Safety of Tocilizumab on Rheumatoid Arthritis in Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease.

Purpose: The prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with interstitial lung disease (ILD) is particularly poor. Although drugs that do not contribute to the progression of ILD should be used in RA treatment, none have been established. This study evaluated the safety of tocilizumab in terms of ILD activity.

The role of anti-elastin antibodies in a mouse model of asthma.

Background: The role of anti-elastin antibody (Ab) in the lung is unclear, although they may be involved in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Recently, increased anti-elastin Ab levels were reported in asthma.

Objective: To elucidate the role of anti-elastin Ab in asthma, we created a murine asthma model.

Elevation of anti-elastin antibody in patients with asthma.

Background: It is often difficult to differentiate between asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and useful biomarkers are needed for accurate diagnosis.

Objective: We evaluated anti-elastin antibody to identify useful biomarkers for differentiating between a diagnosis of asthma and COPD.

Methods: Patients with asthma (male to female ratio = 10/13; mean age, 67.

Effect of inhaled corticosteroids on bone mineral density in patients with asthma.

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are a safe treatment for asthma. However, at higher doses, ICS use has been reported to inhibit adrenocortical function.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ICS on bone mineral density (BMD) in adult patients with asthma.

Effect of adjusting the combination of budesonide/formoterol on the alleviation of asthma symptoms.

Background: The combination of budesonide + formoterol (BFC) offers the advantages of dose adjustment in a single inhaler according to asthma symptoms. We analyzed the relationship between asthma symptoms in terms of peak expiratory flow (PEF) and dose adjustment by the patient.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients with asthma who used BFC for alleviation of their symptoms (12 men, 16 women; 60 years old) were instructed that the inhaled BFC dose could be increased to a maximum of 8 inhalations per day according to symptom severity.

Effect of Thrombomodulin Alfa on Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation in Patients with Lung Cancer.

Objective The mortality rate due to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is higher in patients with lung cancer than in those without. We examined the effect of treatment with thrombomodulin alfa (TM-α) for DIC in lung cancer patients. Methods Subjects were 57 patients with DIC (43 men, 14 women; mean age, 71.