Purpose and Methods: In the WHO guidelines on the management of cancer pain, global standard-dose acetaminophen (APAP) is described as a first-line drug, but there have been few studies comparing the efficacy and safety of APAP with other options in Japan. We retrospectively studied the efficacy and safety of global standard-dose APAP in the management of cancer pain, by comparing 182 patients treated with global standard-dose APAP (1,800-2,400 mg/day) (APAP group) and 86 patients treated with NSAIDs (NSAIDs group) at our clinic. Results: As the result, the management of cancer pain was comparable between the APAP group and the NSAIDs group. Despite the lack of sufficient investigation of concomitant drug such as opioids, etc., global standard-dose APAP was not inferior to NSAIDs in terms of efficacy as a non-opioid analgesic for the treatment of cancer pain. When we compared safety between the APAP group and the NSAIDs group, the incidence of nausea was significantly lower in the APAP group (p<0.01), while the percentage of patients with AST/ALT levels 2.5 times higher than at baseline was comparable in the 2 groups. Conclusion: Based on the above efficacy and safety results, global standard-dose APAP was concluded to be a useful non-opioid analgesic option for the treatment of cancer pain in Japan. Palliat Care Res 2011; 6(2): 133-142

Purpose: To identify the nature of personal growth of family primary caregivers after bereavement and to explore the association between such growth and the experience of caring for a terminally ill cancer patient at home. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire survey was mailed to 112 bereaved family primary caregivers who, with assistance from a palliative care service, had cared for a terminally ill cancer patient at home. The main outcomes were measured using the After Bereavement Growth Inventory, previously developed. Results: Responses from 73 questionnaires were analyzed (effective response rate, 66%). The post-bereavement growth score was significantly higher among the study group than among the general population who had experienced bereavement due to illness-related death. Multiple regression analysis revealed that post-bereavement growth was more likely to occur among those family members who, "at the time they chose to provide home palliative care, intended to care for a patient at home until the time of death" and when "the patient desired home palliative care", those who "felt a deepening of their bond with the patient", and those who "felt the death was peaceful". Conclusion: Our findings suggest that for primary family caregiver's to experience personal growth after bereavement, medical professionals should support patients' preference of place at the end of life and caregivers' preparation for the expected home death, respect the family's bond with the patient, and through appropriate symptom management in home palliative care to maintain the patient's sense of peacefulness until the end of life.

Investigations were made into the actual working and living conditions of adults, both men and women, in the families engaged in mixed farming.
The working conditions were analyzed according to the types of crops farmers are growing. The work study was necessary to probe into the causes of farmers' health disturbances.
A questionnaire revealed that farmers are short of sleep during the busiest season. Especially housewives are forced to cut down on their sleeping hours.
It also found that some farmers spray pesticides in quantity and expose themselves to the potentially health injurious chemicals with alarming frequency.
There was evidence to show that some ailments, notably low back pain, had been reduced due to imporovements on farmwork and working environment.
Health checkups showed that the incidences of hypercholesterolemia and obesity remain high. There was imbalance between carolic intake and consumption.

BACKGROUND: Slow-motion training, an exercise marked by extremely slow movements, yields a training effect like that of a highly intense training, even when the applied load is small. This study evaluated the effects of low-intensity bodyweight training with slow movement on motor function in frail, elderly patients. METHODS: Ninety-seven elderly men and women aged 65 years or older, whose level of nursing care was classified as either support required (1 and 2) or long-term care required (care level 1 and 2), volunteered to participate. Two facilities were used. Participants in the first facility used low-intensity bodyweight training with slow movement (the LST group, n = 65), and participants in another facility used machine training (the control group, n = 31). Exercises were conducted for 3 months, once or twice a week, depending on the required level of nursing care. Changes in motor function were examined. RESULTS: Post-exercise measurements showed significant improvements from the pre-exercise levels after 3 months, based on the results of the Timed Up and Go test (p = 0.0263) and chair-stand test (p = 0.0016) in the low-intensity exercise with slow movement and tonic force generation (LST) group. Although the ability to stand on one leg with eyes open tended to improve, no significant change was found (p = 0.0964). CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed that carrying out LST bodyweight training for 3 months led to improvements in ambulatory function and lower-limb muscle strength. In this way, it is possible that LST training performed by holding a bar or by staying seated on a chair contributes to improved motor function in elderly patients within a short time. TRIAL REGISTRATION UMIN000030853 . Registered 17 January 2018. (retrospectively registered).
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Frail Elderly ; Humans ; Long-Term Care ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Movement ; Prospective Studies ; Resistance Training ; methods