Shoyogan is a Kampo prescription described in the Junqui Yaolue. Few cases have been reported using this medicine. This time, we prescribed shoyogan for 14 patients who suffered from severe appetite loss. We had positive outcomes as follows. We administered shoyogan to 8 patients with malignant disease. Six of them suffered from lung cancer. Shoyogan was effective in these patients. Shoyogan was not effective for the other 2 patients, with bile duct carcinoma and malignant lymphoma. The dietary intake was increased from 28 percent of meals supplied to 79 percent in the appetite-improved group. We also administered shoyogan to 6 patients with nonmalignant disease. It was effective for 3 patients: 1 with congestive heart failure and 2 with great trochanteric fractures of the femur. It was not effective for the other 3 patients, who suffered from anorexia, pneumonia and depression associated with diabetes mellitus. Shoyogan seems to be effective for patients with terminal lung cancer and maintains their quality of life.

At the Niigata University School of Medicine, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) were performed for the first time in 2001 for 92 fourth-year medical students. The average evaluation scores students received from instructors were summarized, and the differences between scores given by different instructors were examined. We found that practice methods for the medical interview and physical examination before OSCE and the question topics and evaluation methods of OSCE were appropriate, but scores on some items were extremely low. The standardization and objectivity of the evaluation were satisfactory, perhaps because one explanatory conference and two training conferences were held for instructors before OSCE. However, some questions tended to produce differences between instructors, as did some topics, especially in the medical interview. The scores with standardized patients and those by teachers were strongly correlated, but those with the former were lower than those by the latter.

BACKGROUND: In Japan, more than 60% of employees are reported to suffer from anxiety and stress. Consequently, Japanese society has begun to address such important issues as psychogenic disability and job-related suicide. Furthermore, given the aging of society and the surge in the number of elderly people requiring care, it is necessary to adequately and proactively support employees who care for their elderly relatives. The purpose of the present study was to investigate caregiver burden in caring for elderly relatives and work-related stress factors associated with mental health among employees. METHODS: We studied 722 men and women aged 18-83 years in a cross-sectional study. The K10 questionnaire was used to examine mental health status. RESULTS: The proportion of participants with a high K10 score was 15% (n = 106). Having little conversation with their supervisor and/or coworkers significantly increased the risk of depression [odds ratio (OR) 1.8], as did high job overload (OR 2.7) and job dissatisfaction (OR 3.8), compared with employees who frequently conversed with their supervisor and/or coworkers. Caring for elderly relatives as a prominent characteristic of an employee was a significant risk factor for depression (OR 2.1). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that employees who were caring for elderly relatives were significantly associated with an increased risk of depression. To prevent depressive disorders, it may be important to focus on reducing the work-caregiving role conflict, as well as enhancing employees' job control and better rewarding their efforts in the workplace.
Aged ; Aging ; Anxiety ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Caregivers* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Female ; Humans ; Japan ; Male ; Mental Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reward ; Risk Factors ; Suicide

Objective: To clarify the background difference between drug-induced photosensitivity and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum or structure and to construct useful information for prevention and prediction of drug-induced photosensitivity. Methods: We investigated whether, for 457 drugs for which the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum is listed in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, there were absorption maxima in the UVA (320 nm or more and less than 400 nm), UVB (280 nm or more and less than 320 nm), or UVA and UVB (280 nm or more and less than 400 nm). Structure was investigated for the existence of “conjugated”, carbonyl, sulfone, nitro and fluorine. The case drug group was taken to be those drugs for which photosensitivity was listed as a side effect on the medical drug package insert. Using statistical software, SPSS statistics ® 24 (IBM), we performed univariate logistic regression analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis with a stepwise increment method (likelihood ratio) combining items with p＜0.2, and calculated the odds ratio (hereinafter: aOR). The significance level was taken as 0.05. Results: There were 85 drugs in the case drug group, and 372 drugs in the control drug group. As a result of multiple logistic regression analysis, in Model 1, we placed sulfone (aOR: 4.55, 95% C.I.: 2.22-9.35), fluorine (aOR: 3.66, 95% C.I.: 1.82-7.39) and nitro (aOR: 4.46, 95 % C.I.: 1.73-11.48) in this order. In Model 2, we placed sulfone (aOR: 4, 40, 95% C.I.: 2.12-9.15), fluorine (aOR: 3.81, 95% C.I.: 1.87-7.76), UVA (aOR: 2.40, 95% C.I.: 1.37-4.18) and nitro (aOR: 3.61, 95% C.I.: 1.39-9.40) in this order. Conclusion: When a drug is developed, its ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra and structure become clear, and from this information,measures can be taken which bear the potential risk of photosensitivity in mind.