OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and adverse reaction of total glucosides of paeony (TGP) combined with sulfasalazine (SSZ) in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

METHODSSixty-seven AS patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups: the treatment group (34 cases) treated with TGP and SSZ, the control group (33 cases) with methotrexate (MTX) and SSZ. Changes of clinical efficacy related indexes including lumber pain index, morning stiffness time, peripheral joint pain index, thoracic expansion, Schober test, Bath AS disease active index (BASDAI), Bath AS functional index (BASFI), the levels of erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), and X-ray of sacroiliac joint were observed.

RESULTSThe clinical efficacy indexes were significantly improved after treatment in the two groups (P < 0.05). Except that the improvement of lumber pain index and peripheral joint pain index was better in the treatment group than that in the control group (P < 0.05), no significant difference was found in the other indexes between the two groups. The occurrence of adverse reation was less in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONTGP treatment combined with SSZ shows favorable effect on AS with less and milder adverse reaction.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antirheumatic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Glucosides ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Paeonia ; chemistry ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing ; drug therapy ; Sulfasalazine ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo compare therapeutic effects of acupoint catgut embedding therapy and western medicine on ulcerative colitis.

METHODSOne hundred and sixteen cases of ulcerative colitis were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group of 56 cases were treated with catgut embedding at Dachangshu (BL 25), Zusanli (ST 36), Shangjuxu (ST 37) and other points, and the control group with oral administration of salicylazosul-fapyridine, 4-6 g/day. The therapeutic effects and improvement of symptoms were evaluated by reexamination of endoscopy before and 4 weeks, 6-8 weeks after treatment in the two groups, and changes of stool property and abdominal pain were compared.

RESULTSThe short-term therapeutic effect and the long-term therapeutic effect of the treatment group were better than those of the control group.

CONCLUSIONAcupoint catgut embedding therapy has a better therapeutic effect on ulcerative colitis with less adverse reactions.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Adult ; Aged ; Catgut ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sulfasalazine ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo assess the therapeutic effect of ozone therapy combined with sulfasalazine sulfasalazine delivered via a colon therapy system in the treatment of distal ulcerative colitis.

METHODSThis prospective randomized controlled clinical trial involved 54 patients with mild to moderate active distal ulcerative colitis, who were randomize into 3 groups in accordance with the inclusion criteria (n=18). Each group was given sulfasalazine at the daily dose of 2 g, and in colon therapy group and ozone therapy plus sulfasalazine therapy group, sulfasalazine was delivered via a colon therapy system on a daily basis; the control group received sulfasalazine via retention enema only. At 0, 2, and 4 weeks of the treatment, colonoscopy was performed to evaluate the disease activity, and biopsy samples were obtained at 0 and 4 weeks for histological examination.

RESULTSIn comparison with colon therapy group and control group, ozone therapy plus colon therapy resulted in more rapid alleviation of the clinical symptoms and better histological improvement without any adverse effects.

CONCLUSIONOzone therapy combined with sulfasalazine delivered via a colon therapy system is feasible and effective for treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ozone ; therapeutic use ; Prospective Studies ; Sulfasalazine ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is an uncommon hematological disorder that manifests as fever, splenomegaly, and jaundice, with hemophagocytosis in the bone marrow and other tissues pathologically. Secondary HPS is associated with malignancy and infection, especially viral infection. The prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients is approximately 16%. Nevertheless, HPS in UC superinfected by CMV is very rare. A 52-year-old female visited the hospital complaining of abdominal pain and hematochezia for 6 days. She was diagnosed with UC 3 years earlier and had been treated with sulfasalazine, but had stopped her medication 4 months earlier. On admission, her spleen was enlarged. The peripheral blood count revealed pancytopenia and bone marrow aspiration smears showed hemophagocytosis. Viral studies revealed CMV infection. She was treated successfully with ganciclovir. We report this case with a review of the related literature.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*complications/drug therapy ; Cytomegalovirus Infections/*complications/drug therapy ; Female ; Ganciclovir/therapeutic use ; Gastrointestinal Agents/therapeutic use ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/etiology ; Humans ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic/drug therapy/*virology ; Middle Aged ; Sulfasalazine/therapeutic use ; Superinfection/*complications

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Fengshi No. 1 (FS1) in treating patients with active stage of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODSPatients with RA were randomly divided into two groups, the 40 patients in the treated group were treated with combined therapy of methotrexate (MTX), sulfasalazine (SSZ) and FS1, and the 20 in the control groups were treated with MTX and SSZ alone.

RESULTSIn the treated group, the total effective rate was 97.5%, the clinical controlled and markedly effective rate 95.0% and the occurrence rate of side-toxic reaction 10.0%, as compared with those in the control group, 60.0%, 20.0% and 45.0% respectively, the difference was significant (chi 2 = 11.91, 32.23 and 7.67 respectively, all P < 0.01). The effect in the treated group was superior to that in the control group in abating joint swelling and pain, improving function of joint, reducing immune indices and ameliorating iconographic features (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONFS1 not only has the effects of anti-inflammation, analgesis, regulating immune reaction, but also could retard the occurring of bone destruction, reduce the toxic-side effects of MTX and SSZ.

Adult ; Aged ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; therapeutic use ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; drug therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Methotrexate ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Sulfasalazine ; therapeutic use

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with uncertain etiopathogenesis. CD can involve any site of gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to anus and is associated with serious complications such as bowel strictures, perforations, and fistula formation. The incidence and prevalence rates of CD in Korea are still lower than those of Western countries, but have been rapidly increasing during the past decades. Although there are no definitive curative modalities for CD, various medical and surgical therapies are currently applied for diverse clinical situations of CD. However, a lot of decisions on the management of CD are made depending on the personal experiences and personal dicision of physicians. To suggest preferable approaches to diverse problems of CD and to minimize the variations according to physicians, guidelines for the management of CD are needed. Therefore, IBD Study Group of the Korean Association for the Study of the Intestinal Diseases has set out to develop the guidelines for the management of CD in Korea. These guidelines were developed using the adaptation methods and encompass the treatment of inflammatory disease, stricturing disease, and penetrating disease. The guidelines also cover the indication of surgery, prevention of recurrence after surgery, and CD in pregnancy and lactation. These are the first Korean guidelines for the management of CD and the update with further scientific data and evidences is needed.
6-Mercaptopurine/analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/therapeutic use ; Budesonide/therapeutic use ; Crohn Disease/*drug therapy/pathology ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Fistula/therapy ; Humans ; Intestinal Perforation/surgery/therapy ; Male ; Mesalamine/therapeutic use ; Methotrexate/therapeutic use ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Pregnancy ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sulfasalazine/therapeutic use

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disorder characterized by a relapsing and remitting course. The quality of life can decreases significantly during exacerbations of the disease. The incidence and prevalence of UC in Korea are still lower than those of Western countries, but have been rapidly increasing during the past decades. Various medical and surgical therapies are currently used for the management of UC. However, many challenging issues exist and sometimes these lead to differences in practice between clinicians. Therefore, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) Study Group of Korean Association for the Study of Intestinal Diseases (KASID) set out the Korean guidelines for the management of UC. These guidelines are made by the adaptation using several foreign guidelines and encompass treatment of active colitis, maintenance of remission and indication for surgery in UC. The specific recommendations are presented with the quality of evidence. These are the first Korean treatment guidelines for UC and will be revised with new evidences on treatment of UC.
Administration, Oral ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use ; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/therapeutic use ; Azathioprine/therapeutic use ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*drug therapy/surgery ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone/therapeutic use ; Injections, Intravenous ; Mesalamine/therapeutic use ; Methylprednisolone/therapeutic use ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sulfasalazine/therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo analyze the symptomatic factors of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to explore the correlations between these factors and the efficacy of TCM herbal and western medicinal therapies.

METHODSFour hundred and thirteen patients with confirmed diagnosis as active RA came from 9 clinical centers were randomly divided into the Western medicine (WM) treated group (n=204) and the traditional herbal medicine (CM) treated group (n=209). The scheme of WM therapy included administration of voltaren extended action tablet, methotrexate and sulfasalazine. That of CM therapy included basic treatment and medication by syndrome differentiation. Eighteen items of often seen symptoms of the patients were collected before and after treatment. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by the American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement (ACR 20) and all data were analyzed using SAS 8.2 statistical software package. The category of symptoms was analyzed by factor analysis. The correlation of changes of various common factors with the therapeutic efficacy were analyzed by one-way ANOVA test.

RESULTSFour common factors were obtained from the 18 items of symptoms, which could better reflect respectively the local status of arthritis, and symptoms of Cold-syndrome, Asthenia-syndrome and Heat-syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Both CM and WM therapies showed consistent effect on the common factors that reflects the state of RA, but CM therapy showed superior effect on the common factors to improve Asthenia-syndrome to that of WM therapy.

CONCLUSIONFactor analysis could be used to categorize and study the important factor symptoms in the syndrome differentiation of TCM, and the results of factor analysis were in accord with the category of TCM syndrome differentiation. The exploration on the correlation of common factor and therapeutic efficacy could better exhibit the characteristics of TCM efficacy.

Adult ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; drug therapy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Methotrexate ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Sulfasalazine ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy of free-radical scavenger in the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP).

METHODSFifty-eight healthy male rats were randomly divided into a control group and four model groups (Groups A, B, C and D). The chronic prostatitis model was established in the latter groups through injecting E. coli into the ventral robe of the prostate according to document. Group A was untreated, Group B treated with free-radical scavenger vitamin C, Group C with salicylazosulfapyridine (SASP), Group D with SASP and vitamin C. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) examinations were conducted in each group 2 months later.

RESULTSVitamin C could significantly increase the level of SOD and decrease the level of MDA. There was significant difference between the model groups and the control one, as well as between the treated groups and the untreated one, but none among the treated groups.

CONCLUSIONFree-radical scavenger may be useful for the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis.

Animals ; Ascorbic Acid ; therapeutic use ; Chronic Disease ; Free Radical Scavengers ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Prostatitis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sulfasalazine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEA 6-month observation on curative effect of Panlongqi Tablet (PLQ) in treating patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was conducted for evaluating its efficacy and safety.

METHODSOne hundred and four inpatients and outpatients with AS were randomly assigned to two groups by using random number table, 52 in each group. All patients were treated non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and sulfasalazine (SSZ), and those in the treated group were given with PLQ additionally. The change of symptoms and signs were observed, and some laboratory indexes as Bath AS disease activity index (BASDAI), Bath AS functional index (BASFI), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), as well as adverse reaction were observed as well. The revisit and follow-up study were carried out at the 3 months and 6 months respectively.

RESULTSThe lumbosacral pain was significantly alleviated, the time for lumbodorsal morning stiffness was shortened, the levels of BASDAI, BASFI, ESR and CRP were significantly lowered after treatment for 3 months or 6months (P < 0.05), and these improvements were more significant in the treated group as compared with those in the control group (P < 0.05). The main adverse reactions was dominantly the gastrointestinal symptoms, which showed insignificant difference between the two groups (P >0.05).

CONCLUSIONPLQ is an effective traditional medicine for AS with mild adverse reaction, it can be used as an adjuvant therapy.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing ; drug therapy ; Sulfasalazine ; therapeutic use ; Tablets ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult