Trihydroxyethylrutosides in the treatment of hemorrhoids of pregnancy: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

The safety and efficacy of Trihydroxyethylrutosides (HR) in the treatment of 53 patients with 1st-2nd degree hemorrhoids of pregnancy (16th-34th week) was investigated in a double-blind randomised, placebo controlled trial. The dosage of Trihydroxyethylrutosides was 1 tablet of 300 milligrams twice daily for the first 2 weeks. If the treatment was successful, the treatment was stopped. If the clinical signs or symptoms still persisted, the treatment was continued for another two weeks using the same dosage and re-evaluated at the end of the fourth week after initial treatment. The parameters for efficacy were symptoms (pain, bleeding, exudation and pruritus) and the objective signs on proctoscopy (bleeding, inflammation and dilatation of the hemorrhoidal venous plexus). The study revealed improvement of symptoms in the study group which was better than in the control group after 2 weeks of treatment but the clinical signs were not different. After a further 2 weeks of treatment, the result showed improvement of both clinical signs and symptoms in this study. Only one mild transient side effect was reported in the HR group and there were no drug-related problems in the pregnancies, delivery or the babies.

Phase II clinical trial on effect of the long turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn) on healing of peptic ulcer.

The study examined patients who had symptoms indicating peptic ulcer. Forty-five patients, 24 males and 21 females, aged between 16-60 years were included in the study. Twenty-five patients, 18 males and 7 females, were endoscoped, their ulcers located in the duodenal bulb and gastric (angulus). The ulcer sizes varied between 0.5 to 1.5 cm in diameter. Capsule-filled turmeric was given orally in the dose of 2 capsules (300 mg each) five times daily, one half to an hour before meals, at 16.00 hours and at bedtime continuously. The result after 4 weeks of treatment showed that ulcers were absent in 48% or 12 cases (DU 9 and GU 3). Eighteen cases (DU 13 and GU 5) had absence of ulcer after 8 weeks of treatment. Nineteen cases (76%) (DU 14 and GU 5) did not have ulcers after 12 weeks of treatment. The rest, 20 cases were not found to have ulcers and some were not endoscoped. They appeared to have erosions, gastritis and dyspepsia. They received turmeric capsules for 4 weeks of treatment. The abdominal pain and discomfort satisfactorily subsided in the first and second week. They could take normal foods instead of soft meals. Blood chemistry and hematology of all 54 patients had no significant changes in hematological system, liver and renal functions both before and after treatment.

The efficacy of intubation with the siriraj oesophageal tube.

Oesophageal intubation is a palliative treatment for patients with advanced oesophageal carcinoma. This operation has lower operative mortality (0-11%), with the same level of survival. Problems arise from the cost of the tube, its size and texture as well as the compicated procedures needed to install it. We develop the Siriraj Oesophageat Tube (ST) which is made from material that is inexpensive and easily found in the operating theatre. We performed oesephageal intubation on 39 advanced oesophageal cancer patients using various types of oesophageal tube, but mainly ST. Operative mostality for all patients was 5 percent (in each case of mortality oesophago-tracheal fistula was present). Post operative wound infection was the most common operative from of morbidity (10.8%). Most patients had an oral diet from the second post operative day and were discharged from the hospital 7-10 days after the operation. During the follow up, six patients development patient had severe abdominal pain requiring coeliac ganglion block. The survival time was 1-18 months, with the average being 4.9 months.