ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effect of treating pigmentation after acne with Babai dection mask.MethodsBilateral contrasts was adopted.30 patients who had pigmentation after acnes were randomly recruited into a treatment group and a control group.The treatment group was applied with improved Babai dection mask,while the control group was addminated with honey mask.After 8 weeks of treatment,the therapeutic effects were evaluated.ResultsThe total effective rate of the treatment group was 63.33％,while the control group was 26.67％,showing significant difference (P=0.004).The subjective satisfaction rate of the treatment group was higher than the control group (P=0.002).The melanin value of normal skin and pigmentation after the treatment[the treatment group:(156.18±30.68)、(186.44±41.98); the control group:(158.95± 26.64)、(182.25 ± 44.03)]was dramatically reduced than before the treatment[the treatment group:(180.90±33.09)、(202.37±41.14) ; the control group:(179.92±32.51)、(205.37±43.31)]( P＜0.01).TEWL value of both groups[(13.97 ± 4.78)g/m2h、 (13.57 ± 3.68)g/m2h]were higher than those before treatment[(9.64± 3.01) g/m2h、(10.55± 3.39) g/m2h](P＜0.01).The treatment group (33.72± 9.89) ％ had no change in water capacity than before(35.26± 11.41)(P＞0.05),while the control group decreased[after the treatment:(32.05±10.34)％,before the treatment (37.21±12.24)％].Uv / Ue value of skin elasticity decreased in the treatment group (0.63± 0.05) while no change in the control group (0.64± 0.05).Conclusion Improved Babai dection mask had obvious effects in whitening,accelerating regression of post-inflammatory pigmentation,maintaining the water capacity,and increasing skin elasticity.

We experienced a case of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) which responded to Kampo medicine. A 53-year-old female patient first complained of stiffness and pain in the neck. Myalgia was severe and gradually eypanded to both shoulders and both upper extremities. Body weight decreased, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was greater than 100mm/hour. Because her condition tended to improve when treated with prednisolone 10mg/day, she was diagnosed as having PMR. Her condition was well controlled until the dose of prednisolone decreased. Myalgia then recurred, and the ESR increased to 83mm/hour. The patient visited our outpatient department for treatment with Kampo therapy. Two months after treatment with Sairei-to plus Yokuinin-to, all signs and symptoms disappeared other than the stiff neck. Her body weight showed a tendency to increase. Six months after she first visited us, prednisolone was decreased and then stopped. Her condition still remains well controlled with this Kampo therapy alone. She has no clinical signs and symptoms, and the ESR has improved to 16mm/hour.

In 1984 a 42-year-old female complaining of general malaise and loss of strength in the proximal muscles of the limbs came to the 2nd Department of Internal Medicine for an examination. From her high CPK value, electromyogram, muscle biopsy, etc., she was diagnosed as having polymyositis. Initially she responded well to steroids, but a year later the condition recurred. Treatment with various methods such as the immunosuppressants methotrexate and azathioprine, steroid pulse therapy and plasma replacement were tried without success. In September 1991, the patient's CPK value remained abnormal at about 800mU/ml. According to the Oriental Medical viewpoint, the condition was diagnosed as Kidney yin Deficiency. Rokumi-gan was therefore administered daily (7.5g/day) for a period of 80 days. The CPK value was brought down to the vicinity of 200mU/ml, and the feeling of general malaise and lack of strength in the proximal muscles of the limbs was improved. However, due to the persistence of edema in the lower limbs, the Kampo formula was changed from Rokumigan to Chorei-to, also administered at a dosage of 7.5g/day. This reduced the edema and normalized the CPK value to the 100mU/ml range. During this period, steroid administration was maintained with prednisolone (30mg/day). At present, with the improvement in the CPK value, steroid administration is gradually being reduced.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Decreased trough levels of infliximab (TLI) and antibodies to infliximab (ATI) are associated with loss of response (LOR) in Crohn's disease. Two prospective studies were conducted to determine whether TLI or ATI better correlates with LOR (Study 1), and whether TLI could become a predictor of mucosal healing (MH) (Study 2). METHODS: Study 1 was conducted in 108 patients, including those with LOR and remission to compare ATI and TLI in discriminating the 2 conditions based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. Study 2 involved 35 patients who were evaluated endoscopically. RESULTS: In Study 1, there were no differences between the 2 assays in ROC curve analyses; the TLI cutoff value for LOR was 2.6 µg/mL (sensitivity, 70.9%; specificity, 79.2%), and the ATI cutoff value was 4.9 µg/mL (sensitivity, 65.5%; specificity, 67.9%). The AUROC (area under the ROC curve) of TLI was greater than that of ATI. AUROC was useful for discriminating between the 2 conditions. In Study 2, the TLI was significantly higher in the colonic MH group than in the non-MH group (2.7 µg/mL vs. 0.5 µg/mL, P=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: TLI is better than ATI for clinically diagnosing LOR, and a correlation was observed between TLI and colonic MH.
Antibodies ; Cohort Studies* ; Colon ; Crohn Disease* ; Humans ; Infliximab* ; Prospective Studies* ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity