Changes in Personal Behaviors During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Three-Year Longitudinal Study in Japan.

Few longitudinal studies have examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on personal behaviors. This study investigated changes in four social behaviors among the Japanese public during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, using four-wave longitudinal data (2020-2023) from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS). In total, 8622 respondents continuously participated in the surveys.

Association of Individual Behaviors With Infection Prevention Measures and COVID-19 Development: A Japanese Cross-Sectional Study.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people often modified their behaviors and performed individual infection control practices despite the uncertain effectiveness of these in preventing COVID-19. A cross-sectional study using a nationwide internet survey (Japan COVID-19 Society Internet Survey) was conducted from September 2022 through October 2022. The questionnaire consisted of individual-level social distancing behaviors and infection prevention measures, and COVID-19 vaccination status.

Prevalence and trends in persistent symptoms following COVID-19 in Japan: A nationwide cross-sectional survey.

Introduction: Even during the endemic phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of persistent symptoms on patients and healthcare systems remains significant. Thus, a more comprehensive understanding of these symptoms is essential.

Methods: Using data from the Japan Society and New Tobacco Internet Survey conducted in February 2023, this cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of, and changes in, persistent COVID-19 symptoms.

Prolonged Symptoms after COVID-19 in Japan: A Nationwide Survey of the Symptoms and Their Impact on Patients' Quality of Life.

Background: Clinical details of long COVID are still not well understood because of potential confounding with a wide range of pre-existing comorbidities.

Methods: The present study used datasets from a nationwide, cross-sectional, online survey. We determined which prolonged symptoms were more likely to be associated with post-COVID condition after adjusting for a wide range of comorbidities and baseline characteristics.

Promotion of antimicrobial stewardship following issuance of the antimicrobial resistance national action plan in Japan: A systematic review of 2016-2020.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a global threat with the potential to cause a significant healthcare burden. In 2016, the Japanese Government issued the national action plan (NAP) for AMR. Since issuance of this plan, several studies on antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASPs) have been published in Japan.

Post-sign-off events in infectious disease consultation and the incidence of nonadherence to infectious disease recommendations in the post-sign-off period: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: Infectious diseases (ID) consultation has contributed to improving outcomes in hospitalized patients. However, the timing of signing off on ID consultation varies, depending on the consulting ID physician. We studied the descriptive epidemiology of treatment-related adverse events (ADEs) occurring after the ID physician has signed off on consultation and the epidemiology and predictors of nonadherence to ID recommendations in the post-sign-off period.

Changes in intravenous and oral antimicrobial prescriptions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: an experience at a tertiary-care center.

Antimicrobial use during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic at a tertiary-care center was analyzed using interrupted time-series analysis. Among intravenous antimicrobials, the use of azithromycin and third-generation cephalosporins significantly decreased during the current pandemic. Similarly, the use of oral antimicrobials, including azithromycin and fluoroquinolones, also decreased.

Epidemiology and Factors Associated With Discharging Patients After Blood Culture Collection in the Emergency Department: A Case-Control Study in Japan.

Background: Some patients receive the diagnosis of bloodstream infection (BSI) after discharge from the emergency room (ER). Because the safety of discharging patients after a blood culture collection is unknown, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence, outcomes, and factors associated with BSI diagnosed after ER discharge.

Methods: This monocentric, case-control study compared patients who received a BSI diagnosis after ER discharge with those who were admitted for BSI.

Correlation of COVID-19 Severity and Immunoglobulin Presence Against Spike and Nucleocapsid Proteins in SARS-CoV-2.

Data on the human immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins have been applied to vaccine development and diagnosing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but little research has been done on the relationship between the human immune response and COVID-19 severity. We herein sought to determine whether there is a correlation between the immunoglobulin level and COVID-19 severity. Clinical samples were collected from 102 patients with COVID-19.

Nocardiosis in Japan: a Multicentric Retrospective Cohort Study.

species cause a broad spectrum of infections, especially in immunocompromised patients. Given its relative rarity, data on the prognosis and distribution of nocardiosis from a large cohort are scarce. The present study aimed to scrutinize the clinical features and outcomes of nocardiosis in Japan, including 1-year mortality and microbiological data.

Changes in infection control practice for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) between 2020 and 2021: A nationwide questionnaire survey in Japan.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has influenced current infection control practices in the healthcare setting. We surveyed 74 hospitals in Japan regarding changes in their infection control practices or policies between 2020 and the present. We found that the current hospital infection control practices for COVID-19 are adequate.

Promoting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination among healthcare personnel: A multifaceted intervention at a tertiary-care center in Japan.

Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine may hold the key to ending the pandemic, but vaccine hesitancy is hindering the vaccination of healthcare personnel (HCP). We examined their perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine and implemented an intervention to increase vaccination uptake.

Design: Before-and-after trial.

Current in-hospital management for patients with tuberculosis in a high-income country: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: In Japan, most cases of tuberculosis (TB) occur among individuals aged 65 years or older. However, data on in-hospital adverse events (AEs) associated with TB management, especially in high-income nations with an ageing population, are scarce. The present study aimed to scrutinize the current TB unit practices, incidence of in-hospital AEs and predictors of in-hospital mortality.

Antimicrobial Time-Out for Vancomycin by Infectious Disease Physicians Versus Clinical Pharmacists: A Before-After Crossover Trial.

Background: The present study assessed the impact of time-out on vancomycin use and compared the strategy's efficacy when led by pharmacists versus infectious disease (ID) physicians at a tertiary care center.

Methods: Time-out, consisting of a telephone call to inpatient providers and documentation of vancomycin use >72 hours, was performed by ID physicians and clinical pharmacists in the Departments of Medicine and Surgery/Critical Care. Patients in the Department of Medicine were assigned to the clinical pharmacist-led arm, and patients in the Department of Surgery/Critical Care were assigned to the ID physician-led arm in the initial, 6-month phase and were switched in the second, 6-month phase.

Experience of 101 patients with coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) at a tertiary care center in Japan.

Introduction: Clusters of novel coronavirus infectious disease of 2019 (COVID-19) have spread to become a global pandemic imposing a significant burden on healthcare systems. The lack of an effective treatment and the emergence of varied and complicated clinical courses in certain populations have rendered treatment of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 difficult.

Methods: Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, a public tertiary acute care center located in Tokyo, the epicenter of COVID-19 in Japan, has been admitting patients with COVID-19 since February 2020.

A survey of preparedness against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in hospitals in Tokyo, Japan, with healthcare personnel with COVID-19 and in-facility transmission.

A questionnaire was distributed to hospitals in Tokyo (N = 38) regarding their preparedness against and in-facility transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As of May 31, 2020, 284 HCP had contracted COVID-19, and in-facility COVID-19 transmission occurred at 13 hospitals, negatively impacting hospital functions and patient care.

Barriers to Adherence to Antimicrobial Stewardship Postprescription Review and Feedback For Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Agents: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Background: Postprescription review and feedback (PPRF) is one of the most common strategies in antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) intervention. However, disagreements between the prescribers and ASP personnel can occur. The aim of the present study was to identify the factors associated with nonadherence to PPRF intervention.

Critical National Shortage of Cefazolin in Japan: Management Strategies.

The shortage of antimicrobials poses a global health threat. In Japan, for instance, the current, critical shortage of cefazolin, a first-line agent for the treatment of common infectious diseases and surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis, has had a substantial impact on inpatient care. A shortage of essential antimicrobial agents like cefazolin leads to increased consumption of alternative antimicrobial agents with broad-spectrum activity, with the unintended consequence of militating against antimicrobial stewardship efforts in inpatient settings and potentially promoting antimicrobial resistance.

Disseminated adenovirus infection in a patient with a hematologic malignancy: a case report and literature review.

Human adenoviruses cause a wide spectrum of illnesses, including invasive infections, in immunocompromised hosts. We report a case of disseminated adenovirus infection following unrelated cord-blood transplantation in a 46-year-old male with a lymphoma. A review of the literature on disseminated adenovirus infections in adult patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has also been included.

Efficacy of a Postprescription Review of Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial Agents With Feedback: A 4-Year Experience of Antimicrobial Stewardship at a Tertiary Care Center.

Background: An inpatient antimicrobial stewardship program is vital for judicious antimicrobial use. We began a hospital-wide, postprescription review with feedback (PPRF) in 2014; the present study evaluated its impact on antimicrobial consumption and clinical outcomes over 4 years.

Methods: Once-weekly PPRF for carbapenems and piperacillin/tazobactam was implemented.

Optimal timing of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in laparoscopic surgery: a before-after study.

Background: The optimal timing of preoperative surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) remains uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of changing the timing of SAP on the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) in laparoscopic surgery.

Methods: We performed a before-after study from August 2014 through June 2017 to assess the impact of changes in the timing of SAP on the incidence of SSI at a 790-bed tertiary care center in Japan.