Factors Influencing Placebo Responses in Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Trials: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Studies.

Background And Objective: A better understanding of placebo responses and the specific factors influencing these outcomes is important for clinical trial design. We investigated the magnitude of placebo responses at 3 months and the potential factors influencing these outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical trials.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled trials of pharmacological agents for RA identified from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases.

Estimating the cost-effectiveness of screening for hepatitis C virus infection in Japan.

Aim: The management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has changed with the advent of interferon (IFN)-free treatment and the declining prevalence of HCV infection, which may impact the cost-effectiveness of the screening. We aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness and clinical outcomes of three screening strategies in the Japanese general population: no screening, screening plus IFN-based therapy, and screening plus IFN-free therapy.

Methods: We developed a decision analytic Markov model for screening intervention and natural history of HCV.

Correlation between dental conditions and comorbidities in an elderly Japanese population: A cross-sectional study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between dental conditions and comorbidities in an elderly population in Japan.A database constructed using data obtained from 12 nursing homes in Japan was used in this study. The study period ranged from January 2014 to December 2015, and elderly individuals with dental and other medical records were included in the analysis.

Persistence of and switches from teriparatide treatment among women and men with osteoporosis in the real world: a claims database analysis.

Unlabelled: This study investigated the real-world persistence rate and switches of teriparatide-treated patients using a claims database in Japan. The persistence rate of teriparatide at 12 months was 34.9%, and approximately one-third of the patients were not treated with any osteoporosis drugs after teriparatide.

Preoperative Blood Tests Conducted Before Low-Risk Surgery in Japan: A Retrospective Observational Study Using a Nationwide Insurance Claims Database.

Background: Routine preoperative testing is discouraged before low-risk surgery because testing does not provide any beneficial effect in terms of patient outcome. However, few studies have assessed the utilization of hospital health care resources in terms of preoperative tests in a real-world setting. Here, we aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with preoperative blood tests before low-risk surgery in Japan.

Preoperative pulmonary function tests before low-risk surgery in Japan: a retrospective cohort study using a claims database.

Purpose: Routine preoperative pulmonary function tests (PFTs) are not recommended prior to low-risk surgery because their prognostic value is limited. However, only a few studies have assessed the utilization of healthcare resources regarding preoperative PFTs in a real-world setting. Here, we aimed to assess the prevalence and determinant factors of preoperative PFTs before low-risk surgery in Japan.

Pharmacoepidemiology in Japan: medical databases and research achievements.

Pharmacoepidemiology involves development of new models to predict safety in the development stages of pharmaceutical products, development of various guidelines and policy related to clinical trials, pharmacovigilance, establishment and implementation of risk management in postmarketing studies, and cost-effectiveness research in medical and social welfare sectors. Evaluations of safety, efficacy, and costs of pharmaceutical products must be developed in a different way. More recently, "big data" in medicine have become the driving force behind epidemiological studies that attempt to solve questions in the clinical setting.

Secondhand smoke and incidence of dental caries in deciduous teeth among children in Japan: population based retrospective cohort study.

Study Question: Does maternal smoking during pregnancy and exposure of infants to tobacco smoke at age 4 months increase the risk of caries in deciduous teeth?

Methods: Population based retrospective cohort study of 76 920 children born between 2004 and 2010 in Kobe City, Japan who received municipal health check-ups at birth, 4, 9, and 18 months, and 3 years and had information on household smoking status at age 4 months and records of dental examinations at age 18 months and 3 years. Smoking during pregnancy and exposure of infants to secondhand smoke at age 4 months was assessed by standardised parent reported questionnaires. The main outcome measure was the incidence of caries in deciduous teeth, defined as at least one decayed, missing, or filled tooth assessed by qualified dentists without radiographs.

Targeting interleukin-4 receptor alpha by hybrid Peptide for novel biliary tract cancer therapy.

It is known that the interleukin-4 receptor α (IL-4R α ) is highly expressed on the surface of various human solid tumors. We previously designed novel IL-4R α -lytic hybrid peptide composed of binding peptide to IL-4R α and cell-lytic peptide and reported that the designed IL-4R α -lytic hybrid peptide exhibited cytotoxic and antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo against the human pancreatic cancer cells expressing IL-4R α . Here, we evaluated the antitumor activity of the IL-4R α -lytic hybrid peptide as a novel molecular targeted therapy for human biliary tract cancer (BTC).

Peroxiredoxin I plays a protective role against UVA irradiation through reduction of oxidative stress.

Background: Exposure of skin to long-wave UV radiation (UVA) increases the cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which have been linked to apoptosis induction through the damage of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Peroxiredoxin I (Prx I) is one of a family of antioxidant proteins that plays a protective role against oxidative damage; however the role of Prx I in UVA-induced damage remains to be clarified.

Objective: Here we investigated the protective role of Prx I against UVA-induced changes using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from Prx I homozygous knockout (Prx I (-/-)) mice.

Negative expression of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V in oral squamous cell carcinoma correlates with poor prognosis.

N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT-V), an enzyme with a key role in the branching of asparagine-linked oligosaccharides, is strongly linked to tumor invasion and metastasis of many solid tumors. Here we searched for correlations between the clinical features of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and GnT-V expression in the tumor, and we studied the feasibility of using GnT-V as a marker for oral cancer prognosis. Samples from 68 patients with OSCC were examined by immunohistochemistry using antibodies against GnT-V.

Radiation-induced carotid artery stenosis in a patient with carcinoma of the oral floor.

Radiation-induced carotid artery stenosis (RI-CS), a life-threatening condition, can occur after external radiation for head and neck cancer. We here describe a case of asymptomatic RI-CS in a 73-year-old patient treated with chemoradiotherapy and radical neck dissection for a basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the oral floor. Stenosis of the left carotid artery, diagnosed as RI-CS, showed on an MRI performed 1.

Interleukin-4 receptor α-based hybrid peptide effectively induces antitumor activity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Interleukin-4 receptor α (IL-4Rα) is highly expressed on the surface of various human solid tumors including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We designed a novel IL-4Rα-lytic hybrid peptide composed of a binding peptide to IL-4Rα and a cell-lytic peptide. In the present study, we evaluated the antitumor activity of the IL-4Rα-lytic hybrid peptide as a novel molecular-targeted therapy in HNSCC.

Real-time tissue elastography for the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

We compared conventional ultrasound (US) B-mode, color Doppler and elastographic assessment of lymph node (LN) stiffness against pathological findings from surgical samples, to determine the most useful factors for identifying LN metastases. Seventy-one LNs in 19 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) were examined. Using our new system, elastography images were scored from 1-5.