no abstract avaliable

Macrolide antibiotics provide not only antibacterial activity but also anti-inflammatory effects. We report herein two cases of uncontrolled rheumatoid arthritis (RA), accompanied by hepatitis B and pulmonary empyema, respectively, who were successfully treated using clarithromycin (CAM) in expectation of its anti-inflammatory effects. A 74-year-old woman suffering from RA, presented with exacerbation of arthralgia. Because she was a hepatitis B carrier, she could not receive biological agents. She was successfully treated with CAM as an alternative to biological agents. A 77-year-old man suffering from RA, presented with exacerbation of arthralgia. Because he had suffered from pulmonary empyema, he did not receive biological agents. He was successfully treated with CAM as an alternative to biological agents. These present cases suggest that CAM treatment may be effective for RA.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Arthralgia ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Biological Factors ; Clarithromycin* ; Empyema ; Female ; Hepatitis B ; Humans

No abstract available.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Clarithromycin* ; Tacrolimus*

A 73-year-old woman was admitted with fever, arthralgia, and swelling of the hands and feet. She was diagnosed with remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema (RS3PE) accompanied by breast carcinoma, a type of paraneoplastic syndrome. Treatment with acetaminophen and diclofenac sodium for fever and arthralgia proved minimally effective. She experienced great difficulty in walking and grasping smoothly due to edema; therefore, clarithromycin (CAM) was added in expectation of its anti-inflammatory effects. About 10 days after starting CAM treatment, pitting edema improved considerably. Fever and arthralgia did not improve satisfactorily after resection of breast carcinoma, and thus she was successfully treated with low-dose prednisolone (PSL). This case suggests that other than surgical resection of the neoplasm, CAM and PSL treatment for RS3PE associated with neoplastic disease may be effective.
Acetaminophen ; Aged ; Arthralgia ; Breast Neoplasms ; Clarithromycin ; Diclofenac ; Edema ; Female ; Fever ; Foot ; Hand ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes* ; Prednisolone ; Synovitis ; Walking

No abstract available.
Antineoplastic Agents/administration & dosage ; *Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Clarithromycin/administration & dosage ; Cyclophosphamide/administration & dosage ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Follicular/*drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/*drug therapy ; Prednisolone/administration & dosage ; Protein Synthesis Inhibitors/administration & dosage

No abstract available.
Clarithromycin* ; Lymphoma, T-Cell* ; T-Lymphocytes*

No abstract available.
Clarithromycin* ; Lymphoma, T-Cell* ; T-Lymphocytes*

No abstract available.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*therapeutic use ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/*therapeutic use ; Clarithromycin/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polymyalgia Rheumatica/diagnosis/*drug therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is an uncommon disease characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of the gastrointestinal tract, which is usually associated with abdominal pain, diarrhea, ascites, and peripheral eosinophilia. Steroids remain the mainstay of treatment for EGE, but symptoms often recur when the dose is reduced. Macrolides have immunomodulatory effects as well as antibacterial effects. The immunomodulatory effect results in inhibition of T-lymphocyte proliferation and triggering of T-lymphocyte and eosinophil apoptosis. Macrolides also have a steroid-sparing effect through their influence on steroid metabolism. We report a rare case of EGE, which relapsed on steroid reduction but improved following clarithromycin treatment.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Clarithromycin/*therapeutic use ; Enteritis/*drug therapy/immunology/pathology ; Eosinophilia/*drug therapy/immunology/pathology ; Gastritis/*drug therapy/immunology/pathology ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors/therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prednisolone/administration & dosage

No abstract available.
Myelodysplastic Syndromes