Allergic diseases such as bronchial asthma and atopic dermatitis develop by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Several candidate causative genes of asthma and atopy have been reported as the genetic factors. The clinical features of patients and causes of diseases vary. Therefore, personalized medicine (tailor-made medicine) is necessary for the improvement of quality of life (QOL) and for asthma cure. Pharmacogenetics is very important for personalized medicine. Here, we present the genetics and pharmacogenetics of asthma in children. Finally, we show the guideline for personalized medicine for asthma, particularly in childhood, including the pharmacogenetics of anti-asthmatic drugs, preliminarily produced by the authors.
Anti-Asthmatic Agents ; Asthma ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Humans ; Precision Medicine ; Pharmacogenetics ; Quality of Life

In order to investigate an effects of the hot spring within a short period on immune system of human, the leukocyte, monocytes, lymphocyte and lymphocyte surface markers: CD2, CD4, CD8, CD16, CD19 and CD57 were tested in the human peripheral blood of twenty-three healthy volunteers by hot spring bathing. The results were as follows: Total number of leukocytes and lymphocytes in the peripheral blood significantly increased in an older group after hot spring bathing (p<0.01). However, we obtained a clear decrease in the number of granulocyte after hot spring bathing in the younger group (p<0.01). In addition, we found greater increase of the CD16⁺ cell counts and a clear decrease of the CD19⁺ cell counts in older group. But in younger group, we also obtained an increase of CD8⁺, CD16⁺ cells after hot spring bathing. These results indicated that hot spring bathing can regulate the physical immune system.
According to the percentage of lymphocytes or granulocytes in the total leukocytes, volunteers were divided into two types, more than 70% of granulocyte were recognized as G type and more than 40% of lymphocyte were divided in the L type. We found an increase of lymphocyte and lymphocyte subsets as well as a decrease in granulocyte in G group by hot spring bathing. But in L group, especially, indicated a greater increase in granulocyte and a decrease in lymphocyte subsets. We suggest that hot sping bathing can regulate by an autonomic nerve system, making it suitable.

We have simultaneously proved that cell populations taking charge of immunity in human peripheral blood can be regulated quantitatively by hot spring bathing. Now, we investigated the effect of hot spring bathing qualitatively on cytokine production by lymphocyte cell in human peripheral blood estimating by cytokine containing cell by FACScan. We found a significant increase in IFN-γ containing cells after hot spring bathing and an increase in IL-4 with no statistical significance after hot spring bathing. In addition, we found significant negative relationship between the level of IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-1β before hot spring bathing and the ratio of cytokine that increased in variation after hot spring bathing. Namely, after hot spring bathing, there was a decrease of cytokine producing cells in subjects who had higher level before hot spring bathing. But an increase in subjects who had lower level before hot spring bathing, the trend was concentrated toward average levels in the cytokine production by lymphocyte in peripheral blood. So we suggest that hot spring bathing can promote acquired immunity to make it possible more suitable as immune reaction.

OBJECTIVE: Highly effective chemotherapy for patients with low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is associated with almost a 100% cure rate. However, 20%–30% of patients treated with chemotherapy need to change their regimens due to severe adverse events (SAEs) or drug resistance. We examined the treatment outcomes of second-line chemotherapy for patients with low-risk GTN. METHODS: Between 1980 and 2015, 281 patients with low-risk GTN were treated. Of these 281 patients, 178 patients were primarily treated with 5-day intramuscular methotrexate (MTX; n=114) or 5-day drip infusion etoposide (ETP; n=64). We examined the remission rates, the drug change rates, and the outcomes of second-line chemotherapy. RESULTS: The primary remission rates and drug resistant rates of 5-day ETP were significantly higher (p < 0.001) and significantly lower (p=0.002) than those of 5-day MTX, respectively. Forty-seven patients (26.4%) required a change in their chemotherapy regimen due to the SAEs (n=16) and drug resistance (n=31), respectively. Of these 47 patients failed the first-line regimen, 39 patients (39/47, 82.9%) were re-treated with single-agent chemotherapy, and 35 patients (35/39, 89.7%) achieved remission. Four patients failed second-line, single-agent chemotherapy and eight patients (17.0%) who failed first-line regimens were treated with combined or multi-agent chemotherapy and achieved remission. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with low-risk GTN were usually treated with single-agent chemotherapy, while 20%–30% patients had to change their chemotherapy regimen due to SAEs or drug resistance. The second-line regimens of single-agent chemotherapy were effective; however, there were several patients who needed multiple agents and combined chemotherapy to achieve remission.
Drug Resistance ; Drug Therapy* ; Etoposide* ; Gestational Trophoblastic Disease* ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Methotrexate*