[Chemotherapy for tuberculosis; yesterday, today, and tomorrow--basic and clinical studies].

The discovery of streptomycin in 1944 had given rise to great flowering of chemotherapy for tuberculosis. The times which triple treatment of SM.PAS.

[Effects of institutional therapy and factors which influence the prognosis].

We examined the effect of institutional therapy on asthmatic children and evaluating the factors influencing the prognosis. We analyzed the questionnaires and laboratory findings obtained form the 565 children who had been treated with the therapy in National Higashi-Saitama Hospital from April 1978 to March 1997. The institutional therapy seems to be effective in the following 3 aspects.

[Two cases of pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium chelonae subsp. abscessus].

We encountered two-cases of pulmonary disease caused by M. chelonae subsp. abscessus, [Case 1] A 72-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of fever.

[Evaluation of a new detection method of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical specimens by amplification of ribosomal RNA and its clinical application].

A new rapid M. tuberculosis detection method, the Gen-Probe Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD), which allows direct detection of M.tuberculosis in clinical specimens by amplification of M.

[Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical specimens other than sputum by the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD)--assessment of sample preparation methods and clinical evaluation].

The Gen-Probe Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD) has been widely used as a rapid test for the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in clinical samples, and several research groups have verified its clinical usefulness. However, most of the specimens they tested were sputum, and there have been few reports on other specimens. In particular, there have been no reports on assessments of methods of preparing samples other than sputum for the MTD.

[A study of relation between pulmonary function and bronchial hypersensitivity in severe asthmatic children].

We studied 198 acetylcholine inhalation tests in 31 subjects and 260 exercise loading tests in 43 subjects, who were severe asthmatic children received institutional therapy. Respiratory threshold to acetylcholine (RT-Ach) were significantly lower when %V50 or %MMF were less than 60%. %V50 were significantly lower when EIB (maximum %fall in FEV1.

Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical specimens other than sputum by a specific DNA probe with amplification of the ribosomal RNA.

Objective: To evaluate the Gen-Probe Amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direst Test (MTD) for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical specimens other than sputum, especially cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and pleural fluid (PF) specimens.

Design: Six CSF, 17 PF and 23 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) specimens that were submitted to our clinical laboratory for detection of mycobacteria were subjected to MTD and conventional smear and culture examinations.

Results: Of 6 smear-negative CSF specimens, two were positive in MTD and culture examination.

[Two cases of tuberculous meningitis diagnosed rapidly by amplified mycobacterium tuberculosis direct test (MTD)].

The Gen-Probe Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD) is a rapid direct specimen assay method for identification of M. tuberculosis by amplification of ribosomal RNA and detection of the product with a specific chemiluminescent DNA probe. We report two cases of tuberculous meningitis which were positive in the MTD.

[Respiratory disorders during sleep in Duchenne muscular dystrophy].

Respiratory disorders during sleep were studied in 42 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) (mean age 18.4 years). Chest and abdominal movement, nasal airflow, snoring sounds, eye movement, and oxygen saturation were monitored during sleep.

[Longitudinal observation of pulmonary tuberculosis patients by Gen-Probe Mycobacterium tuberculosis direct test (MTD)].

To study the clinical significance of conducting Gen-Probe Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD) during the course of the disease, sputum specimens from 19 pulmonary tuberculosis patients were smeared, cultured, and tested by MTD, once a month for five months from the initiation of chemotherapy. 1) MTD-positive rates declined in parallel with decreased pulmonary tuberculosis activity, and the MTD findings of 16 patients who presented mild to moderate pulmonary tuberculosis at admission became negative by four months after the beginning of treatment. Three patients (15.

[Blood gas changes in Duchenne type muscular dystrophy].

We studied changes in blood gas data from 32 patients with Duchenne type muscular dystrophy (DMD), who were followed for more than 5 years. Regression lines for each blood gas variable were obtained by the least square regression method, from 276 observations. The mean change per year was calculated by averaging the individual slopes.

[The appearance of "central core of respiratory muscle" in patients with respiratory failure].

We report the histological and histochemical features of core fibers present in respiratory muscles obtained from autopsy since 1980. Fifty autopsy cases of adults without neuromuscular disease were examined. "Central core" structure was present in 38 cases and absent in 12 cases.

[CT findings of six cases with intracranial tuberculosis in National Higashi-Saitama Hospital].

We have experienced 6 cases of intracranial tuberculosis since 1985. 2 cases were diagnosed as intracranial tuberculoma without tuberculous meningitis, and 4 cases were diagnosed as tuberculous meningitis. Brain CT showed intracranial tuberculomas in three of them, and showed cerebral infarcts in two cases, and showed hydrocephalus in two cases.