Serious aggravation of de novo hepatitis B caused by revitalization of the hepatitis B virus in HBs antigen negative, HBs antibody or HBc antibody positive patients has recently been reported. The incidence of de novo hepatitis B infection which occurs in patients undergoing immunosuppression or chemotherapy develops at times into a medical lawsuit. To cope with the situation, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) issued the guideline for the management of hepatitis B infective occurring in patients treated with immunosuppressive therapy or chemotherapy (the revised edition). In our institution, the Chemotherapy Committee discussed our measures against de novo hepatitis B, and determined to carry out the in-hospital examination of the HBc antibody to provide reliable safe and speed medicine.　　During the investigation period, HBc antibody was examined for confirmation of anamnesis of Hepatitis B in patients receiving chemotherapy, immunosuppressive medicine, examination of infectious disease before blood transfusion and examination of viral hepatitis. In our institution, the number of cases which are adapted for the MHLW guideline (the revised edition) was 15 of 218 examples, and as a result HBs antigen negative, HBs antibody or HBc antibody positive patients, who could not be found in the routine screening for HB infection turned out to be not a few.　　Since it was expected that the number of patients undergoing immunosuppression and chemotherapy would continue to increase in the future, the necessity for observance of guideline was suggested to provide relief, safety in medical treatment.

Chukenchuto is often reported to be useful for constipation. We experienced patients with diarrhea or loose stool, successfully treated with chukenchuto. In this report, five cases are documented. Of these, four cases did not present with constipation. We emphasize that chukenchuto is also effective for diarrhea or loose stool. Other clinical manifestations such as gargling sound or abdominal distension, tension of abdominal rectus muscle, and feeling of cold are common in cases where chukenchuto is effective.

In the Guideline for treatment of chronic headache published by Japanese Headache Society, Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen are proposed for the acute treatment of migraine in children. But prophylactic treatment of pediatric migraine is not established. We report the efficacy of Kampo medicine for preventing migraine in children and childhood periodic syndromes. We use a variety of Kampo medicine for 9 pediatric migraine and periodic syndromes patients from 8 to 15 years old. All 9 patients improve their headache and associated symptoms including abdominal pain, vertigo, nausea and vomiting. After treatment the mean average of Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) improve from 63.66 points to 45.77 points. Kampo medicines is effective for migraine in children and childhood periodic syndromes.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Few reports have described the long-term treatment outcomes of the anti-tumor necrosis factor-α antibody for Japanese Crohn’s disease (CD) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate them and clarify the clinical factors that affect the long-term prognosis of the anti-tumor necrosis factor-α treatments. METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational, single-center cohort study. Japanese CD patients treated with either infliximab or adalimumab as a first-line therapy were analyzed. The cumulative retention rates of the biologics, relapse-free survival, and surgery-free survival were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods. The clinical factors associated with the long-term outcomes were estimated by both the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: The cumulative retention rate was significantly higher in the group with a concomitant elemental diet of ≥900 kcal/day, baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) levels < 2.6 mg/dL, and baseline serum albumin levels ≥3.5 g/dL, respectively. The baseline serum albumin levels were also associated with both relapse-free and surgery-free survival. The lack of concomitant use of an elemental diet ≥900 kcal/day was identified as the only independent risk factor for the withdrawal of the biologics. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline CRP levels and serum albumin levels could affect the long-term outcomes in CD patients. Concomitant elemental diet of ≥900 kcal/day could have a positive influence on clinical treatment course.
Adalimumab ; Antibodies ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biological Products ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cohort Studies ; Crohn Disease ; Food, Formulated ; Humans ; Infliximab ; Necrosis ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Serum Albumin