Development and evaluation of a formula for predicting introduction of medication self-management in stroke patients in the Kaifukuki rehabilitation ward.

Background: Medication self-management in stroke patients is important to prevent further progression of disease and incidence of side effects. The purpose of this study was to create a formula for predicting medication self-management introduction in stroke patients using functional independence measure items and patient data, including medication-related information.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 104 patients (cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage) discharged from the Kaifukuki rehabilitation ward at Showa University Fujigaoka Rehabilitation Hospital from January to December 2012.

Assessment of Injection Site Reactions for Peripheral Intravenous Oxaliplatin Infusion and Potential Remedies.

We investigated the medical and nursing records of 19 patients with unresectable advanced recurrent colorectal cancers treated using oxaliplatin and capecitabine(CapeOX)with or without bevacizumab at the outpatient tumor center of Showa UniversityHospital between November 1, 2009 and November 30, 2011, to clarifydifferences in the incidence of injection site reactions according to the use or non-use of an intravenous infusion solution warming device. Vascular pain and other injection site reactions occurred in 13 patients(68.4%).

Real-world cost analysis of chemotherapy for colorectal cancer in Japan: detailed costs of various regimens during the entire course of chemotherapy.

Background: Various chemotherapy regimens for advanced colorectal cancer have been introduced to clinical practice in Japan over the past decade. The cost profiles of these regimens, however, remain unclear in Japan. To explore the detailed costs of different regimens used to treat advanced colorectal cancer during the entire course of chemotherapy in patients treated in a practical setting, we conducted a so-called "real-world" cost analysis.

[Expected Duties of Pharmacists and Potential Needs of Physicians and Nurses on a Kaifukuki Rehabilitation Ward].

This study investigated the required duties of pharmacists in a kaifukuki rehabilitation ward from the viewpoint of the ward physicians and nurses. A questionnaire survey was distributed to 27 facilities with kaifukuki rehabilitation wards. The questionnaire examined which duties the physicians and nurses expected from pharmacists while on the ward (4 areas, 10 items), as well as the time required for pharmacists to carry out those duties.

Mizoribine requires individual dosing due to variation of bioavailability.

Background: Mizoribine (MZR) is an immunosuppressant used for the treatment of glomerular diseases, but there are few reports on the pharmacokinetics of MZR in children.

Methods: First, we performed a pharmacokinetic study on nine childhood-onset glomerular disease patients. The MZR dosages ranged from 1.

[Examination of factors affecting adverse reactions and dosage reduction in UGT1A1 genotyped patients: a retrospective survey of irinotecan].

Our aim was to clarify the side effects of irinotecan which occurred in patients admitted to Showa University Hospital to investigate whether the UGT1A1 genetic polymorphism status was reflected in the discontinuation or dose reduction of irinotecan. We retrospectively investigated UGT1A1 genetic polymorphisms, irinotecan dosage, dose discontinuance or reduction, and laboratory results from May 1 2009 to April 30 2010. The analysis of UGT1A1 genetic polymorphisms in 23 patients showed that frequencies of the UGT1A1*6 and UGT1A1*28 polymorphisms were 35% (eight patients) and 22% (five patients), respectively, and 17% (three patients) were UGT1A1*6/UGT1A1*28 compound heterozygotes.

[Effect of the active adult learning/patient oriented clerkship on affective reaction of students ∼ from the results of student survey].

We have previously reported the efficacy of the Patient Oriented Clerkship (POC) in the clinical clerkship in Showa University Hospitals, by a trial with old four-year pharmacy program students. In the unique clerkship, each student has a patient in charge, and follows his/her clinical conditions throughout the rotation. The aim of the POC is that having the students learn spontaneously (Active Learning) and actively (Adult Learning) promoted by student's commitment and responsibility by communicating with patients and health professionals in a team.

Development of a novel fluorometric assay for nitric oxide utilizing sesamol and its application to analysis of nitric oxide-releasing drugs.

Nitric oxide (NO) is related to various physiological effects as well as to numerous diseases caused by accentuation of NO production. Measurement of NO in cells and tissues is difficult as NO readily reacts with other molecules; furthermore, its half-life as a radical is fleeting. Currently, many NO pharmaceuticals are marketed as therapeutic agents for ischemic disease.

[Utility-based evaluation of the quality of life of patient's with gastric cancer who receive chemotherapy--comparison of patients' quality of life between oral TS-1 and conventional injectable combination therapy].

We tried to clarify the applicability of "utility" for the evaluation of patient's QOL with gastric cancer after chemotherapy and attempted to compare differences in QOL after treatment with the oral antitumor agent TS-1 or with a conventional injectable combination. Three items, moving activity, pain, and gastrointestinal symptoms, were employed as indicators of patient QOL, and then the assessment of utility was compared based on the expected outcomes that 9 pharmacists working on a ward, 9 nurses working on a neurosurgery ward, and 9 nurses working on a gastrointestinal surgery ward estimated directly using the three methods of standard gamble, time trade-off, and rating scale according to predictive scenarios based on each scenario. The QOL of patients who received the two different types of chemotherapy were also compared as the average utilities from the direct estimation depending on patient conditions as used for chart review.

[Clinical pathway based on evidence-based medicine (EBM) for chemotherapy for lung cancer].

Recently, combination treatment with cisplatin has been recommended as chemotherapy for lung cancer. However, no clinical pathway for safe and efficient use of anticancer agents has been established. We devised a clinical pathway satisfying evidence-based medicine (EBM) criteria by analyzing case records and the relevant literature.

[Pharmacoeconomic study of chemotherapy for gastric cancer: analysis of medical costs for oral fluoropyrimidine TS-1 and conventional i.v therapy].

To evaluate the economic impact of TS-1, an oral fluoropyrimidine, on the treatment of gastric cancer, the medical costs required for TS-1 treatment were compared with those for the conventional chemotherapy employed before the launch of TS-1 in patients with advanced and recurrent gastric cancer. The medical costs for 13 patients receiving TS-1 and 10 patients undergoing the conventional chemotherapy were extracted from the ordering system data, and the costs were compared using the fee schedule of the Japanese national health insurance. The monthly medical costs for the TS-1 group and conventional chemotherapy group were 327, 640 +/- 47,647 (mean +/- SE) yen and 852,874 +/- 62,412 yen, respectively.