Traditional Chinese Medicine for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

More and more patients have been diagnosed as having chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in recent years. Western drug use for this syndrome is often associated with many side-effects and little clinical benefit. As an alternative medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has provided some evidences based upon ancient texts and recent studies, not only to offer clinical benefit but also offer insights into their mechanisms of action. It has perceived advantages such as being natural, effective and safe to ameliorate symptoms of CFS such as fatigue, disordered sleep, cognitive handicaps and other complex complaints, although there are some limitations regarding the diagnostic standards and methodology in related clinical or experimental studies. Modern mechanisms of TCM on CFS mainly focus on adjusting immune dysfunction, regulating abnormal activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and serving as an antioxidant. It is vitally important for the further development to establish standards for ‘zheng’ of CFS, i.e. the different types of CFS pathogenesis in TCM, to perform randomized and controlled trials of TCM on CFS and to make full use of the latest biological, biochemical, molecular and immunological approaches in the experimental design

A Kampo Medicine, Boi-ogi-to, Inhibits Obesity in Ovariectomized Rats

In women facing menopause, end of menstrual activity is accompanied by lower levels of estrogen and gradual weight gain. Postmenopausal weight gain sounds an alarm for women's health and may lead to hyperlipidemia, a lipid increase and glucose intolerance. These phenomena are connected to lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension, type II diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis and metabolic syndrome, making it essential to prevent weight gain in women. A Kampo medicine, Boi-ogi-to, is traditionally used to treat obese conditions, but the mechanism has not yet been investigated. In this experiment, we tested the antiobesity properties of Boi-ogi-to in ovariectomized rats by measuring changes of serum cytokine levels and adipocytokines in fat cells. After treatment with this extract for 6 weeks (20-week-old rats), we found that there was a significant weight decrease in rats treated with Boi-ogi-to as compared with that in the control group. Serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels increased significantly in a dose-dependent manner. Gene expression of adipose tissue in uterus also dose dependently showed a significant increase of TNF-α levels, suggesting that secretion of TNF-α by fat cells might play a role in the ability of Boi-ogi-to to inhibit weight gain. While peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-γ and adiponectin levels did not show a significant difference as compared with those in the control, levels of mRNA expression showed a tendency to increase dose dependently. Resistin did not show any significant change. These results suggest that Boi-ogi-to might be useful for the prevention of obesity that occurs in women with reduction of estrogen

Beneficial Effect of Brewers' Yeast Extract on Daily Activity in a Murine Model of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Brewers' yeast extract (BYE) on daily activity in a mouse model of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). CFS was induced by repeated injection of Brucella abortus (BA) antigen every 2 weeks. BYE was orally administered to mice in a dose of 2 g per kg per day for 2 weeks before injecting BA and for 4 weeks thereafter. We evaluated daily running activity in mice receiving BYE as compared with that in untreated mice. Weekly variation of body weight (BW) and survival in both groups was monitored during the observation period. Spleen weight (SW), SW/BW ratio, percent splenic follicular area and expression levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) mRNA in spleen were determined in both groups at the time of sacrifice. The daily activity during 2 weeks after the second BA injection was significantly higher in the treated group than in the control. There was no difference in BW between both groups through the experimental course. Two mice in the control died 2 and 7 days after the second injection, whereas no mice in the treated group died. Significantly decreased SW and SW/BW ratio were observed in the treated mice together with elevation of splenic follicular area. There were suppressed IFN-γ and IL-10 mRNA levels in spleens from the treated mice. Our results suggest that BYE might have a protective effect on the marked reduction in activity following repeated BA injection via normalization of host immune responses

Acupuncture Regulates Leukocyte Subpopulations in Human Peripheral Blood

Acupuncture has recently been attracting more and more people throughout the world as an alternative treatment, however little is known about its physiological activities (i.e. immune system). We examined acupuncture both quantitatively and qualitatively by measuring CD-positive cell counts and cytokine expression levels in the blood, to determine the activity of T cells, B cells, macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells. Fifteen milliliters of peripheral blood obtained from 17 healthy volunteers aged 21–51 years, were analyzed using flow cytometry before and after acupuncture treatment. There was a statistically significant increase in the number of CD2+, CD4+, CD8+, CD11b+, CD16+, CD19+, CD56+ cells as well as IL-4, IL-1β and IFN-γ levels in the cells after acupuncture stimulation of meridian points. These observations indicate that acupuncture may regulate the immune system and promote the activities of humoral and cellular immunity as well as NK cell activity. In this article, we discussed how acupuncture regulated leukocyte numbers and functions since they are considered to be potential indicators for evaluating complementary and alternative medicine

Effect of Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41), a Japanese Herbal Medicine, on Daily Activity in a Murine Model of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

We aimed to evaluate the effect of a Japanese herbal medicine, Hochu-ekki-to (TJ-41), on daily activity in a murine model of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). CFS was induced by repeated injection of Brucella abortus (BA) antigen every 2 weeks. TJ-41 was orally administered to mice in a dose of 500 mg/kg/day for 1 week before injecting BA and for 4 weeks thereafter. We evaluated daily running activity in mice receiving TJ-41 as compared with that in untreated mice. Survival of both mouse groups was also monitored during the observation period. Body weight (BW), spleen weight (SW), SW/ BW ratio and expression levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) mRNA in spleen were determined in both groups at the time of sacrifice. The daily activity was significantly higher in the treated group than in the control. Two mice in the untreated group died 2 days after the second injection of BA, whereas no mice in the group treated with TJ-41 died. The SW and SW/BW ratio were significantly lower in the treated mice than in the control. Suppressed IL-10 mRNA levels were observed in the spleens of the mice treated with TJ-41. Our data suggest that Hochu-ekki-to might possess an inhibitory effect on the marked decrease in running activity following BA injection

Supply of goods from hospitals to outpatients practicing intermittent self-catheterization in Japan

Hospitals supply goods to patients practicing intermittent self-catheterization (ISC), yet procedures for distribution have yet to be standardized, making it difficult to track the types of goods that are shipped and their amounts. The aim of this study was to standardize the types and amounts of goods provided by medical facilities on the basis of the survey results. We conducted a survey of medical facilities and patients regarding the status of goods supplied for ISC. Data were collected from January to May 2010 from 5 outpatient urology clinics and 26 patients practicing ISC. The first finding of this research is that the amount of supplied goods was insufficient and part of the supply method was incorrect. The second is that the status of goods supplied changed not only with ISC, but also with hospital characteristics. The third is that hospital costs averaged $63·10; the supplied catheter number affected hospital costs. Patient costs per month averaged$26·50, clearly showing that patients experience an economic burden. Patient costs were high in cases in which the percentage of types of goods supplied was low. A researcher analysed survey data to determine issues and procedures relevant to the supply of goods. The study showed a need to develop an optimal supply system for ISC patients and identified issues in the current system in Japan that require resolution. © 2012 The Authors. International Journal of Urological Nursing © 2012 BAUN & Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Mao-to Prolongs the Survival of and Reduces TNF-α Expression in Mice with Viral Myocarditis

Goal of this study was to evaluate effects of Mao-to on development of myocarditis induced by encephalomyocarditis (EMC) virus in mice. Mice were randomly divided into five groups. Group N included uninfected controls (n = 18), while group A, B and C underwent intraperitoneal injection of EMC virus. Group A was administered oral saline from day 0 to day 4. Group B was administered oral Mao-to (500 mg−1 kg−1 day−1) from day 0 to day 4. Group C was administered Mao-to from day 2 to day 6. Group D was administered Mao-to from day 5 to day 10. Treated mice were followed for survival rates during 2 weeks after infection. Body weight (BW) and organ weights including heart (HW), lungs, thymus and spleen were examined on days 4, 6 and 14. Survival rate of group C (36.4%) was significantly improved compared with group A, B or D (0% of each, P < 0.05). HW and HW/BW ratio in group C was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than those in group A, B or D. Viral titers of hearts were significantly different among groups A, B and C. Cardiac expression in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was significantly reduced in group C in comparison with group A, B or D on day 6 by immunohistochemical study. Administration of Mao-to starting on day 2 improves mortality resulting from viral myocarditis in mice with reduced expression of cardiac TNF-α. These findings suggest that timing of Mao-to is crucial for preventing cardiac damage in mice with viral myocarditis

Postoperative Urinary Retention in Japanese Elderly Males with a Femoral Neck or Trochanteric Fracture

We assessed risk factors for postoperative urinary retention (UR) in elderly males with femoral bone fractures: 169 Japanese males (mean age 81.95 ± 1.19 years) who had undergone hip surgery at a municipal hospital (Toyama, Japan). A multiple logistic regression analysis was used to test possible risk factors for UR: age, body mass index, serum albumin, cognitive impairment, activities of daily living (ADL), and history of diabetes mellitus (DM). UR occurred in 24 (14.2%) of the 169 patients. A multivariate logistic regression analysis with age adjustment showed that ADL (odds ratio [OR] 3.88; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-12.5, p=0.023) was significantly associated with the development of UR, and a history of DM showed marginal significance for UR occurrence (OR 0.36, 95%CI: 0.11-10, p=0.064). These results suggests that ADL is a risk factor for UR development in elderly males who have undergone surgery for femoral neck or trochanter fractures

The Impact of Tofogliflozin on Physiological and Hormonal Function, Serum Electrolytes, and Cardiac Diastolic Function in Elderly Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The sodium glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor tofogliflozin is a glucose-lowering drug that causes the excretion of surplus glucose by inhibiting SGLT2. Because of tofogliflozin’s osmotic diuresis mechanism, patients’ serum electrolytes, body fluid levels, and cardiac function must be monitored. We retrospectively analyzed the cases of 64 elderly Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who received tofogliflozin for 3 months. Their HbA1c, serum electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride), hematocrit, brain natriuretic peptide (cardiac volume load marker) and renin and aldosterone (RAA; an index of regulatory hormones involved in body fluid retention) were continuously monitored during the investigation period. Renal function and cardiac function (by echocardiography) were assessed throughout the period. HbA1c significantly decreased (β1=−0.341, p<0.0001, linear regression analysis [LRA]). Most of the hormonal, electrolyte, and physiological parameters were maintained throughout the study period. In these circumstances, E/e’ tended to decrease (β1=−0.382, p=0.13, LRA). Compared to the baseline, E/e’ was significantly decreased at 1 and 3 months (p<0.01, p<0.05). In the higher E/e’ group (E/e’≥10, n=34), E/e’ decreased significantly (β1=−0.63, p<0.05, LRA). ΔE/e’ was correlated with body-weight change during treatment (r=0.64, p<0.01). The 3-month tofogliflozin treatment improved glycemic control and diastolic function represented by E/e’ in T2DM patients, without affecting serum electrolytes, renal function, or RAA. No negative impacts on the patients were observed. Three-month tofogliflozin treatment lowered glucose and improved cardiac diastolic function