A case of tetanus treated with Kampo medicines such as Kakkonto and Shakuyakukanzoto

CaseA 74-year-old man developed tetanus 3 days after working with cow and poultry manure. Kakkonto and shakuyakukanzoto, traditional Japanese herbal medicines that are effective for the relief of pain primarily related to muscle contraction, were given to control the trismus and painful contracture of the neck. Generalized convulsions were controlled without the use of muscle relaxants.OutcomeAfter 30 days, the patient was discharged from the hospital without any sequelae.ConclusionKakkonto and shakuyakukanzoto may be useful for the control of muscle spasms resulting from generalized tetanus

Action of Enzymes from Clostridium tertium A on the Group A Antigenic Determinant of Human Erythrocytes

It is well known that Clostridium tertium A produces Adecomposing enzymes. We investigated the changes in ABO-antigenicity of human erythrocytes caused by the culture filtrate from this bacteria. Group A erythrocytes were specifically affected, and a decrease in A-activity and an enhancement of H-activity were observed. No change was observed on group B and O cells. There was a significant difference between the agglutinabilities of group A1 and A2 erythrocytes treated with Cl. tertium culture filtrate. A2 erythrocytes completely lost their agglutinability against undiluted anti-A sera. In contrast, A1 erythrocytes preserved a low Aantigenicity. It was clear that this difference reflected the heterogenous nature of A-antigenicity on group A cell membranes. On the other hand, it was suggested that the A-decomposing enzymes in the culture filtrate also had a heterogenous nature. Our crude enzyme preparation was completely inhibited by D-galactosamine, and weakly by N-acetyl-Dgalactosamine or D-galactose. Further enzyme purification was required to elucidate the differences in the antigenic determinants or the structural basis between A1 and A2 erythrocytes

Comparison of quality of human serum albumin preparations in two pharmaceutical products

AimHuman serum albumin (HSA) is known for its multiple functions, such as maintenance of colloid osmotic pressure, transport of endogenous and exogenous substances, and antioxidation. The aim of this study was to measure the redox state and concentrations of β-d-glucan and endotoxin to compare the quality of 5% HSA preparations from two different manufacturers.MethodsThe quality of 5% HSA preparations in two different pharmaceutical products (groups A and B) was compared in terms of the percentage of reduced and oxidized albumin and the contaminant level of β-d-glucan and endotoxin.ResultsThe percentage of human mercaptoalbumin in group A was significantly higher than that in group B (P < 0.01), whereas that of human non-mercaptoalbumin-2 in group A was significantly lower (P < 0.01). The concentration of β-d-glucan in group A was significantly lower than in group B (P < 0.01).ConclusionsThe present findings indicate the need for quality control of HSA preparations in applications involving the use of large volumes