Shorter Incubation Period among COVID-19 Cases with the BA.1 Omicron Variant.

We aimed to elucidate the range of the incubation period in patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in comparison with the Alpha variant. Contact tracing data from three Japanese public health centers (total residents, 1.06 million) collected following the guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Control Law were reviewed for 1589 PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases diagnosed in January 2022.

First-line antibiotic prescription patterns for acute otitis media in children: A descriptive study using Japanese claims data (2014-2018).

Introduction: Acute otitis media is a highly prevalent disease in children. Although guidelines in many countries recommend amoxicillin as the first-line treatment for acute otitis media, the prescribing pattern in Japan is not clear. Our objective was to clarify the amoxicillin prescriptions as first-line antibiotics for acute otitis media and factors associated with amoxicillin prescriptions.

Increasing trends in the prevalence of prior cancer in newly diagnosed lung, stomach, colorectal, breast, cervical, and corpus uterine cancer patients: a population-based study.

Background: Cancer survivors are frequently excluded from clinical research, resulting in their omission from the development of many cancer treatment strategies. Quantifying the prevalence of prior cancer in newly diagnosed cancer patients can inform research and clinical practice. This study aimed to describe the prevalence, characteristics, and trends of prior cancer in newly diagnosed cancer patients in Japan.

Tobacco Price Increase and Successful Smoking Cessation for Two or More Years in Japan.

Introduction: Assessing long-term smoking cessation after tobacco price increases is more valuable than short-term cessation as smokers often relapse after temporary cessation. We investigated whether tobacco price increases were associated with long-term smoking cessation and whether the association differed according to demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors, using a national longitudinal survey of middle-aged individual-level data from 10 waves, every November from 2005 to 2014.

Methods: Temporary and long-term at least 1 year (1y+) or 2 years (2y+) quitters were defined by smoking in any one wave and quitting in the subsequent two or three waves in a discrete-time design.

Association between maternal hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and child neurodevelopment at 3 years of age: a retrospective cohort study.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) affect up to 10% of women during pregnancy and influence child neurodevelopment, including mental and motor function. We assessed whether HDP, including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, superimposed preeclampsia, and eclampsia, correlate with motor and mental developmental abnormalities in 3-year-old children, using data obtained between April 2004 and March 2013 through a mandatory population-based health checkup of mothers and children in Kobe city, Japan. The primary outcome was motor and mental developmental abnormalities at 3 years of age; parental-reported questionnaires and physician's medical examinations were evaluated.

Prevalence, incidence, comorbidities, and treatment patterns among Japanese patients with acromegaly: a descriptive study using a nationwide claims database.

Epidemiological data of rare diseases are important for understanding disease burden, improving treatment, and planning healthcare systems. However, those of acromegaly in Japan are not well known. Our study aimed to describe the prevalence, incidence, prediagnostic comorbidities, and treatment patterns of patients with acromegaly in Japan.

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.