title: [Pulmonary function testing in Japan: present status and new developments].
abstract: In 2004, the Japanese Respiratory Society issued an initial set of recommendations on the standardized measurement of the most frequently used tests for pulmonary function, i.e., tests to assess slow vital capacity, forced vital capacity, and single-breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacity. This statement has not been updated, and the prediction equations for pulmonary function testing are not fully established. Thus, the guidelines will need to be periodically updated in accordance with new developments in this rapidly evolving field. Nitric oxide (NO) is now recognized as a biological mediator in animals and humans. The human lung produces NO and exhales it in breath. The fractional nitric oxide (NO) concentration in exhaled breath (FE(NO)) can be quantitatively measured by a simple, safe, and noninvasive procedure as a complementary tool for assessing airway inflammation in airway diseases such as asthma. While the measurement of exhaled NO is standardized for clinical use, FE(NO) measurement is not approved or covered under the public health insurance system in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan. tojo.mlab@tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tojo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods*; D045853:Exhalation; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide