Objective A significant number of Japanese cancer patients refuse to have central venous (CV) ports implanted. The aim of this study is to investigate the experiences of patients prior to and after CV port implantation, as well as their expectations regarding the use of CV ports. Methods This study was carried out at Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases from October 20, 2014, to January 16, 2015. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researchers, and various statistical analyses were performed. Results Among the 50 patients who participated in this study, the CV port was implanted due to poor venous access in 18 (36%). The proportion of patients who were anxious before the port implantation was significantly higher among the patients in whom CV ports were implanted due to poor venous access than among those in whom CV ports were implanted for other reasons. All patients exhibited high satisfaction levels, regardless of the reason for CV port implantation. CV port-related discomfort was most commonly associated with seat belts. Conclusion The patients exhibited high satisfaction levels regardless of the reason for CV port implantation. However, the patients that exhibited poor venous access often experienced anxiety before the implantation of the port, so it is important to provide such patients with sufficient information prior to port implantation. In order to improve the quality of life of patients with CV ports, medical staff should give special consideration to discomfort experienced by patients that are wearing seat belts.
In this study, we employed a previously developed
in vivo
assay system to determine whether the flowers and leaves of
Syringa vulgaris
(
S. vulgaris
; commonly known as “lilac”) can prevent blood stasis syndrome, known as
oketsu
in Japanese. This syndrome is considered an important pathology in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine, and is related to diseases such as peripheral vascular disorders, blood vessel inflammation, and platelet aggregation, whose severities are augmented owing to lipid peroxidation, free radicals, and oxidative stress. The assay system employed in this study monitored the blood flow decrease in the tail vein of mice subjected to sensitization with hen egg white lysozyme. Through bioassay-guided fractionation of different
S. vulgaris
extracts, five polyphenols were isolated and identified. Among them, quercetine 3-glucoside, quercetin 3-rutinoside, and acteoside were identified as active compounds, as they significantly mitigated blood flow reduction. These findings indicate that the polyphenols obtained from
S. vulgaris
could be useful for preventing
oketsu
and improve the quality of life of individuals with disorders and diseases such as gynecopathy, cold sensitivity, poor circulation, allergy, and lifestyle-related diseases.
Background/Objective Stagnant blood ( oketsu in Japanese) is considered a severe pathological condition in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. Kummerowia striata is known as a weed in Japan; however, in traditional Chinese medicines, it is used for detoxification and for treating colds, fevers, and bruises. To the best of our knowledge, there is no record of this plant, or its parts, being used as an anti-blood stasis agent. Herein, we demonstrated the effect of the 35% ethanol extract (KS) of the aerial part of K. striata on stagnant blood flow (BF) in the peripheral circulation using an in vivo assay. Methods Hen-egg white lysozyme (HEL) was injected into the tail vein of mice to induce stagnant BF, the pathology of which is similar to that of oketsu; then, the changes in BF were observed. Results The oral administration of KS (200 mg/kg) significantly improved HEL-induced BF decrease, suggesting that KS can improve blood stasis. Bioassay-guided fractionation of KS resulted in the isolation of 14 flavone and flavonol derivatives. As apigenin (1) and luteolin (2) reportedly have activity in this assay, here, the effects of isovitexin (3), vitexin (5), rhoifolin (12), and vicenin-1 (14) were examined. Compounds 5, 12, and 14 (20 µmol/kg) more effectively inhibited HEL-induced stagnant BF than 1, which was used as a positive control. Conclusion The aerial part of K. striata could be useful in the discovery of new leads for the prevention of stagnant blood syndrome.
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