drowsiness. Furthermore, the survey found that 24 out of the 45 individuals were actually taking the type of antihistamine that caused drowsiness and 21 individuals were not given any explanation of the side effect by their doctors. The patients said that if they knew of the side effect they would not have taken the medicine. Moreover, it was found that 10 out of the 21 patients drove their cars while they felt drowsy.Conclusions: The survey revealed the hard fact that the drowsiness as side reaction the patients might have after taking antihistamines was made light of. The findings brought home to us the importance of giving clear directions to the patients about the medicine and the precaution against the side effects.
Drowsiness ; Surveys ; Antihistamines ; adverse effects ; Effective