Lack of information on gender differences in the package inserts of prescription drugs in Japan.

The package inserts of prescription drugs provide essential information for the proper administration of pharmacotherapy. The incidence of adverse reactions for several drugs is known to be higher in women than in men. However, no studies have examined whether information on gender differences is included in Japanese package inserts.

Inhibition of the dorsomedial striatal direct pathway is essential for the execution of action sequences.

Contrary to the previous notion that the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) is crucial for acquiring new learning, accumulated evidence has suggested that the DMS also plays a role in the execution of already learned action sequences. Here, we examined how the direct and indirect pathways in the DMS regulate action sequences using a task that requires animals to press a lever consecutively. Cell-type-specific bulk Ca recording revealed that the direct pathway was inhibited at the time of sequence execution.

Most dentists approve of oral health check-ups for local residents at community pharmacies and desire collaboration with community pharmacists.

Community pharmacies are required to play a role in maintaining the health of local residents. Since September 2015, a national policy in Japan has allowed saliva tests to be used for oral health check-ups at community pharmacies. In the present study, we aimed to reveal dentists' perceptions and expectations for oral health check-ups provided at community pharmacies.

Patient satisfaction with oral health check-ups at a community pharmacy and their effect on oral self-care habits and dental consultation behavior.

Maintaining good oral health is important because oral diseases are related to systemic diseases, and community pharmacies play a key role in maintaining the health of local residents. This study aimed to examine the effects of oral health check-ups and information provision at community pharmacies on oral health-associated behaviors as well as patient satisfaction. We conducted oral health check-ups and provided information about oral health self-care to 84 patients at a community pharmacy, and then asked them to complete a questionnaire survey.

[Expanding Pharmacy Services for Sustainable Universal Health Coverage: Lessons from the Canadian Health Care System].

Japan's health care system can be regarded as one of the best worldwide, provided it remains sustainable. It has relatively low costs, short wait times, low disease incidence, and high life expectancy. However, universal coverage in Japan faces financial challenges due to the country's rapidly aging population.

[Topical Treatment of Pruritic Skin Disease and the Role of Community Pharmacists].

Itching, or pruritus, can be defined as an unpleasant sensation that evokes the desire to scratch. Pruritus is most commonly associated with a primary skin disorder such as atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis, etc., and can have a major impact on the quality of life of those patients.

Expression of precipitating factors of pruritus found in humans in an imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model.

Aims: To use a mouse model of imiquimod-induced psoriasis to investigate the relationship between pruritus and mast cells, nerve growth factor (NGF) and endogenous pruritogenic peptides, which are highly expressed in the skin of psoriasis patients.

Main Methods: We developed a mouse model of imiquimod-induced psoriasis and measured the frequency and duration of the model animals' self-scratching behavior using the SCLABA-Real real-time scratch counting system. We then harvested the ears and subjected them to toluidine blue staining and real-time PCR.

A survey on awareness of the "finger-tip unit" and medication guidance for the use of topical steroids among community pharmacists.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic, pruritic inflammatory skin condition. AD is most commonly treated with topical corticosteroids, and the finger-tip unit (FTU) should be used as a guideline for the amount to be used per application. In this study, we investigated the adequacy of pharmacists' instructions on the amount of topical steroids to be applied and the way in which they enhance the effect of pharmaceutical interventions.

[Paradigm Shift in the Quality of Regional Medical Care: Cooperative Treatment of Onychomycosis].

　In a superaging society, the medical paradigm should include both less coverage of medical-care work flow by human resources and high-quality care for patients. Strategies such as establishing medical-care teams and community medicine systems mainly for home medical care should be implemented. However, a well-organized system for home-based medical treatment of elderly patients is not yet in place, as evidenced by the lack of care, problems with long-term polypharmacy resulting from visits to multiple healthcare providers, and declines in their physical strength.

[Role of Pharmacists in Topical Therapy for Onychomycosis in the Home-care Setting].

　There is an urgent need to promote home medical care in Japan because of the country's superaging society. Community pharmacists are expected to play an important role as part of home medical care teams. The prevalence of nail ringworm is high among home-care patients and can cause decreases in the quality of life, including difficulty in walking due to pain caused by nail deformation and inflammation around infected nails.

[Study of Home-based Ringworm Treatment and Follow-up by Visiting Nurses and Physicians: Interventional Effects].

　The aim of this study was to assess the effects of cooperation by visiting nurses and physicians experienced in general patient care, dermatology, and podiatry for the treatment of ringworm. Questionnaires were delivered to 1184 patients receiving home-based care by one of 14 participating visiting nursing establishments with a combined capacity of 3273 patients throughout five wards of the Tokyo metropolitan area. Responses were obtained from 691 patients (participation rate, 60.

[Current Status of Onychomycosis Topical Therapy Conducted at Home].

　Patients usually consult a dermatologist for the treatment of onychomycosis. However, in the case of home care, visiting nurses may assist with bathing, which offers the opportunity to observe patients' feet for possible signs of onychomycosis without causing anxiety. It is estimated that more than 30% of patients receiving home care have onychomycosis.

[Whether Visual Information Loss of Expression by Community Pharmacist Masks to Effect a Change in Feeling of Trust among Help-seeker?].

Pharmacy is required to shift toward human service such as hearing the complaints of health. But the study about help-seeking behavior to pharmacist is not really investigated. We hypothesized that a decrease in expression visibility, due to pharmacists' typical masks, may negatively impact help-seeker' trust in pharmacist.

Protective effect of young green barley leaf (Hordeum vulgare L.) on restraint stress-induced decrease in hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor in mice.

Background: Many health experts support the hypothesis that stressful lifestyles are the leading cause of illness, like depression. Therefore, from the standpoint of preventive medicine, it is important to reduce stress. Young green barley leaves are a good natural source of vitamins and minerals, and their juice is widely consumed as a functional food for health reasons in Japan.

Effect of enhanced expression of connexin 43 on sunitinib-induced cytotoxicity in mesothelioma cells.

Connexin (Cx) makes up a type of intercellular channel called gap junction (GJ). GJ plays a regulatory role in cellular physiology. The Cx expression level is often decreased in cancer cells compared to that in healthy ones, and the restoration of its expression has been shown to exert antiproliferative effects.

Elacridar enhances the cytotoxic effects of sunitinib and prevents multidrug resistance in renal carcinoma cells.

Intrinsic drug resistance occurs in many renal carcinomas and is associated with increased expression of multidrug resistant proteins, which inhibits intracellular drug accumulation. Multidrug resistant protein 1, also known as P-glycoprotein, is a membrane drug efflux pump belonging to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily. ABC Sub-family B Member 2 (ABCG2) is widely distributed and is involved in the multidrug resistant phenotype.

Increased expression of the histamine H4 receptor following differentiation and mediation of the H4 receptor on interleukin-8 mRNA expression in HaCaT keratinocytes.

Recent in vivo studies have demonstrated involvement of the histamine H4 receptor in pruritus and skin inflammation. We previously reported that an H4 receptor antagonist attenuated scratching behaviour and improved skin lesions in an experimental model of atopic dermatitis. We also reported the expression of the H4 receptor in human epidermal tissues.

Sex differences in stress reactivity of hippocampal BDNF in mice are associated with the female preponderance of decreased locomotor activity in response to restraint stress.

The incidence and prevalence of depression is higher in women than in men, but the cause of this sex discrepancy remains unknown. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key protein for maintaining neuronal integrity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the female preponderance in behavioral responsivity to restraint stress focusing on the stress reactivity of BDNF in the hippocampus.

Sex-related differences in SLIGRL-induced pruritus in mice.

Aims: Pruritus is a common symptom of skin diseases, and is associated with impaired sleep quality and a considerable reduction in the patient's quality of life. Recently, it was reported that there are sex-specific differences in scratching behavior in chronic pruritus patients. Namely, female chronic pruritus patients scratch more and have significantly more scratch lesions than male patients.

Difficulty for consumers in choosing commercial bilberry supplements by relying only on product label information.

Background: Various kinds of bilberry supplements have recently become available on the market. However, it is doubtful whether consumers receive accurate information to be able to compare different supplements.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether consumers can obtain the expected benefits by relying only on the information printed on the product labels of commercial bilberry supplements.

Topical royal jelly alleviates symptoms of pruritus in a murine model of allergic contact dermatitis.

Background: Royal jelly is widely used as a health tonic, especially in Asia. Royal jelly is commonly used in cosmetics as well as in dietary supplements and beverages. Little is known, however, about the pharmacologic efficacy of topical royal jelly.

Degradation Index for quality evaluation of commercial dietary supplements of bilberry extract.

In recent years, many anthocyanin-containing dietary supplements of various dosages and formulations have been sold through advertising their large number of beneficial effects. On the other hand, there is an increased risk of distributing deteriorated supplements to consumers due to lax regulations, because in Japan these supplements are classified as food. Spectrophotometric methods are commonly used to control the quality of supplements.