scholarly journals Improvement of skin lesions in corticosteroid withdrawal-associated severe eczema by multicomponent traditional Chinese medicine therapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serife Uzun ◽  
Zixi Wang ◽  
Tory A. McKnight ◽  
Paul Ehrlich ◽  
Erin Thanik ◽  
...  

Abstract Rationale We recently showed that multicomponent traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy had steroid-sparing effects in moderate-to-severe eczema. We sought to evaluate TCM effects in severe eczema in a 7-year-old male with refractory disease and corticosteroid withdrawal syndrome. Methods Prior to referral, the patient had been treated since infancy with increasingly intensive standard of care, including high-dose topical and systemic corticosteroid and antibiotic therapy and was unable to tolerate further steroid treatment. The patient was administered a combination of oral and topical TCM for 17 months following discontinuation of his steroid regimen. His overall medical condition was assessed by SCORAD criteria and laboratory evaluations of serum IgE, absolute eosinophil count, and liver and kidney function tests. Results The patient showed rapid improvement of clinical measures of disease after starting TCM therapy, with marked improvement of sleep quality within the first week, complete resolution of itching, oozing, and erythema at 2 weeks, and a 79% and 99% decrease in his SCORAD values after one month and 3–6 months of TCM, respectively. Serum total IgE decreased by 75% (from 19,000 to 4630 (kIU/L), and absolute eosinophil counts decreased by 60% (from 1000 to 427 cells/μL) after 12 months of treatment. The patient did not require oral or topical steroids during the 17-month trial of TCM. TCM was tapered without complications. His dermatologic manifestations continued to be well-controlled 3 months after discontinuation. Conclusion This case study suggests TCM should be further evaluated in controlled clinical studies of patients with severe, refractory eczema and steroid withdrawal syndrome.

2018 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Thanik ◽  
Julia A. Wisniewski ◽  
Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn ◽  
Hugh Sampson ◽  
Xiu-Min Li

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cancan Zhou ◽  
Pengbo Jia ◽  
Zhengdong Jiang ◽  
Ke Chen ◽  
Guanghui Wang ◽  
...  

The intestine function recovery decoction (IFRD) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for the treatment of adhesive intestinal obstruction. In this study, the preventative effects and probable mechanism of the IFRD were investigated in a rat model. We randomly assigned rats to five groups: normal, model, control, low dose IFRD, and high dose IFRD. In the animal model, the caecum wall and parietal peritoneum were abraded to induce intra-abdominal adhesion formation. Seven days after surgery, adhesion scores were assessed using a visual scoring system, and histopathological samples were examined. The levels of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) were analysed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that a high dose of IFRD reduced the grade of intra-abdominal adhesion in rats. Furthermore, the grades of inflammation, fibrosis, and neovascularization in the high dose IFRD group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The results indicate that the IFRD can prevent intra-abdominal adhesion formation in a rat model. These data suggest that the IFRD may be an effective antiadhesion agent.


2000 ◽  
Vol 28 (01) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung-Che Shih ◽  
Kaung-Hsiung Chang ◽  
Fang-Lung Chen ◽  
Chiu-Mei Chen ◽  
Shu-Chen Chen ◽  
...  

Among the "alternative medicines," which may ably supplement modern Western medicine in the treatment of certain diseases, the holistic approach and mild nature of the majority of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) may make it particularly suitable for the treatment of diseases associated with old age, as the general health of elderly patients is already compromised. The TCM formulation of Bu-Zhong-Yi-Qi-Tang (B.Z.Y.Q.T.), prescribed mainly for the improvement of circulation and in particular that to the gastroenteric regions, may have anti-aging effects. In the present study, possible anti-aging effects of B.Z.Y.Q.T. were studied using normal (ICR) mice and the Dull, P/8 and R/1 strains of the Senescence Accelerated Mouse (S.A.M.). Following repeated oral administrations of B.Z.Y.Q.T. at 250 and 500 mg/kg the test mice were assessed for (1) endurance (2) learning and memory (3) neuromuscular coordination and (4) changes in the levels of monoamines in the brain. The results indicated that B.Z.Y.Q.T. improved endurance in all strains in a dose-dependent manner. At the higher dose of 500 mg/kg, it improved memory in the R/1 and P/8 S.A.M. mice. In prolonged rota-rod tests, which assessed both motor coordination and endurance, B.Z.Y.Q.T. significantly improved performance in the P/8 S.A.M. mice. Elevated dopamine and noradrenaline were observed in cortical tissues of the S.A.M./Dull and ICR mice respectively with the high dose of 500 mg/kg, B.Z.Y.Q.T. Taken together, the results indicated that B.Z.Y.Q.T. appeared to exert anti-aging effects in mice and elevation in certain monoamines in brain cortical tissues. How and whether the monoamines changes after B.Z.Y.Q.T. treatment might be related to the behavioral effects await further investigation.


2019 ◽  
pp. 13-16
Author(s):  
Beatrice E. Bachmeier ◽  
Stefan Hager ◽  
Dieter Melchart

This case report indicates a complication of a footbath with herbs, self-applied by a patient at home. A 60 year old female patient presented herself at the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) hospital, Bad Kötzting, Germany with the main symptoms of persistent coughing fits and disturbing smells especially during meals. At admission, she was administered a high dose Chinese herbal therapy complementary to her already prescribed pharmaceuticals. During her sojourn in the hospital she started suffering from numbness in both feet, preferred on the dorsum, and up to and including the toes, accompanied with a sensation of cold. Therefore TCM herbal footbaths containing 5g Psoraleae fructus semen (Buguzhi) were administered, twice a day, for 2 weeks, during the hospital stay without any complications. One week after discharge from the hospital she went on with her footbaths, prescribed for outpatient treatment. Buguzhi is suspected to cause phototoxic reactions under sunlight. Unfortunately, the patient applied the prescription-based footbath under a parasol in her garden. This seems to be the reason, why the patient developed an erythema bullosa grade three. She was treated with antibiotics for 10 days and ointment bandages until remission. To avoid similar adverse events in future, patients have to be informed to not expose their skin to solar irradiation during or after footbaths containing Buguzhi. Alternatively it has to be considered to omit Buguzhi for the use of footbaths applied as outpatient treatment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  

Introduction: Eye pain can occur on the surface of your eye or within your eye’s deeper structures. Severe eye pain especially accompanied by any degree of vision loss may be a signal that you have a serious medical condition. Eye pain that’s on the surface of your eye might be described as itching, burning or shooting pain. Surface eye pain is often related to a foreign object in your eye, an eye infection, or anything that irritates or inflames the membrane covering the surface of your eye. You might describe eye pain originating deeper within your eye as throbbing or aching [1]. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the use of earrings can be a causative factor of eye pain. Methods: A reading of the location of the eye in the human ear was carried out through a map showing the location of the organs according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Results: Over two reports of clinical cases of patients with ocular pain at the time of the consultation or the acupuncture session, there was almost immediate improvement of ocular pain symptoms after removal of the earrings bilaterally. Conclusion: The use of earrings, which are usually above the eye point, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, could be the cause of eye pain, based on these two clinical reports.


Author(s):  
Junqiu Liu ◽  
Chen Sha ◽  
Jun Zhang ◽  
Jintang Cheng ◽  
An Liu ◽  
...  

Astragalus membranaceus (AM) and Panax ginseng (PG) are two herbal products with a long history of clinical usage in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), used in treating a variety of diseases especially in stimulating or inhibiting the immune system. To elucidate the immunity effect of these two traditional Chinese medicine on animal model, four pharmacodynamic indexes (spleen index, thymus index, splenic lymphocyte proliferation and cytotoxic activity of natural killer (NK) cells) were observed on mice. Furthermore, metabolic profiles of plasma were also analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS, LC-MS) method. All mice were intragastric administrated at three doses (low dose, moderate dose and high dose) once daily for 30 days. Principal components analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projection to latent structure discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were performed on LC-MS spectra of plasma, showing that all administration groups developed the disturbance of internal milieu, compared to the blank control (BC) group. Besides, correlation analysis was conducted between pharmacodynamic index and metabolic index. It indicated that uracil, lysoPC(18:3(6Z,9Z,12Z)), sphinganine, LPA(0:0/16:0), UDP-glucuronate, PC(14:0/18:0) were five main endogenous substances, much closely related to four immunological indexes. Glycerophospholipid metabolism was found in both AM and PG groups. Pyrimidine metabolism and sphingolipid metabolism were closely regulated in AM groups. Energy metabolism (starch and sucrose metabolism, Pentose and glucuronate interconversions, together with glycerolipid metabolism) and glycerolipid metabolism were found in PG groups. These findings could contribute to the understanding of mice plasmatic metabolic profiling after long-term administration. Comparative immune-related metabolomic analysis of AM and PG was obtained on the base of pathway analysis of immune-related biomarkers. PG groups trended to have effect on cytotoxic activity of NK cells. AM groups trended to effect thymus index. Our work provides a detailed interpretation of immunological characteristics in different traditional Chinese medicine on metabonomic level.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Nur Ashikin Ahmad ◽  
Tarita Taib ◽  
Meera Kuppusamy

Oral retinoids are among the drugs of choice for pustular psoriasis. Therapy with retinoids, including acitretin, is potent teratogens with other common side effects such as mucocutaneous involvement. Mucocutaneous side effects including dry lips (cheilitis), skin peeling, hair loss (alopecia), dry skin, or rhinitis are dose-related, with cheilitis occurring in more than 75% of patients receiving the highest doses of acitretin (75 mg/day). We report on a 37-year-old woman who developed folliculitis with acitretin which is a rare cutaneous side effect. She presented with eruptions pruritic papules with follicular pattern on anterior thigh and forearms after almost 1 year of treatment with acitretin (50mg OD) for pustular psoriasis. The skin lesion was treated successfully with skin dressing and antibiotic treatment and skin biopsy is suggestive of folliculitis. Several treatments for pustular psoriasis including topical steroids, methotrexate and oral prednisolone were ineffective or not tolerated. Treatment with acitretin which are 50mg OD provided partial resolution of skin lesions. The case is hereby reported because of its rarity and folliculitis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of a popular eruption, especially in patients with high dose acitretin.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingjia Zhou ◽  
Hongmei Shen ◽  
Weibo Wen

Abstract Background Through the detection of Notch/Treg/Th17 pathway related factors, to explore the effect of different concentrations of Chinese medicine Xiaoyingdaotan Decoction on Hashimoto's thyroiditis mouse model. Methods To make the mouse model of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and to administer the Chinese medicine Xiaoyingdaotan Decoction of different concentrations by gavage. After the treatment, the expression of serum Notch protein and Treg/Th17 cytokine levels in mice were detected. The quantitative data conformed to the normal distribution with t test, and did not conform to the normal distribution with Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results The serum Notch protein expression of mice in the model group was significantly higher than that of the other groups, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Comparing the high-dose Chinese medicine group with the low-dose Chinese medicine group and the model group, the level of the key activation protein FOX-P3 in serum of Treg cells in mice was significantly increased, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the serum TGF-β levels of each group of traditional Chinese medicine were significantly higher than that of the model group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The levels of key activating proteins STAT3, RORγt and IL-22 in serum of Th17 cells in each group of traditional Chinese medicine mice were significantly lower than those in the model group, with statistical differences (P<0.05). Conclusion Different concentrations of Chinese medicine Xiaoyingdaotan Decoction can down-regulate the expression of Notch protein in HT mouse model, and can effectively regulate Treg/Th17 cytokines.


2020 ◽  
Vol 145 (2) ◽  
pp. AB198
Author(s):  
Kamal Srivastava ◽  
Nan Yang ◽  
Serife Uzun ◽  
Erin Thanik ◽  
Paul Ehrlich ◽  
...  

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