We evaluated linguistic validity of Japanese translations of IPSS and BII, and proposed a valid Japanese version of these questionnaires.

Japanese translations of IPSS and BII were shown to be reliable, valid and one-dimensional instruments in the Japanese patients. They would be equivalent to the original English questionnaires.

Eight of 32 patients (25%) with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) had micturitional disturbance, which consisted of voiding difficulty (n = 4), urgency (n = 4), or urgency incontinence (n = 1). Urodynamic studies on four symptomatic patients showed disturbed bladder sensation in two, bladder areflexia in one, and neurogenic changes of the external sphincter in one, indicative of peripheral parasympathetic and somatic nerve dysfunctions. Cystometry also showed detrusor overactivity in two patients but no evidence of CNS involvement, evidence that bladder overactivity occurs by probable pelvic nerve irritation.

Morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl are commonly used to control cancer pain. Because these drugs have differences in receptor affinity or pharmacokinetic parameters, changing the opioid formulation may result in an unexpected outcome, depending on the patient's condition. This study investigated whether low serum protein levels influence the effectiveness of opioid rotation by determining the impact of serum albumin levels on the analgesic effect before and after opioid rotation from morphine or oxycodone to fentanyl in cancer patients. The patients were classified into 3 groups according to their serum albumin levels before opioid rotation: group 1, <2.5 g/dL; group 2, from 2.5 g/dL to <3.0 g/dL; and group 3, ≥3.0 g/dL. There was no significant change in the percentage of patients with good pain control after rotation in group 1 or group 2; however, the percentage of patients with good pain control increased significantly in group 3. When the percentage of patients whose numerical rating scale scores increased, were unchanged, or decreased after rotation were compared, a significant difference in the percentage of those showing improvement was noted among the 3 groups and between groups 1 and 3. These findings suggest that monitoring serum albumin levels during fentanyl therapy is useful for pain management, and that the effectiveness of opioid rotation to fentanyl in patients with serum albumin levels of <2.5 g/dL should be carefully evaluated after rotation.

Purpose Pemetrexed (PEM) is an anticancer agent used for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma and thymoma. Reportedly, PEM has higher efficacy and safety when used in combination with platinum-based agents. However, there are only few reports on the safety of PEM in patients with an eGFR of ≤45 mL/min. We examined the effect of renal function on the safety of regimens containing PEM.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 221 patients with lung cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma or thymoma who received treatment with a PEM-containing regimen between 2009 and 2014. Subgroup analyses were performed on the basis of pre-treatment renal function: group A [creatinine clearance (CLcr), <45 mL/min]; group B (CLcr, 45–80 mL/min); and group C (CLcr, ≥80 mL/min). For the purpose of this analysis, the lowest documented blood cell counts and haemoglobin levels, the highest levels of serum creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and CLcr from the time of initial administration up to prior to the start of second administration were considered.ResultsGroups A, B and C had 8, 123 and 90 patients, respectively. The incidence of grade 2 thrombocytopaenia was significantly higher in group A as compared to that in groups B (P < 0.01) and C (P < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, only a CLcr of <45 mL/min was an independent risk factor for thrombocytopaenia of ≥grade 2.ConclusionWhen administering a PEM-containing regimen, thrombocytopaenia of ≥grade 2 is more likely to develop in patients with a CLcr of <45 mL/min.