BACKGROUND: In Japan, there have been few reports about drug compliance, which is an important determinant of effectiveness, in the management of bronchial asthma patients. To clarify drug compliance and its relationship with various aspects of asthma management, a questionnaire survey was performed on asthmatic patients and their pharmacists.
METHODS: This survey was carried out, from October to November in 2001. The subjects were limited to the regular inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) users, and were restricted to patients whose medication had not been changed for at least 6 months before the survey. The questionnaires inquired about asthma status, various factors that have been reported to be associated with drug compliance and asthma management. Patients' pharmacists were asked about prescribed medications and drug compliance based on the pharmaceutical records.
RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were received from 610 patients. ICS compliance was not lower than that of anti-allergic drug but lower than that of oral sustained-released theophylline (OSRT) . Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between ICS and OSRT compliance.
CONCLUSION: These results might suggest that OSRT could improve patient's compliance to drug therapy through its bronchodilatory effect, thus resulting in better compliance to ICS. If this were the case, OSRT would play an important role in asthma management.

With successful extraction of growth factors and bone morphogenic proteins (BMPs) from mammalian teeth, many researchers have supported development of a bone substitute using tooth-derived substances. Some studies have also expanded the potential use of teeth as a carrier for growth factors and stem cells. A broad overview of the published findings with regard to tooth-derived regenerative tissue engineering technique is outlined. Considering more than 100 published papers, our team has developed the protocols and techniques for processing of bone graft material using extracted teeth. Based on current studies and studies that will be needed in the future, we can anticipate development of scaffolds, homogenous and xenogenous tooth bone grafts, and dental restorative materials using extracted teeth.
Bone Substitutes ; Dentin ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Proteins ; Stem Cells ; Tissue Engineering ; Tooth ; Transplants