Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by the presence of airflow
obstruction caused by emphysema or airway narrowing, or both. Low attenuation areas (LAA) …

Background—Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disorder in obese
subjects. Visceral fat accumulation (VFA) is a better predictor of coronary heart disease than …

In patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), the blood coagulation system may
contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular events, which occur most frequently in the …

Increases in the low attenuation areas (LAA) of chest x-ray computed tomography images in
patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been reported to reflect …

Airway wall thickening has been assumed to cause airway hyperresponsiveness, but a
protective effect against airway narrowing has also been suggested. We investigated the …

Background Various Japanese versions of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) have been
used, but none was developed via standard procedures. Here we report on the construction …

Background Emphysematous change as assessed by CT imaging has been reported to
correlate with COPD prognostic factors such as FEV 1 and diffusing capacity of the lung for …

PURPOSE: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is common in middle-aged men and may be
associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We investigated the effect of …

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease characterized by fibroblast
proliferation and excess deposition of collagen and other extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, …

Background Osteoporosis is one of the important systemic features of COPD. Although COPD
itself is regarded as one risk factor for osteoporosis, the relationship between the extent of …