High concentration of oxaliplatin may be a risk factor for vascular pain.

What Is Known And Objective: Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) is an antineoplastic agent that frequently causes vascular pain. However, the risk factors for vascular pain are unclear, and prevention methods have not been established. We retrospectively investigated patients who were treated with L-OHP to examine the influence of patient characteristics and concomitant analgesic use on the incidence of vascular pain.

[Rubric Assessment for Pharmacotherapy in Spiral Curriculum: Development and Usefulness Evaluation].

A requirement, which students must satisfy, for a diploma at the Showa University School of Pharmacy is the ability to "plan, practice, and assess pharmacotherapy". To continuously assess the ability of students to meet this requirement and to provide patients with proper pharmacotherapy during student clinical rotations, we formulated the "Rubric assessment for pharmacotherapy" and evaluated its usefulness in tutorial learning classes. Clinical pharmacy faculty members created the rubric based on the Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan (SOAP) note guidelines of the university.

Effectiveness of a Smartphone Application as a Support Tool for Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Outpatients undergoing cancer chemotherapy experience anxiety related to adverse drug reactions that they can experience at home. We developed a breast cancer patient support system (BPSS) application (app). The BPSS app chronologically and quantitatively records patients' subjective and objective symptoms during breast cancer chemotherapy, with the goal of providing supportive management for adverse drug reactions.

Oxaliplatin induces prostaglandin E2 release in vascular endothelial cells.

Purpose: Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) is known to induce adverse reactions at the injection site, including vascular pain, but the underlying mechanisms have not been clarified. Vascular pain during intravenous L-OHP administration can be inhibited by taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In this study, we investigated the involvement of the arachidonic acid cascade and prostaglandin (PG) E and 15d-PGJ in vascular pain sensation during intravenous delivery of L-OHP.

QOL Evaluation of Nab-Paclitaxel and Docetaxel for Early Breast Cancer.

Objective: A previous randomized phase II study showed that neoadjuvant nab-paclitaxel (nab-PTX) 100 mg/m) was effective and well-tolerated in patients with HER2-negative early-stage breast cancer, compared with docetaxel (DTX). We evaluated patient outcomes in terms of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B), as a measure of health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Materials And Methods: Stage I-III HER2-negative breast cancer patients from the previous study were included.

Incidence of Ophthalmic Disorders in Patients Treated with the Antineoplastic Agent S-1.

S-1 is an oral antineoplastic agent containing tegafur, gimeracil, and oteracil potassium. Recently, ophthalmic disorders, particularly epiphora, have been reported. We retrospectively investigated the incidence of ophthalmic disorders in patients treated with a regimen containing S-1 at our institution.

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%).

Development of Support System for Breast Cancer Patients--Managing Side Effects through an Internet-Based System.

Chemotherapy in the outpatient setting is effective in improving patients' quality of life (QOL). However, the increasing availability of targeted molecular agents in addition to conventional anti-cancer medications has placed increased importance on managing adverse events and educating patients about side effects that can affect their QOL. We developed an Internet-based "Patient Support System"to enable patients at home to communicate symptoms of side effects and administration status to a hospital interface that documents and monitors the ongoing side-effect profile.

[Emetogenic potential of antineoplastic agents based on clinical trials in Japan].

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is one of the most common and distressing side effects of chemotherapy that decreases patients' quality of life and motivation for treatment. Therefore, prevention and treatment of CINV are essential for motivating patients to continue chemotherapy. International societies such as American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)/European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) have published guidelines for using antiemetics, and these guidelines were published in Japan in May 2010.

An early intensive intervention for inducing inactive asthma in adults--a one-year follow-up observation study.

Background: Treatment strategy that reduces dependence on long-term medication for chronic asthma is preferable. The purpose of the study is to investigate the efficacy of an early intensive intervention for inducing inactive asthma in adults and identify factors that affect the efficacy.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted on subjects who had asthma for two years or less.

Incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in raw seafood products in Japanese retail stores.

The incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in raw fish, shellfish, and fish roe was investigated in seafood products collected from randomly selected retail stores in and around Tokyo, Japan. Of the 10 samples of 208 examined found positive for L. monocytogenes by mini-VIDAS LMO, seven were fish roe (cod, salmon) and three were minced tuna.

[A case-control study of prevention of irinotecan-induced diarrhea: the reducing side effects of irinotecan by oral alkalization combined with control of defecation].

Irinotecan and its active metabolite, SN-38, were reported to have the absorption characteristics of weakly basic drugs. Moreover, stasis of these compounds is thought to induce damage to the intestinal mucous membrane. The purpose of this report was to examine whether oral alkalization (OA) combined with control of defecation (CD) might prevent irinotecan-induced side effects.