Sexual health care barriers and HIV/STI prevention for transgender people in Japan.

Primary care and sexual health services for transgender people in Japan are lacking. We surveyed 233 transgender patients (57 [24.5%] assigned male at birth [AMABs] and 176 [75.

Identification of new circulating recombinant form of HIV-1 CRF139_02B in Japan, and search for the origin.

Many circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) of HIV-1 have been reported, resulting in complex molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 infection. In this study, we newly identified CRF139_02B in Japan from 4 cases of anti-retroviral therapy naïve people living with HIV. Near full-length genome sequences of CRF139_02B were determined using Illumina MiSeq.

Advances in HIV management and challenges in Japan: Current situation of pre-exposure prophylaxis in Tokyo.

Since the world's first case series of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection were reported, more than 40 decades have passed. The advancement of HIV treatment and prevention has progressed drastically. Especially, the efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention has been proven by a number of trials and the number of new HIV cases has declined over the years due to the large-scale and rapid implementation of PrEP and universal HIV treatment in multiple countries.

High plasma concentration of tenofovir alafenamide in people living with HIV with ABCB1 genetic variants.

Objectives: We aimed to analyze the relationships between single nucleotide polymorphisms in the ATP-binding cassette transporter B1 (ABCB1) and G2 (ABCG2) genes and plasma concentrations of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), tenofovir (TFV), and emtricitabine (FTC).

Methods: We recruited 10 people living with HIV receiving once-daily treatment with a single tablet containing TAF (25 mg), FTC (200 mg), and bictegravir (50 mg). Peripheral blood samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 h after administration.

Clustering of Polymorphic Membrane Protein E Clade in Chlamydia trachomatis Lineages from Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Several Chlamydia trachomatis lineages identified through outer membrane protein A genotyping or multilocus sequence typing have been circulating worldwide among men who have sex with men. In a study in Tokyo, Japan, we demonstrate that such lineages commonly belong to a specific polymorphic membrane protein E clade across genotypes.

Induced lactation in a transgender woman: case report.

Background: Breastfeeding offers significant health benefits, but its practice and success can vary. While research on induced lactation in cisgender women has been documented, there is limited research on lactation induction in transgender women.

Case Presentation: A 50-year-old transgender woman undergoing hormone therapy and living with a pregnant partner sought to co-feed using induced lactation.

Role of HLA-B*58:01-restricted CD8+ T cells in HIV-1 subtype AE infection.

HLA-B*58:01 and HLA-B*57 are protective alleles against HIV-1 subtype B or C infection whereas these HLA alleles have not been reported as protective in HIV-1 subtype AE infection. Although HLA-B*58:01-restricted and HLA-B*57-restricted HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cells have been thoroughly analyzed in subtype B or C infection, they have only been partially analyzed in subtype AE infection. We identified six HLA-B*58:01-restricted subtype AE epitopes in Vietnamese individuals infected with subtype AE.

Progressive Severe Hemophagocytic Syndrome due to disseminated Histoplasmosis in a Patient with HIV-1 Infection.

Histoplasmosis is caused by Histoplasma capsulatum and is prevalent in areas of the world where H. capsulatum is endemic. We herein report a patient diagnosed with HIV-1 who developed histoplasmosis from a non-H.

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of people with HIV with limited treatment options in Japan: A Japanese claims data analysis.

Introduction: Long-term medication leads some people with HIV (PWH) to limited treatment options (LTO) due to multiple factors. The present study investigated the prevalence of PWH with LTO in Japan and their clinical characteristics, persistence, and adherence.

Methods: PWH who received antiretroviral therapy (ART) between 2017 and 2022 were identified in the Medical Data Vision (MDV) Japanese claims database.

Impact of HIV status on prognosis of malignancies among people living with HIV in Japan.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy has reduced the incidence and mortality of AIDS-defining malignancies (ADM); however, non-AIDS-defining malignancies (NADM) are a major cause of death among people living with HIV (PLWH) today. Though current guidelines suggest that PLWH should receive the same treatment as the general population, there are limited studies focused on how HIV status affects the prognosis of cancers. The present study aimed to investigate the characteristics and prognosis of malignant diseases among PLWH in Japan.

Coronary artery stenosis in Japanese people living with HIV-1 with or without haemophilia.

An extremely high prevalence (12.2%) of moderate-to-severe coronary artery stenosis (CAS) was documented in asymptomatic Japanese haemophiliacs living with HIV-1 (JHLH) in our previous study. The cause of this phenomenon remains unknown.

Determination of intracellular tenofovir-diphosphate and emtricitabine-triphosphate concentrations in dried blood spots for pre-exposure prophylaxis adherence.

Objectives: We measured the intracellular concentrations of tenofovir-diphosphate (TFV-DP) and emtricitabine-triphosphate (FTC-TP) in dried blood spots (DBS) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) adherence using sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Methods: A total of 191 DBS were obtained from 85 participants who were receiving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF; 300 mg) and emtricitabine (FTC; 200 mg) as PrEP at the Sexual Health Clinic, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. DBS punch (3 mm) added to 25 μL of 50% methanol and 400 μL of internal standard solution was used for solid phase extraction.

Identification of viral protein R of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) and interleukin-6 as risk factors for malignancies in HIV-infected individuals: A cohort study.

Background: Despite effective antiretroviral therapy, patients with human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV) suffer from a high frequency of malignancies, but related risk factors remain elusive. Here, we focused on blood-circulating viral protein R (Vpr) of HIV, which induces proinflammatory cytokine production and genotoxicity by exogenous functions.

Methods And Findings: A total 404 blood samples of HIV patients comprising of 126 patients with malignancies (tumor group) and 278 patients without malignancies (non-tumor group), each of 96 samples was first selected by one-to-one propensity score matching.

Amebiasis as a sexually transmitted infection: A re-emerging health problem in developed countries.

Amebiasis, which is caused by (), is the second leading cause of parasite-related death worldwide. It manifests from asymptomatic carriers to severe clinical conditions, like colitis and liver abscesses. Amebiasis is commonly seen in developing countries, where water and food are easily contaminated by feces because of the poor sanitation.

Exploring the genetic diversity of the Japanese population: Insights from a large-scale whole genome sequencing analysis.

The Japanese archipelago is a terminal location for human migration, and the contemporary Japanese people represent a unique population whose genomic diversity has been shaped by multiple migrations from Eurasia. We analyzed the genomic characteristics that define the genetic makeup of the modern Japanese population from a population genetics perspective from the genomic data of 9,287 samples obtained by high-coverage whole-genome sequencing (WGS) by the National Center Biobank Network. The dataset comprised populations from the Ryukyu Islands and other parts of the Japanese archipelago (Hondo).

Sitafloxacin- Versus Moxifloxacin-Based Sequential Treatment for Mycoplasma Genitalium Infections: Protocol for a Multicenter, Open-Label Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Mycoplasma genitalium is an emerging sexually transmitted pathogen associated with increasing antibiotic resistance. The current treatment guidelines recommend moxifloxacin-sequential therapy for macrolide-resistant Mgenitalium or strains with unknown resistance profiles. However, it is unclear whether sitafloxacin, a 4th-generation fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is effective against resistant strains.

Epitope-dependent effect of long-term cART on maintenance and recovery of HIV-1-specific CD8 T cells.

HIV-1-specific CD8 T cells are anticipated to become effector cells for curative treatment using the "shock and kill" approach in people living with HIV-1 (PLWH) under combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). Previous studies demonstrated that the frequency of HIV-1-specific CD8 T cells is reduced under cART and their functional ability remains impaired. These studies analyzed T-cell responses to a small number of HIV-1 epitopes or overlapping HIV-1 peptides.

HIV-1 protective epitope-specific CD8 T cells in HIV-1-exposed seronegative individuals.

Although previous studies have reported HIV-1-specific T cell responses in HIV-1-exposed seronegative (HESN) individuals, there has been no detailed analysis of these T cells against HIV-1 infection. We investigated HIV-1-specific CD8 T cell responses in 200 Japanese HESN men who have sex with men (MSM). T cell responses to 143 well-characterized HIV-1 epitope peptides were analyzed by intracellular cytokine staining assay consisting of 3-week cultures of PBMCs stimulated with peptides.

Virological outcomes of various first-line ART regimens in patients harbouring HIV-1 E157Q integrase polymorphism: a multicentre retrospective study.

Background: Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs) are recommended as first-line ART for people living with HIV (PLWH) in most guidelines. The INSTI-resistance-associated mutation E157Q, a highly prevalent (2%-5%) polymorphism of the HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus type 1) integrase gene, has limited data on optimal first-line ART regimens. We assessed the virological outcomes of various first-line ART regimens in PLWH with E157Q in real-world settings.

Preinfection Neutralizing Antibodies, Omicron BA.5 Breakthrough Infection, and Long COVID: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Background: Data are limited on the role of preinfection humoral immunity protection against Omicron BA.5 infection and long coronavirus disease (COVID) development.

Methods: We conducted nested case-control analysis among tertiary hospital staff in Tokyo who donated blood samples in June 2022 (1 month before Omicron BA.

Steady-state pharmacokinetics of plasma tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), tenofovir (TFV) and emtricitabine (FTC), and intracellular TFV-diphosphate and FTC-triphosphate in HIV-1 infected old Japanese patients treated with bictegravir/FTC/TAF.

Emtricitabine (FTC) plus tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) has demonstrated efficacy and safety for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV-1 infection. We measured the plasma PK of FTC, tenofovir (TFV), and TAF in a steady-state pharmacokinetic (PK) study of bictegravir/FTC/TAF in HIV-1-infected patients. Furthermore, validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to measure intracellular TFV-diphosphate (DP) and FTC-triphosphate (TP), the active metabolites of TFV and FTC, respectively.