[A case of Cushing syndrome presenting after pulmonary nocardiosis with pyothorax].

A 49-year-old woman visited our clinic on July 12th, 2006, complaining of discomfort in fingers of both hands, edema of both lower limbs, and pain in the right shoulder and chest. Chest X-ray examination showed an infiltrative shadow with pleural effusion and loss of lung volume in the left lower lung field. She was treated with CTRX, but it was ineffective, and she was therefore admitted to Kurume University Hospital on July 21st, 2006.

Addison's disease induced by miliary tuberculosis and the administration of rifampicin.

We herein report a rare occurrence of Addison's disease caused by acute adrenal gland tuberculosis occurring in association with miliary tuberculosis and the administration of rifampicin. An 82-year-old woman with miliary tuberculosis was treated with antituberculous chemotherapeutic agents including rifampicin (RFP), but she still demonstrated general malaise in addition to hyponatremia. Abdominal CT showed an enlargement of the right adrenal gland.

Pharmacological treatment in asthma and COPD.

Many lines of previous studies have reported that differences and similarities between bronchial asthma (BA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The pathological and physiological abnormalities of these diseases have been also discussed. BA and COPD have some similarities such as airflow obstruction, pulmonary inflammation, and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR).

Medical Thoracoscopy Performed Using a Flexible Bronchoscope Inserted through a Chest Tube under Local Anesthesia.

Background and Objectives. Many cases of pleural effusion can remain undiagnosed following thoracentesis. We evaluated our own technique for performing thoracoscopy under local anesthesia using a 32 Fr chest tube and a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope without a rigid thoracoscope for the diagnosis, inspection, and management of patients with pleurisy.

Validation of "lung age" measured by spirometry and handy electronic FEV1/FEV6 meter in pulmonary diseases.

Objective: The concept of "lung age" is thought to be useful for understanding pulmonary function. In this study, we validated "lung age" to detect pulmonary function abnormalities in pulmonary diseases.

Methods: We used both spirometry and an electronic FEV(1)/FEV(6) meter (FEV(6) meter) to perform pulmonary function tests.

Bell-shaped sensory impairments of all modalities in a neurosarcoidosis patient.

We describe a 45-year-old man with neurosarcoidosis complaining of bell-shaped tightening and pain with sensory disturbance of superficial and deep sensations. The patient showed subacute progressive sensory impairment in bilateral C7-Th12 dermatomes. Triceps and patellar tendon reflexes were decreased.

[A case of follicular bronchiolitis preceding rheumatoid arthritis].

A 52-year-old woman was admitted to Yame General Hospital because of persistent cough, wheeze, and shortness of breath at age 48. Chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) showed bilateral centrilobular shadows. Pulmonary function test revealed obstructive dysfunction.