Radiotherapy for locally recurrent rectal cancer treated with surgery alone as the initial treatment

PURPOSE: Although the technical developments of radiotherapy have been remarkable, there are currently few reports on the treatment results of radiotherapy for local recurrence of rectal cancer treated with surgery alone as initial treatment in this three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy era. Thus, we retrospectively evaluated the treatment results of radiotherapy for local recurrence of rectal cancer treated with surgery alone as the initial treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients who underwent radiotherapy were enrolled in this study. The dose per fraction was 2.0–3.5 Gy. Because the treatment schedule was variable, the biological effective dose (BED) was calculated. RESULTS: Local control (LC) and overall survival (OS) rates from the completion of radiotherapy were calculated. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year LC rates were 51.5%, 24.5%, 19.6%, 19.6%, and 13.1%, respectively. LC rates were significantly higher for the high BED group (≥75 Gy10) than for the lower BED group (<75 Gy10). All patients who reported pain achieved pain relief. The duration of pain relief was significantly higher for the high BED group than for the lower BED group. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year OS rates were 82.6%, 56.5%, 45.2%, 38.7%, and 23.2%, respectively. There was a trend toward higher OS rates in with higher BED group compared to lower BED group. CONCLUSION: For patients with unresectable locally recurrent rectal cancer treated with surgery alone, radiotherapy is effective treatment. The prescribed BED should be more than 75 Gy10, if the dose to the organ at risk is within acceptable levels.

Simplifying proximal isovelocity surface area as an assessment method of mitral valve area in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis by fixing aliasing velocity and mitral valve angle

We aimed to test the ability of a simple equation using proximal isovelocity surface area method [PISA], created by fixing the angle to 100° and the aliasing velocity to 33 cm/s, to calculate mitral valve area [MVA] and assess severity in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis [MS]. In a series of 51 consecutive patients with rheumatic MS, MVA was assessed by four methods, conventional PISA equation PISA[conventional], simple PISA equation PISA[simple], pressure half time [PHT], and planimetry [PLN] which was taken as the reference method. All methods correlated significantly with PLN with the highest correlation found in case of PISA[conventional] and PISA[simple] [r = 0.97, 0.96, p < 0.001], while the correlation in case PHT was relatively weaker [r = 0.69, p < 0.001]. Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the level of agreement with PLN was better in case of both PISA methods than PHT and, moreover, were close to each other. The number of cases that showed agreement of severity grade with planinetry was better in case of PISA[conventional] [42 cases] and PISA simple [44 cases] than that in case of PHT [34 cases, p = 0.037]. Finally, the measure of agreement with Cohen's Kappa test was better in case of PISA[conventional] and PISA[simple] than that in case of PHT. Provided that aliasing velocity is fixed at 33 cm/s, PISA can effectively predict mitral valve area and severity of MS by a simple equation, with the advantage of easy and accurate calculation over other methods

A Preliminary Study about the Relationship between Workload and the Outcomes of Community Pharmacists’ Home Visiting Service / 社会薬学

Aim:To examine any relations of workload and outcomes of pharmacists’ home visiting service for medication management and guidance. Survey Target:Managing pharmacists and home-visiting pharmacists from community pharmacies of the Osaka Pharmaceutical Association’s Yao and Toyonaka branches as of March, 2012. Methods:Survey forms regarding drug management and guidance at patients’ homes were mailed, requesting mail or online response. Workload indexes were visit frequency and work time on site. The relation of workload and its outcomes was examined using univariate analysis regarding three items:change in unused medication amount;detection of side effects during visits;change in prescription. SPSS ver. 20 for Windows was used for statistical analysis. Results:90 of 201 pharmacies responded (collection rate 44.8%), and 110 home patients’ data were analyzed. 5-to-15-minute actual work time scored highest (57.4%), followed by less than 5 minutes and 15 to 30 minutes, both at 21.3%. Visit frequency of twice a month scored highest (70.4%), followed by once a week (19.4%), once a month (7.4%), and once in more than one month (2.8%). 5-minute or longer patient visits had a tendency of higher percentage of patients whose unused medication decreased after visits started than less-than-5-minute visits (<i>P</i>=0.072). “Once a week” visits had a tendency of higher percentage of pharmacists detecting side effects than less frequent visits (<i>P</i>=0.061) and changing in prescription (<i>P</i>=0.085). Conclusion:The results above implied the relationship between workload and outcomes incurred by pharmacists’ home visits for medication safety management and guidance.

An Opinion Survey on Purchasing Nonprescription Drugs over the Internet in Remote Islands / 医薬品情報学

<b>Objective: </b>The revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Act that came into force in June 2009 prohibits the sale of nonprescription drugs via mail.  However, as a provisional measure, regular users and inhabitants of remote islands who do not have access to pharmacies or drug stores are allowed to purchase nonprescription drugs via mail until the end of May 2013.  This study involves a survey on the purchasing of nonprescription drugs by Internet-illiterate inhabitants of the remote Goto Islands, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.<br><b>Methods: </b>Our process began with the distribution of questionnaires via mail to inhabitants of the remote Goto Islands, of whom 3,819 were randomly selected.  The responses were sent between January 22 and February 26, 2011.  We analyzed problems presented by 522 inhabitants who were Internet-illiterate.<br><b>Results: </b>The results revealed that 57.3% of the respondents living on large islands—with pharmacies, drug stores, and pharmacists— (e.g., Fukueshima) and 85.3% of respondents living on small islands scattered around large islands—with none of the abovementioned amenities— (e.g., Maeshima) were Internet-illiterate.  Additionally, a majority of the respondents (more than 80%) felt no need to purchase nonprescription drugs over the Internet.  However, considering that a handful of these inhabitants do, or will at some time need to purchase nonprescription drugs over the Internet, we strive to establish an optimal system for supplying medications to these Internet-illiterate inhabitants.<br><b>Conclusion: </b>Community pharmacists need to establish close relationships with the Internet illiterate (particularly those living on small islands) and promote the overall appropriate use of medicinal products.