No abstract available.
Dyspepsia ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Helicobacter ; Helicobacter pylori

Although migraine is not life-threatened disease, its burden in migraineurs is enough severe to affect the productivity in the society around them. Triptans, the most effective agents for the pain in the migraine attacks, have been available since 2000 in Japan. After then, the strategy for migraine treatment has been drastically changed. It has also affected the concept for migraine pathogenesis. Migraine has been attributed to certain abnormality in the cerebral blood vessels per se. However, the trigeminal nerve endings around cerebral or dural vessels are considered to play the key role in the migraine attacks since appearance of the triptans (i.e., trigeminovascular theory). Moreover, recent researches imply many possibilities of the 'migraine generator(s)'in the central nervous system.

In last ten years or more, the term pharmacovigilance has been often used instead of post-marketing surveillance (PMS) or drug monitoring. However, this term, pharmacovigilance, is not just another term for PMS but should be understood as a new discipline, namely, science for the benefit-risk evaluation of medicinal products on humans with the final aim of individualization of medical therapy. It will be more clearly understood why nowadays this term pharmacovigilance has been used, when one considers the historical development of the safety issue of medicinal products. Pharmacovigilance as a new discipline should evaluate constantly safety and efficacy of medicinal products in daily practice considering all available data from non-clinical data, clinical data, pharmacoepidemiological data, post-marketing clinical data, risk-benefit evaluation and applied pharmacologies such as gender-specific pharmacology, pharmacogenetics, graviduspharmacology etc. in order to collect, evaluate and disseminate systematically necessary information and data on the safety and efficacy of medicinal products.
In addition, one should realize the presence of two different aspects of pharmacovigilance, namely obligatory duty of care and voluntary duty of care. The former aspect is defined by regulatory authorities and each pharmaceutical industry should carry out all necessary countermeasures and studies defined by regulatory authorities in order to keep the optimal standard on the efficacy, safety and effectiveness of the company's medicinal products. The latter aspect can also be considered as ethical duty of care for pharmaceutical industries, and refers to more detailed studies in particular patients such as children, pregnant women, aged patients, ethnically different patients, etc.

Good Post-Marketing Surveillance Practice (GPMSP) defines “post-marketing clinical trials” as industry-initiated studies constituting a part of Post-Marketing Surveillance (PMS). Post-marketing clinical studies play the role of gathering further information on appropriate drug use. This is why the proper conduct of medically required post-marketing clinical trials would facilitate the proposal of new treatments with improved efficacy and/or safety over existing therapies, thereby contributing to the promotion of EBM and to the advance of healthcare. In the case of anticancer drugs, in particular, post-marketing clinical trials are of great importance, because they also serve as Phase III studies. In reality, however, pharmaceutical companies are not very active in conducting these studies because of the many issues involved. To solve or alleviate these problems, the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and COTEC are making aggressive efforts.

The Kokon Hoi was the most widely used formulary in the Edo era.Here the author examines tendencies in the ways various Kokon Hoi editions were quoted, how Koga Tsugen approached his re-compilations, and how this influenced later, traditional Japanese medicine.
1. Editions of the Kokon Hoi compiled before Koga Tsugen are mainly quotations from newer works such as the Wanbinghuichun, the other of Gong Tingxian's works and the Yixuerumen.
2. Koga Tsugen re-compiled the Kokon Hoi twice as the (essential) Sanpo Kokon Hoi, and the (revised) Jutei Kokon Hoi.In the Jutei Kokon Hoi, the most popular edition of Kokon Hoi today, there are numerous quotes from the Wanbinghuichun, the Yixuerumen and Xue Ji's medical treatises.
3. In the re-compiling the Kokon Hoi, Koga Tsugen not only added the new prescriptions, he revised the list of references, and corrected prescription names, as well as the component drugs and doses of prescriptions.
4. The original Kokon Hoi was compiled to collect newly introduced prescriptions. Afterward Koga Tsugen aimed to adopt experiential prescriptions by editing the Kokon Hoi.The Kokon Hoi is one of the first formularies in traditional Japanese Kampo to enumerate prescriptions in which experiential effectiveness is regarded as important.
5. The Shuhokiku on the other hand, is based on a medical system of ”basic and modified prescriptions”.But the Shuhokiku gradually had become nearer a system of numerous enumerated experiential prescriptions like the Kokon Hoi.

It is generally accepted that moderate physical activity can improve immune functions and potentially reduce the risk of developing infectious diseases and cancer. There is accumulating evidence to show that moderate physical activity can enhance the activities of T cells, natural killer cells and macrophages, cytokine productivity and serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G and salivary IgA levels. In contrast, however, exhaustive exercise causes the systemic release of immunosuppressive stress hormones and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and temporarily causes a decrease in circulating lymphocyte counts and the reduction in activities of T cells and natural killer cells and salivary IgA levels. Consequently, these negative alterations in immune function and cytokine imbalance may enhance host susceptibility to infections and promote allergic disposition. Although exercise-induced mobilization and activation of phagocytic cells such as neutrophils and monocytes can result in muscular, vascular and systemic inflammation and oxidative stress due to the production of reactive oxygen species, these deleterious responses may be attenuated by the appropriate use of antioxidants and nutritional supplements. This review presents the findings from recent studies in the field of exercise immunology, and offers some insight into how these findings may be applied in the broad realm of preventive, complementary and alternative medicine.