Progesterone treatment reduces food intake and body weight in ovariectomized female rats.

While the effects of progesterone on body weight and appetite in pre-menopausal conditions have been well elucidated, its effects in post-menopausal conditions have not been clarified. On the contrary, the effects of estrogen on body weight and appetite in post-menopausal conditions have been well established. In this study, the effects of progesterone treatment on body weight, appetite, and fat mass in ovariectomized rats were evaluated. In addition, the central and/or peripheral levels of oxytocin (OT), leptin, and their receptors, which are potent anorectic factors, were examined. Female rats were ovariectomized and divided into control, progesterone-treated, and estrogen-treated groups. Body weight, food intake, and subcutaneous fat mass were lower in both the progesterone and estrogen groups than in the control group. The estrogen group exhibited higher serum OT levels than the control group, whereas the OT levels of the progesterone and control groups did not differ. The serum leptin levels of both the progesterone and estrogen groups were lower than those of the control group. Gene expression analysis of OT, leptin, and their receptors in the hypothalamus and adipose tissue found few significant differences among the groups. Hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA levels involved in appetite regulation were slightly altered in the progesterone and estrogen groups. These findings suggest that progesterone treatment may have favorable effects on body weight, appetite, and fat mass regulation in post-menopausal conditions and that the mechanisms underlying these effects of progesterone differ from those underlying the effects of estrogen.

Cancer-Chemotherapy-Related Regimen Checks Performed by Pharmacists of General Hospitals Other than Cancer Treatment Collaborative Base Hospitals: A Multicenter, Prospective Survey.

Although prescription review is an important role for pharmacists in anticancer drug therapy, there are no guidelines in Japan that specify what pharmacists should check for in chemotherapy regimens. This prospective multicenter survey aimed to investigate the implementation of chemotherapy regimen checks by pharmacists in general hospitals by focusing on 19 recommended confirmation items designed to enhance chemotherapy safety. This study involved 14 hospitals within the National Hospital Organization in different regions of Japan. The top five cancers in Japan (gastric, colorectal, lung, breast, and gynecological) were targeted and specific chemotherapy regimens were analyzed. This study assessed the amount of time required for regimen checks, the number of confirmation items completed, the number and the content of inquiries raised regarding prescriptions, and the pharmacists' opinions using a questionnaire that had a maximum score of 10 points. Pharmacists checked 345 and 375 chemotherapies of patients in the control group (CG) and recommended items group (RIG), respectively. The mean time periods required for completing a chemotherapy regimen check were 4 min and 14 s (SD ±1 min and 50 s) and 6 min and 18 s (SD, ±1 min and 7 s) in the CG and RIG, respectively. The mean of the recommended items for the CG = 12.4 and for the RIG = 18.6. The items that the pharmacists did not confirm included urine protein (sixty-nine cases, 18.4%), allergy history (four cases, 1%), previous history (two cases, 0.5%), and a previous history of hepatitis B virus (sixty-nine cases, 18.4%). The number of inquiries for a doctor's prescription order was higher in the RIG than in the CG (41 vs. 27 cases). This multicenter survey demonstrated the potential effectiveness of implementing 19 recommended confirmation items in the regimen checks by pharmacists in general hospitals other than cancer treatment collaborative base hospitals.