1.The Master of Public Health program at the Harvard School of Public Health
Medical Education 2011;42(4):229-232
1)I had the opportunity to learn about public health in the Master of Public Health degree program at the Harvard School of Public Health.
2)It would be a good experience for future educators and instructors to learn about different educational systems, such as the Harvard School of Public Health, where a student's opportunity is limited only by his or her motivation to learn.
3)The Master of Public Health program in the United States is a good option for career enrichment because it provides a strong background in subjects critical to successful medical research, including biostatistics and epidemiology.
2.The construction of support system by medical team: support by telephone call or interview to the patients receiving capecitabine therapy
Asako Ihara ; Kayoko Sakai ; Tomoko Mizuta ; Rie Fuwa ; Taichi Karube ; Madoka Hamaguchi ; Kanako Seno ; Rina Ohminato ; Ayaka Okada ; Bin Zhao ; Hiroshi Nakada ; Makoto Motoyoshi
Palliative Care Research 2014;9(2):901-905
This study was performed by the purpose of early detection of Hand-Foot Syndrome (HFS) in patients receiving capecitabine therapy. Ten patients receiving chemotherapy with capecitabine after resection of colon cancer were included in this study. Surgeons decided the reduction or suspension of capecitabine when adverse effects were found. Pharmacists instructed the patients of the way of intake and side effects. Nurses instructed the patients how to make skin care with brochure and DVD. We called to or made an interview to the patients once a week in the first eight weeks of administration by evaluating the symptoms of HFS. Finally, a questionnaire was taken to evaluate the degree patients’ satisfaction. All of the ten patients continued the skin care in the study. HFS above grade 2 appeared in three cases, and early decision of reduction or suspension of capecitabine was achieved as the result of support by telephone call or interview. Support by either telephone call or interview by nurses in the medical team of chemotherapy can contribute to the completion of chemotherapy by capecitabine by detecting the HFS in the early stage which leads to the early decision of reduction or suspension and by reduce the anxiety of the patients. We also suggest the necessity of the construction of individualized support system to the patients in the future.
3.Frequency and clinical features of deficient mismatch repair in ovarian clear cell and endometrioid carcinoma
Tamaki TANAKA ; Kazuhiro TAKEHARA ; Natsumi YAMASHITA ; Mika OKAZAWA-SAKAI ; Kazuya KURAOKA ; Norihiro TERAMOTO ; Kenichi TAGUCHI ; Katsushige YAMASHIRO ; Hidenori KATO ; Tomoya MIZUNOE ; Rie SUZUKI ; Dan YAMAMOTO ; Arisa UEKI ; Toshiaki SAITO
Journal of Gynecologic Oncology 2022;33(5):e67-
Objective:
To clarify the frequency of deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) in Japanese ovarian cancer patients, we examined microsatellite instability (MSI) status and immunohistochemistry (IHC) subtypes, including endometrioid carcinoma (EMC), clear cell carcinoma (CCC), or a mixture of both (Mix).
Methods:
We registered 390 patients who were diagnosed with EMC/CCC/Mix between 2006 and 2015 and treated at seven participating facilities. For 339 patients confirmed eligible by the Central Pathological Review Board, MSI, IHC, and MutL homolog 1 methylation analyses were conducted. The tissues of patients with Lynch syndrome (LS)-related cancer histories, such as colorectal and endometrial cancer, were also investigated.
Results:
MSI-high (MSI-H) status was observed in 2/217 CCC (0.9%), 10/115 EMC (8.7%), and 1/4 Mix (25%). Additionally, loss of MMR protein expression (LoE-MMR) was observed in 5/219 (2.3%), 16/115 (14.0%), and 1/4 (25%) patients with CCC, EMC, and Mix, respectively. Both MSI-H and LoE-MMR were found significantly more often in EMC (p<0.001). The median (range) ages of patients with MMR expression and LoE-MMR were 54 (30–90) and 46 (22–76) (p=0.002), respectively. In the multivariate analysis, advanced stage and histological type were identified as prognostic factors.
Conclusion
The dMMR rate for EMC/CCC was similar to that reported in Western countries. In Japan, it is assumed that the dMMR frequency is higher because of the increased proportion of CCC.