The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, dai-kenchu-to (DKT), on obstructive bowel diseases in children. We have treated 46 pediatric patients with various obstructive bowel diseases with DKT: six patients with postoperative ileus, 12 with large abdominal surgery (including three neonates), one with ano-rectal anomaly, three with Hirschsprung's disease, two with functional bowel obstructions, one with SMA syndrome, and 21 patients with chronic constipation. DKT (0.1-0.15 g/kg) was mixed with 5-10 ml of warm water, and was given orally two to three times a day. DKT was effective for 39 patients (85%) and their clinical symptoms improved. DKT was ineffective in seven patients: two with postoperative ileus, two with Hirschsprung's disease, and three with chronic constipation. DKT had mild but significant effects for various obstructive bowel diseases in children, while no side effects were encountered. Our current strategy for pediatric patients with obstructive bowel disease is to use DKT first and then test its efficacy. If DKT is effective, the regimen is continued. However, in cases where DKT is not effective, we will consider laparotomy or will further investigate the illness.

Acoustic wave propagation in fluid-filled cylindrical pipe with arbitrary thickness is investigated numerically and experimentally. The vibrational properties of the coupled fluid-pipe system are evaluated by a layerwise approach, which is similar to the finite-strip method. In this approach, the thick cylindrical wall is divided into a number of thin cylindrical layers in the thickness direction. The displacements in the thickness direction for each layer are approximated by linear-shape functions. The governing equation is obtained by using an energy minimization principle. The dispersion curves, distribution of vibrational energy between pipe wall and contained fluid, and displacement fields are examined. The dependence of the dispersion curves on wall thickness is discussed. Two PZT ring transducers adhered to the outer surface of pipe are used as source and receiver, respectively. The propagating waves generated by burst signals are measured. To localize transient signal both in time and frequency domains, the discrete wavelet transform is applied to decomposing the receiving signal into several components. Each component is limited to a narrower bandwidth. Therefore the frequency-dependent group velocity is estimated. The experimental and numerical results are compared.

Ginseng and Tang-kuei Ten Combination seemed to accelerate the recovery of patients with fistula-in-ano in infancy.

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