In Japan, moxa floss has long been produced by traditional methods. It has a high degree of purity and is incomparable to that in other countries. On the other hand, mugwort (leaves) are being imported from China now, and used to make the product sold in recent years. However details on this current situation have not been reported publicly.
Therefore we sent a questionnaire 14 major Japanese manufactures involved in the manufacturing, processing or domestic wholesale of moxa. The questions were both multiple choice and freely-written descriptive types, consisting of 29 items in 15 fields, about the current situation and problems faced in moxa manufacturing. The questionnaire was sent by return mail on 16 th November, 2011.
As a result, 12 out of 14 makers (85.7%) responded. Stocks wise, mugwort from Japan was 88 t, and import from China was 45 t. Moxa floss from Japan was 13 t, and import from China was 50 t. Manufacturing season started in late November and ended in late March. Stone mills, grain fans, and nagatoshi were used for manufacturing and many of these apparatus were made by craftsmen at their company. This survey enabled us to examine delivery and export systems for mugwort leaves and moxa floss, current moxa manufacturing and apparatus status, as well as problems and the future outlook for Japanese moxa floss makers.

Direct moxibustion has been a common used moxibustion method in Japan, has required moxa floss of high-quality, and has promoted the development of a moxa floss manufacturing method unique to Japan. At the same time in China, because indirect moxibustion and the stick moxibustion method has been commonplace, low moxa floss of a purified standard has been produced with a simple manufacturing method. However well-refined moxa has become available in China recently, and it is now more similar to that in Japan.
In this study, we investigated the difference between highly-refined moxa made in Japan and China based on reports from Japanese clinicians on the usability of moxa in firsthand practice. We performed a questionnaire survey with the country of manufacture blinded in 265 moxibustion clinicians. The number of valid responses was 164 (61.9%).
To the question asking what the difference between the two types of moxa was, 54.9% of clinicians responded there was “a little difference,” and more than half responded with “better usability” and “favorability” for the Japanese moxa. Of 119 clinicians who performed moxibustion, 85 (71.4%) selected “comfort” for the Japanese moxa.
We therefore conclude that Japanese clinicians recognize moxa refined with the Japanese manufacturing method as more suitable for direct moxibustion treatment.

Over a fairly long period, we have been observing the recovery progress of a patient who, complaining of stress induced headaches stemmins from whiplashinjury, chose to abandon conventional medicine in favor of acupuncture and moxibustion.
This patient had been experiencing head-aches as a result of rehabilitation, TENS treatment and psychological stress, and other causes. However, immediately after acupuncture and moxibustiontreatment, the headaches would either disappear entirely, or their severity would be greatly reduced. As a result, the patient was able to easily resume ordinary daily activities which had previously been severely restricted. We cannot help but conclude that there is astrong connection between the acupuncture treatment and the patient's return to a normal life.

The purpose of this study was to determine if Moxibustion stimulus influence on the circulation in the sacral area.
In the first phase of this study, the influence of indirect Moxibustion stimulus (using‹SEN-NEN-KYU›) on the amount of blood flowing to the sacrum was investigated using laser Doppler Perfusion Imager PeriScan PIM II.
Significant increase in the amount of blood flow in radial directions were observed around the area where Moxibustion was applied. Immediately after the stimulus, significant differences in the amount of blood flow were observed within 2.5cm to the right and left and 1.5cm above and below the stimulated spot.
With increasing time after the Moxibustion stimulus, the amount of blood flow gradually decreased concentrically returning to the original state over time. However, the amount of blood flow at the Moxibustion spot was significantly higher than the original state 32 minutes and 52 seconds after the Moxibustion treatment.
Increased blood flows to pressure ulcers area induced by Moxibustion stimulus are considered to restrict or arrest the progress of pressure ulcers (according to Stage I of the International Association for Enterostomal Therapy (IAET) classification) on in-home care.

The effects of the serum vitamin C levels on the activity and isozyme pattern of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in males and females in their middle and old age were examined.
There was no siginificant correlation among the total serum, LDH activity and serum vitamin C levels in the 87 male and 83 female ranging from 45 to 84 years of age. However, high inverse correlations were found among the percentage of LDH-4 and LDH-5 and serum vitamin C levels all of age groups (45-59 years of age group, 60-69 years of age group and over 70 years of age group) of males and females.
These results suggest that the percentage of LDH-4 and LDH-5 are influenced by the vitamin C intake in males and females in their middle and old age.

Traditionally, the raw moxa material for moxibustion has been sourced from domestic production in Japan.However, imports of Chinese Artemisia princeps Pamp (A. princeps Pamp) have been increasing because of a decrease in domestic A. princeps Pamp for moxa products in recent years. There is a possibility that Japanese sourced moxibustion may become difficult to do because of a shortage of domestic production in the near future. Therefore 15 kinds of A. princeps Pamp were collected in Niigata Pref. known its source of A. princeps Pamp, and these were grown at the Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences at Chiba Univ. to develop a domestic gardening cultivation system. This report is on investigative results with the first selection, with leaf area as an index.
As a result, when leaf area per1m of stalk length was calculated using the inter-joints length and the leaf area, the largest pieces averaged 3004.6 cm² and the smallest pieces were 1134.4 cm². It is thought that the larger the leaf area per measured stalk length, the more the yield per measured area of the field, since the raw material of moxa is made from dried A. princeps Pamp leaves. Therefore, we believe excellent A. princeps Pamp for moxa has resulted from research.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of surveillance to identify extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) carriers is controversial during a non-outbreak situation. We performed additional stool cultures for ESBL-E among intensive care unit (ICU) patients already under active surveillance by means of sputum and urine cultures. We aimed to assess the efficacy of stool cultures for screening for ESBL-E in a non-outbreak situation. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in an ICU. Sputum and urine samples were cultured for ESBL-E surveillance purposes from January to September 2013 (phase 1). Stool cultures were routinely performed in addition from January to September 2014 (phase 2). Antimicrobial use density values and clinical outcomes were investigated and compared between phase 1 and 2. RESULTS: We identified 512 and 478 patients in phase 1 and phase 2, respectively. ESBL-E were found in the feces of 65 (13.6%) patients in phase 2. The antimicrobial use density values (expressed as defined daily doses per 1,000 bed-days) were not significantly different between the two phases for fluoroquinolones (7 vs. 10, p = 0.376), third-generation cephalosporins (24.2 vs. 29.5, p = 0.724), tazobactam/piperacillin (44.6 vs. 57.3, p = 0.489), and carbapenems (73 vs. 55.5, p = 0.222). Moreover, there were no significant differences in ICU mortality and length of stay (11.5% vs. 9.8%, p = 0.412, and 9 vs. 10 days, p = 0.28, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Stool culture seemed ineffective in improving the antimicrobial use density of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, clinical outcomes, and ICU length of stay, and is not recommended for surveillance of ESBL-E in a non-outbreak situation.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; beta-Lactamases ; Carbapenems ; Cephalosporins ; Cohort Studies ; Critical Care* ; Disease Outbreaks ; Enterobacteriaceae* ; Epidemiology ; Feces ; Fluoroquinolones ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units* ; Length of Stay ; Mass Screening ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies* ; Sputum

It has been five years since TC 249 was established as a new Technical Committee (TC) at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), specializing in the field of Chinese traditional medicine. In the second Plenary Meeting held in Den Haag (2011), five working groups (WGs) were established within the TC, two of which specialize in standard development of acupuncture needles (WG3) and other medical devices used in traditional medicine (WG4). Japanese delegates have participated in the discussion within these WGs, paying close attention so as to keep the proposals under discussion consistent with existing Japanese standards and certification standards regulated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. However, since most of the participants in TC 249 are clinicians or researchers engaged in medical practices, and not experts on domestic/international standards, discussions on harmonization of the submitted projects often become complicated. In this manuscript, four experts (two from academia and two from companies that manufacture acupuncture needles and moxibustion devices) who attended the fourth plenary meeting held in Durban, South Africa, in May 2013, report on the stage of progress of standardization development in WG3and WG4.