Aim : Hochuekkito is a Japanese herbal medicine that is known to be useful for the treatment of uterine prolapse and urinary incontinence. In this study, we investigated the effects of hochuekkito prescriptions in female patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI).
Methods : 13 women were enrolled in this study. They each took 7.5 g of hochuekkito powder prior to a meal three times a day, for 4 weeks. The effects were evaluated before and after treatment with a visual analogue scale (VAS), a incontinence-quality-of-life index (IQOL), and voiding diaries. Moreover, pad tests and uroflowmetry measures were done before and after treatment.
Results : VAS and IQOL scores were not improved significantly. Although the mean number of SUI episodes per one day, and the number of pads used decreased after treatment as compared to before, these were not significantly different. Micturition frequency and uroflowmetry parameters did not change after treatment. However, in patients whose Body Mass Index (BMI) was < 25, subjective symptoms significantly improved after treatment. No side effects were observed in this study.
Conclusion : Hochuekkito was a useful treatment for slender female patients with SUI.

Aim:Shakuyakukanzoto is a Japanese herbal medicine that is known to be useful for the treatment of urinary stone pain. In this study, we investigated the effects of shakuyakukanzoto for acute renal colic.Methods:Twenty-five patients were enrolled in this study. Eleven patients took 5.0 g of shakuyakukanzoto powder, and 14 control patients took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for their acute renal colic. The effects were evaluated before and 15, 30, and 60 minutes after treatment with a numerical rating scale (NRS). We defined scale point zero as not having pain, and scale point ten as having the strongest pain.Results:Mean NRS scores improved from 6.7 ± 2.3 to 3.4 ± 3.5 after 15 minutes (shakuyakukanzoto group), and from 8.3 ± 1.8 to 7.0 ± 1.9 after 15 minutes (control group). NRS scores were improved immediately and significantly in both groups. The NRS score of shakuyakukanzoto group was significantly lower than that of control group at the any time after treatment. No side effects were observed in this study.Conclusion : Shakuyakukanzoto has an immediate effect, and it is more effective than NSAIDs. Shakuyakukanzoto was a useful treatment for acute renal colic.

To acquire “practical abilities in community health and medical care”, it is necessary to understand the work tasks in the context of welfare and working care facilities and smoothly promote inter-professional work. It is considered that the time when pharmacy students fully understand the outline of “group home”, which is one of the working care facilities, is during the class or practical training period. Therefore, we conducted a questionnaire survey in the context of 4-6th grade students. In addition, to improve the knowledge of students with insufficient comprehension, video lectures were created; comprehension was evaluated in both pre-post-tests. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the video lecture was evaluated based on the analysis of the students’ understanding. The most common cognitive methods and periods for both 4th and 6th graders were “friends/family” and “before entering university”, respectively. As a result of the pre-test, the correct answer rate of each item and the total average score （50.0% and less than 50.0 points, respectively） suggested a low level of understanding regardless of the grade. On the other hand, the correct answer rate of each item and the total average score （70.0% and 70.0 points or more, respectively） in the post-test showed a high degree of understanding; further, they were significantly increased compared to those with respect to the pre-test, indicating the effectiveness of the video lecture. From the above results, we devised a test-linked video lecture that can be used as an effective tool for the understanding of the outline of “group home”.

A 38-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with fever and skin rash, and he was diagnosed as having dermatomyositis. He was treated with anti-inflammatory steroid and immunosuppressive agents. On hospital day 48, chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a nodule measuring approximately 2 cm in size in the lower lobe of the right lung (S9). Bacterial and/or fungal infection was suspected, but there was no response to antibiotic or antifungal treatment. A week later, repeat chest CT revealed the tumor now measuring approximately 6 cm in size in the lower lobe of the right lung. We performed bronchoscopy, and bacteriological examination of the transbronchial biopsy specimen revealed pulmonary tuberculosis. Interferongamma release assay (IGRA) before the initiation of immunosuppressive treatment was negative, so we did not administer treatment for latent tuberculosis infection. He was, however, treated with isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide for 9 months, following which radiological features improved gradually. Here we describe in detail this rare case of a negative IGRA result before immunosuppressive therapy in a relatively young Japanese man who went on to develop active tuberculosis with a rapidly-growing pulmonary lesion during hospitalization.