We prescribed ninjinto for 3 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or interstitial pneumonia.Markers for assessing the efficacy of this formulation included dull sensations in the stomach and diarrhea.These markers rapidly improved following the administration of ninjinto. The 3 patients experienced 2 com mon features, including an obstructive and a cold feeling in the pit of the stomach. Moreover, a cessation or significant decrease in cough and sputum was observed following ninjinto administration. Ninjinto is usually used to treat digestive disorders. However, these findings suggest that ninjinto may also be used for the treat ment of respiratory disorders.

We report four patients suffering from dumping syndrome treated effectively with Keishito and its additional prescription. Case1was a 57-year old male who received subtotal gastrectomy 30 years ago. After the operation he felt shaking sensations and eyes flickering after meals for10minutes to 4 hours. These symptoms tended to occur along with hunger. After taking Keishito, these symptoms improved. Case 2 was a 63-year old male who received subtotal gastrectomy 7 years ago. In recent years, he has had noticeable sweat and fatigability 20-30 minutes after meals. After taking Keishito, these dumping syndrome symptoms disappear. Case 3 was a 71-year old female who received subtotal gastrectomy 9 years ago. Thereafter, cold sweats and dizziness came to appear regardless of what she ate. After taking keishikashakuyakuto or shokenchuto the aforementioned symptoms disappeared. Case 4 was a 72-year old female who received subtotal gastrectomy 2 years ago. Sweats and hot flushes began to occur after meals for 30 minutes to 3 hours, from last July. These symptoms were improved simply by licking candy. After taking Keishito, these symptoms also disappeared.
symptoms <1> ; Gastrectomy ; Dumping Syndrome ; Cases ; Hour

Chinese herbal medicine has historically been used for the treatment of renal disease. There are some medi cines such as rhubarb and Ompito that delay the need for dialysis. However, they only attenuate the 1/Cr-time slope but cannot reduce the Cr level. In this study, four chronic renal failure (CRF) patients who had not responded to any Western medicine were treated effectively with Astragali Radix, a traditional herbal medi cine. Serum creatinine (Cr) was clearly improved, and necessity for dialysis was delayed. In two patients, Cr was controlled stably over four years. There were no adverse effects, and no noteworthy changes in the lev els of serum phosphorus, potassium and uric acid between before and after treatment were observed. This study suggests that Astragali Radix is a useful agent in the treatment of CRF.

Idiopathic mesenteric phlebosclerosis (IMP) is a rare chronic ischemic intestinal disease, mainly in the right hemicolon, characterized by dark purple mucosa on colonoscopy and calcifications of the intestinal wall and mesenteric veins on abdominal radiography and computed tomography. In recent years, many patients who developed IMP over the long-term administration of Kampo medicines have been reported. However, the present status of IMP in patients under long-term treatment with Kampo medicines in departments specializing in Kampo therapy is unclear. We surveyed whether there were any IMP outpatients followed for 5 years or more at the Department of Oriental Traditional Medical Center, Suwa Central Hospital. We detected 2 of 257 (0.8%) patients having IMP. Both patients had undergone long-term treatment with Gardenia fruit. One of them underwent surgery due to acute abdomen, but the other was asymptomatic. The etiology and pathogenesis of IMP are still unclear. However, in patients undergoing long-term treatment with Kampo medicines, particularly containing Gardenia fruit, the possible presence of IMP should be taken into consideration, and active screening using imaging examinations is necessary even in asymptomatic patients.

We prescribed Hyakugokokinto for four patients suffering from dryness in the throat. Dry throat improvements were observed in all patients, while improvements in insomnia were observed as well. Thus, insomnia may be a further indication for the use of Hyakugokokinto.

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy, also referred to Takotsubo cardiomyopathy or apical ballooning syndrome presents in perioperative period. We demonstrated a case of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy recognized after general anesthesia for bladder hydrodistension therapy as ambulatory surgery, which we surmise was due to inadequate blockage of surgical stress and sympathetic discharge against noxious stimulus during ambulatory anesthesia.
Ambulatory Surgical Procedures ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Cardiomyopathies ; Perioperative Period ; Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy ; Urinary Bladder

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory surgery, including short-stay surgery, has become a common choice in clinical practice. For the success of ambulatory surgery, perioperative care with safe and effective anesthesia and postoperative analgesia, which can reduce the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), is essential. The effect of remifentanil on the occurrence and severity of PONV has not been thoroughly examined, particularly, in an ambulatory surgery setting. Here, we investigate whether remifentanil influences the occurrence and severity of PONV in a university hospital-based ambulatory unit. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a total of 1,765 cases of patients who had undergone general anesthesia at our ambulatory surgery unit. Parameters, such as occurrence and severity of nausea, vomiting or retching, use of antiemetic drugs, amount of postoperative analgesic and patient satisfaction, were extracted from the records and analyzed between the groups that received and not received remifentanil. RESULTS: Within 565 patients of the RF group, 39 patients (6.6%) experienced nausea, 7 patients (1.2%) experienced vomiting or retching, and 10 patients (1.8%) were given antiemetic; in addition, the maximum VAS value for nausea was 12.1 mm. In 1,200 patients of the non RF group, 102 patients (8.5%) experienced nausea, 19 patients (1.6%) experienced vomiting or retching, and 34 patients (2.8%) were given antiemetic, and the maximum VAS value was 13.2 mm. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that remifentanil did not increase the occurrence of PONV in patients within the ambulatory surgery unit.
Ambulatory Surgical Procedures ; Analgesia ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Antiemetics ; Humans ; Incidence ; Nausea ; Patient Satisfaction ; Perioperative Care ; Piperidines ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting ; Retrospective Studies ; Vomiting