AIMTo study the enhancing effect of electroporation and iontophoresis on the permeation of insulin through human cadaver skin in vitro.

METHODSUsing side by side two-chamber diffusion cells, the flux of insulin achieved with iontophoresis and electrophoration were compared.

RESULTSThe application of high-voltage pulse combined with iontophoresis resulted in higher flux transdermal permeation of insulin than either one technique alone (P < 0.05). Pulsing at a higher voltage increased the flux of insulin more dramatically than pulsing at a lower voltage (P < 0.01). The transdermal transport of insulin by 90 pulse of 500 V (exponential pulse generater, pulse time: 20-24 ms, pulse frequency: 3 pulse.min-1) followed by iontophoresis led to a quick input and a high steady flux.

CONCLUSIONElectroporation combined with iontophoresis can enhance the permeation of insulin significantly.

Electroporation ; methods ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Insulin ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Iontophoresis ; methods ; Permeability ; Skin ; metabolism ; Skin Absorption

BACKGROUND: Excessive sweating, especially of the palms, soles and axillae, is a socially and an occupationally distressing, and sometimes disabling condition. A variety of treatment methods are used to reduce profuse sweating including topical agents, iontophoresis and symphatectomy. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether a 20% aluminum chloride solution is efficient in the treatment of axillary and palmoplantar hyperhidrosis using a skin surface hydrometer. METHODS: We treated 31 patients (7; male, 24; female) by Drysol once a day at bedtime for four weeks. We had measured the conductances on the stratum corneum of the palms, soles and axillae using a skin surface hydrometer before and after treatment every week for four week RESULTS: There was a reduction of conductances after the treatment by Drysol (p<0.05). The reduction of conductances was continued for four weeks (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Drysol is an efficient, safe, and simple method for initial treatment of the primary hyperhidrosis.
Aluminum* ; Axilla ; Humans ; Hyperhidrosis* ; Iontophoresis ; Male ; Methods ; Occupations ; Skin ; Sweat ; Sweating

OBJECTIVETo search for a therapeutic program for increasing the therapeutic effect of western medicine on rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODSNinety-six cases of RA were randomly assigned to a treatment group and a control group, 48 cases in each group. The treatment group were treated with heat electroacupuncture instrument with Chinese herb iontophoresis, combined with Meloxicam, Salazosulfamide, and Methotrexate. The control group with simple the western medicine. After treatment of a month, changes of the morning stiff duration, grasp strength, number of tenderness joints, tenderness index, joint rest pain, number of swelling joints, swelling index, assessment of the patient and doctor, and blood rheumatism factor (RF), C-response protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), the white blood cell (WBC) and platelet counts (PLT) were investigated.

RESULTSThe effective rate was 79.2% in the treatment group and 52.1% in the control group, the treatment group being significantly better than the control group (P < 0.01). After treatment of one month, morning stiff duration, average grasp strength of the both hands, tenderness of joint and swelling of joints significantly improved (P < 0.01), with the treatment group being superior to the control group (P < 0.01). After treatment, blood RF, CRP, ESR, WBC and PLT decreased in the two groups (P < 0.01), and the decreases of blood CRP, ESR, PLT in the treatment group were more significantly as compared with the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe therapeutic effect of heat needle combined with herb iontophoresis and western medicine is superior to simple medicine for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Adult ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Iontophoresis ; Male

In vitro percutaneous delivery of hepatitis B vaccines was investigated in order to assess the penetration of vaccine under passive diffusion and iontophoresis conditions. The study was carried out using Franz vertical diffusion cell through the hairless abdominal skin of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the cumulative amount of permeation and the retention amount of drug in skin. Passive diffusion alone resulted in less skin permeation and retention of hepatitis B vaccines, only (2.1 +/- 0.1) ng x cm(-2) and (2.3 +/- 0.1) ng x cm(-2) after 24 h when the initial concentration of vaccine in the donor compartment was 23 microg x mL(-1) and 46 microg x mL(-1), respectively. After removing the stratum corneum, the permeation and retention amount of hepatitis B vaccines increased to (383.7 +/- 86.2) ng x cm(-2) and (16.8 +/- 4.6) ng x cm(-2), respectively, 171.6-folds and 2.1-folds more than that from its intact skin with the drug loaded at 46 microg x mL(-1). Iontophoresis induced a significant increase of cumulative and retention amount of hepatitis B vaccines through the skin (P < 0.05). Application of iontophoresis significantly enhanced the permeation of hepatitis B vaccines (P < 0.05) by 2.7-folds and 6.6-folds for the intact skin, and by 1.6-folds and 1.8-folds for the tape-stripped skin with initial drug loading of 23 microg x mL(-1) and 46 microg x mL(-1), respectively. Iontophoresis also significantly increased the amount of drug retained in the skin. After applying iontophoresis for 6 h, the amount of skin retention was nearly the same as passive diffusion for 24 h both from intact skin [(16.8 +/- 4.6) ng x cm(-2) vs (13.3 +/- 5.4) ng x cm(-2)] (P > 0.05) and tape-stripped skin [(36.7 +/- 14.1) ng x cm(-2) vs (26.8 +/- 11.2) ng x cm(-2)] (P > 0.05). Overall, these findings revealed that the transportation efficiency of bioactive substance like hepatitis B vaccines may be improved by iontophoresis, which can be potentially used in the field of transcutaneous immunization.
Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Diffusion ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; In Vitro Techniques ; Iontophoresis ; methods ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin ; metabolism ; Skin Absorption

OBJECTIVE: To observe the curative effect of different physical rehabilitation techniques on patients with lumbar disc herniation. METHODS: Eighty-four patients were randomly divided into Group A, Group B and Group C. Group A were treated with the computerized pelvis traction and ultrashort wave, Group B were treated with the computerized pelvis traction only, while Groups C were treated with the computerized pelvis traction, the ultrashort wave and the traditional Chinese medicine iontophoresis. The outcome was measured with the Japanese Orthopaedics Association Score (JOA score) about lower back pain (LBP). RESULTS: Compared with before the treatment, the JOA score of all the 3 groups increase markedly after the treatment (P<0.001). Compared with group B, the JOA score of Groups A and Group C significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with Group A, the JOA score in Group C significantly increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The curative effect of comprehensive rehabilitation on lumbar disc herniation is better than that of the single rehabilitation.
Adult ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Computers ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; rehabilitation ; therapy ; Iontophoresis ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Pelvis ; Physical Therapy Modalities ; Traction ; methods ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrasonic Therapy

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis is a chronic progressive autosomal recessive disorder caused by the CFTR gene mutations. It is quite common in Caucasians, but very rare in Asians. Sweat chloride test is known to be a screening test for the cystic fibrosis due to the fact that electrolyte levels in sweat are elevated in patients. In this study, sweat chloride levels in Korean population were measured and analyzed by using standardized pilocarpine iontophoresis sweat chloride test. METHODS: The sweat chloride test was performed in 47 patients referred to Yondong Severance Hospital from August, 2001 to April, 2007 and 41 healthy volunteers. The sweat chloride tests were conducted according to the CLSI C34-A2 guideline using pilocarpine iontophoresis method, and the chloride concentrations in sweat were measured by mercurimetric titration. RESULTS: Four patients showed sweat chloride concentrations higher than 60 mmol/L. Reference interval was calculated as 1.4-44.5 mmol/L by analysis of the results of healthy volunteers (n=41). Four patients who exhibited high sweat chloride levels, had characteristic clinical features of cystic fibrosis and their diagnoses were confirmed either by repeated sweat chloride test or genetic analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Standardized sweat chloride test can be utilized as a useful diagnostic tool for cystic fibrosis in Koreans. In cases of sweat chloride levels higher than 40 mmol/L, the test should be repeated for the possible diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. All the confirmed Korean cases of cystic fibrosis showed sweat chloride level above 60 mmol/L.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chlorides/*analysis/*standards ; Cystic Fibrosis/*diagnosis/genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Iontophoresis/methods ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pilocarpine/chemistry ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sweat/chemistry/*secretion

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, and the mutations in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene contributes to the CF syndrome. Although CF is common in Caucasians, it is known to be rare in Asians. Recently, we experienced two cases of CF in Korean children. The patients were girls with chronic productive cough since early infancy. Chest computed tomography showed the diffuse bronchiectasis in both lungs, and their diagnosis was confirmed by the repeated analysis of a quantitative pilocarpine iontophoresis test (QPIT). The sweat chloride concentrations of the first patient were 108.1 mM/L and 96.7 mM/L. The genetic analysis revealed that she was the compound heterozygote of Q1291X and IVS8 T5 -M470V. In the second case, the sweat chloride concentrations were 95.0 mM/L and 77.5 mM/L. Although we performed a comprehensive search for the coding regions and exonintron splicing junctions of CFTR gene, no obvious disease-related mutations were detected in the second case. To our knowledge, this is the first report of CF in Korean children identified by a QPIT and genetic analysis. The possibility of CF should be suspected in those patients with chronic respiratory symptoms even in Korea.
Blood Pressure ; Bronchiectasis/diagnosis/pathology ; Child ; Cough ; Cystic Fibrosis/*diagnosis/*genetics ; Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator/genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Exons ; Female ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Introns ; Iontophoresis/*methods ; Korea ; Lung/pathology/radiography ; Muscarinic Agonists/*pharmacology ; Mutation ; Pancreas/pathology ; Pedigree ; Phenotype ; Pilocarpine/*pharmacology ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Sinusitis/diagnosis/pathology ; Sweat ; Time Factors ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Experiments were performed on Sprague Dawley rats with multibarrel microelectrode technique. The effects of acoustic response of A I cortex neurons produced by electrical stimulation of lateral amygdaloid nucleus (LA) and the influence of GABA were observed. Experimental results showed that iontophoretic administration of GABA caused a pronounced inhibition of the electrical activity of A-I neurons. Blockade of GABA(A) with bicuculline (BIC) facilitated the acoustic response. The acoustic response of A-I neurons was inhibited when the LA was stimulated. Iontophoretic application of GABA resulted in a similar inhibitory effect as that of LA stimulation. Blockade of GABA(A) with bicuculline reversed the inhibitory effect of LA stimulation on the acoustic response of A-I neurons. In contrast, application of strychnine, a glycine receptor antagonist, could not reverse the inhibitory effect of LA. Baclofen, a GABA(B) agonist, did not affect the acoustic response of the auditory neurons. These results indicate that GABA is the ultimate transmitter which mediates the LA stimulation-induced inhibition of the acoustic response of A-I neurons in rats, possibly via the GABA(A) receptor.
Acoustic Stimulation ; Amygdala ; physiology ; Animals ; Baclofen ; pharmacology ; Bicuculline ; pharmacology ; Cerebral Cortex ; physiology ; Electric Stimulation ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory ; physiology ; GABA Agonists ; pharmacology ; GABA Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Iontophoresis ; methods ; Male ; Microelectrodes ; Neurons ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, GABA-A ; physiology ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; physiology