Background: Treatment of high blood pressure is a combination of lifestyle changes and medications, and appropriateexercise therapy is recommended as one of the lifestyle-related changes. Recently, stretching, a low-intensity exercise, was reported to be antihypertensive and effective for improving arteriosclerosis, in addition to aerobic exercise. The present study investigated the short-term effects of continuous stretching and rest-induced rebound on vascular endothelial function in hypertensive patients. Methods: This study was conducted as a single-arm prospective interventional study including patients between 30 and 70 years of age undergoing treatment for hypertension from October 2019 until May 2021. The intervention consisted of six months of daily stretching, one month of rest, and another three months of stretching. We measured arteriosclerosis indices such as cardio ankle vascular index (CAVI), ankle brachial pressure index (ABI) and reactive hyperemia index (RHI), and flexibility at the baseline and one, three, six, seven, and ten months from the baseline. Results: We included a total of ten patients (three males and seven females) with an average age of 60.10 ± 6.05 years. The exercise rate for the entire period was 90% or more, and the anteflexion measurement value improved significantly before and after the intervention (p < 0.001). Blood pressure and CAVI/ABI were well controlled throughout the study period. RHI did not show any significant improvement during the initial six months, and only slightly improved by the third month (p = 0.063). Even after the rest phase and resumption of stretching, RHI remained stable. Conclusions: The compliance of the stretching program we used, evaluated by the exercise implementation rate for the entire period, was 90% or more; therefore, easy to perform and continue by hypertensive patients. However, we did not observe a significant positive effect on arteriosclerosis index or blood pressure in this study.

Background: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a distressing symptom in patients with terminal cancer. It is often under-assessed or remains unrecognized among health care professionals due to difficulties in identifying symptoms. However, fatigue ratings have not been studied extensively in incurable, terminally ill cancer patients with palliative intent or in nurses who provide daily care in palliative care teams or units. Objective: This study examined the agreement between nurses’ assessments and terminally ill cancer patients’ self-assessments of CRF. Methods: The correlation between patients’ scores on the Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) and nurses’ scores on the Japanese version of the Support Team Assessment Schedule (STAS-J) was matched in patient–nurse pairs. Paper versions of the questionnaires were answered by the patients and nurses at the time of the temperature check. Results: Twenty-eight participants in 14 pairs with valid responses were included. There were 10 cases (71.4%) of agreement between the patients’ and nurses’ assessments of fatigue via the CFS and STAS-J, respectively. Among the four cases (28.6%) of incongruence, two (14.3%) were underestimated, and two were overestimated. Significant correlations were observed between the STAS-J and physical fatigue (rs = 0.66, p < 0.01), but total fatigue (rs = 0.47, p = 0.09), affective fatigue (rs= −0.09, p = 0.75), and cognitive fatigue (rs = 0.52, p = 0.06) showed no significant correlation. Conclusion: Differences were primarily observed in affective fatigue; therefore, nurses must carefully consider affective fatigue when assessing fatigue in patients with terminal cancer.

(1) Background: End-of-life care (EoL care) for cancer patients is stressful for nurses and can easily lead to burnout. Newly graduated nurses (NGNs) have a particularly difficult time, but no scale or inventory has been designed to evaluate their difficulties. This study developed and tested the reliability and validity of a scale to measure NGNs’ difficulties with EoL care for cancer patients (NDEC scale). (2) Methods: This study population consisted of 1000 NGNs and 1000 nurses with at least five years of clinical experience (GNs) that were working in hospitals in Japan. The initial scale consisted of six factors and 28 items. The reliability and validity of the scale were tested. (3) Results: A total of 171 NGNs and 194 GNs responded to the survey. The scale consisted of five factors and 25 items with the factors including “Feeling painful”, “Can’t deal with patients and their families”, “Don’t know the answer”, “Cannot afford”, and “Being afraid of death”. The criteria validity, known population validity, and internal consistency were confirmed. (4) Conclusions: The scale was validated to have a certain level of reliability and validity. The NDEC scale is expected to be used for self-care for NGNs and as an effectiveness indicator for educational programs.

目的：進行期パーキンソン病（APD）患者の在宅生活の継続および中断に関連する要素の重要度を明らかにし，潜在する重要因子を探索すること．方法：文献を用いた質的帰納的分析から生成した質問紙により，全国のパーキンソン病患者会会員とAPDケアに携わる医師・看護師に調査を実施した．結果：有効回答数は158であった．記述統計と因子分析の結果，進行期PD患者の在宅生活を継続する重要因子は［多職種アプローチ］［セルフケア］［専門医へのアクセス］の3因子14要素，中断する重要因子は［介護者支援］［介護ニーズ］［精神症状］［転倒経験］［排泄動作］の5因子20要素で構成された．因子のクロンバックα係数は0.736～0.956で，概ね良好だった．結論：APD患者の在宅生活の継続および中断に関連する重要因子が8因子34要素明らかになり，APD患者の在宅生活支援に向けた評価指標に活用できると考えられた．

Background: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a distressing symptom in terminally ill patients with cancer. While many studies have been conducted on the relationship between fatigue and quality of life (QOL) among patients undergoing treatment, only a few have been conducted to measure fatigue from multiple perspectives or clarify its impact on patients in advanced stages or those receiving palliative care. Objectives: To examine the impact of fatigue on QOL in terminally ill patients with cancer, using a questionnaire that measures CRF from 3 perspectives. Methods: CRF and QOL were measured using the Cancer Fatigue Scale (CFS) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 15 Palliative (EORTCQLQ-C15-PAL), respectively, and the correlation between them was evaluated. Web-based questionnaires were completed by patients receiving hospice and palliative care. Significance of results: Twenty-nine participants provided valid responses. Median CFS and global health status/QOL scores were as follows: total fatigue 25.0, physical fatigue 11.0, affective fatigue 9.0, cognitive fatigue 5.0, and global health status/QOL 50.0. QOL showed significant correlations with total fatigue ( rs = −0.44, p = 0.017, 95% CI: −0.70, −0.09) and physical fatigue ( rs = −0.38, p = 0.038, 95% CI: −0.66, −0.02), but none with affective fatigue ( rs = −0.02, p = 0.917, 95% CI: −0.38, 0.35) and cognitive fatigue ( rs = −0.33, p = 0.074, 95% CI: −0.63, 0.03). Conclusions: Of the 3 aspects of fatigue, physical fatigue may be most closely related to QOL; however, its accurate assessment may depend on the scale used. Therefore, it is necessary to select an appropriate scale for patients with terminal cancer.