Antidepressant-Like Effect of 1α-Hydroxyvitamin D on Mice in the Forced Swimming Test.

We examined the effect of 1α-hydroxyvitamin D [1α(OH)D] on mice in the forced swimming test. Intragastric administration of 1.0 μg/kg of 1α(OH)D reduced immobility time in the forced swimming test.

Inhibitory effect of 1α-hydroxyvitamin D3 on N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine-induced cholangiocarcinogenesis in Syrian hamsters.

Sixty-three male 5-week-old Syrian hamsters received the carcinogen N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine (BOP) s.c. in 5 weekly injections (the first, 70 mg/kg body, and the remaining, 20mg/kg each).

Perceptions of Japanese patients and their family about medical treatment decisions.

Internationally, nurses and physicians are increasingly expected to undertake roles in communication and patient advocacy, including in Japan, where the reigning principle underlying medical ethics is in transition from paternalism to respect for patient autonomy. The study reports the results of a survey in two Japanese teaching hospitals that clarified the perspectives of 128 patients and 41 family members regarding their current and desired involvement in health decision-making. The commonest process that was desired by patients and their family was for patients to make decisions after consultation with both the physician and their family.

The effect of leg hyperthermia using far infrared rays in bedridden subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

We examined the effect of leg hyperthermia on oxidative stress in bedridden subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus using 15-min sessions of far infrared rays over a two-week period. Four subjects (male 1, female 3) incapacitated by a stroke were recruited for this study. All patients were admitted to Takahashi Central Hospital and ate the same hospital meals.

[Bioethics of cancer chemotherapy].

In 2007, Japan has launched a comprehensive national scheme for the management of cancer. Since cancer is often fatal, social aspects surrounding cancer therapy should be thought-out. Particularly, recent events remind us that the Japanese people still have a traditional view on death, i.

[Fatigue, anxiety and depression and their management].

Sickness behaviors such as fatigue, anxiety and depression play an important role in the body's defense mechanism. However, once these symptoms become chronic, they are harmful to patients with cancer by decreasing the immune reaction or exacerbating pain and other symptoms. It should be recalled that both medical and surgical interventions profoundly influence fatigue, anxiety and depression of cancer patients.

Qat chewing and pesticides: a study of adverse health effects in people of the mountainous areas of Yemen.

Chewing qat leaves, Cathula Edulis, is now a very common behaviour among the people of the mountainous areas of Yemen. For about the past 20 years, in tandem with national development, qat chewing has been rapidly expanding, and the use of chemical pesticides in qat production has been increasing. In this study, the adverse effects on human health of qat chewing combined with pesticide use were investigated.

Voluntary active euthanasia and the nurse: a comparison of Japanese and Australian nurses.

Although euthanasia has been a pressing ethical and public issue, empirical data are lacking in Japan. We aimed to explore Japanese nurses' attitudes to patients' requests for euthanasia and to estimate the proportion of nurses who have taken active steps to hasten death. A postal survey was conducted between October and December 1999 among all nurse members of the Japanese Association of Palliative Medicine, using a self-administered questionnaire based on the one used in a previous survey with Australian nurses in 1991.

Helicobacter pylori does not promote N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced gastric carcinogenesis in SPF C57BL/6 mice.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been acknowledged as a promoter and an initiator for gastric carcinogenesis in experimental models using Mongolian gerbils with H. pylori strains TN2GF4 and ATCC 43504, which have + ve cagA and vacA phenotype s1 / m1.

'Bioethics' is subordinate to morality in Japan.

Disputes over brain death and euthanasia are used to illuminate the question whether there really is a Japanese way of thinking in bioethics. In Japanese thought, a person does not exist as an individual but as a member of the family, community or society. I describe these features of Japanese society as 'mutual dependency'.