A 43-year-old man who suffered from aconitine poisoning was treated effectively with Kampo medicine (Go-rei-san extracts). He showed polyuria and severe ventricular arrhythmia on the ECG. Ventricular arrhythmia improved in accordance with normalization of urination. Go-rei-san may be useful for the treatment of aconitine poisoning.

The case of a 48-year-old man suffering from severe alcoholic liver disease accompanied by severe ascites and leg edema, who had been effectively treated with Kampo medicine, is described. The ascites disappeared promptly, but leg edema did not diminish. Thus, “Kumi-binrou-to” and some kinds of Kampo-formula were prescribed for depression and grasping-pain of sural muscles. The edema disappeared. The patient's liver function and mental state improved. Kampo medicine is useful for the treatment of alcoholic liver disease with psychological problems.

Two cases of patients with acute burns, who were treated with Kampo formulas, are herein presented.
Case 1: A 53-year-old woman injured her left foot with boiled oil. She had been treated with an anti-inflammatory agent and dressing for four days before Kampo treatment. But the swelling of the foot became worse. Severe swelling, redness, heat and lots of exudate were apparent. She complained of thirst, which was probably due to loss of Shin'eki. Thus, Eppi-ka-jutsu-to was prescribed. Her symptoms improved within two days. Case 2: A 64-year-old-woman had facial burns from boiling water. She was in severe pain. Shiun-ko was applied topically, and Oren-gedoku-to with Kikyo-sekko was prescribed. The pain subsided promptly. On the next day, swelling, redness and heat were recognized. Eppi-ka-jutsu-to was effective. The local symptoms disappeared within a few days. Kampo treatment may be useful for relief of acute burn symptoms.

AIMTo investigate the effect of diethylstilbestrol (DES), one of the most potent endocrine disruptors, on the metabolism of polyamines in hamster epididymis.

METHODSMale golden hamsters of 7-week-old were kept under a light and dark cycle of 14 h and 10 h for 1 week to stimulate maximally the gonadal function. DES was injected subcutaneously at doses of 0.01 mg . kg(-1) . day(-1), 0.1 mg . kg(-1) . day(-1) and 1 mg . kg(-1) . day(-1) for one week.

RESULTSDES treatment caused a significant decrease in the weight of epididymis. The activity of epididymal ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) increased 1 day after DES treatment, kept at a high level for 4 days and then decreased to nearly normal level at day 7. The activity of spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) also increased transiently after DES treatment. The contents of putrescine, spermidine, spermine and N(1)-acetylspermidine were increased 1 day approximately 4 days after DES treatment and restored to normal at day 7. All these changes showed a marked difference between the caput and the cauda.

CONCLUSIONThe polyamine biosynthesis in the hamster epididymis can be affected by DES, a xenoestrogen. DES may probably affect polyamine metabolism in the epididymis by regulating the rate-limiting enzymes involved in the polyamine biosynthesis.

Acetyltransferases ; metabolism ; Animals ; Cricetinae ; Diethylstilbestrol ; pharmacology ; Epididymis ; anatomy & histology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Mesocricetus ; Organ Size ; drug effects ; Ornithine Decarboxylase ; metabolism ; Polyamines ; metabolism ; Putrescine ; metabolism ; Spermidine ; analogs & derivatives ; metabolism ; Spermine ; metabolism