Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences

BACKGROUND: As of 2014, community pharmacies in Japan are approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to measure lipid panel, HbA1c, glucose, ALT, AST and γ-GTP, but not to screen for influenza virus. We provided influenza virus screening tests at a community pharmacy to triage people with symptoms suggestive of influenza. Participants were given appropriate advice on how to prevent the spread of and safeguard against influenza. We subsequently evaluated the effects of community pharmacy-based influenza virus screening and prevention measures...

BACKGROUND: In an evaluation of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), objectivity may be poor because the evaluation is determined by the patient's subjective assessment. In such cases, management of neuropathy may be delayed and CIPN symptoms may become severe. In this pilot study, we attempted an objective evaluation of CIPN using a quantitative pain measurement system (Pain Vision(®)). METHODS: The subjects were patients with gynecologic cancer who underwent chemotherapy using taxane and platinum drugs...

BACKGROUND: In chemotherapy, the full round of treatment must be completed as scheduled to achieve the strongest therapeutic effect. However, peripheral neuropathy, a severe side effect of the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel, can force the premature discontinuation of treatment. As some kampo practitioners have suggested that it may be possible to counteract such side effects, we analyzed the effects of Kamishoyosan, Shakuyakukanzoto, and Goshajinkigan in an in vitro model of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy...

BACKGROUND: Drug-induced gingival hyperplasia (DIGH) causes problems with chewing, aesthetics, and pronunciation, and leads to the deterioration of the patient's quality of life (QOL). Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of DIGH using spontaneous reporting system (SRS) databases. METHODS: We analyzed reports of DIGH from SRS databases and calculated the reporting odds ratios (RORs) of suspected drugs (immunosuppressants, calcium channel blockers, and anticonvulsants)...

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have been shown to be effective for the eradication of HPV and prevention of cervical cancer. However, the number of women who receive HPV vaccinations has decreased over the last several years in Japan, due to concerns about adverse reactions associated with the vaccines. We evaluated the safety of three types of HPV vaccines separately in young women and the difference in the risk of adverse reactions between HPV and other vaccines by conducting a meta-analysis...

BACKGROUND: The optimal dose of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in renal transplant patients has been recommended to be decided on the basis of area under the concentration-time curve (AUC0-12) of mycophenolic acid (MPA). Although meta-analysis has revealed that postoperative day (POD) is an influencing factor in MPA pharmacokinetics, there are no reports regarding a limited sampling strategy (LSS) for MPA AUC in consideration of POD. The aim of this study was to construct of an LSS considering POD that appropriately expresses the MPA AUC following renal transplantation and evaluation of the usefulness...

BACKGROUND: Certain amount of anticancer drugs is excreted in the urine of patients receiving anticancer drugs, and urinary scattering including anticancer drugs at excretion has become a route of anticancer drug contamination. Therefore, we developed an active carbon sheet (HD safe sheet-U) that prevented diffusion by adsorbing anticancer drugs including that excreted in urine. The present study conducted a performance evaluation of this sheet. METHODS: The adsorption performance of active carbon to anticancer drug in the urine was evaluated by determining concentration changes in the active carbon suspension (5 mg/mL) of 14 kinds of anticancer drugs (cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, carboplatin, cisplatin, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, cytarabine, gemcitabine, doxorubicin, epirubicin, paclitaxel, docetaxel, etoposide, and irinotecan) diluted with artificial urine...

BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reported that resistant dextrin (RD) exerted pleiotropic effects on humans. However, limited information is available on the effects of RD for weight loss. We conducted a systematic review with a meta-analysis to summarize the available literature and compare the efficacy of RD for weight loss with that of a placebo in overweight adults. METHODS: We searched the electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CINAHL, Web of Science, ClincalTrials...

BACKGROUND: Health foods have been widely sold and consumed in Japan. There has been an increase in reports of adverse effects in association with the expanding health food market. While health food-drug interactions are a particular concern from the viewpoint of safe and effective use of health foods, information regarding such interactions is limited owing to the lack of established methods to assess the effects of health food products on drug metabolism. We therefore developed cells that mimicked the activities of cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2), CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4, which strongly contribute to drug metabolism in human hepatocytes, and established a system to assess the inhibitory activity of health foods toward P450-mediated metabolism...

BACKGROUND: Medical gloves are an important piece of personal protective equipment that prevents exposure to antineoplastic agents. The permeability of medical gloves to antineoplastic agents is a crucial factor in the appropriate selection of gloves. However, the relationship between glove permeability and material type, thickness, and surface treatment is poorly understood. METHODS: A continuous flow in-line cell device was used for the evaluation of the permeation of five antineoplastic agents (etoposide, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, paclitaxel, and fluorouracil) through medical gloves...

BACKGROUND: The accuracy, safety and feasibility of, the compounding robot APOTECAchemo were evaluated in the clinical practice of Japan. METHODS: Accuracy and precision of robotic preparations by APOTECAchemo was evaluated in 20 preparations of fluorouracil (FU) and cyclophosphamide (CPA) infusions by four pharmacists. Environmental and product contaminations with FU and CPA were evaluated by wipe testing. Robotic performance was compared with manual preparation in a biological safety cabinet...

BACKGROUND: With the development of pharmacotherapy and radiotherapy, cancer treatment is being shifted from surgical to outpatient services, consequently increasing insurance-covered pharmacies' frequency of dealing with cancer patients. As the psychology of these patients is complex, it is necessary for pharmacists to educate them in consideration of their cognitive/medical and psychosocial aspects. This study analyzed cancer patient management by pharmacists working in such pharmacies and their communication skills before and after communication skill training based on SPIKES, a six-step protocol for delivering bad news, to confirm the usefulness of such training...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s40780-017-0078-7.].

BACKGROUND: Low-dose aspirin irreversibly inhibits platelet cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and suppresses platelet aggregation. It is effective for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Because nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reversibly bind with COX-1, the antiplatelet effects of aspirin may be suppressed when NSAIDs are co-administered. This interaction could be avoided by avoiding simultaneous administration; however, the minimum interval that should separate the administration of aspirin and loxoprofen is not well known...

BACKGROUND: Nosocomial infection is one of the most common complications within health care facilities. Certain studies have reported outbreaks resulting from contaminated hospital environments. Although the identification of bacteria in the environment can readily be achieved using culturing methods, these methods detect live bacteria. Sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene is recognized to be effective for bacterial identification. In this study, we surveyed wards where drug-resistant bacteria had been isolated and compared conventional culture methods with 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods...

BACKGROUND: Methotrexate (MTX) and salazosulfapyridine (SASP) are disease-modifying drugs that are commonly used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and combination therapy with MTX and SASP is recommended for RA patients who show an inadequate response to monotherapy with either drug. This study was designed to examine the interaction between the two drugs from the viewpoint of serum MTX concentration in Japanese RA patients, who were receiving combination therapy with relatively low doses of MTX and SASP...

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to investigate predictive factors involved in effectiveness and safety of enoxaparin for prevention of postoperative venous thromboembolism in aged Japanese total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients. METHODS: Japanese patients over 65 years old who were administered enoxaparin for TKA were enrolled in this study. Their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Data were corrected at the Izumi Regional Medical Center, from September 2009 to March 2014...

BACKGROUND: An optimal inhalation flow pattern is essential for effective use of a dry powder inhaler (DPI). We wondered whether DPI instructors inhale from a DPI with an appropriate pattern, and if not, whether self-training with visual feedback is effective. METHODS: Subjects were 14 pharmacists regularly engaged in instruction in DPI use. A newly designed handy inhalation flow visualizer (Visual Trainer: VT) was used to assess inhalation profiles and to assist in self-training...

BACKGROUND: Appropriate prescription of dabigatran etexilate methanesulfonate (JAN) is more complicated than assumed, because there are totally 10 items of contraindications and instructions for dosage reduction depending on patients' characteristics. We aimed to study whether the routine audit of first-time prescriptions of dabigatran performed by pharmacists is effective in improving the quality of prescription. METHODS: A retrospective re-audit was performed on all the prescriptions of dabigatran issued at Kitahara International Hospital, Tokyo between March 2011 and February 2014, by evaluating the prescriptions rigorously against the approved prescribing information of the drug...

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer patients receiving methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin and cisplatin (MVAC) chemotherapy are co-administered with dexamethasone as an anti-emetic. We examined whether or not dexamethasone affects the severity and onset day of MVAC-induced severe neutropenia. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of bladder cancer patients treated with MVAC chemotherapy with or without dexamethasone as an antiemetic at Kanazawa University Hospital during January 2005 - December 2009...