Effect of homeopathic treatment of 60 Japanese patients with chronic skin disease.

BACKGROUND: Many individuals who appear to suffer from incurable chronic skin disease use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Homeopathy has recently increased in popularity among patients with skin disease. The effects of homeopathic treatment have yet to be fully investigated in patients for whom conventional dermatological treatment is not sufficiently effective. OBJECTIVES: To describe patient-reported and clinically observed effects of individualized homeopathic treatment of chronic skin disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The effectiveness of individualized homeopathic treatment was measured using the patients' own assessments of seven elements (overall impression, improvement of skin condition, reduction of itchiness, reduction of sleep disturbance, satisfaction in daily life, fulfillment at work and satisfaction in human relations) using a nine-point scale similar to the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital Outcome Scale (GHHOS). Sixty patients with chronic skin disease were included in the study: atopic dermatitis (AD) (n=25), eczema other than AD (n=20), severe acne (n=6), chronic urticaria (n=6), psoriasis vulgaris (n=2) and alopecia universalis (n=1). These patients received individualized homeopathic treatments in addition to conventional dermatological treatments for a period of from 3 months to 2 years 7 months. RESULTS: Six patients reported a score of 4 (complete recovery), 23 patients a score of 3 (75% improvement), 24 patients a score of 2 (50% improvement) and 7 patients a score of 1 (25% improvement). A total of 88.3% of patients reported over 50% improvement. Around one-half the patients with AD and eczema reported greater satisfaction in daily life, greater fulfillment at work and greater satisfaction in human relations. CONCLUSIONS: The psychological, physical and psychosomatic symptoms and effects of chronic skin diseases are inextricable. Individualized homeopathic treatment can provoke a good response in patients with chronic skin disease; therefore, the holistic approach used in homeopathy may be a useful strategy alongside conventional treatment.

Hepatocyte growth factor as an enhancer of nmda currents and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) promotes the survival and migration of immature neurons, but its role in the mature brain has remained elusive. In the hippocampus of juvenile rats, we found that the HGF receptor c-Met was expressed in neurons. Furthermore, it was highly Tyr-phosphorylated, more so than in the liver under normal conditions, suggesting that the receptor is activated and that HGF may act continuously in the intact brain. Exogenously applied HGF enhanced synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 region of hippocampus, but did not affect long-term depression. We further found that HGF augmented N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated currents in both slices and dissociated neurons. This augmentation is likely to underlie the enhancement of LTP. Considering that the expression of both HGF and c-Met are known to be induced by ischemic stimuli, this modulation would provide a novel understanding of a neuronal regulatory systems shared with pathogenic ischemic states.

Homeopathic treatment of Japanese patients with intractable atopic dermatitis.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of homeopathic treatment of intractable atopic dermatitis (IAD). Seventeen IAD patients were given individualized homeopathic treatment in addition to conventional dermatological therapy from 6 months to 2 years and 7 months. Although all of the patients had previously been treated with conventional medicine and various psychological approaches, they had had severe conditions and shown no significant sign of improvement. The efficacy of homeopathic treatment was measured by objective assessments of the skin condition and the patients' own assessments, using a 9 point scale similar to the Glasgow Homeopathic Outcome Scale, was used. Over 50% improvement was reported in overall impression and in their skin conditions by all patients, in itchiness by 15 of the patients, in sleep disturbance by 10 out of 13 patients, in satisfaction in daily life by nine out of 12, in fulfillment at work by seven out of 11 and in satisfaction with human relations by 10 out of 14. Two detailed case histories are reported.

Homeopathic treatment of japanese patients with intractable atopic dermatitis

The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of homeopathic treatment of intractable atopic dermatitis (IAD). Seventeen IAD patients were given individualized homeopathic treatment in addition to... (AU)

Serum sex hormone levels in adult patients with atopic dermatitis.

Serum levels of sex hormones were measured in adult patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and compared with those in sex- and age-matched healthy controls. In 40 male patients with AD, serum levels of testosterone (T) (447 +/- 96 vs 593 +/- 149 ng/dl, P < 0.001), free testosterone (FT) (14.6 +/- 3.2 vs 20.0 +/- 5.1 pg/ml, P < 0.001) and estradiol (E2) (27.2 +/- 7.2 vs 33.2 +/- 7.9 pg/ml, P < 0.05) were significantly lower and serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) (4.57 +/- 1.6 vs 3.11 +/- 1.2 mIU/ml, P < 0.001) were significantly higher than those in healthy controls. There were no significant differences in serum levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), or follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) between the two groups. In 25 female patients with atopic dermatitis, T, FT, DHT and DHEA-S levels did not differ from controls. In conclusion, serum T levels were lower in male patients with AD. However, similar changes were not seen in female patients.

Quantitative analysis of cytotoxicity induced by HTLV-I carrying cells against a human lymphoblastoid cell line, Molt-4.

Co-cultivation of HTLV-I carrying cells and virus-free lymphoid cells resulted in the cytopathic effect and cytotoxicity of the latter cells. Microscopically, these phenomena were observed as early as 2 h as the appearance of multinuclear giant cells and ballooning cells with striking resemblance with cytopathic changes induced by HTLV-III. When the cytopathic effect and cytotoxicity of the target cells by HTLV-I carrying cells were assayed by 51Cr-release assay system, these phenomena were quantitatively analysed and the cytotoxic activity was observed generally in HTLV-I positive cells. Virally induced cytotoxicity was inhibited by plasma of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) patients specifically. Cytotoxic activity of HTLV-I positive cell lines was correlated with HTLV-I antigen expression of them. HTLV-I negative cell lines did not express cytotoxicity significantly.