ABSTRACT
We experienced a case of paranoid schizophrenia whose negative symptoms such as fatigue and depression were successfully treated with kamishoyosan and hochuekkito. The combination of medical herbal extracts did not affect positive symptoms. Herbal medicine may play not only a supporting role in treating mental disorders in general but also an important role in improving negative symptoms of schizophrenia.
ABSTRACT
Continuous epidural injection of opioid/local anesthetic drugs can be a useful tool to alleviate intractable pain in cancer patients. The use of an epidural catheter, however, always faces with contamination and infection. In order to avoid contamination, an injection port is often implanted in the subcutaneous space and intermittent or continuous injection is employed. The injection port requires an additional cost and a little more time for implantation. Both the cost and the time-requiring procedure may be of problem in the terminally ill cancer patients. We present 3 cases of cancer patients with high risk of catheter contamination treated with continuous epidural injection using catheters elongated through subcutaneous tunnel from the epidural puncture site to the front side of abdominal wall. The risk factors of the patients were; subcutaneous emphysema due to intestinal perforation in a 81 yr male with bladder cancer, local abscess and MRSA infection in a 45 yr female with uterine cancer, and cutaneous tissue disruption in a 51 yr female with lung cancer and multiple metastasis. The duration of epidural analgesia were 22, 26, and 21 days until the patient's death, respectively. Although the risk of epidural catheter contamination and infection was extremely high in all three patients, continuous epidural injection for more than 3 weeks was possible with favorable analgesic effects. Use of an epidural catheter elongated through subcutaneous route from the puncture site to the frontal abdominal wall offers a practical and inexpensive way in patients with intractable pain at least for a few weeks. Palliat Care Res 2011; 6(2): 350-357
ABSTRACT
Saffron (<i>Crocus sativus</i> L.) is classified as a beneficial herb in the treatment of “Oketsu,” eliminating blood stagnation. The clinical symptoms of “Oketsu” include feeling cold and arthralgia. The pathological condition of “Oketsu” is considered to be increased blood viscosity and microvascular disorders.However, no useful biomarker has been reported for evaluation of the degree of “Oketsu.” Here, we investigated the clinical effect of saffron on the symptoms of “Oketsu” in patients with autoimmune diseases. At the same time, we measured the plasma levels of platelet factor 4 (PF-4) and beta-thromboglobulin (β-TG) as platelet activation markers. Seventy-one patients (66 women and 5 men, mean age 52.3 ± 16.1) were studied. They were administered saffron (300mg∼900mg) with traditional Kampo medicine. The clinical symptoms of “Oketsu” improved (80.9%, n=38/47) and we measured PF-4 and β-TG in pre-and post-saffron treatment periods. The plasma levels of PF-4 and β-TG significantly decreased after saffron therapy (PF-4 : before 49.6 ± 29.8, after 24.0 ± 19.6ng/ml, β-TG : before 117.5 ± 64.0, after 64.6 ± 47.1ng/ml;paired t-test, p < 0.0001, respectively). These results suggest that saffron is effective in treatment of the symptoms of “Oketsu” in allergy and collagen disease patients. Moreover, PF-4 and β-TG may be useful biomarkers of the degree of “Oketsu.”