Kampo, a Traditional Japanese Medicine, for the Body, Mind, and Soul

Traditional Japanese (Kampo) medicine is widely used to treat numerous conditions. Kampo medicine includes herbal formulas, acupuncture, moxibustion, and massage. After the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), Kampo medicine was used to treat the imbalances in the body, mind, and soul in severely affected areas. The effects of the Kampo medicine saikokeishikankyoto (SKK) for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been proven in our clinical study. In this chapter, we have summarized both our reports from the Kampo medical clinics that were set up after the GEJE disaster and our findings of the clinical study on PTSD treatment in disaster survivors

Hemodynamic Changes in the Brachial Artery Induced by Acupuncture Stimulation on the Lower Limbs: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Acupuncture is commonly performed at acupoints. No comparisons of quantitative physiological alterations in the brachial artery (BA) induced by the stimulation of different acupoints in the lower limbs have been performed in humans. Therefore, we investigated changes in blood flow volume (BFV) in the BA as an indicator of the physiological effects induced by stimulation at 3 points. Seventy-five healthy participants aged 33 ± 9 years (mean ± SD) were enrolled and randomly assigned to 3 groups; they received stimulation at 3 different points located on the lower limbs: ST36, LR3, and a non-acupoint. Stimulation was performed bilaterally with manual rotation of the needles. Using ultrasonography, BFV was measured continuously from rest to 180 seconds after stimulation. LR3 stimulation significantly increased BFV compared to that before needle insertion. Meanwhile, stimulation at ST36 and the non-acupoint significantly decreased BFV compared to that before needle insertion. Stimulation at LR3 elicited a significant increase in BFV compared to that at ST36 and the non-acupoint. The results suggest that the stimulation of different points on the lower limbs causes distinct physiological effects on BFV in the BA

Prevention and Recovery of COVID-19 Patients With Kampo Medicine: Review of Case Reports and Ongoing Clinical Trials

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread to Japan in 2020, where the number of infected patients exceeded 250,000 and COVID-related deaths exceeded 3,500 in one year. Basic guidelines for infection control were implemented in Japan, and research and development of effective drugs and vaccines were promoted. This included considering Kampo medicine, which has a long history of treating recurring emerging viral infections. Considering the characteristics of the disease (inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract as well as potential neural damage and vasculitis), Kampo medicine could be considered as a treatment strategy due to its antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects induced by multiple active substances that could aid in disease prevention and recovery. In this study, case reports on the management of COVID-19 with Kampo medicine, which were published until March 31, 2021, were reviewed. The search strategy involved the use of Medline and hand-searching. Twenty two patients were treated using Kampo medicines with or without Western medicine, based on individual conditions. On the other hand, the effects of Kampo medicines as a potential preventive treatment (pre-infection), active treatment (especially in the acute and subacute stage), or treatment of sequelae to aid recovery (after infection) in the different stages of COVID-19 are being studied as research projects in the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine (JSOM). JSOM has also organized a pioneering project of clinical trials for COVID-19, some of which are now in progress

Haemodynamic Changes in the Superior Mesenteric Artery Induced by Acupuncture Stimulation on the Lower Limbs

Acupuncture is commonly performed on acupoints. A comparison of quantitative physiological alterations induced by stimulation on different acupoints has never been performed in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) in humans. Therefore, we investigated changes in blood flow volume (BFV) in the SMA as an indicator of physiological effects induced by stimulation on 3 points. Thirty healthy participants aged 29 ± 10 years (mean ± SD) were enrolled. All participants underwent stimulations on 3 points located in the lower legs: ST36, LR3, and a non-acupoint. Control pertains to a condition with no-stimulation. Stimulation was performed bilaterally with manual rotation of the needles. BFV was measured by ultrasonography before insertion and 10, 20, 30, and 60 minutes after stimulation. Following acupuncture on ST36, BFV increased significantly 20 and 30 minutes after stimulation, compared to BFV before insertion (P < 0.05). Following stimulation on LR3 and the non-acupoint, no significant differences in BFV could be found. Relative to the no-stimulation group, stimulation on LR3, and the non-acupoint, stimulation on ST36 elicited a significant increase in BFV (P < 0.05). The results suggest that stimulation on the different points causes distinct physiological effects in BFV in the SMA

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Chemical Vapor Deposition of Amorphous Carbon: Dependence on H/C Ratio of Source Gas

By molecular dynamics simulation, the chemical vapor deposition of amorphous carbon onto graphite and diamond surfaces was studied. In particular, we investigated the effect of source H/C ratio, which is the ratio of the number of hydrogen atoms to the number of carbon atoms in a source gas, on the deposition process. In the present simulation, the following two source gas conditions were tested: one was that the source gas was injected as isolated carbon and hydrogen atoms, and the other was that the source gas was injected as hydrocarbon molecules. Under the former condition, we found that as the source H/C ratio increases, the deposition rate of carbon atoms decreases exponentially. This exponential decrease in the deposition rate with increasing source H/C ratio agrees with experimental data. However, under the latter molecular source condition, the deposition rate did not decrease exponentially because of a chemical reaction peculiar to the type of hydrocarbon in the source gas.Comment: accepted by Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. (2008

Report on Disaster Medical Operations with Acupuncture/Massage Therapy After the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake inflicted immense damage over a wide area of eastern Japan with the consequent tsunami. Department of Traditional Asian Medicine, Tohoku University, started providing medical assistance to the disaster-stricken regions mainly employing traditional Asian therapies

High-yield isolation of extracellular vesicles using aqueous two-phase system

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) such as exosomes and microvesicles released from cells are potential biomarkers for blood-based diagnostic applications. To exploit EVs as diagnostic biomarkers, an effective pre-analytical process is necessary. However, recent studies performed with blood-borne EVs have been hindered by the lack of effective purification strategies. In this study, an efficient EV isolation method was developed by using polyethylene glycol/dextran aqueous two phase system (ATPS). This method provides high EV recovery efficiency (similar to 70%) in a short time (similar to 15 min). Consequently, it can significantly increase the diagnostic applicability of EVs.113219Ysciescopu