Proposal of Standard for Medical Science Liaison (MSL) Profession in Japan: A Viewpoint from the Japanese Association of Pharmaceutical Medicine (JAPhMed).

Medical science liaisons (MSLs) are field-based professionals sited in medical affairs (MA) departments who contribute to the generation of medical evidence and exchange advanced medical and scientific information with healthcare professionals to standardize treatments and maximize the value of medical products for patient outcomes. As such, it is essential for companies to have MSL training programs that cover areas such as advanced scientific expertise, pharmaceutical regulations, and medical communication proficiency and to certify the knowledge and skills that enable MSLs to perform their tasks effectively. The lack of a standardized training curriculum, assessment of MSL capabilities, and key performance indicators (KPIs) in Japan has made it difficult for MSLs to carry out these tasks.

Hepatitis A virus proteins.

The RNA genome of hepatitis A virus (HAV) shares common characteristics of the picornavirus family. However, the nucleotide or amino acid sequences are distantly related with other members of the family. Like other picornaviruses, HAV proteins are cleaved from a large polyprotein (PO), but the processing and some products are quite different.

Quantitation of group-specific a antigen in hepatitis B vaccines by anti-HBs/a monoclonal antibody.

Balb/c mice were immunized with aluminium hydroxide [alum, Al (OH)3]-adjuvanted hepatitis B (HB) vaccines of subtypes adr, ayw or adw. Spleen cells from the immune animals were fused with SP2/O cells. Eight hybridoma clones producing antibodies specific for HB surface antigen (HBsAg) were selected.

The latest seroepidemiological pattern of hepatitis A in Japan.

Age-specific prevalence of anti-hepatitis A virus antibody (anti-HAV) was surveyed with 2,708 sera collected in 1994 in various areas of Japan. By age-group analyses, we found strong association of anti-HAV antibody with higher age group. The prevalence ratios of antibody in the groups of 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64 and 65 years or older were 0, 4.

Identification of a surface glycoprotein on African green monkey kidney cells as a receptor for hepatitis A virus.

Very little is known about the mechanism of cell entry of hepatitis A virus (HAV), and the identification of cellular receptors for this picornavirus has been elusive. Here we describe the molecular cloning of a cellular receptor for HAV using protective monoclonal antibodies raised against susceptible African green monkey kidney (AGMK) cells as probes. Monoclonal antibodies 190/4, 235/4 and 263/6, which reacted against similar epitopes, specifically protected AGMK cells against HAV infection by blocking the binding of HAV.