Purpose : Shakuyakukanzoto (SKT ; peony and licorice decoction) is a Japanese herbal medicine that is useful in the treatment of acute pain.
We investigated the effects of SKT on pain in patients who visited to an outpatient emergency department for painful conditions such as acute gastroenteritis.
Methods : Thirty patients were enrolled. All participants received 2.5 grams of SKT powder. Pain intensity was measured at baseline and 30 minutes after SKT administration using a visual analog scale (VAS). Patients were asked to rate their pain on a scale from 0 to 100 (0, no pain ; 100, excruciating pain).
Results : The overall mean VAS score was 71.03 ± 19.42 at baseline and significantly improved to 34.86 ± 34.89 at 30 minutes after SKT administration (P < 0.01).
Conclusions : SKT was highly effective in managing pain-related emergencies in an outpatient setting. Patients with acute gastroenteritis and tension headache experienced the greatest pain relief.

In 1999, an insecticide-treated net (ITN) distribution project was started in several malaria-endemic villages in Lao P.D.R., namely Vientiane, Bolikhamxay and Khammouanne Provinces. After the completion of the project, it was found that the ITNs were effective for malaria control based on the analysis of the slide positivity rate for malaria parasites between 1999 and 2000 [6]. We conducted malariometric, entomological and KAP surveys in 2005-06 to confirm the status of malaria and to determine the effectiveness of ITNs in three different socioepidemiological areas (near city, rural and remote), represented by the Xebangfay and Boualapha districts, Khammouanne Province.
A marked decrease in the annual malaria incidence and slide positivity rate was noted from 1999 to 2006 in the two districts. The malaria prevalence was significantly reduced in near city areas (5.6%-10.7% in 1999 to 0% in 2005-06) and rural areas (21.4%-50.9% in 1999 to 0%-1% in 2005-06). Twelve positive cases were recorded in remote areas (3.4 - 7.7% in 2006).
The illiteracy rate was significantly higher among the respondents in the remote (83.9%) than among those in the near city (32.7%) and rural (54%) areas. In all areas, more than 50% of the villagers indicated that they were not aware of malaria. Similarly, about 60% of the respondents were found to have incorrect knowledge concerning malaria transmission. In remote, 40.9% of the respondents were aware of the methods to prevent malaria infection and 49.5% used mosquito nets throughout the year, rates significantly lower than the corresponding rates in near city and rural. The density of persons per net in remote (3.1-5.9) was considerably higher than that in near city (1.8-2.1) and rural (1.2-2.7). Malaria vector mosquitoes, such as An. minimus and An. nivipes were collected by human-baited adult collection, and cow-baited and CDC light traps. The results of the analysis suggested that the lower the number of persons per net the more effective the reduction of malaria morbidity in these areas. It is imperative that ITN distribution and health education regarding malaria be strengthened, especially in remote, but also in other areas.

Objective: In the intensive care unit (ICU), drugs are administered in sequence as the conditions of the patient change rapidly, and there are often cases where many injections are administered simultaneously.  For this reason, it is important to quickly select the appropriate administration route.  In this study, we prepared a quick reference table for incompatibilities of frequently used and highly important injections in the ICU (referred to as the “quick reference table”) that will enable selection of the appropriate administration route, and we investigated the status of use and usefulness of this quick reference table.
Methods: The drugs included in the quick reference table were extracted from prescription records from May to October 2009, and these were finalized by discussions with the nurses in the ICU.  Three reference materials were used: Manual on the Supervision of Injection Preparation (3rd Edition), Data Search on Injection Incompatibilities 2009, and MICROMEDEX®.  The survey was conducted with all 12 nurses in the ICU after 4 months of distributing the quick reference table.
Results: The quick reference table included 57 pharmaceutical items, and compatibility was classified into 10 categories.  The quick reference table was prepared as one A3 page for convenience.  The retrieval rate of the survey was 100%.  The average number of years of practical experience as a nurse was 12.2 years, and 11 out of 12 nurses used the quick reference table.  Of the 11 nurses who used the table, 6 answered that it was “very useful,” while 4 answered that it was “useful.”  All 11 nurses who used the quick reference table answered that they “consulted the pharmacists less frequently.”
Conclusion: Satisfactory evaluations were obtained with regard to the details included in the quick reference table, and the table was estimated to be highly useful and important even for ICU nurses with many years of experience.  Furthermore, it was suggested that the quick reference table was also useful in reducing the workloads of the pharmacists.