Synergistic effect between Juzen-taiho-to, a Japanese traditional herbal medicine, and gemcitabine single-agent chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract cancer.

This is the first report of the successful treatment of advanced biliary tract cancer with gemcitabine single-agent chemotherapy in combination with Juzen-taiho-to (JTT), a Japanese traditional herbal medicine. An 84-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with general fatigue and appetite loss; she was diagnosed with advanced biliary tract cancer and accompanying colonic invasion and hepatic metastasis. The patient's response to combination chemotherapy was extremely good, and her tumors disappeared.

[Effectiveness of plasma exchange in Miller Fisher syndrome--a case report].

Background: We report a successful treatment by plasma exchange(PE) in the case of Miller Fisher syndrome.

Case: A 71-year-old woman rapidly developed diplopia and unsteady gait, and was admitted to Minami-matsuyama Hospital on day 3 of her illness. Ophthalmological and neurological examination on admission revealed bilateral complete external ophthalmoplegia with moderate mydriasis, cerebellar ataxia, and weakness of biceps reflexs, but her consciousness was intact.