Objective: Recent treatment advancements have improved the survival rates of patients with hematological malignancies, making hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) a key curative option. However, despite ongoing awareness efforts, the number of bone marrow donor registrations has not significantly increased over time, possibly because of the impact of recent infectious disease outbreaks. This may affect patients requiring allogeneic HSCT. This study explored the experiences of adolescent and young adult (AYA) bone marrow donors.Patient and Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive research design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with six AYA individuals who had experience as bone marrow donors. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee (022-03), and no conflicts of interest were disclosed.Results: Seven categories and 23 subcategories were identified in this analysis. Participants reported a strong sense of duty as donors, but faced challenges such as family opposition, lack of understanding from employers, and concerns about the impact on work and family life. Despite these difficulties, donors often experienced personal growth and fulfillment through donation.Conclusion: Nurses should recognize AYA bone marrow donors as a population that requires support, and consider strategies to increase the understanding and registration among this crucial demographic group.

This study investigated the psychological impact of autopsy imaging (Ai) on bereaved families of patients with terminal cancer. These patients, one with pancreatic cancer of the body and tail and the other with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, underwent Ai, and a mixed-methods survey was conducted with 7 bereaved family members using a self-administered questionnaire. Although the awareness of Ai was low (14.3%), all participants reported that Ai helped them understand the cause of death. Moreover, 71.4% felt that Ai was necessary. Qualitative analysis of free-text responses suggested that Ai contributed to a clearer understanding and acceptance of the cause of death and provided psychological reassurance. On the other hand, it became evident that the implementation of Ai could evoke emotional conflict and complex feelings in bereaved families. Therefore, confirming the patient’s wishes and providing psychological support to both the patient and their family are essential when conducting Ai. In the future, it will be essential for medical professionals to carefully explain the purpose and significance of Ai during advance care planning discussions, and to consider its implementation while respecting the wishes of both the patient and their family.

In recent years, expectations and demand for Japanese Kampo medicines have increased in Japan. However, the self-sufficiency rate of raw materials for crude drugs in Japan is approximately 10%, with most imported from China. Although discussions on the domestic production of raw materials are gaining momentum, achieving self-sufficiency of crude drugs for Kampo preparation poses several challenges, including production costs, sales channels, and distribution prices. However, it is well-known that a diverse array of crude drugs can be cultivated in the Japanese climate. Since 2013, Ibara City in Okayama Prefecture has been promoting a medicinal plant cultivation project to utilize fallow land effectively. Currently, we have achieved successful cultivation of ‘benishizuka,’ a medicinal peony known as Paeoniae radix, with sufficient quality. However, the present circumstances in Japan limit its sales channels for medical use. The project initiated by Ibara City has evolved from its inception, primarily involving farmers, the government, and national research institutes, to now encompass an unprecedented collaboration among medical professionals as well as local construction companies and a local university. This transformation has propelled Ibara City’s various new medicinal plant cultivation businesses into a new phase of development. In this report, we investigated the local history and climate from the perspective of a Kampo medicine practitioners and discuss the path to successful peony cultivation. Additionally, we delve into the innovations and outcomes pertaining to peony cultivation. Moreover, we report the challenges and prospects for the domestic production of crude drugs for Kampo preparation from the perspective of multiple professions.

We report a case of a 53-year-old woman who suffered from persistent tic symptoms around her mouth and right eyelids. She visited our Kampo clinic because of a poor response to Western medicine. We focused on symptoms including palpitations, anxiety symptoms and fullness in the chest and hypochondrium, and prescribed Kampo formulas containing Bupleurum root, which had little effect. Finally, we thought this might be caused by liver qi depression, heart heat, blood stasis, liver blood and yin deficiency as well as liver yang transforming into wind, because she had symptoms of not only fullness in the chest and hypochondrium, but also nocturnal awakening, constipation, a pale red and purple tongue with yellow fur, pressure pain beside her umbilicus, calf pain and fine pulse. Therefore, we administered modified formula of nyoshinsan and shoyosan. Her symptoms have markedly improved after taking this formulation and have been stable for 18 months. In addition, the number of Western medications has been reduced. It is known that some cases of persistent tic disorder are resistant to standard Western treatments. Kampo medicine may be a useful alternative and provide relief in such cases.

In recent years, the relationship between healthy life expectancy and exercise has been shown, and the same is also reported for the disabilities. However, we have not yet found any reports on the effects of exercise in children with lower extremity amputations. In this study, we had followed a seven-year-old boy who had undergone right knee rotationplasty for the Ewing's sarcoma, and studied the changes in his athletic abilities, bone density, and body composition with the use of a running-specific prosthesis (RSP). After becoming independent on walking with a daily-use prosthesis, he started using the RSP during exercise such as running. We measured the above parameters before the introduction of RSP, then again after one year use of the RSP. The results showed positive changes in all measurements: increased motor strength around hip, longer time on one leg standing test, increased one leg jump, faster walking speed, wider stride, improved bone density, and improved body compositions. The use of RSP's along with daily-use prostheses for children in their growth period may have favorable effects on their athletic abilities, bone densities, and body compositions.

Objective: In recent years, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown promise in treating aphasia. While previous reports used the Standard Language Test of Aphasia (SLTA) for evaluation of language functions, the difficulty level of each task in SLTA varies. To show the effects of rTMS in more detail, it is necessary to use weighted values for the SLTA scores. This study aimed to assess the impact of high-frequency rTMS on aphasia using the deviation values of the SLTA.Methods: Thirty-one post-stroke aphasic patients participated in this study [mean (SD) age 58.0 (10.1) years, 15 infarction and 16 hemorrhage] from 2017 to 2021. The average (SD) duration from the onset of stroke to the intervention was 41.1 (31.1) months. Prior to admission, brain sites for rTMS were determined by detecting activation during the word-repeat task using functional MRI. A two-week inpatient treatment, including daily high-frequency rTMS and speech language hearing therapy (excluding Sundays), was conducted. In statistical analysis, SLTA scores were converted into deviation values, with participants grouped by rTMS sites (frontal lobe, temporal lobe, left/right hemisphere) for pre- and post-treatment comparisons.Results: rTMS sites included right frontal lobe (6 cases), left frontal lobe (10 cases), right temporal lobe (5 cases), and left temporal lobe (10 cases). Pre- and post-treatment comparisons showed significant improvements in overall mean scores and speech items in all groups. Additionally, significant enhancements in auditory comprehension items were observed in the right hemisphere and frontal lobe stimulation groups.Conclusion: High-frequency rTMS shows promise that it can improve language function regardless of the stimulation site, and auditory comprehension may be improved specifically by the right hemisphere and left frontal lobe stimulation. This suggests its potential as a valuable therapeutic intervention.

In recent years, the relationship between healthy life expectancy and exercise has been shown, and the same is also reported for the disabilities. However, we have not yet found any reports on the effects of exercise in children with lower extremity amputations. In this study, we had followed a seven-year-old boy who had undergone right knee rotationplasty for the Ewing's sarcoma, and studied the changes in his athletic abilities, bone density, and body composition with the use of a running-specific prosthesis (RSP). After becoming independent on walking with a daily-use prosthesis, he started using the RSP during exercise such as running. We measured the above parameters before the introduction of RSP, then again after one year use of the RSP. The results showed positive changes in all measurements: increased motor strength around hip, longer time on one leg standing test, increased one leg jump, faster walking speed, wider stride, improved bone density, and improved body compositions. The use of RSP's along with daily-use prostheses for children in their growth period may have favorable effects on their athletic abilities, bone densities, and body compositions.