Paleogenomics reveals independent and hybrid origins of two morphologically distinct wolf lineages endemic to Japan.

Little is known about the spatiotemporal dynamics of gray wolves in the Pleistocene across low-latitude regions of Eurasia. In Japan, a small-bodied endemic subspecies of Japanese wolves existed and went extinct in the early 1900s. The fossil record indicates that a giant wolf, which reached 70 cm in body height, inhabited Japan during the Pleistocene, but its evolutionary relationship, if any, with the Japanese wolf remains uncertain.

Prolonged production of C during the ~660 BCE solar proton event from Japanese tree rings.

Annual rings record the intensity of cosmic rays (CRs) that had entered into the Earth's atmosphere. Several rapid C increases in the past, such as the 775 CE and 994CE C spikes, have been reported to originate from extreme solar proton events (SPEs). Another rapid C increase, also known as the ca.

HBV preS deletion mapping using deep sequencing demonstrates a unique association with viral markers.

Aim: Deletions are observed frequently in the preS1/S2 region of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome, in association with liver disease advancement. However, the most significant preS1/S2 region and its influences on viral markers are unclear.

Methods: The preS1/S2 HBV regions of 90 patients without antiviral therapy were subjected to deep sequencing and deleted regions influencing viral markers were investigated.

Target sequencing of cancer-related genes in early esophageal squamous neoplasia resected by endoscopic resection in Japanese patients.

Background And Aims: Next generation sequencing (NGS) has revealed a great deal about cancer-related somatic changes in esophageal squamous cell neoplasia; however, the changes in the very early stages remain unclear.

Results: (87%) and (20%) hot spot mutations were frequently found in early lesions. was the most common mutation (LGIN/HGIN, 86%; EP, 83%; LPM, 95%; MM/SM1, 80%), followed by (29%, 28%, 16% and 10%, respectively); the frequency of other mutations increased as the disease advanced ( < 0.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients with low hepatitis B surface antigen and high hepatitis B core-related antigen titers have a high risk of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: Although the viral markers hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B core-related antigen (HbcrAg) could reflect intrahepatic hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication activity and constitute important biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the value of using these two markers in combination for assessing HCC risk has not been clarified in detail.

Methods: Four hundred and forty-nine consecutive patients with chronic HBV infection were included in the study and the association of HBsAg and HBcrAg with HCC risk was investigated cross-sectionally, as well as longitudinally.

Results: When the high value cut-offs of HBsAg and HBcrAg were defined as 3.

Efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir-velpatasvir with or without ribavirin in HCV-infected Japanese patients with decompensated cirrhosis: an open-label phase 3 trial.

Background: In Japan, hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients with decompensated cirrhosis currently have no treatment options. In this Phase 3 study, we evaluated sofosbuvir-velpatasvir with or without ribavirin for 12 weeks in patients with any HCV genotype and decompensated cirrhosis [Child-Pugh-Turcotte (CPT) class B or C] in Japan.

Methods: Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive sofosbuvir-velpatasvir with or without ribavirin for 12 weeks.

Association between alanine aminotransferase elevation and UGT1A1*6 polymorphisms in daclatasvir and asunaprevir combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C.

Background: Liver damage presented as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation and high ALT-caused treatment discontinuation occurs with high frequency in Japanese patients receiving daclatasvir plus asunaprevir (DCV/ASV) therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and its mechanism is unknown.

Methods: A total of 247 Japanese patients consisting of two independent cohorts with genotype-1b HCV infection receiving DCV/ASV therapy were included. The association of ALT levels during therapy and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of five drug-metabolizing enzyme loci selected for their possible influence on NS3/4A and NS5A inhibitors was investigated.

Induction of IFN-λ3 as an additional effect of nucleotide, not nucleoside, analogues: a new potential target for HBV infection.

Objective: The clinical significance of polymorphisms in the interleukin-28B gene encoding interferon (IFN)-λ3, which has antiviral effects, is known in chronic HCV but not in HBV infection. Thus, we measured IFN-λ3 levels in patients with HBV and investigated its clinical significance and association with nucleos(t)ide (NUC) analogue administration.

Design: Serum IFN-λ3 level was measured in 254 patients with HBV with varying clinical conditions using our own high sensitivity method.

Elevation of the Hepatitis B Virus DNA during the Treatment of Polycythemia Vera with the JAK Kinase Inhibitor Ruxolitinib.

Ruxolitinib is a useful treatment option for myelofibrosis since it effectively resolves splenomegaly and constitutional symptoms. After the widespread use of ruxolitinib outside of clinical trials, a series of case reports indicated a potential risk of ruxolitinib-associated opportunistic infections, including the reactivation of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). We herein report the case of a polycythemia vera patient who showed an elevation of HBV-DNA viral DNA with an elevation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) after the initiation of ruxolitinib.

Comprehensive analyses of mutations and hepatitis B virus integration in hepatocellular carcinoma with clinicopathological features.

Background And Aims: Genetic alterations in specific genes are critical events in carcinogenesis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. However, the genetic alterations responsible for HCC development, progression, and survival are unclear.

Methods: We investigated the essential difference in genetic alterations between HCC and adjacent non-HCC tissues using next-generation sequencing technology.

Semiannual Imaging Surveillance Is Associated with Better Survival in Patients with Non-B, Non-C Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Since it remains elusive whether and how the imaging surveillance affects the survival in patients with non-B, non-C hepatocellular carcinoma (NBNC-HCC), we conducted this retrospective study which investigated the association between the semiannual surveillance prior to HCC diagnosis and the survival in patients with the initial diagnosis of HCC induced by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections (N = 141) and non-B, non-C etiology (N = 30). It was demonstrated that surveillance was less frequently performed in the NBNC-HCC patients compared to that in HCC patients with HBV and/or HCV infections (B/C-HCC patients), and the survival was unfavorable in NBNC-HCC patients. On the other hand, the survival of NBNC-HCC patients with semiannual surveillance was significantly favorable than those patients without semiannual surveillance, and the survival was similar between B/C-HCCs and NBNC-HCCs with semiannual surveillance.

Deep sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of variants resistant to interferon-based protease inhibitor therapy in chronic hepatitis induced by genotype 1b hepatitis C virus.

Unlabelled: Because of recent advances in deep sequencing technology, detailed analysis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) quasispecies and their dynamic changes in response to direct antiviral agents (DAAs) became possible, although the role of quasispecies is not fully understood. In this study, to clarify the evolution of viral quasispecies and the origin of drug-resistant mutations induced by interferon (IFN)-based protease inhibitor therapy, the nonstructural-3 (NS3) region of genotype 1b HCV in 34 chronic hepatitis patients treated with telaprevir (TVR)/pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN)/ribavirin (RBV) was subjected to a deep sequencing study coupled with phylogenetic analysis. Twenty-six patients (76.

[Host factors and viral factors in hepatitis C treatment].

In the interferon-based therapy for hepatitis C, host factors such as age, gender, liver fibrosis and steatosis are important as a therapeutic effect predictor, and viral factors such as HCV genotype, HCV viral load, HCV gene (IL28B, ITPA) are also important. In addition in genotype 1b, ISDR/IRRDR and core amino acid substitution are important. Also in the DAA treatment, viral factors are also important at the view of therapeutic effect and difficulty of acquisition of drug resistance mutation.

Liver stiffness measurement for risk assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: Liver fibrosis is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but at what fibrotic stage the risk for HCC is increased has been poorly investigated quantitatively. This study aimed to determine the appropriate cut-off value of liver stiffness for HCC concurrence by FibroScan, and its clinical significance in hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and non-B, non-C (NBNC) liver disease.

Methods: Subjects comprised 1002 cases (246 with HCC and 756 without HCC) with chronic liver disease (HBV, 104; HCV, 722; and NBNC, 176).

Deep sequencing analysis of variants resistant to the non-structural 5A inhibitor daclatasvir in patients with genotype 1b hepatitis C virus infection.

Aim: Daclatasvir, a non-structural (NS)5A replication complex inhibitor, is a potent and promising direct antiviral agent (DAA) for hepatitis C virus (HCV), being most effective in genotype 1b infection. Although it is known that genotype 1b viruses with Y93H and/or L31M/V/F mutations have strong resistance to daclatasvir, it is not known whether there are some clinical background conditions that favor the occurrence of HCV carrying those NS5A mutations.

Methods: In this study, we carried out deep sequencing analysis of stored sera to determine the presence and significance of daclatasvir-resistant mutants in 110 genotype 1b HCV-infected patients with no previous daclatasvir treatment.

Hepatocellular carcinoma risk assessment using gadoxetic acid-enhanced hepatocyte phase magnetic resonance imaging.

Aim: To investigate whether the patients with hypovascular liver nodules determined on the arterial phase and hypointensity on the hepatocyte phase gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (hypovascular hypointense nodules) are at increased risk of hepatocarcinogenesis, we assessed subsequent typical hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development at any sites of the liver with and without such nodules.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-seven patients with chronic hepatitis B or C and without a history of HCC, including 68 with liver cirrhosis, were divided into those with (non-clean liver group, n = 18) and without (clean liver group, n = 109) hypovascular hypointense nodules. All the patients were followed up for 3 years, and HCC development rates and risk factors were analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazard model, respectively.

Deep-sequencing analysis of the association between the quasispecies nature of the hepatitis C virus core region and disease progression.

Variation of core amino acid (aa) 70 of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been shown recently to be closely correlated with liver disease progression, suggesting that the core region might be present as a quasispecies during persistent infection and that this quasispecies nature might have an influence on the progression of disease. In our investigation, the subjects were 79 patients infected with HCV genotype 1b (25 with chronic hepatitis [CH], 29 with liver cirrhosis [LC], and 25 with hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]). Deep sequencing of the HCV core region was carried out on their sera by using a Roche 454 GS Junior pyrosequencer.

Model incorporating the ITPA genotype identifies patients at high risk of anemia and treatment failure with pegylated-interferon plus ribavirin therapy for chronic hepatitis C.

This study aimed to develop a model for predicting anemia using the inosine triphosphatase (ITPA) genotype and to evaluate its relationship with treatment outcome. Patients with genotype 1b chronic hepatitis C (n = 446) treated with peg-interferon alpha and ribavirin (RBV) for 48 weeks were genotyped for the ITPA (rs1127354) and IL28B (rs8099917) genes. Data mining analysis generated a predictive model for anemia (hemoglobin (Hb) concentration <10 g/dl); the CC genotype of ITPA, baseline Hb <14.

Serum RANTES level influences the response to pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy in chronic hepatitis C.

Aim: Prediction of treatment responses to pegylated interferon (PEG IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) therapy is uncertain for genotype 1b chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: In this study, 96 patients were investigated for the correlation between 36 pretreatment serum chemokine/cytokine levels and PEG IFN/RBV treatment efficacy by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) and a bead array.

Results: First, chemokines/cytokines were measured semiquantitatively by sandwich ELISA in 31 randomly-selected patients and the serum regulated on activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) level was found to be significantly higher in the sustained virological response (SVR) group than the non-SVR group (P = 0.

Correlation between pretreatment viral sequences and the emergence of lamivudine resistance in hepatitis B virus infection.

The emergence of amino acid or nucleotide substitutions leads to lamivudine resistance in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected patients. The aim of this study was to investigate whether viral sequences help predict the emergence of lamivudine resistance. The study subjects comprised 59 consecutive patients infected with HBV treated with daily therapy of 100 mg lamivudine.