Progress in chemotherapeutic strategy has significantly decreased side effects of the drugs used and greatly added to survival rates for ovarian cancer. On the other hand, the occurrence of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been reported after long-term chemotherapy. We encountered a case of therapy-related MDS that developed as a consequence of chemotherapy. A 59-year-old woman (gravida 2, para 2) stage IIIc ovarian cancer received three courses of paclitaxel and carboplatin therapy (TC) prior to primary surgery, and 16 courses of weekly TC as adjuvant chemotherapy. She exhibited pacritaxel-associated hypersensitivity reactions in the last course, so that chemotherapy was discontinued. Following three mouths of remission, a sudden rise in her tumor markers and an increase in the size of her pelvic lymphonode were discovered on PET-CT. She recieved multiple courses of chemotherary of docetaxel/carboplatin, weekly docetaxel, docetaxel/briplatin and Gemcitabin/Irinotecan between four months. In 30 months after diagnosis, complete blood count showed hemoglobin 7.7 g/dl; white cell count 4,310/μl; and platelet 7.9×104/μl. A bone marrow examination revealed MDS. She then decided against further chemotherapy, opting instead for palliative care. Fortunately, up to the present, she has not developed AML.
Therapeutic procedure ; Chemotherapy-Oncologic Procedure ; Carboplatin ; Ovarian Cancer ; L

Objective: The squeezing force and one-drop weight, suggested to directly influence adherence, were measured in 6 eye drop products containing a switch OTC drug, ketotifen fumarate, to investigate useful information for product selection.
Methods: The squeeze force, one drop weight, and pH were measured using a digital force gauge, analytical balance, and pH meter, respectively.  Information on additives contained in each product was collected from package inserts.  For the total number of drops, the number per 10 mL was calculated from the obtained value.
Results: The maximum squeeze force was 14.8 N of Irice AG Guard, and the one drop weight (33.2 mg) of Raferusa®AL was the minimum.  The total number of drops per 10 mL was 215 in Sutto eyes Z, being the minimum.  The pH was in the range of 5.2-5.7.  On comparison of additives among the products, a cooling agent was contained in only 2 products.
Discussion: Since the squeeze force was in the range of 5.3-14.8 N, it was less likely that the squeeze force reduces usability.  Since the one-drop weights of 2 products were more than 10 mg lower than the weights of the other products, the dose may be insufficient and the effect may not be attained.  The pH was within the acceptable range in all products.  Two products contain a cooling agent as an additive, and this has to be explained beforehand.  Information related to usability, actual feeling of the effect, and sense of the use of the products containing ketotifen fumarate was collected.

Delayed hemothorax following blunt chest trauma is classified as a late presentation of hemothorax after a nearly normal chest X-ray on admission. Here, we present a case of delayed hemothorax 5 days after blunt chest trauma with ribs and sternal fracture.

Objective: Along with the globalization of the Japanese economy, the number of international students in Japan has gradually increased.  Under these circumstances, international students to visit pharmacies for self-medication are expected to increase.  Thus, we carried out a questionnaire survey on international students conducting self-medication using non-prescription drugs, and examined its problem.
Method: To clarify the status of self-medication using OTC drugs by students studying abroad, multiple-choice and free description-style questionnaire sheets written in Japanese or English were distributed to 30 international students based in Kobe City.  The sheets were independently completed by the students, excluding those who had difficulty in sufficiently comprehending the questions and required the researcher’s oral explanations for assistance.
Result: While 90.0% of the respondents answered that they occasionally use non-prescription drugs in their own countries, only 60.0% answered that they had experience of purchasing the drugs in Japan.  When purchasing OTC drugs, 15.2% faced instructions printed on their packages.  While 30.0% regarded as important to purchase appropriate drugs in their home countries, only 23.3% sought such advice in Japan.
Conclusion: These results revealed a tendency for international students to purchase OTC drugs following pharmacists’ advice less frequently in Japan than in their home countries despite their literacy difficulties.  In the future, we hope to examine issues such as possible active communication by pharmacists and the drugstore structure, so as to promote self-medication through purchasing drugs at Japanese pharmacies.  As a result, we hope to contribute to making Japanese pharmacies more foreign user-friendly in a real sense.

Objective: For pharmacists to select a suitable auxiliary device for eye drop administration for patients who have difficulty in applying eye drops, the pharmacists need to know the characteristics and level of difficulty of using each device.
Methods: Thus, we compared the characteristics of New Rakuraku Tengan, Rakuraku Tengan III, and an eye-drop self-help device and also conducted a survey involving 40 healthy volunteers on each device’s accessibility and suitability for people with motor disabilities.
Results: New Rakuraku Tengan received the highest score for “usage was able to easily understand” (70.0% of the respondents answered positively) and “suitability for poor-sighted people” (65.0%).  Rakuraku Tengan III received the highest score for the “effectiveness of photos and illustrations in the manual” (77.5%),but was evaluated to be difficult to use.  The eye-drop self-help device received the highest score for “suitability for people with difficulty raising their shoulders and arms” (75.0%).
Results: Thus, we observed the need for pharmacists to have thorough knowledge of the products in order to recommend suitable auxiliary devices for eye drop administration for each patient.

Bilateral lesions damaging the primary auditory cortex or the auditory radiation may cause auditory agnosia. We describe a 67-year-old woman with auditory agnosia after bilateral thalamic hemorrhage. Initially, she showed subcortical deafness for words and environmental sounds. Pure tone audiometry showed a moderate-to-severe hearing loss (mean hearing level, right 56 dB ; left 57 dB), while the recording of auditory brainstem response was normal. Brain CT demonstrated a hematoma in the left thalamus and a narrow low density area suggesting a sequel of the right thalamic hemorrhage. Hearing training was begun using sound sources that were easily recognizable for the patient. Her recognition was better for words than for individual Japanese vowel or consonant-vowel sounds, and the use of lip reading contributed to her better recognition of words. After 2 months, she was able to communicate with medical staff and family members in daily conversation.

A 63-year-old woman underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral annuloplasty 4 years previously. She was readmitted owing to heart failure. Cardiac catheterization revealed worsened mitral regurgitation, although the internal thoracic artery (ITA) graft had good patency. Reoperation was performed by median resternotomy and continuous retrograde cardioplegia without clamping the ITA graft. The mitral valve had a perforation in the anterior leaflet, and was replaced by a 29mm Carbo-Medicus valve. The patient was discharged with transient myocardial ischemia. Although median resternotomy and continuous retrograde cardioplegia at reoperation provided on excellent view and myocardial protection, myocardial ischemia in the region perfused by the ITA graft may occur when the ITA graft cannot be clamped during continuous retrograde cardioplegia.

A regular check-up in a 69-year-old man showed normal blood chemistry values, except for elevated value of liver enzymes and inflammatory reactions. A computed tomography scan (CT) of the abdomen revealed a normal appearance of the liver, pancreas and spleen, but incidentally showed a tumor in the right atrium. The tumor (a blood cyst which contained white thrombus) was successfully excised. Blood cysts of the heart are extremely rare in adults. These tumors are incidently found at autopsy on cardiac valves in approximately 50% of infants under 2 months of age. The blood cyst in this case arose from the right atrial wall, which is also quite rare.

A gelatin-sealed knitted Dacron graft which has zero-porosity at implantation and does not require preclotting preparation has been developed. Gelatin-sealed aortic grafts were implanted into 39 patients and vascular surgery reconstruction was performed for thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) in 10, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in 19, and arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) and other conditions in 10. A total of 39 bifurcated or straight grafts were inserted. The Gelseal Dacron graft had superior handling characteristics and biocompatibility in comparison to conventional graft. There was no measurable blood loss from the body of the sealed graft at the time of implantation. The gelatin-sealed Dacron graft (n=10) was compared with an Intervascular Micron^® graft (n=10) implanted into the abdominal aorta. No problems were evident with regard to intraoperative bleeding, allogenic and autologous transfusion volume and blood parameters between the two groups. These results suggested that the Gelseal Dacron graft sealed with gelatin was a safe, zero-porosity implantable prosthesis for clinical use.

Objective: To develop and confirm the validity of a Biological Prognostic Score using only blood test results for prediction of prognosis in patients with advanced cancer. Methods: We conducted parametric survival time analysis using blood test results, age, sex, and primary diagnosis as independent variables, and event of death as a dependent variable, among patients in a palliative care unit (a development cohort). We then developed the Biological Prognostic Score (BPS). Thereafter, we confirmed the accuracy of the BPS and the Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI) prospectively among patients, who withdrew or withheld further curative or life-prolonging therapies, in other facilities (a validation cohort). Results: We developed the BPS, which consists of cholinesterase, blood urea nitrogen, and total iron-binding capacity, from 122 patients in a development cohort. We then examined 195 patients in a validation cohort and found that the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for 1-9 week survival prediction was BPS=0.76-0.86 and PPI=0.69-0.73. Discussion: Our results suggest that the BPS was valid. It will be necessary to perform further examinations in multiple facilities and to explore more generalized parameters that could replace total iron-binding capacity in our BPS.