[The Formative Years of Modern Anesthesiology in Japan--A Dialogue between Hideo Yamamura and Akitomo Matsuki].

In a dialogue with Akitomo Matsuki as the moderator, Hideo Yamamura, the first Professor of Anesthesiology in Japan at the University of Tokyo who had enormously contributed toward improving the standard of the specialty in Japan, gave detailed accounts of following topics: his training as a surgeon, Saklad's lectures in 1950, the establishment of a departmental anesthesia group, the conversion to anesthesiologist, studying in the United States, the foundation of the Japan Society of Anesthesiology, movements for the governmental approval of registered anesthesiologists and the qualification system of board certified anesthesiologists, international activities in holding the Second Asian Australasian Congress of Anaesthesiologists in 1966 and the Fifth World Congress of Anaesthesiologists in 1972, and the opening of pain clinics and the foundation of its society. Yamamura's accounts illustrate unknown episodes in the history of the formative period of modern anesthesiology in Japan.

[Effectiveness of brief intervention for substance use disorder in Japan--a pilot study].

Background: Relatively few hospitals can treat substance use disorder in Japan and the options for treatment are limited. Previous studies in the West have shown the effectiveness of brief intervention for substance use disorder. However, such treatment has not been sufficiently implemented in Japan.

Guiding principles of sublingual immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis in Japanese patients.

Objective: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) appears to offer practical advantages for the treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR). Based on a review of the scientific literature, we present recommendations as guiding principles to administer SLIT safely.

Methods: Clinical questions concerning SLIT were prepared.

Cost of illness of the prostate cancer in Japan--a time-trend analysis and future projections.

Background: The majority of patients with prostate cancer (International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, code C61) are elderly. With Japan's rapidly society aging, both the prevalence and mortality of prostate cancer are expected to increase in the future. The objective of this study was to estimate and predict the cost of illness (COI) associated with prostate cancer in Japan.

Expressions of Identity and Self in Daily Life at a Group Home for Older Persons With Dementia in Japan.

This study focuses on expressions of identity and self among residents at a group home for older persons with dementia in Japan--a study, which started as an explorative study on spirituality--and how residents make meaning of life. Although aware of stages of dementia illness and briefly commenting on these, the analysis does not make any specific point of it. This article views dementia from a sociocultural perspective and is based on participant observations at a group home with 19 residents, combined with interviews with 6 of them.

The process of collecting and evaluating evidences for the development of Guidelines for the management of rheumatoid arthritis, Japan College of Rheumatology 2014: Utilization of GRADE approach.

Objectives: To describe the process of collecting and evaluating evidence for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for developing clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for rheumatologists in Japan.

Methods: The task force comprised rheumatologists, epidemiologists, health economists, and patients. First, the critical outcomes were determined according to a three-round Delphi method, and eight topics with 88 clinical questions (CQs) were formulated.

Risk factors and treatment responses in patients with vitiligo in Japan--A retrospective large-scale study.

Vitiligo is a refractory skin disease. To investigate the risk factors and treatment responses of patients with vitiligo in Japan, we recorded and analyzed the details of 713 vitiligo patients (comorbidity, treatment responses, family history, age, and sex) who visited the dermatology clinic of the Nagoya City University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan between January 2004 and August 2010 (mean age, 35.2 years; 302 men, 411 women) using logistic regression analysis.

Cost of illness of the cervical cancer of the uterus in Japan--a time trend and future projections.

Background: Cervical cancer is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates among young women in Japan. The objective of this study was to assess and project the economic burden associated with cervical cancer in Japan and identify factors affecting future changes in this burden on society.

Methods: Utilizing government-based statistical nationwide data, we used the cost of illness (COI) method to estimate the COIs for 1996, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2011 to make predictions for 2014, 2017, and 2020.

[A systematic review of intervention programs for frail elderly people enrolled in the Japanese social long-term care insurance system].

Objectives: The aim of this study was to systematically review intervention programs for frail elderly people enrolled in the Japanese social long-term care insurance system to clarify the effects and identify any problems.

Methods: We reviewed 61 articles (7 in English and 54 in Japanese) from four databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and "Igaku Chuo Zasshi Web" (the Japana Centra Revuo Medicina) version 5. We focused on the following three areas: age and male/female ratio of participants, study design, and intervention program.

Early prophylactic antibiotics administration for acute necrotizing pancreatitis: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: The effectiveness of prophylactic antibiotics use for acute necrotizing pancreatitis has been explored and a number of systematic reviews have been published with conflicting results. The timing of antibiotics administration can be fundamental to their effectiveness, but thus far no reviews have focused on the timing of administration.

Methods: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of prophylactic antibiotics for acute necrotizing pancreatitis was conducted using MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL and Japana Centra Revuo Medicina.

Macrolides for diffuse panbronchiolitis.

Background: Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is a chronic airways disease predominantly affecting East Asians. Macrolides, a class of antibiotics, have been used as the main treatment for DPB, based on evidence from retrospective and non-randomised studies.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy and safety of macrolides for DPB.

Failure of early diagnosis of infective endocarditis in Japan--a retrospective descriptive analysis.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a severe disease with high morbidity and mortality, and these can be exacerbated by delay in diagnosis. We investigated IE diagnosis in Japan with the emphasis on the delay in diagnosis and its cause and implications. We conducted a retrospective study on 82 definite IE patients at Kobe University Hospital from April 1, 2008, through March 31, 2013.

Antimicrobial bioassay-guided fractionation of a methanol extract of Eupatorium triplinerve.

Context: Eupatorium triplinerve Vahl (Asteraceae), popularly known as Japana, is widely used in folk medicine, due its analgesic, anticoagulant, antianorexic, antiparasitic, anthelmintic, sedative, antifungal, and antibacterial properties.

Objective: The present study evaluated the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of E. triplinerve extracts from different parts of the plant and identified the extract with the highest antimicrobial potential.

Does frenotomy improve breast-feeding difficulties in infants with ankyloglossia?

The aim of this systematic review was to critically examine the existing literature regarding the effectiveness of tongue-tie division in infants with ankyloglossia, using the new grades of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE) rating system. A clinical question was structured according to patient, intervention, comparison, and outcome, as follows: in infants with poor breast-feeding and ankyloglossia (patient), does frenotomy (intervention), compared to lactation support alone (comparison), improve feeding (outcome)? An electronic literature search was systematically conducted from databases including PubMed, Japana Centra Revuo Medicina (Igaku Chuo Zasshi), CINAHL, and Cochrane Library using the key words "ankyloglossia," "tongue-tie," "frenotomy," and/or "breast-feeding" in English and equivalent terms in Japanese. The literature search yielded four randomized clinical trials, and 12 observational studies for analysis.

Treatment of acute pancreatitis with protease inhibitors administered through intravenous infusion: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The intravenous use of protease inhibitors in patients with acute pancreatitis is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of protease inhibitors intravenously administered to prevent pancreatitis-associated complications.

Methods: We updated our previous meta-analysis with articles of randomized controlled trials published from January 1965 to March 2013 on the effectiveness of protease inhibitors for acute pancreatitis.

Recent trends in pediatric bacterial meningitis in Japan--a country where Haemophilus influenzae type b and Streptococcus pneumoniae conjugated vaccines have just been introduced.

To investigate the trends in incidence and the characteristics of bacterial meningitis in Japan where Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine and 7-valent pneumococcal conjugated vaccine (PCV7) were introduced in 2008 and 2010, respectively, which was 5-20 years after their introduction in western countries. The nationwide Japanese survey of pediatric and neonatal bacterial meningitis was performed in 2011 and 2012. We analyzed the epidemiological and clinical data, and compared the information obtained in the previous nationwide survey database.

Importance of smoking and the occurrence of acute poisoning due to waterproof spray.

A search of the database Ichushi (Japana Centra Revuo Medicana), which collects summaries of Japanese medical articles, was undertaken to identify articles published between 1983 and 2013, using the key word "waterproof". There was one original article and 19 case reports describing acute poisoning due to inhalation of waterproof spray gas, and providing information about the patient's smoking habit. Twenty-three of the 25 cases (92% of male patients, 71% of female patients) had a smoking habit.

Guiding principles of subcutaneous immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis in Japan.

Objective: In anticipation of the development of guidelines for antigen-specific subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), we present recommendations that can serve as guiding principles based on a review of the scientific literature.

Methods: Clinical questions (CQs) concerning SCIT were prepared. Literature searches for publications between January 1990 and February 2011 were performed in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Japana Centra Revuo Medicina Web version 4.

Antinociceptive, neurobehavioral and antioxidant effects of Eupatorium triplinerve Vahl on rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Eupatorium triplinerve Vahl belongs to the Asteraceae family, popularly known as Japana. It is a perennial shrub native to Amazon rainforests of South America. Its leaves are used through infusions, decoctions, baths, and tea.

[Prevalence of chronic kidney disease among HIV-infected individuals in Japan--a report from two tertiary hospitals].

Background: The improved survival of subjects with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been accompanied by an increased prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Epidemic of CKD among those with HIV has not yet been evaluated in multiple tertiary hospitals in Japan.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2011 at Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital (TMKH) and Tokyo Medical University Hospital (TMUH).

Bibliographical investigation (domestic and overseas) on the treatment of endogenous Candida endophthalmitis over an 11-year period.

A bibliographic search was conducted of cases of Candida endophthalmitis reported in Japan and overseas between 2000 and 2011, in the Japana Centra Revuo Medicina Website of Japan Medical Abstracts Society (domestic reports) and MEDLINE (overseas reports). The investigation yielded 42 reports in domestic journals (49 cases ; hereinafter referred to as domestic cases) and 39 reports in journals published overseas (46 cases ; hereinafter referred to as overseas cases). The isolation rate of Candida albicans in the domestic cases was 65.

Macrolides for diffuse panbronchiolitis.

Background: Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is a chronic airways disease predominantly affecting East Asians. Macrolides, a class of antibiotics, have been used as the main treatment for DPB, based on evidence from retrospective and non-randomised studies.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy and safety of macrolides for DPB.

Current Challenges in Home Nutrition Services for Frail Older Adults in Japan-A Qualitative Research Study from the Point of View of Care Managers.

Preventive care for frail older adults includes providing tailor-made diet information suited to their health conditions. The present study aims to explore the current situation and challenges of home nutrition advice for Japanese frail older adults using qualitative data from a ten-person group discussion among care managers. As the results of our analysis, nine themes were identified: (1) Homebound older adults develop poor eating habits; meals turn into a lonely and unpleasant experience; (2) With age, people's eating and drinking patterns tend to deteriorate; (3) Many older adults and their family know little about food management according to condition and medication; (4) Many older adults do not understand the importance of maintaining a proper diet; (5) Many homebound older adults do not worry about oral hygiene and swallowing ability; (6) Some older adults are at high risk for food safety problems; (7) Only a limited range of boil-in-the-bag meal options are available for older adults; (8) Many older adults feel unduly confident in their own nutrition management skills; and (9) For many family caregivers, nutrition management is a burden.