Characteristics and real-world medication persistence of people living with HIV treated with DTG/3TC or BIC/FTC/TAF: a hospital claims database study in Japan.

Background: As the life expectancy of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) has improved, chronic disease burden and polypharmacy have increased in PLWH. Simplification of the antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen for PLWH has become crucial. The real-world treatment patterns and medication persistence of the 2-drug single-tablet regimen (STR), dolutegravir/lamivudine (DTG/3TC), compared to bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) prescribed were investigated.

Implementation of Guideline-Based HBV Reactivation Management in Patients with Chronic HBV Infections of HBsAg or Resolved HBV Infection Undergoing Immunosuppressive Therapy.

Introduction: Although patients with HBV have a risk of reactivation after immunosuppressive therapy (IST), the status of their risk management is unclear in Japan. This study aims to describe the proportion of patients who received preventive management of HBV reactivation during ISTs in patients with chronic HBV infection of HBsAg or resolved HBV infection.

Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the JMDC Japanese claims database from April 2011 to June 2021.

Real-world safety and effectiveness of tenofovir alafenamide for 144 weeks in Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), a prodrug of tenofovir, delivers high levels of active drug to hepatocytes and is given in a lower dose than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). TAF reduces viral replication in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) similar to TDF and has shown a lower risk of the renal and bone toxicities associated with TDF use. This post-marketing surveillance study examined the safety and effectiveness of TAF in treatment-naïve and -experienced CHB patients who received TAF for 144 weeks at real-world clinical sites in Japan.

Case fatality rate considering the lag time from the onset of COVID-19 infection to related death from 2020 to 2022 in Japan.

Importance: On an ecological scale, the lag time between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and related fatality has varied between epidemic waves and prefectures in Japan. The variability in lag time across areas of Japan during the seven distinct waves can help derive a more appropriate estimation of the weekly confirmed case fatality rate (CFR) of COVID-19.

Objective: To estimate the 7-day moving average CFR across area block levels in Japan from February 2020 to July 2022 using the lag time between COVID-19 infection and related fatality.

Novel indicator for the spread of new coronavirus disease 2019 and its association with human mobility in Japan.

The Japanese government adopted policies to control human mobility in 2020 to prevent the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study examined the impact of human mobility on COVID-19 cases at the prefectural level in Japan by devising an indicator to have a relationship between the number of infected people and on human mobility. We calculated origin-destination travel mobility within prefectures in Japan from March 1st to December 31st, 2020, using mobile phone data.

The impact of declaring the state of emergency on human mobility during COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Background/objectives: Japan has responded to the spread of COVID-19 through declaration of a state of emergency to regulate human mobility. Although the declaration was enforced by the government for prefectures, there is limited evidence as to whether the public complied with requests for voluntary stay at home. In this study, we evaluated the impact of declaring a state of emergency on human mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Real-world Safety and Effectiveness of 24-week Sofosbuvir and Ribavirin Treatment in Patients Infected with Rare Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes 3, 4, 5, or 6 in Japan.

Objectives Real-world evidence on the safety and effectiveness of direct-acting antivirals in patients infected with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes (GTs) 3, 4, 5, or 6 in Japan is limited. This prospective observational study assesses the real-world safety profile and treatment effectiveness among patients prescribed sofosbuvir with ribavirin (SOF+RBV) for HCV GT3-6 infection in Japan. Methods Adults receiving 24-week SOF+RBV treatment for HCV GT3-6 infection were prospectively enrolled and observed through 24 weeks post-treatment for treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) considered related to SOF and/or RBV by treating physicians and for a sustained virologic response at 12 and 24 weeks post-treatment (SVR12, SVR24).

Preliminary investigation of aluminium fluoride complexes in aqueous solutions with capillary electrophoresis coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Rationale: It is crucial to identify and confirm the original species of aluminium ions (Al ) dissolved in water, since they behave differently. Depending on their species, the toxicity differs. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and CE coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE/ICP-MS) were explored to identify and determine simple systems of Al species solutions at pH 3.

Detection of microsatellite alterations in plasma DNA of malignant mucosal melanoma using whole genome amplification.

Malignant mucosal melanoma (MMM) still has the poorest prognosis. There is a paucity of molecular biological studies on MMM of the head and neck. We investigated free-circulating DNA microsatellites with loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the blood of MMM patients.

LOH analysis of free DNA in the plasma of patients with mucosal malignant melanoma in the head and neck.

Background: We have conducted charged-particle radiotherapy for mucosal malignant melanoma (MMM) in the head and neck, using carbon ion beams. However, even with the use of carbon ion radiotherapy that is characterized by high local tumor control, a significant number of patients develop metastases after therapy. We conducted research on the assumption that, in MMM, the detection of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) from free DNA in the circulating plasma may be of practical use in the diagnosis of recurrence and metastasis.

Specificity and similarity of functions of the Aux/IAA genes in auxin signaling of Arabidopsis revealed by promoter-exchange experiments among MSG2/IAA19, AXR2/IAA7, and SLR/IAA14.

As indicated by various and some overlapped phenotypes of the dominant mutants, the Aux/IAA genes of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) concomitantly exhibit a functional similarity and differentiation. To evaluate the contributions of their expression patterns determined by promoter activity and molecular properties of their gene products to Aux/IAA function, we examined phenotypes of transgenic plants expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged msg2-1/iaa19, axr2-1/iaa7, or slr-1/iaa14 cDNA by the MSG2 or AXR2 promoter. When driven by the MSG2 promoter (pMSG2), each GFP-tagged cDNA caused the msg2-1 phenotype, that is, the wild-type stature in the mature-plant stage, long and straight hypocotyls in the dark, reduced lateral root formation, relatively mild agravitropic traits in hypocotyls, and a normal gravitropic response in roots.

Detection of tumor DNA in plasma using whole genome amplification.

Altered microsatellite DNA in the blood of cancer patients may provide a novel means for tumor detection. Such alterations are a major characteristic of many types of tumor especially those associated with head or neck cancer. Moreover, recent evidence suggests that senescent tumor cells release DNA into the circulation, which is subsequently carried by the blood and thus enriched in the serum and plasma.

Inhibition of brassinosteroid biosynthesis by either a dwarf4 mutation or a brassinosteroid biosynthesis inhibitor rescues defects in tropic responses of hypocotyls in the arabidopsis mutant nonphototropic hypocotyl 4.

The nonphototropic hypocotyl 4 (nph4)/auxin response factor 7 (arf7) mutant of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is insensitive to auxin and has defects in hypocotyl tropism, hook formation, differential leaf growth, and lateral root formation. To understand an auxin-signaling pathway through NPH4, we carried out screening of suppressor mutants of nph4-103 and obtained a dwarf suppressor mutant, suppressor of nph4 (snp2). snp2 had short hypocotyls in the dark condition and dark green and round leaves, short petioles, and more lateral shoots than the wild type in the light condition.