Hangekobokuto (Banxia-houpo-tang), a Kampo Medicine that Treats Functional Dyspepsia

Although abdominal bloating is one of the most bothersome symptoms experienced by patients with functional dyspepsia (FD), therapeutic drugs to relieve abdominal bloating have not been established. We investigated the Kampo (Chinese herbal) medicine, Hangekobokuto (Banxia-houpo-tang, HKT) for patients with FD from the standpoint of bowel gas retention. The bowel gas volume calculated from a plain abdominal radiogram (gas volume score, GVS) in FD patients was significantly higher than that in healthy subjects. Two week administration of HKT in the FD patients showed a significant decrease of GVS. Furthermore, gastrointestinal symptoms, especially symptoms of abdominal pain, indigestion and constipation, all of which are closely related to abdominal bloating, improved significantly in FD patients after the administration of HKT. These results suggest that HKT improves abdominal bloating accompanied by the reduction of bowel gas in FD patients

Quantification of tongue colour using machine learning in Kampo medicine

AbstractIntroductionThe evaluation of tongue colour has been an important approach to examine human health in Kampo medicine (traditional Japanese medicine) because the change in tongue colour may suggest physical or mental disorders. Several tongue colour quantification methods have been published to objectify clinical information among East Asian countries. However, reliable tongue colour analysis results among Japanese test persons are limited because of a lack of quantitative evaluation of tongue colour. We aimed to use advances in digital imaging processing to quantify and verify clinical data tongue colour diagnosis by characterising differences intongue features.MethodsThe DS01-B tongue colour information acquisition system was used to extract tongue images of 1080 Japanese test subjects. Evaluation of tongue colour, body and coating was performed by 10 experienced Kampo medicine physicians. The acquired images were classified into five tongue body colour categories and six tongue coating colour categories based on evaluations from 10 physicians with extensive Kampo medicine experience. K-means clustering algorithm was applied as a machine learning (the study of pattern recognition by computational learning) method to the acquired images to quantify tongue body and coating colour information.ResultsTongue body (n=550) and tongue coating (n=516) colour samples were classified and analysed. Clusters consisting of five tongue body colour categories and six tongue coating colour categories were experimentally described in the CIELAB colour space. Statistical differences were evident among the clinically primary tongue colours.ConclusionsClinically important tongue colour differences in Kampo medicine can be visualised by applying machine learning to tongue images taken under stable conditions. This has implications for developing globally unified, reliable tongue colour diagnostic criteria which could be used to explore the relevance between clinical status and tongue colour

Clarifying the Destructive Influence of Gravitation Set in Infusion Pump

Import 22/07/2015Infuzní léčba je v současnosti jedním z nejběžnějších úkonů, prováděných ve zdravotnických zařízeních, a nachází uplatnění v širokém spektru případů. Samotný proces léčby může být uskutečněn dvěma způsoby – gravitační infuzí a použitím volumetrické infuzní pumpy. Princip infuze řízené volumetrickou pumpou klade specifické nároky na vlastnosti užívaných infuzních setů, přičemž pro zajištění důležité přesnosti průtoku je nezbytné dbát na určení daného setu pro použití s tlakovou metodou. V běžném zdravotnickém prostředí však existuje řada rizikových faktorů, jejichž vlivem může dojít k porušení této podmínky kompatibility a následnému použití volumetrické pumpy s nevhodnou administrativní soupravou, určenou pouze pro gravitační infuzi. Záměrem první části této práce je, na základě známých poznatků o negativních vlivech činnosti pumpy na přesnost léčby a o mechanických vlastnostech infuzních setů, teoreticky stanovit možné destrukční vlivy čerpadla infuzní pumpy na materiál gravitačního setu. Cílem druhé části je pokusit se prokázat negativní dopad mechanického namáhání gravitačního setu v infuzní pumpě na přesnost dávkování a vlastnosti materiálu použitého setu pomocí experimentálně získaných dat.Intravenous therapy is currently one of the most common operations performed in health care facilities, finding its use in a wide range of cases. The particular process of treatment can be implemented in two ways - using gravity-fed infusion and by use of volumetric infusion pump. The principle of infusion controlled by a volumetric pump lays specific demands on the quality of the infusion sets in use. When warranting the flow rate accuracy it is necessary to ensure suitability of the set for use with the pressure method. However, there are a number of risk factors in common medical situations, whose influence may lead to violating the terms of compatibility and the subsequent use of a volumetric pump with an improper administrative set made only for gravity-fed infusion. The aim of the first part of this work is the theoretical determination of the possible destructive effects of the infusion pump to the material of a gravity-fed administration set based on the evidence about the negative impacts of the pump on the flow rate accuracy and mechanical characteristics of the infusion sets. The goal of the second part is an effort to proof the negative impact of the mechanical stress of a gravity set in an infusion pump to dosage accuracy and the material properties of the used set through experimental data.450 - Katedra kybernetiky a biomedicínského inženýrstvívýborn

The Relationship between “Shofuku-Fujin” (Abnormality of Abdominal Examination in Japanese Kampo Medicine) and Body Composition by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Shofuku-fujin is an abnormal physical finding in Kampo medical practice. It is assumed to be often found in the elderly and contributes to the selection of Kampo formulas used mainly in elderly patients. However, few objective reports about Shofuku-fujin have been published to date. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical features of patients showing Shofuku-fujin by using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and to objectively assess the potential clinical implications of these findings. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1330 patients who visited our institute to undergo a medical examination by using data collected from September 2010 to March 2016. We extracted data on patient sex and age, anthropometric data, and body composition data that could potentially affect the appearance of Shofuku-fujin. Logistic regression analyses were performed by sex to analyze the various factors related to the appearance of Shofuku-fujin. Of the 1330 patients, the data of 386 men and 942 women were used for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that Shofuku-fujin was associated with older age (odds ratio (OR), 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.05–1.10; p < 0.001), lower skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) (OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.43–0.85; p = 0.004), and lower body fat percentage (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.85–0.93; p < 0.001) in men and older age (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.04–1.07, p < 0.001) and lower body fat percentage (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92–0.96; p < 0.001) in women. On the basis of these results, the factors causing the appearance of Shofuku-fujin were aging, decreased muscle mass, and decreased body fat in men and aging and decreased body fat in women. Our results demonstrated that it may be better to consider a loss of muscle mass when examining a male patient with Shofuku-fujin

Possible anti-inflammatory role of Zingiberis processum rhizoma, one component of the Kampo formula daikenchuto, against neutrophil infiltration through muscarinic acetylcholine receptor activation

Zingiberis processum rhizoma (ZPR) is a major active component of daikenchuto (DKT), which induces anti-inflammatory action by inhibiting macrophage infiltration. However, it is unclear whether ZPR is related to DKT-induced anti-inflammatory action via a reduction of neutrophil infiltration against postoperative ileus (POI). In this study, we orally administered individual herbal components of DKT to mice four times before and after intestinal manipulation (IM). The anti-inflammatory action of each crude drug was evaluated by histochemical analysis of relevant molecules. The results showed that treatment with all herbal components of DKT significantly inhibits neutrophil infiltration. This inhibition of neutrophil infiltration by ZPR was significantly reduced in 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 4 (5-HT4R) knockout (KO) mice but not in alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) KO mice. Also, transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) antagonists partly and significantly inhibited the amelioration of neutrophil infiltration by ZPR. Therefore, DKT-induced anti-inflammatory action, mediated by inhibition of neutrophil infiltration in POI, depends, in part, on the effects of ZPR. ZPR activates TRPA1 channels, possibly in enterochromaffin (EC) cells, to release 5-HT. This 5-HT stimulates 5-HT4R in the myenteric plexus neurons to release acetylcholine, which, in turn, activates mAChR to inhibit inflammation in POI. Keywords: Anti-inflammatory activity, Postoperative ileus, Zingiberis processum rhizoma, Neutrophil infiltration, Daikenchut

Current status of Kampo medicine curricula in all Japanese medical schools

Abstract Background There have been a few but not precise surveys of the current status of traditional Japanese Kampo education at medical schools in Japan. Our aim was to identify problems and suggest solutions for a standardized Kampo educational model for all medical schools throughout Japan. Methods We surveyed all 80 medical schools in Japan regarding eight items related to teaching or studying Kampo medicine: (1) the number of class meetings, target school year(s), and type of classes; (2) presence or absence of full-time instructors; (3) curricula contents; (4) textbooks in use; (5) desire for standardized textbooks; (6) faculty development programmes; (7) course contents; and (8) problems to be solved to promote Kampo education. We conducted descriptive analyses without statistics. Results Eighty questionnaires were collected (100%). (1) There were 0 to 25 Kampo class meetings during the 6 years of medical school. At least one Kampo class was conducted at 98% of the schools, ≥4 at 84%, ≥8 at 44%, and ≥16 at 5%. Distribution of classes was 19% and 57% for third- and fourth-year students, respectively. (2) Only 29% of schools employed full-time Kampo medicine instructors. (3) Medicine was taught on the basis of traditional Japanese Kampo medicine by 81% of the schools, Chinese medicine by 19%, and Western medicine by 20%. (4) Textbooks were used by 24%. (5) Seventy-four percent considered using standardized textbooks. (6) Thirty-three percent provided faculty development programmes. (7) Regarding course contents, “characteristics” was selected by 94%, “basic concepts” by 84%, and evidence-based medicine by 64%. (8) Among the problems to be solved promptly, curriculum standardization was selected by 63%, preparation of simple textbooks by 51%, and fostering instructors responsible for Kampo education by 65%. Conclusions Japanese medical schools only offer students a short time to study Kampo medicine, and the impetus to include Kampo medicine in their curricula varies among schools. Future Kampo education at medical schools requires solving several problems, including curriculum standardization.</p