Yasuo Tanno

Incidence of Adverse Reactions Associated with Acupuncture

OBJECTIVES To determine the type, severity, and incidence of acupuncture adverse reactions that are observed in standard practice. DESIGN A survey based on observation and interview by the therapists. SETTING Tsukuba College of Technology Clinic in Japan. SUBJECTS All patients who underwent acupuncture treatment during a period of 4 months from April to July 1998. OUTCOME MEASURES Type, severity, and incidence of acupuncture adverse reactions. RESULTS A total of 391 patients were treated in 1,441 sessions, involving a total of 30,338 needle insertions. The incidence of recorded systemic reactions in individual patients was: tiredness (8.2%); drowsiness (2.8%); aggravation of preexisting symptoms (2.8%); itching in the punctured regions (1.0%); dizziness or vertigo (0.8%); feeling of faintness or nausea during treatment (0.8%); headache (0.5%); and chest pain (0.3%). The incidence of recorded local reactions, expressed as a percentage of needle insertions, was: minor bleeding on withdrawal of the needle (2.6%); pain on insertion of the needle (0.7%); petechia or ecchymosis (0.3%); pain or ache in the punctured region after the treatment (0.1%); subcutaneous haematoma (0.1%); and pain or discomfort in the punctured region during the needle retention (0.03%). CONCLUSION Although some adverse reactions associated with acupuncture were common even in standard practice, they were transient and mild compared to cases such as pneumothorax, cardiac injury, infection, or spinal lesions reported in other studies.

IL‐5, IL‐8 and GM‐CSF immunostaining of sputum cells in bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis

Background: Granulocyte‐macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) and inlerleukin (IL)‐5 or IL‐8 have been .suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic airway inflammation in bronchial asthma or neutrophilic airway inflammation in chronic bronchitis, respectively, However, GM‐CSF and IL‐8 have biological activities to either eosinophils or neutrophils.

Randomised controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of electroacupuncture and tens for low back pain: a preliminary study for a pragmatic trial

The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of electroacupuncture and TENS for low back pain when the electroacupuncture is applied in a clinically realistic manner. The study was designed as an evaluator-blinded randomised controlled trial (RCT). The study was performed at the Tsukuba College of Technology Clinic in Japan. Twenty subjects, who suffered from low back pain (LBP) without sciatica, were recruited, using leaflets in Tsukuba city. Subjects were allocated to either an electroacupuncture (EA) group (10 patients) or a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) group (10 patients). The procedure for EA was in accordance with standard practice at our clinic. The main outcome measures were a pain relief scale (100mm visual analogue scale: VAS) and a LBP score recommended by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA Score). Mean VAS value during the 2-weeks experimental period of the EA group was significantly smaller than that of the TENS group (65mm vs 86mm; 95% CI, 4.126 – 37.953). JOA Score in the EA group improved significantly while that in the TENS group showed no change. Although some placebo effect may be included, EA appeared more useful than TENS in the short-term effect on low back pain. We suggest that more realistic acupuncture interventions based on standard practice should be employed in pragmatic RCTs.

Changes in Peripheral Lymphocyte Subpopulations After Direct Moxibustion

We measured peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations after direct moxibustion using moxa cones the size of a half-rice grain. In humans at 2 hrs after the direct moxibustion, NK cell percentage decreased and CD4/CD8 ratio increased significantly. Although the same trends were observed in the control session, those changes were not statistically significant. In rabbits at 3 and 12 hrs after direct moxibustion, CD4/CD8 ratio significantly increased, and recovered at between 24 and 72 hrs after treatment. Similarly, the CD4/CD8 ratio significantly increased in the control session, but they seemed to have a shorter duration. Although it is not yet clear whether the effects are beneficial, we found that direct moxibustion influences the immune system at least transiently.

Role of Bovine Serum Albumin in Blastoid Transformation of Lymphocytes by Phytohemagglutinin

Summary Employing a serum-free medium (SF medium), blast transformation of human peripheral lymphocytes stimulated by PHA was investigated. A remarkable PHA response with extremely high stimulation indices was obtained in SF medium containing 0.25-0.5% BSA. However, lymphocytes were unresponsive to PHA in the medium containing defatted BSA, unless supplied with oleic and linoleic acids. It is concluded that the albumin-bound fatty acids play an important role in lymphocyte transformation in SF medium, as observed in the case of tumor cell cultivation. This work supported by a Cancer Research grant from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan.

Effects of Qing-Fei-Tang (Seihai-to) and Baicalein, Its Main Component Flavonoid, on Lucigenin-Dependent Chemiluminescence and Leukotriene-Dependence Chemiluminescence and Leukotriene B4 Synthesis of Human Alveolar Macrophages

A traditional Chinese remedy, Qing-Fei-Tang (Seihai-to, T90), has been used for treatment of chronic respiratory diseases with long-lasting cough and sputum, e.g. chronic bronchitis. We examined the effect of T90 and its main component flavonoid, baicalein, on the lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) synthesis of human alveolar macrophages (AM). AM were obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage from patients with various respiratory diseases, including sarcoidosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer. CL were observed by stimulating 1 x 10(5) AM with phorbol myristate acetate in the presence of lucigenin. LTB4 were generated by incubating 1 x 10(6)/ml AM with Ca ionophore A23187 for 30 min and determined by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay. T90 (0.2-2.0 mg/ml) and baicalein (0.1-100 microM) inhibited both CL and LTB4 production of AM in a dose-dependent fashion. These inhibitory effects were not due to cytotoxic effects of the procedure because neither 2 mg/ml T90 nor 100 M baicalein affected the viability of AM nor lactate dehydrogenase release from AM. These results suggest that T90 exerts its effect on inflammatory lung diseases through the anti-inflammatory action, i.e. inhibiting the oxidative and arachidonate metabolism of local inflammatory lung cells.

Modulation of Human Basophil Growth In Vitro by Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang (Syo-seiryu-to), Chai-Pu-Tang (Saiboku-to), Qing-Fei-Tang (Seihai-to), Baicalein and Ketotifen

Our previous study showed the inhibitory effect of Qing-Fei-Tang (Q.F.T.) and baicalein on the leukotriene (LT)B4 synthesis of human alveolar macrophages. It has recently been demonstrated that LTs support various cell growth, and basophil and its precursor numbers increase in atopic patients. Therefore, we examined the effect of anti-allergic drugs, including Q.F.T., Xiao-Qing-Long-Tang (X.Q.L.T.), Chai-Pu-Tang (C.P.T.), baicalein and ketotifen which have been used for treatment of bronchial asthma, on human basophil growth in vitro using cord blood mononuclear cells as a basophil precursor source and conditioned medium of T cell leukemia cell line Mo as a growth factor. Two-week cultured basophil numbers identified by alcian blue-safranin staining and those histamine contents assayed fluorometrically were inhibited by Q.F.T. (1.0 mg/ml), X.Q.L.T. (0.01-1.0 mg/ml), C.P.T. (0.01-1.0 mg/ml), baicalein (1-100 microM) or ketotifen (1-100 microM) in a dose-dependent manner while low dose (0.01-0.1 mg/ml) of Q.F.T. showed an enhancing effect on the basophil growth and the histamine content. However, LTB4 or LTC4 failed in restoring the basophil growth reduced by 1 mg/ml of C.P.T. or 100 microM of ketotifen. These results suggest that anti-allergic drugs may modulate basophil growth and differentiation in vitro and/or in vivo and therefore be useful and reasonable for controlling allergic diseases including bronchial asthma.

Induction of immunoglobulin-producing human peripheral blood lymphocytes in serum-free medium.

Induction of immunoglobulin-secreting cells from human peripheral blood lymphocytes in a serum-free culture medium was studied. Albumin, transferrin, insulin and fibronectin can replace serum entirely for support of pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-stimulated B lymphocytes, measured by a reverse hemolytic plaque assay using protein A-coated red cells. In this serum-free system, growth and maturation to IgM and IgG secretion occur at the same or higher efficiency as in conventional serum-containing medium, with maximum numbers of plaque-forming cells on day 6 at optimal dose of PWM, 0.5-5 micrograms/ml. This system can be used to avoid the interference from undefined serum components.

Erythromycin Inhibits Adhesion of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Branhamella Catarrhalis to Human Nasal Epithelial Cells

Ciliated epithelial cells were obtained from nasal polyps. Bacterial adherence to these cells was compared for the ability to bind Hemophilus influenzae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Branhamella catarrhalis in the presence of 10–5 M erythromycin, which was comparable with a physiologically attainable concentration in the nasal secretion and the maxillary sinus mucosa. Quantification of bacterial adherence showed the strongest ability of P. aeruginosa to the cells. Erythromycin has an inhibitory effect on adherence of P. aeruginose and B. catarrhalis to the nasal epithelial cell. Our findings suggest that the reduced adherence to the host cell is one of the underlying mechanisms to account for efficacy of erythromycin treatment in respiratory disorders.

Partial Purification and cDNA Cloning of Human Histidine Decarboxylase

Histidine decarboxylase (HDC) was purified from human basophilic leukemia cells (KU-812-F) by DEAE-cellulose, Mono-Q, Phenyl -superose, Mono-Q and Superose 12 & 6. This purification resulted in 350-fold increase of the specific activity, but the preparation was 10 % pure on SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The cDNA library of KU-812-F cells was screened with synthetic oligonucleotide complementary to rat HDC nucleotide sequence. The isolated cDNA contained 2.4 kilobase pairs and the deduced amino acid sequence (662 residues) was very similar to that of rat HDC (85 % homology).