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Aconite tuber is a representative crude drug for warming the body internally in Japanese Kampo medicine and Chinese traditional medicine. The crude drug is used in major prescriptions for the aged. Varieties of Aconitum plants are distributed throughout the Japanese Islands, especially Hokkaido. With the aim of identifying the medicinal potential of Aconitum plants from Hokkaido, 107 specimens were collected from 36 sites in the summer of 2011 and 2012. Their nuclear DNA region, internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and aconitine alkaloid contents were analyzed. Phylogenic analysis of ITS by maximum parsimony analysis showed that the majority of the specimens were grouped into one cluster (cluster I), separated from the other cluster (cluster II) consisting of alpine specimens. The aconitine alkaloid content of the tuberous roots of 76 specimens showed 2 aspects-specimens from the same collection site showed similar aconitine alkaloid profiles, and cluster I specimens from different habitats showed various alkaloid profiles. Environmental pressure of each habitat is presumed to have caused the morphology and aconitine alkaloid profile of these genetically similar specimens to diversify.

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Background Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) has been widely advocated in psychiatric fields. In Japan, however, PPI has not been implemented in clinical practice. In order to improve quality of psychiatric service in Japan, it is essential to understand psychiatrists’ attitudes from the patients’ perspective as a first step in practicing PPI. This study aimed to investigate the patients’ evaluation of psychiatrists’ attitudes by illustrating themes appeared in the questionnaire survey. Methods This study used the data obtained from the questionnaire survey responded by 2,683 patients with family members who belong to the family associations for psychiatric patients in Japan. Three open-ended question items in this survey, "criteria for selecting a psychiatrist (784 patient responses, response rate 29.2%),” “attitude of the psychiatrist in charge (929 patient responses, response rate 34.6%)," and "communication skills of the psychiatrist in charge (739 patient responses, response rate 27.5%)" were analyzed by co-occurrence network using KH Coder software. Results The common theme observed in all three items was whether psychiatrist took sufficient consultation time. The criteria for selecting a psychiatrist were summarized whether psychiatrist provided appropriate advices for patients’ problems, whether psychiatrist cared about patients’ demands and whether psychiatrist informed to patients about diseases and medications. The attitudes of the psychiatrists in charge that patients had most wanted their psychiatrists to improve were: psychiatrists only watch the computer, make diagnosis according to the patients’ individual condition, and try to build a relationship of trust with the patient. The patients’ demands regarding communication skills of the psychiatrist in charge included: whether the psychiatrist communicated in a way that improves the patient's psychological state, whether the psychiatrist was attentive to the patients’ family, and whether the psychiatrist could control his/her own mood during the consultation. Conclusion The results reflected the patients’ demands that do not appear in closed-ended items. It was suggested that patients’open-ended responses to questionnaires and their involvement in the psychiatric research (PPI) may provide more insight into improving pshchiaric care in Japan.