No abstract available.
Inflammation* ; Rheumatic Diseases*

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the long-term outcomes of autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) to treat refractory rheumatic diseases. METHODS: Patients who underwent PBSCT for refractory rheumatic diseases at our institution between 2002 and 2005 were assessed for outcomes including treatment response, adverse events, damage accrual, and survival at 6 months and last follow-up. RESULTS: Eleven patients, including six with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), four with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and one with Still's disease were treated with PBSCT. In SLE patients, two showed complete response, two partial response, and two expired. One patient who expired responded completely two months after transplantation but discontinued treatment by choice and expired at six months due to an SLE flare. Long-term, two patients went into remission without organ damage, one patient went into remission with organ damage, and one had low disease activity with organ damage. Of the four patients with SSc, two showed a complete response, one a partial response, and there was one transplantation-related death at six months. At the last record notation, two remained in remission without relapse and one was lost to follow-up. The Still's disease patient partially responded at six months and was in remission at the last record notation. CONCLUSION: The ten-year survival rate was 70% with a 40% recurrence rate and 20% treatment-related mortality rate.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Mortality ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Recurrence ; Rheumatic Diseases* ; Scleroderma, Systemic ; Survival Rate

No abstract available.
Chondromatosis, Synovial* ; Knee Joint* ; Knee* ; Osteoarthritis*

In the published article by Choi et al., a part of expression of the Abstract and the Conclusion section in the main body text have been corrected. Underlined text should be read carefully.

No abstract available.
Fingers*

The major treatment of systemic vasculitis, such as Wegener's granulomatosis and polyarteritis nodosa, is based on the combination of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs, such as cyclophosphamide. This therapy has been successful in improving the survival rate, but relapses and treatment failure are not infrequent. Anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) treatment offers the potential to open new era in treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, by blocking the major pro-inflammatory mediator TNF-alpha. Clinical trials in these diseases and others, such as ankylosing spondylitis and Crohn's disease, demonstrate clinical benefit associated with significant improvement in patients with severe active joint and intestinal disease. To date, the indication of anti-TNF-alpha therapy has been widening and shows a favorable clinical benefit in some cases of systemic vasculitis. This review will cover the nature of this therapy and current evidence of its clinical benefit and adverse effects.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Crohn Disease ; Cyclophosphamide ; Humans ; Intestinal Diseases ; Joints ; Necrosis ; Polyarteritis Nodosa ; Recurrence ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing ; Survival Rate ; Systemic Vasculitis ; Treatment Failure ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Vasculitis* ; Wegener Granulomatosis

No abstract available.
Exostoses, Multiple Hereditary ; Knee

No abstract available.
Humans ; Scleroderma, Systemic

The authors have studied on the effect of digital pressure on eyeball under the surface anesthesia instead of other reducing agents of intraocular pressure and retrobulbar anesthesia in order to lower the intraocular pressure as a preoperative procedure of cataract extraction in 26 eyeballs of 24 patients and following results were obtained: 1. The authors had intraocular pressure lowered till averaging 10.8 mmHg (average 13.5 ~ 8.0 mmHg) of original pressure by ocular massage. 2. Massage on eyeball was thought to be a satisfactory preoperative procedure to perform cataract extractIon. 3. In operative complications, loss of vitreous and rupture of capsule were noticed 11.5% and 60% respectively. and it was thought to be caused by technical failure in surgeons. In view of this fact we could not find that the loss of vitreous was caused by intraocular pressure below 13.5 mmHg.
Anesthesia ; Cataract Extraction* ; Cataract* ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Massage* ; Preoperative Care ; Reducing Agents ; Rupture