Following the Japan-Korea Symposium at the 37th ICMART World Congress in Jeju, Korea, September 27-29, 2024, another international symposium was held in Daegu on November 17, 2024, by three countries, including not only Japan and Korea but also the Chinese Medical Association of Acupuncture in Taiwan. In addition, a Korean domestic symposium was held by three societies under the Society of Korean Medicine.　Korea has been actively inviting such international symposiums in recent years, and international exchanges in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion has been progressing further than ever before. Academia of traditional medicine in Japan needs to respond actively to this trend, including human resource development.

Case reports are an indispensable research format in the advancement of medicine. They play a significant role in accumulating medical knowledge on new or rare diseases and evaluating the efficacy and safety of therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, case reports provide a critical opportunity for generating new research hypotheses and are widely recognized for their value as essential educational tools for healthcare professionals. However, some case reports fail to include sufficient essential information, and their incompleteness or lack of transparency may lead to misinterpretation by readers. To address these issues, the CARE (CAse REport) guidelines were established in 2013, providing standards to improve the completeness and transparency of case reports. The CARE guidelines comprehensively cover essential reporting items for case reports in various fields. By adhering to these guidelines, authors can ensure the completeness of information and achieve transparent reporting. However, there still does not seem to be sufficient recognition and dissemination of the CARE guidelines in Japan. Therefore, this article introduces the key components of the CARE guidelines and discusses their application, particularly in the field of acupuncture practice. It is hoped that the wider use of the CARE guidelines in case reports related to acupuncture will enhance reporting quality and facilitate the provision of more reliable and credible information.

The Korean Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine Society (KAMMS) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a commemoration ceremony and a Japan-Korea Symposium held in Seoul in November 2023. This report outlines the participation and highlights from the commemoration ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of KAMMS on November 11 (Saturday), along with insights shared during the Japan-Korea Symposium held as a special session within KAMMS' Fall Academic Conference 2023 on November 12 (Sunday). The summary includes presentations delivered by four speakers during the symposium. The Korean session focused on "Collaborative-Based Integrated Healthcare," discussing endeavors in integrated medicine involving Western medicine and Korean medicine. Meanwhile, the Japanese session titled "Introduction of Acupuncture Clinics in Japanese University Hospital" highlighted efforts in acupuncture and moxibustion education within the Tohoku University Hospital in Japan.

[Objective] To clarify the utilization of characteristics and reactions of acupuncture points, and the frequency of using acupuncture points in acupuncture and moxibustion treatment in Japan.[Methods] We conducted a questionnaire survey involving members of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine and those of the Japan Society of Acupuncture Course in Universities. The contents of the questions included age, sex, profession, length of clinical experience of acupuncture/moxibustion, treatment method, utilization of characteristics and reactions of acupuncture points, and frequency of using acupuncture points in both acupuncture and moxibustion treatment.[Results] The number of valid questionnaires was 59 (59 for acupuncture treatment and 50 for moxibustion treatment). The respondents were as follows : average age of 52 ± 12 years, 45 males and 14 females, 13 medical doctors and 46 acupuncturists, clinical experience of 21.1 ± 11.5 years. Most practitioners utilized ill ness-specific features of acupuncture points, de qi, and reactions they feel with their needling and pressing hands. Ten acupuncture points were used in 50% of patients in acupuncture treatment, and ST 36 and SP 6 were the most frequently used. On the other hand, no single acupuncture point was used in more than 50% of patients in moxibustion treatment. Thirteen acupuncture points were used in 30% of patients in moxibustion treatment, and BL 23, SP 6, and ST 36 were the most frequently used.[Conclusion] Our survey clarified the usage of acupuncture points in acupuncture and moxibustion treatment in Japan.

Ikki-Ryo was a moxibustion clinic established as part of a national project facility that belonged to the Uchihara Training Camp (1938-1945) for the Japanese Youth Volunteer Brigade for Reclamation of Manchuria and Mongolia. Since such a case is extremely rare in the modern medical history of Japan, this article summarizes the information on Ikki-Ryo obtained through documents collection and analysis, interviews, and fieldwork investigation. Ikki-Ryo was proposed by acupuncturists Bunshi Shirota and Kyohei Tanaka, and was established under the directorship of Kanji Kato. It played a role in the clinical practice and training of moxibustion techniques. The data suggests that Ikki-Ryo provided advantageous clinical effects in the promotion of good health and in the treatment of some diseases (e.g. enuresis, suspected tuberculosis) for the trainees, while it is indicated that this clinic had a certain geographical, organizational, and emotional distance from other medical or healthcare departments at the camp. Although the role of moxibustion has changed throughout history, the concept and activities of Ikki-Ryo are still thought-provoking from the perspective of the diversity, versatility, complementarity, and sustainability of healthcare tools.

Purpose: Naldemedine is a peripheral µ-opioid receptor antagonist, including the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) . However, diarrhea is known as its side effect. We conducted a study focusing on the administration period of opioid analgesics before the start of naldemedine to clear predictors of diarrhea due to Naldemedine. Method: All data were retrospectively collected from the electronic medical record system. We investigated patients who initially administrated naldemedine at Nagasaki University Hospital from June 1 2017 to March 31 2019. Result: One hundred thirty-two patients were subject of investigation. The incidence of diarrhea was 25.0%. The result of the multivariate analysis showed that significant predictors of diarrhea were associated with the opioid analgesics usage period longer than 7 days before naldemedine initiation (odds ratio: 3.76, 95% confidence interval: 1.53-9.20, p=0.004). Discussion: When naldemedine was used for OIC, diarrhea may be avoided by using within 7 days after opioid analgesics.

The background and course of Kampo treatment in 39 patients with uncontrollable otolaryngeal symptoms treated between April 2013 and March 2016, in the Department of Kampo Medicine at Tohoku University Hospital, were analyzed retrospectively. An improvement in overall symptoms was noted with Kampo treatment in 28 of 39 cases (71%). The commonly reported subjective symptoms included glossodynia (7 cases), postnasal drip (4 cases), oral discomfort (4 cases), dizziness (3 cases), and taste disorder (3 cases). Analysis using the classification of qi, blood, and fluid revealed that cases with qi stagnation pattern (15 of 18 cases) were effectively treated with Kampo treatment. Prior reports support our finding that smoothing qi with Kampo medicine is effective in alleviating some chronic symptoms. The symptoms improved within 6 weeks after the treatment was initiated. Therefore, a 6-week period can be considered sufficient to determine the effectiveness of Kampo medicine. Many of the patients for whom Kampo treatment was not effective had depression and domestic stress. In conclusion, Kampo treatment may be effectively used to treat uncontrollable, chronic otolaryngeal symptoms in selected cases that are unresponsive to Western medicine.

We describe a case of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in an 88-year-old woman who underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. The patient developed cardiac arrest shortly after the surgery. Following immediate resuscitation, her electrocardiogram showed extensive ST segment elevation in leads V2-V6, and echocardiography revealed apical akinesis with basal hyperkinesis. Emergency coronary angiography confirmed the absence of coronary lesions, and she was diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Her cardiac function improved within a few days following the administration of catecholamines. Although EVAR is a less invasive surgical procedure, it may trigger Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate management of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy are essential to treat critical conditions in the acute phase.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Disruption of nucleoporins has been reported in the motor neurons of patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS). However, the precise changes in the morphology of nucleoporins associated with the pathology of the 43-kDa TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) in the disease process remain unknown. We investigated the expression of nucleoporins that constitute the nuclear pore complex (NPC) in spinal motor neurons that exhibit sALS in relation to TDP-43 pathology, which is a reliable neuropathological hallmark of sALS. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded sections of the lumbar spinal cord were obtained for immunofluorescence analysis from seven control subjects and six sALS patients. Anti-TDP-43 antibody, anti-nucleoporin p62 (NUP62) antibody, and anti-karyopherin beta 1 (KPNB1) antibody were applied as primary antibodies, and then visualized using appropriate secondary antibodies. The sections were then examined under a fluorescence microscope. RESULTS: NUP62 and KPNB1 immunoreactivity appeared as a smooth round rim bordering the nuclear margin in normal spinal motor neurons that exhibited nuclear TDP-43 immunoreactivity. sALS spinal motor neurons with apparent TDP-43 mislocalization demonstrated irregular, disrupted nuclear staining for NUP62 or KPNB1. Some atrophic sALS spinal motor neurons with TDP-43 mislocalization presented no NUP62 immunoreactivity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a close relationship between NPC alterations and TDP-43 pathology in the degenerative process of the motor neurons of sALS patients.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis* ; Antibodies ; Fluorescence ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Motor Neurons* ; Nuclear Pore ; Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins* ; Pathology ; Spinal Cord