Fukushin, or abdominal diagnosis, is one of the characteristics of the Kampo medical examination. During the Edo period, “Fukushokiran (腹証奇覧)” became popular due to its explanations of illustrations of abdominal diagnosis and findings, focusing on the prescriptions in “Shanghanlun (傷寒論)” and “Jinguiyaolue (金匱要略).” In this study, we examined various existing editions of “Fukushokiran” and highlighted the differences in abdominal diagnosis illustrations and findings among them. According to the year indicated at the beginning and end of the volume, “Fukushokiran” is divided into pre-Kyowa and Bunka editions. Although the currently facsimile edition is based on the Bunka edition, significant differences were observed in abdominal diagnosis illustrations and other findings, which were revised from the pre-Kyowa edition. “Fukushokiran” has two parts including the first and second parts; however, differences between the pre-Kyowa and Bunka editions are particularly noticeable in the second part. Inaba Bunrei, the author of “Fukushokiran,” died in Bunka 2 (1805) ; therefore, it is unlikely that he was involved in the revision of the Bunka edition. Instead, it is assumed that the views of Wakuta Shukuko, a disciple of Bunrei, are reflected in the Bunka edition.

The usage of Kampo medicine has been expanding in hospitals and pharmacies, and the systematic education on Kampo medicines and their components is urgently needed. Although the efficacies of Kampo formulations are approved at the national level, those of the composing crude drugs are not approved individually except for some cases. Consequently, the efficacy description of individual crude drug in textbooks differs much depending on the authors. To clarify this situation, we suggested the standardized description of the efficacy of crude drugs used in ethical Kampo formulation using terms of modern Western medicine in the previous study. In this study, we reviewed the descriptions of efficacies using the terms of Kampo medicine in the books published in Japan from the 17 century to the present to explore the possibility of standardizing the crude drug efficacies using the terms of Kampo medicine. The proposal for standardized description of the efficacy of crude drugs was based on the high frequency of appearance of the terms in successive books.

Japanese traditional (Kampo) medicine saved many lives during the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918-­20. In Japan, acute viral respiratory infections represented by influenza have been called shokan (cold damage), and so on since ancient times. These infections were treated by prescriptions that were adopted from Chinese classical texts including “Shanghan lun (Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases),” “Xiaopin fāng (Prescriptions of Sketch),” “Tai ping hui min he jì ju fang (Formulary of the Bureau of Taiping People's Welfare Pharmacy),” and “Wan bing hui chun (Restoration of Health from Myriad Diseases).” Additional materials include (but are not limited to) “Ishimpo (Prescriptions of Medical Sprit),” “Ton-­i-­sho (Abstract of Medical Enlightenment),” and the diaries of some Muromachi aristocrats. In the Edo period (1603-1868), treatment with Kampo medi­cines developed uniquely in Japan, but due to medical and economic disparities, many patients could not be treated by Kampo experts. Ephedra herb, a key drug for treating shokan (cold damage), has shown major problems in terms of quality, because it has been confused with plants of the genus horsetail since at least the 8 th century ; its medicinal effects may therefore have been underestimated. The effectiveness of Kampo medicine against the novel influenza/coronavirus pandemic is anticipated, however, in order to fully exploit its potential, it is important that physicians with sufficient knowledge of Kampo should use Kampo medications properly.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate hangeshashinto rinse for oral discomfort in terminally-ill cancer patients and to compare the effectiveness of hangeshashinto rinse with or without honey rinse. Methods: Patients with oral discomfort were randomized to receive either hangeshashinto rinse or hangeshashinto with honey rinse as first-line treatment. Patients performed oral rinse three to five times a day for 2 weeks. Further, oral wetness, halitosis, oral mucositis, mouth discomfort, compliance of rinse were then evaluated before and after the intervention. Results: 144 patients were enrolled during this period and 22 patients completed the study (hangeshashinto 13 / hangeshashinto with honey 9). After the intervention, oral wetness was improved, and end-tidal concentration of hydrogen sulfide was decreased in both cases. Although there was no statistically significant difference, oral discomfort by subjective and objective evaluations, also and symptom of oral mucositis were improved. Other volatile sulfur compounds decreased. Frequency of rinsing between groups receiving hangeshashinto or hangeshashinto with honey did not differ, however, the acceptability was slightly better in the honey combination group. Conclusion: Both hangeshashinto rinse and hangeshashinto with honey rinse reduced end-tidal concentration of hydrogen sulfide and improved oral wetness. Oral rinse by hangeshashinto or hangeshashinto with honey may be effective for oral discomfort in terminally-ill cancer patients.

Objectives: This study examined whether cancer patients who received home care lived in the places they and their families preferred, and whether their preferences changed while receiving home care.Methods: We conducted a medical record survey of 111 cancer patients who received home care provided by a clinic in Japan, and examined the patients' and their families' preferred places to live in the case of their condition deteriorate (the patients and their families were asked when they began to receive home care, and whenever their and their families' conditions changed), and the actual places where the patients lived out their lives.Results: Among those who preferred home at the beginning of receiving home care, 95.6% of patients and 96.8% of families preferred home in the last survey period. Of those who did not prefer home at the beginning, 87.9% of patients and 84.8% of families preferred home by the last survey period. For 97.4% of patients and 97.2% of families, the actual places where the patients lived out their lives were consistent with their preferred places.Conclusion: We found that cancer patients receiving home care provided by the clinic and their families who preferred home from the beginning often still preferred home until the end of their lives, and that those who did not prefer home at the beginning often preferred home by the last survey period. Thus, most of the patients lived out their lives in the places they and their families preferred.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Fundic gland polyps (FGPs), hyperplastic polyps (HPs), and xanthomas (XTs) are common benign gastric lesions that can be diagnosed by endoscopic appearance alone in most cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between gastric cancer and these benign lesions. METHODS: Two expert endoscopists reviewed a series of gastroscopy images. FGPs, HPs, and XTs were diagnosed by endoscopic appearance, whereas all gastric cancers were confirmed pathologically. RESULTS: Of the 1,227 patients reviewed, 114 (9.3%) had a concurrent or past history of gastric cancer. The overall prevalences of FGPs, HPs and XTs were 9.4%, 6.3% and 14.2%, respectively. HPs and XTs coexisted in 1.6% of patients, whereas other combinations were rarer. XTs were observed in 39.3% and 11.5% of patients with and without gastric cancer, respectively (p<0.001). In contrast, no gastric cancer patients had FGPs, whereas 10.4% of patients without cancer had FGPs (p<0.001). The prevalence of HPs was similar between the two groups (8.8% and 6.0% of patients with and without cancer, respectively, p=0.29). Multivariate and Mantel-Haenszel analyses demonstrated that XTs were positively associated and FGPs were negatively associated with gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS: XTs and FGPs might be useful as endoscopic risk indicators for monitoring gastric cancer.
Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Polyps ; Prevalence ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Xanthomatosis

The Koho school has a high regard for formulation corresponding to sho uniquely developed as a conspicuous feature of Kampo medicine, and Ruihobunrui (the classification of formulae based on the main crude drug : CF) has played an important role in structuring the foundation of this development in the Koho school. CF is a classification method used to express the adaptation and characteristics of formulae in the Koho school, and is useful for research on drug compositions. Therefore, CF can be used effectively in both clinical practice and education. CF has shown little development in China after the appearance of Xu Ling Tai ; however, in Japan the development of CF centered on such influential figures as Todo Yoshimasu of the Koho school, and Naohiro Kitamura of the Kosho school. Kenzo Okuda and Keisetsu Otsuka used CF for clinical practice and education during the revival stage of Kampo medicine in the Showa era ; moreover, CF had a large effect on structuring the foundation of clinical application by formulating Kampo extracts for prescriptions. Thus, CF has played an important role in Kampo medicine. However, the research has been stopped in the present circumstances of Japan. We focus here on CF of the Koho school in Edo and Showa eras, and carried out considerations of CF to establish one of the characteristics of Kampo medicine that places importance on Shang Han Za Bing Lun.

Consultations with patients who bring drugs, especially on the high risk drug list, to a hospital is an important role of pharmacists. However, many incident reports occur though pharmacists generally make an effort to check such medications. In Japan, incidents are mostly reported just in terms of numbers but not in terms of the prevalence of a target group. We aim to reveal the prevalence of incidents related to medicine brought-in by patients undergoing surgery in National Hospital Organization (NHO) hospitals. For our study, we extracted patients undergoing surgery who were prescribed antidiabetic agents from the Medical data bank (MIA) in NHO. Chart reviews were performed on patients to evaluate the number of incidents in relation to brought-in medicine. The prevalence of incidents of interest was 4.4% (41/931, 95%CL : 3.2-5.9%). Pre-avoidable incidents represented 56.1% (23/41, p<0.0001). We found that pharmacists play a role in making incidents less severe.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we examined the influence of exercise loading characteristics on bone metabolic responses and bone morphology in the growth phase and adulthood. METHODS: Running exercise (RUN) and jumping exercise (JUM) were used for the exercise loading in 28-day-old male Wistar rats. Bone metabolism was measured by blood osteocalcin (OC) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) levels. For bone morphology, the maximum bone length, bone weight, and bone strength of the femur and tibia were measured. RESULTS: A pre- and post-exercise loading comparison in the growth phase showed significantly increased OC levels in the RUN and JUM groups and significantly decreased TRACP levels in the JUM group. On the other hand, a pre- and post-exercise loading comparison in adulthood showed significantly decreased TRACP levels in the RUN and JUM groups. Femur lengths were significantly shorter in the RUN and JUM groups than in the control (CON) group, while bone weight was significantly greater in the JUM group than in the CON group. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise loading activates OC levels in the growth phase and suppresses TRACP levels in adulthood. On the other hand, these results suggest that excessive exercise loading may suppress bone length.
Acid Phosphatase ; Femur ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolism* ; Osteoblasts ; Osteocalcin ; Osteoclasts ; Osteogenesis* ; Rats, Wistar ; Running ; Tibia