Background Granulocyte-monocyte apheresis has been proposed for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, although it is limited by costs and variability of results. Aim To assess effectiveness of granulocyte-monocyte apheresis in patients with steroid-dependent, azathioprine-intolerant/resistant moderate ulcerative colitis. Methods Consecutive patients fulfilling inclusion criteria were prospec...

Thirty-six ciclosporin-prednisone-treated recipients of nonmatched cadaver renal allografts were given a course of Orthoclone OKT3 monoclonal antibody for steroid-resistant cell-mediated rejection. Although side effects were common, only 2 patients had to be withdrawn from therapy and there were no deaths related to therapy. Twenty-three (63.9%) allografts were rescued with OKT3 therapy and 21 ...

OBJECTIVE EF is a rare fibrosing disorder that may involve skin and internal organs. Current therapies include moderate- to high-dose glucocorticoids with or without use of immunosuppressives. METHODS We report three cases of steroid-resistant EF in clinical practice who were treated with 3 mg/kg every 8 weeks infliximab therapy. RESULTS All patients noticed an improvement in their symptoms...

BACKGROUND Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a glomerular scarring disease diagnosed mostly by kidney biopsy. Since there is currently no diagnostic test that can accurately predict steroid responsiveness in FSGS, prediction of the responsiveness of patients to steroid therapy with noninvasive means has become a critical issue. In the present study urinary proteomics was used as a no...

The treatment of primary nephrotic syndrome such as minimal change nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis nephropathy remains challenging. Whilst most cases of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome respond to steroid therapy and experience a limited number of relapses prior to complete remission, some cases suffer from frequent relapses and become steroid dependent ...

Forty-six children with the nephrotic syndrome whose renal biopsy specimens showed minimal changes and whose response to corticosteroid therapy was unsatisfactory were treated with cyclophosphamide. Three patients were completely steroid-resistant from the outset and the remainder were steroid-dependent. In several patients steroids controlled the condition less effectively with time. Most pati...

BACKGROUND Lidocaine can promote the apoptosis of eosinophils, which is normally delayed by IL-5; it has a good effect on serious steroid resistant asthma (SRA). The study aimed to explore the effect of nebulized lidocaine inhalation on asthma. METHODS It was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and prospective study. A total of 36 patients with acute asthma were divided into groups...

Many trials have been done on steroid-resistant atopic dermatitis. Recently, intravenous immune globulin (i.v.IG) was reported to be effective in the treatment of steroid-dependent atopic dermatitis. The aim of this study was to clarify whether i.v.IG therapy is effective in steroid-resistant atopic dermatitis. Forty-one steroid-resistant atopic dermatitis patients were tested in this study. Pa...

Purpose: Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) is a common glomerular disease observed in children. Depending on their response to steroids, patients can be classified either as having steroid-sensitive (SSNS) or steroid-resistant (SRNS). Whereas SSNS respond favorably steroid treatment and achieve complete remission with normal renal functions, SRNS do not, are at high risk of developing end-sta...

Glucocorticoid (GC) hormones induce apoptosis in T-cell and pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. Steroid-mediated apoptosis requires a threshold level of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) protein, and increasing the intracellular GR levels in ALL cells would augment their hormone sensitivity. A protein transduction domain (PTD) approach was used to accomplish this. We produced an...