Hitoshi Nakamura

Involvement of peripheral cannabinoid and opioid receptors in β-caryophyllene-induced antinociception.

  β‐caryophyllene (BCP) is a common constitute of the essential oils of numerous spice, food plants and major component in Cannabis. The present study investigated the contribution of peripheral cannabinoid (CB) and opioid systems in the antinociception produced by intraplantar (i.pl.) injection of BCP. The interaction between peripheral BCP and morphine was also examined.

Effect of plantar subcutaneous administration of bergamot essential oil and linalool on formalin-induced nociceptive behavior in mice.

This study investigated the effect of bergamot essential oil (BEO) or linalool, a major volatile component of BEO, on the nociceptive response to formalin. Plantar subcutaneous injection of BEO or linalool into the ipsilateral hindpaw reduced both the first and late phases of the formalin-induced licking and biting responses in mice. Plantar subcutaneous injection of BEO or linalool into the contralateral hindpaw did not yield an antinociceptive effect, suggesting that the antinociceptive effect of BEO or linalool in the formalin test occurred peripherally. Intraperitoneal and plantar subcutaneous injection pretreatment with naloxone hydrochloride, an opioid receptor antagonist, significantly attenuated both BEO- and linalool-induced antinociception. Pretreatment with naloxone methiodide, a peripherally acting opioid receptor antagonists, also significantly antagonized the antinociceptive effects of BEO and linalool. Our results provide evidence for the involvement of peripheral opioids in antinociception induced by BEO and linalool. These results suggest that activation of peripheral opioid receptors may play an important role in reducing formalin-induced nociception.

Antinociceptive Effects of the Serotonin and Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors Milnacipran and Duloxetine on Vincristine-Induced Neuropathic Pain Model in Mice

Vincristine is an anticancer drug used to treat a variety of cancer types, but it frequently causes peripheral neuropathy. Neuropathic pain is often associated with the appearance of abnormal sensory signs, such as allodynia. Milnacipran and duloxetine, serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, have shown efficacy against several chronic pain syndromes. In this study, we investigated the attenuation of vincristine-induced mechanical allodynia in mice by milnacipran and duloxetine. To induce peripheral neuropathy, vincristine was administered once per day (0.1 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)) for 7 days. Mechanical allodynia was evaluated by measuring the withdrawal response to stimulation with a von Frey filament. In vincristine-treated mice, mechanical allodynia was observed on days 3–28 of vincristine administration. A single administration of milnacipran (40 mg/kg, i.p.) or duloxetine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) had no effect on vincristine-induced mechanical allodynia. However, repeated administration of milnacipran (20 or 40 mg/kg, once per day, i.p.) or duloxetine (5, 10, or 20 mg/kg, once per day, i.p.) for 7 days significantly reduced vincristine-induced mechanical allodynia. These results suggest that chronic vincristine administration induces mechanical allodynia, and that repeated milnacipran and duloxetine administration may be an effective approach for the treatment of neuropathic pain caused by vincristine treatment for cancer.

An Attempt to Measure Presentation Skill Acquisition Using Peer and Self-evaluation.

In six-year pharmacy education programs, humanistic education is now regarded as more important than ever, and we are working to incorporate active learning methods into a variety of subjects. Because performance evaluations are by their nature subjective, it is difficult to ensure the validity of any given assessment. Fifth-year students at Tohoku Pharmaceutical University learn case and prescription analysis in problem-based learning tutorials. As part of this curriculum, 20 presentation and discussion meetings over the course of 10 weeks are held, with approximately 100 students making presentations two or more times each. With regard to the presentation skills that students are expected to acquire, we instructed them to conduct peer evaluations and analyzed the evaluation results for 863 students conducted between 2012 and 2014. From the results, it was found that peer evaluation scores improved between the first and second evaluations for 70% to 86% of students, and furthermore that students who received lower scores in their first evaluations increased their scores correspondingly in the second. In addition, while 87% of students responded positively in the presentation skill acquisition self-evaluations conducted after the completion of the program, there was no correlation between the results of self-evaluation and peer evaluation. It was suggested that many students were able to cultivate an eye for criticism by evaluating other students and gain confidence by becoming aware of their own growth through repeated presentations.

The 2 nd Survey on the Actual Conditions of Pharmacist Faculties in Pharmacy Schools in Japan

Yukihiro Noda 13, , Ikuko Yano 13, , Takao Aoyama 13, , Michiru Watanabe 13, , Ainari Konda , Hitoshi Nakamura , Ryo Matsushita 13, , Kunihiko Morita , Katsushi Miyake , Hakaru Seo 13, , Naoki Kamimura 13, , Yoshihisa Tomioka 13, , Junko Kizu 13, 14 and Mayumi Mochizuki 14 Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University , Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University , Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science , Faculty of Pharmacy, Musashino University , School of Pharmacy, Hokkaido Pharmaceutical University , Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo Heisei University , Faculty of Pharmacy, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University , Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts , Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hiroshima International University , Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University , Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University , Faculty of Pharmacy, Keio University , Japanese Society of Pharmacist Faculty in Pharmacy Schools 13