“Mengen” is defined as the rapid improvement of signs and symptoms of a chronic disease after a kampo formulation has induced unexpected reactions¹. This phenomenon is occasionally encountered in the daily practice of Kampo medicine. The question here is how to determine whether the reactions are a result of mistreatment or “Mengen”. I recently experienced an incidence which was considered to be “Mengen” in a patient with progressive palmoplantar keratoderma of both hands and feet. With the appearance of facial acne-like rash which was considered to be “Mengen”, the main sgin, namely, keratinization, somewhat improved. It was reconfirmed that in Kampo medicine the case should be diagnosed as one where Unkei-to is indicated, and this formulation was continued. About one month later, both keratinization and facial rash disappeared. At the same time, liver spots on the face which had persisted for a long time, also disappeared. The results indicate that when unexpected reactions occur during treatment with a Kampo formulation, improvement of main signs or symptoms may give a clue to determining whether or not the reactions are a result of “Mengen”, while judgement of whether Kampo diagnosis is correct or not, is, of course, important.

A 61-year-old woman who presented with symptoms of dysphagia was hospitalized after right subclavian artery aneurysm was diagnosed. A selective right subclavian arteriogram revealed the presence of two large subclavian arterial aneurysms. The operative procedure consisted of aneurysmectomy through a right supuraclavian incision followed by the reconstruction of the blood vessel by end-to-end anastomosis of the right subclavian artery. The postoperative course was uneventful. Multiple subclavian artery aneurysms are rare among peripheral aneurysms. This case was found by the symptoms of dysphagia caused by compression of the esophagus. The etiology of this case is unclear, but most likely was due to trauma.

BACKGROUND: Predictive factors for the efficacy of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors for lowering glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) remain unclear in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study is therefore to clarify predictive factors of the efficacy of DPP-4 inhibitors for lowering HbA1c after 12 months of treatment. METHODS: A total of 191 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients (male sex 55%, mean age, 68.3+/-35.8 years), who had been treated with DPP-4 inhibitors for 12 months, were enrolled in this study and evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: After 12 months of DPP-4 inhibitor treatment, random blood glucose level, and HbA1c level, decreased from 167+/-63 to 151+/-49 mg/dL (P<0.01), and from 7.5%+/-1.3% to 6.9%+/-0.9% (P<0.01) respectively, without severe side effects. Multiple regression analysis showed that predictors of DPP-4 inhibitor treatment efficacy in lowering HbA1c level after 12 months were a decrease in HbA1c level after 3 months of treatment, a high baseline HbA1c level, a low baseline body mass index, and the absence of coronary artery disease. CONCLUSION: Most suitable candidates for treatment with DPP-4 inhibitors are diabetics who are not obese and do not have coronary artery disease. In addition, long-term efficacy of DPP-4 inhibitors can be predicted by decrement of HbA1c after 3 months of treatment.
Blood Glucose ; Body Mass Index ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Dipeptidyl-Peptidase IV Inhibitors ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome