Patient satisfaction and efficacy of switching from weekly bisphosphonates to monthly minodronate for treatment and prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in Japanese patients with systemic rheumatic diseases: a randomized, clinical trial.

Unlabelled: The randomized, clinical trial demonstrated that switching to monthly minodronate from weekly alendronate and risedronate provides greater increases in patients' satisfaction and bone mineral density and more substantial decreases in a bone resorption marker than continuing weekly alendronate and risedronate in patients with systemic rheumatic diseases on glucocorticoid therapy.

Purpose: Osteoporosis and associated fractures are major concerns for patients with systemic rheumatic diseases on long-term glucocorticoid therapy. Bisphosphonates increase bone mineral density (BMD) and reduce the frequency of vertebral fractures, but they are associated with poor adherence.

Satisfaction and attitudes toward therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

We examined associations between patient satisfaction and data obtained in routine clinical practice, and associations with therapeutic attitude in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A total of 220 patients with RA were enrolled in this cross-sectional evaluation. Demographic data, current disease state of RA, history of adverse events and self-reported questionnaire of patient satisfaction, attitudes toward therapy and reasons for being unwilling to change therapy were collected and analyzed.

Serodiagnosis of Mycobacterium avium-complex pulmonary disease with an enzyme immunoassay kit that detects anti-glycopeptidolipid core antigen IgA antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has many pulmonary manifestations, including bronchial abnormalities that can develop into Mycobacterium avium-complex (MAC) pulmonary disease (PD). MAC-PD can be lethal in patients receiving tumor necrosis factor-alpha blockers despite administration of antibiotics. Diagnosis of MAC-PD is often difficult, because MAC is an environmental organism.

Case report: successful use of short-term add-on tocilizumab for multirefractory systemic flare of adult-onset Still's disease.

We report on a 64-year-old woman with multirefractory flare of adult-onset Still's disease successfully treated with six-month course of add-on anti-interleukin 6 receptor antibody, tocilizumab. Before administration of tocilizumab, the combination therapy with 80 mg/day of prednisolone and cyclosporine or tacrolimus for five weeks, two courses of pulse methylprednisolone, and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin could not control the disease. Add-on tocilizumab dramatically improved her disease state and enabled tapering of corticosteroid and tacrolimus.