Radiographic repair in three Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with bucillamine.

Bucillamine (Bc) is a cysteine derivative with two SH groups, and a homolog of D-penicillamine, a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) widely used in Japan. However, it remains unclear whether Bc repairs bone erosion in patients with RA. Here, we treated three RA patients with Bc who subsequently showed radiographic repair of erosions and cysts.

Efficacy profile of bucillamine in rheumatoid arthritis patients in a large observational cohort study, IORRA.

Bucillamine (Buc) is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) developed in Japan, which has been used as one of the first-line DMARDs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Japan. However, direct comparison of this drug with standard DMARDs including sulfasalazine (SASP) and methotrexate (MTX) has been scarcely reported. We therefore tried to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Buc by analyzing the database from the long-term observational cohort study IORRA (previously known as J-ARAMIS).

Influence of moderate drinking on purine and carbohydrate metabolism.

Background: We examined the influences of a moderate intake level of three types of alcoholic beverages--beer, whisky, and Shochu (Japanese distilled liquor)--on purine and carbohydrate metabolism and excretion in healthy male volunteers, concerning (1) the extent of contribution of purine bodies contained in beer to uric acid metabolism and (2) a comparison between two types of distilled spirits with (whisky) and without (Shochu) aging in oak wood barrel storage.

Methods: Three sets of studies were conducted in which 10 to 13 healthy adult men were instructed to drink three types of alcoholic beverages at a slightly higher level (0.8 ml of ethanol equivalent/kg body weight) than moderate drinking (approximately 30.