2.Clinical Evaluation of the Chinese Herbal Extracts(Sho-Seiryu-to) in Treatment of Bronchial Asthma. Results of a Multicenter Clinical Study Based on Evaluation Methods for Western Drugs.
Yosuke EGASHIRA ; Minoru YOSHIDA ; Hitoshi NAGANO
Kampo Medicine 1995;45(4):859-876
The authors investigated the efficacy, safety and usefulness of the Kampo extract Shoseiryu-to (TJ-19) in the treatment of adult bronchial asthma. The multi-center study used the same methods presently in use in Japan for clinical evaluation of Western drugs and included a total of 69 patients in an open trial.
After long-term (4-8 weeks) administration of the Kampo formula in conjunction with conventional bronchial dilators, a significant improvement was seen in the frequency score, clinical score and asthma score. Significant improvement was observed in individual symptoms such as phlegm viscosity and amount, daily life, sleep, sneezing and nasal discharge. Overall, the results indicated marked improvement in 13 patients (18.8%), moderate improvement in 23 patients (33.3%) and slight improvement in 19 patients (27.5%). Thus, the authors obtained the favorable results of moderate or better improvement in 52.2% and slight or better improvement in 79.9% of the patients. We observed almost no abnormal findings in laboratory examinations due to the drugs. Side effects developed only in a few patients in the form of a slight cough. Symptoms of nasal allergy improved most frequently according to the impressions of the physicians in charge. Recently, combination therapy using various Kampo extracts has increased in Japan in order to improve treatment quality.
3.Studies on the Industrial Fatigue of Workingwomen in a Factory in the Rural District
Nobuo Yoshida ; Akio Nakagawa ; Yumiko Makino ; Yosuke Yamane
Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine 1981;30(4):782-790
For the purpose to clarify the industrial fatigue and causative factors, the health examinations and the investigations of daily life were made to 138 workingwomen in a cotton-yarn factory in the rural district.
1) Comparing with other occupations, the fatigue in workingwomen was generally severe, especially in the middle-aged women who engaged in an agricultural labor besides the labor in the factory. As for the characteristics of their fatigue, the mental fatigue was more predominant than the physical fatigue. The results of Flicker test, autonomic nerve function test and urine creatinin test revealed the alternate shift working system in the factory was one of the causative factors which was responsible for the fatigue of the workingwomen.
2) The health examination revealed the high prevalence of anemia. The occurrence of the mild hypertension, the localized muscle fatigue and low back pain were also noteworthy. The investigations on the workingwomen's daily lives revealed that they engaged in an agricultural labor and households early in the morning or in the holidays, and worked for 8.6 hours in the average, and 16 hours in the maximum.
In addition to the industrial fatigue, the burdens of the agricultural labor and the households got worse the health conditions of the workingwomen. In the rural district it becomes very important to promote the comprehensive health care activities from the both sides of community health care system and occupational health care system.
4.Community Health Approach to the Health Conditions of Children in Rural Districts of Shimane Prefecture
Tomoko Shimizu ; Yumiko Makino ; Akio Nakagawa ; Nobuo Yoshida ; Yosuke Yamane
Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine 1984;32(5):952-956
A questionnaire was sent to school health nurses in rural districts of Shimane Prefecture asking them about health conditions and emergency accidents of children, problems of the health care, and safety administration in schools.
The health conditions of children in rural districts were almost common with those of children in cities of Japan. It was suggested that the increase of psychosomatic complaints and disorders of children was directly or indirectly affected by the changes of life conditions in households of side-work farmers, the inhumane competition in education and the drastic urbanization of life style.
The cooperative approach to comprehensive health care of children by the participants of school health and community health is urgently needed to promote the health level.
5.Community Health Approach in the Rural District, San-in
Akio NAKAGAWA ; Yumiko MAKINO ; Nobuo YOSHIDA ; Yosuke YAMANE
Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine 1981;29(6):833-842
The state and problems of health care to farmers in the rural district, San-in, the west northern part of Japan were studied in cooperation with Agricultural Cooperative Associations, Municipalities, Health Centers, Agricultural Mutual Benefit Association and Agriculture Guide Center since 1977.
Various features of interrelationship among the demographic, living, and physical conditions were analysed from the standpoint of promoting community health level.
In our investigation almost of the farmers complained commonly of some diseases such as hypertension, anemia and lesion concerned with bone-muscle-connective tissue system. The health problems on connection with the community characteristics in each district were as follow;
1) In the truck gardening district, the fatigue, overwork, lumbago and greenhouse workers' syndrom were found in a high rate.
2) In mountainous rice crop district, anemia and fatigue in women were prevalent.
3) In the urbanized area around the city, hypertension was prevalent. High frequency of the discontinued treatment type in hypertensive patients and low consiousness for self health care were noted.
4) In the tea and grape plantation district, lumbago, cervical syndrom, osteo-arthritis of knee joint and numbness of fingers which is similar to “vibration syndrom” were noted.
It is, therefore, clear that the adequate, comprehensive medical care program in a community on the basis of socioeconomical characteristics of each district is needed to promote the cooperative activity of health service of administration, agricultural policy and inhabitant participation.
10.Actual conditions of the health care of school personnel in rural districts of Shimane prefecture, Japan.
Tomoko SHIMIZU ; Kenji ABE ; Tetsuhito FUKUSHIMA ; Akio NAKAGAWA ; Nobuo YOSHIDA ; Yosuke YAMANE
Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine 1984;33(4):775-779
Actual conditions of the health care of school personnel in rural districts of Shimane Prefecture were investigated, concentrating our attention on the structure of diseases, the contents of health examination, factors impeding health, and so forth.
As a result of our investigation we found that the incidence of adult diseases among school personnel is considerably high. Health examinations with complete contents should be practised in the near future.
Further, the establishment of health care system in the work place, the improvement of working conditions considering sufficiently the peculiarity of mental work and of femininity, the independence of school nurses as specialist should be realized on the basis of the understanding of actual problems, which are obtained by examinations of health care conditions at each work place including epidemiological examination.