Mite avoidance decreased mite-specific IgE levels and ameliorated asthma symptoms in subjects who lived in temporary housing after natural disasters.

BACKGROUND: We previously reported an increased prevalence of asthma among patients who had lived in temporary housing after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. We investigated the prognosis of asthma in former residents of temporary housing after allergen avoidance. METHODS: Asthma was diagnosed in adults ≥ 15 years from 2014 to 2019 who had lived in temporary housing in Ishinomaki City for at least 1 year. The disease prognosis after the intervention of allergen avoidance in cases that were followed for more than 3 years during the 6-year study period was analyzed. We measured the Dermatophagoides farinae -specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in serum, and the amount of Dermatophagoides group 1 (Der 1) antigen on their futons or mattresses. We instructed residents in an allergen avoidance strategy that included 32 tasks, including using microfiber bedding covers. RESULTS: Of the 202 examinees who were followed for at least 3 years during the 6-year study period, 72(35.6%) were asthmatic during at least one examination. Of these 72 asthmatics, 55(76.4%) developed the disease after the earthquake, and more than half of the cases that we diagnosed at the examination were mild intermittent asthma. After the allergen-avoidance intervention, both the Der 1 level on the futons or mattresses of residents who were diagnosed with asthma but who were nonasthmatic at the final screening and their serum Der f-specific IgE levels significantly decreased (P < 0.01) at the final examination. CONCLUSION: Antigen avoidance ameliorated mild asthma that was prevalent among residents of temporary housing after the earthquake.

<b>Postgraduate Japanese Medical Education in Kampo </b><b>Medicine</b> / 日本東洋医学雑誌

<p>Kampo medicine has been incorporated into Japan's medical curriculum nationwide. However, it has not been adopted into its postgraduate medical education. The present study assessed Kampo medicine educational needs for residents in Japanese postgraduate training programs. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted in residents at Japanese Red Cross Ishinomaki Hospital, regarding their experience in prescribing Kampo formulae and the Kampo medicine curriculum they expect in their postgraduate education. Twenty-one residents completed the questionnaires. Seventy-five percent of junior and all senior residents had used Kampo medications. They were mostly provided with on-the-job instruction by attending doctors, senior residents, and fellows during their residency rotations. All residents needed Kampo medicine education opportunities. They expected guidance with respect to the basics of Kampo medicine, and the treatment of common diseases with Kampo formulae. The results of our study demonstrates that residents believe Kampo medicine education should be provided in postgraduate training programs.</p>

Clinical study on the prevention of recurrent tonsillitis by acupuncture (II) / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

We have continued a study on the preventive effects of acupuncture on recurrent tonsillitis. Among 239 patients with tonsillitis examined in 1980, 200 were included in the category of recurrent tonsillitis, showing a fever four or more times a year.<br>The preventive effects of acupuncture in these 200 patients are reported in this paper.<br>The subjects were 200 patients with recurrent tonsillitis treated in our department in 1980. The frequency, number of days and severity of fever and other symptoms (conditions of the nose and throat, snoring, colds and general condition) were followed for one year after the acupuncture treatment.<br>Of the 200 patients, 171, excluding the 29 in whom the results of research could not be obtained, were analyzed. With regard to the frequency of fever, the number of patients with a fever 12 or more times a year decreased from 102 before acupuncture therapy to nine after the treatment. The number of patients who did not have any fever and who had a fever one to three times after treatment was 30 and 69, respectively. Thus, 40.4% were not included in the category of recurrent tonsillitis, even though fever was present. In addition, there was a decrease in the severity and number of days of fever.<br>Favorable effects of the treatment on symptoms other than fever, such as conditions of the nose and throat, snoring, resistance to colds and general condition, were noted in more than 50% of the patients who did not have any fever after treatment or had a fever half as frequently as before treatment.<br>When the preventive effects on fever were determined according to age, improvement was observed in all age groups. From the viewpoint of the prevention of repetition of a high fever, the best results were obtained in patients 6-11 years of age, followed by those five years old or less.<br>Acupuncture treatment for recurrent tonsillitis is not so effective as tonsillectomy. However, we consider that acupuncture treatment is worth using prior to tonsillectomy to prevent the relapse of recurrent tonsillitis, taking into account operative stress on the living body and economic and personal problems arising from tonsillectomy.