The therapeutic effect of artificial CO₂ pack on pressure sores of five patients with neurological diseases was confirmed using an infrared thermometer.
The artificial CO₂ pack was prepared by dissolving a 5-g KAO-BABU tablet in 250ml of water at 50°C.
It was proven that the pressure sore recovered faster after treatment with artificial CO₂ hot-pack than that with plain water hot-pack.
In addition, the skin temperature in the area around the pressure sore became lower than the temperature just before the treatment presumably because of the steal phenomenon of blood flow under the skin.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of continuous patient education on pain control in outpatients based on changes in pain intensity scores and occurrence of opioid-related adverse effects. Methods: The education intervention was conducted in the following phases; 1) interview at the first visit for opioid introduction, 2) telephone follow-up at home 3 to 7 days after introducing opioid analgesics, and 3) interview at the next visit. Pain intensity scores; frequency of rescue dose; and occurrence of adverse opioid-related effects such as constipation, nausea, and drowsiness were compared among the three intervention phases. Results: When comparing data at phase 2 and 3 with those at phase 1, daily maximum pain score decreased significantly, frequency of rescue dose and opioid dosage increased significantly, and occurrence rates of constipation decreased. Conclusion: Continuous patient education by pharmacist intervention based on not only patient visit interviews but also telephone communication on non-visiting days can improve the pain intensity scores and reduce the rate of opioid-related adverse effects for cancer outpatients.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of combined resistance training and aerobic training with protein intake after resistance training on body composition in obese middle-aged women. The subjects were 42 middle-aged women (age : 56.5±4.3 years, BMI : 26.6±2.3 kg/m²), who were classified into three supplementation groups: Protein group (PG), Isocalorie placebo group (IG), and Noncalorie placebo group (CG) by Double Blind Randomized Trial. The training program consisted of combined resistance training and aerobic training for 10 weeks, 5 times per week: twice a week in a university training room and 3 times per week at home. The subjects took the nutrient supplement immediately after each resistance training session. We measured body weight (Bw), body fat volume (Bf) by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and cross-sectional area (CSA) of muscle of the thigh extensor group (Te), flexor group (Tf), and psoas major (Pm) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before and after the 10-week training period. Irrespective of group, Bw and Bf showed a significant decrease after the training period compared to before (p<0.001), and the CSA of Te muscle showed a significant increase after the training period (p<0.01). Moreover, the interaction of time×group was accepted in the CSA of Pm muscle (p<0.05), and the increase in muscle volume for PG was the highest increase among the three supplementation groups (p<0.05)(PG : 2.1±0.8 cm², IG : 1.3±1.0 cm², CG : 1.3±0.9 cm²). These results suggest that combined training in middle-aged obese women improves body composition, and resistance training with protein intake may increase the CSA of muscle of psoas major.

1) We conducted a workshop to discuss the definition of the term "physician scientist", what thought processes and competencies are expected, and how to better help physician scientists develop through medical schools.2) The definition of a physician-scientist is a physician who both provides patient care and approaches unsolved questions in understanding the mechanisms of diseases and developing new treatments.3) Essential conditions for a medical school to cultivate physician scientists include providing good role models for physician scientists, making efforts to stimulate students' motivation, and supporting collaboration among physicians and scientists on the faculty.

Current evidence for the usefulness of prophylactic antiemetic drugs in opioid-induced nausea and vomiting (OINV) in cancer patients receiving opioid analgesics is limited. Further, antiemetic prophylaxis is not considered necessary in the Guideline for Cancer Pain Management by the Japanese Society of Palliative Medicine. However, prevention of side effects such as OINV is important when opioid analgesics are administered for adequate pain management and to maintain adherence. Cancer patients expect us to study factors affecting OINV and effective prophylactic measures for the condition. We retrospectively analyzed electronic records in our hospital. We found that female sex and the use of prophylactic antiemetics, chemotherapeutic agents, and steroids were statistically significant factors associated with opioid-induced nausea, and that female sex and radiation therapy were significant factors associated with opioid-induced vomiting. Especially in females, the frequency of nausea was significantly reduced in the group that received chemotherapy with antiemetics on the same day of receiving opioid analgesics, compared to the groups that did not receive chemotherapy, or that did not receive antiemetics but received chemotherapy. These results suggest that, especially in females, administering chemotherapy along with antiemetics on the same day may be one possible prophylactic measure for OINV.

BACKGROUND: Age-related musculoskeletal diseases are becoming increasingly burdensome in terms of both individual quality of life and medical cost. We intended to establish a large population-based cohort study to determine environmental, lifestyle, and genetic risk factors of musculoskeletal and other age-related diseases, and to clarify the association between vitamin D status and such diseases. METHODS: We targeted 34,802 residents aged 40-74 years living in areas of northern Niigata Prefecture, including Sekikawa Village, Awashimaura Village, and Murakami City (Murakami region). The baseline questionnaire survey, conducted between 2011 and 2013, queried respondents on their lifestyle and environmental factors (predictors), and self-reported outcomes. Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentration, an indicator of vitamin D status, was determined with the Liaison® 25OH Vitamin D Total Assay. The primary outcome of this study was osteoporotic fracture; other outcomes included age-related diseases including knee osteoarthritis, perception of chronic pain, dementia, and long-term care insurance use. Mean ages of men and women were 59.2 (SD = 9.3, N = 6907) and 59.0 (SD = 9.3, N = 7457) years, respectively. From the blood samples provided by 3710 men and 4787 women, mean 25(OH)D concentrations were 56.5 (SD = 18.4) nmol/L (22.6 ng/mL) and 45.4 (SD = 16.5) nmol/L (18.2 ng/mL), respectively. DISCUSSION Follow-up surveys are planned every 5 years for 15 years, and incident cases of our targeted diseases will be followed at hospitals and clinics in and nearby the cohort area. We anticipate that we will be able to clarify the association between vitamin D status and multiple disease outcomes in a Japanese population.
Aged ; Aging ; Cohort Studies ; Epidemiologic Research Design ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Japan ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Musculoskeletal Diseases ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Quality of Life ; Risk Factors ; Vitamin D ; analogs & derivatives ; blood

Students in all years, including those in lower years, were prohibited from coming to campus because of COVID-19, which began to spread in January 2020. However, we believed that a hospital tour and observership would be important practical training for first and second year medical students as part of the early exposure program, which aims to increase student motivation. Thus, we decided to conduct a virtual hospital tour and a virtual observation of medical doctors’ work. We used Zoom to conduct a virtual hospital tour for first-year students in June, and a virtual observation of physicians’ work for second-year students in December. Although this offered less of an opportunity to experience the reality of the clinic, there have been benefits in terms of increased learning content, fairness of learning opportunities delivered, and the promotion of independent learning. With regard to a “Hospital Tour” and the “Observation of Medical Doctors’ Work” , we believe that hybrid forms, which are able to skillfully combine the strengths of the two methods, would be effective.